In this post, Nicole Koh tackles some questions students may have about the summer psychology internship programme at the University of Nottinghan UK

FAQs

1. Do I need a VISA during this 3-month internship program in the UK?

No, you do not require a student’s VISA for this internship. With a Malaysian passport, you are entitled to 3 months of holiday VISA which you can utilise during your short summer stay in the UK. You should print out relevant internship documents to show immigration officers upon arrival.

2. How & where can I find accommodation for the short duration of my internship?

As most student accommodations in the UK operate on an annual contract basis, I would recommend acquiring a room through subletting listings on student groups. Below are several links to FB groups where you can browse through the available listings during the summer break:

University of Nottingham Student’s Help Page (lots of summer sublistings here)
University of Nottingham Flatmate Finder
Second-Hand Items Nottingham (sublistings may be posted here as well)

Usually, students will state the remaining duration of their contract on their listing, along with the weekly rent rate, contact details, room condition and location. Rooms are typically listed in Beeston (local housing area near the campus) or the Nottingham City Centre (near the high street, main train station, and supermarkets). Some students would be open to negotiating for rent rates, so do keep that in mind before finalising a room. You can send a direct message to the lister for further enquiries about the room and payment process.

Beeston is about a 5-10 mins walk to campus, while Nottingham city centre is about 20 mins away by local tram. Beeston is a great option for those who prioritise close accessibility to campus and more affordable room options; while rooms located in the Nottingham City Centre are great for those would prioritise accessibility to supermarkets, local shops, and the main railway station that easily connects for trips to London or Manchester. From personal experience, I stayed in an accommodation near the city centre and had travelled to school easily via the local tram. Additionally, the city centre had a greater variety of local shops, pharmacies, and cafes to buy daily necessities, all within walking distance, making it an attractive option despite rooms being slightly more expensive than Beeston.

3. How do I claim for the scholarship and stipend allowance provided?

Your flight ticket will be automatically deducted from the allocated amount once you have finalised your confirmation for the internship. The remaining amount can be claimed for rent accommodation only after you have completed your internship via rent receipts and contracts.

Thus, you would only claim for stipend before or during the early stages of your internship. You would need to file a request to the Finance Office and attach any necessary documents detailing your internship and stipend claims from the school. This is done through the official FOSE Payment Portal linked here. You may request the charge code from the Head of Psychology Faculty via email. It may take several weeks to a month to approve so ensure you have sufficient living allowance for the first month or so in the UK.

4. Is there anything I should do upon arrival on Campus?

I would recommend requesting an email associate account and associate ID to access facilities such as the Eduroam WiFi, libraries, and common buildings around the UK campus. Your Malaysian student card will not grant you any access to these facilities; thus, it is crucial to request for these privileges early on in your internship to ease your working experience. You may consult with your UK supervisor for further information on how to proceed with requesting for an associate ID and email account.

Do explore the campus area during your free time as it consists of several parks (notably the Highlands Field Park and Wollaton Park nearby), libraries for each faculty, and cafes to study at for a change in scenery. The UK Nottingham Merch Shop, located at the Portland Building (where the cafeteria is located as well) sells exclusive merchandise such as seasonal hoodies and lanyard designs unavailable in the local Malaysian campus, so do take a look if you are looking for potential souvenirs during your trip.

Furthermore, the School of Psychology has a dedicated social room which frequently hosts networking events among faculty staff members, undergraduate and postgraduate students. Do take advantage of these events to network with postgraduate students and ask them about their thesis and PHD experience (they are more than happy to share about their PHD!)

5. Anything else I should know during my stay in Nottingham?

Your Malaysian Student ID will not be recognised for student discounts around local shops in the UK. I would recommend signing up for student apps such as Unidays or Student Beans which allows you to register your local student information and will grant you student privileges whenever you present your profile ID at checkout counters.

Additionally, It may be a good opportunity to reconnect with any acquaintances, friends, or relatives who are currently residing in Nottingham or nearby states in the UK. Do reach out to classmates who have undergone the UK 1-year exchange program as they may provide the most relevant source of information and emotional support during your time in the UK.

Railway train tickets may fluctuate drastically in prices depending on the date of purchase, train company, trip duration, and time of departure. Thus, it is highly recommended that you book train tickets in advance during off-peak times to get the best deals for your trip. Be sure to check whether your departure dates clashes with train strikes/protests which occurs on a regular monthly basis.

Alternatively, you may catch the National Express Coaches which offer cheaper rates for interstate travel and trips to nearby European cities (e.g., Paris, Amsterdam). Finally, many events, concerts, and activities will be hosted during the Summer season in the UK. Do keep an eye for exclusive theatre performances at the Royal Concert Hall (Nottingham) or the London Theatre Direct (London), music concerts, farmers markets, fun fairs, museum workshops, the Pride Parade, and other relevant local events.

I hope the following information may be helpful for anyone interested in the UK Summer Internship Program. My internship experience as a research assistant in the UK campus was both an academically and personally enriching time for me. If you have any further enquires, feel free to send an email to hpynk3@nottingham.edu.my.

Article by Nicole Koh

During my second-year summer, I signed up for the physical research internship offered by the School of Psychology UK campus. It was a great opportunity to experience working with scientific equipment that were not readily available in the Malaysian campus, as well as a chance to explore a more extensive range of psychology topics related to the specialty area of your supervisor. I worked with Dr Nick Holmes, a British professor who specialises in hand-related research, including areas such as hand motor-coordination and tactile-spatial perception. He even has his own hand-specific laboratory called “HandLab” where most of our research was conducted.

As his research projects often involve the use of multiple instruments, I spent the first two weeks undergoing intensive training with relevant equipment, including how to use the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) coil, positions for attaching electrodes on specific hand muscles, translating MRI brain scans to locate the primary motor cortex, and learning how to read and monitor motor evoked potential (MEP) responses from hand movements. It was invigorating to be involved in experiments which demanded much active engagement from the experimenter’s part to ensure data collection was reliably and accurately recorded. Often times, electrodes recording hand muscle activity would loosen due to natural sweating or technical difficulties such as MATLAB script errors and the overheating of TMS coils would require us to remain attentive throughout the experiment process.

Alongside Nick, I worked with two other PHD/Masters students, Valentina and Isabelle, as well as another undergraduate intern, Maria, as I assisted in their research projects as deemed fit. I was mostly involved in assisting Valentina on her research project which aimed to investigate how hand grip force control varies across developmental ages while receiving TMS interference at their primary motor cortex. Her study provides insight as to how lesions at the specific areas in the primary motor cortex may affect one’s ability to anticipate grasping motions and the degree of grip force required to achieve everyday goals (e.g., grasping mugs, playing ball sports), a challenge often faced by stroke patients or children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Overall, the research topic felt meaningful and relevant on a personal level as I tried to reflect how I might explore motor coordination disorders among the paediatric population as part of my future postgraduate in clinical psychology.

During the remainder of my free time, I would often explore the attractions around the city such as the Nottingham Robin Hood Castle, go for walks at the many gorgeous parks available in the UK, or café hop while basking in the UK summer weather that often thread between perfectly warm or confusingly windy and gloomy. Furthermore, I had the golden opportunity to attend the Pride Parade held at London and Nottingham around late July. Attending Pride had always been a bucket list item for me so it felt surreal to experience the warm and enthusiastic atmosphere as the cheering crowds celebrated one of the biggest liberation movements in human rights history. Additionally, I became acquainted with local drinking culture as Nick would often bring us out for drinks at the local English pubs as a reward after a long week of experimentation. For the first time in my life, I experienced a lifestyle that felt enriching both on an academic and personal level, where I did not feel compelled to sacrifice my personal time or enjoyment for the sake of my academics or career development. In fact, such as sacrificial relationship with work is often frown upon in the UK and EU, with my supervisor reminding us to take adequate breaks and preventing us from working past 6 pm. Finally, I took a 3 week long solo trip around Europe upon the end of my internship. It was my first solo trip where I created unforgettable memories with new people as we experienced European culture with a heap of curiosity, whimsicalness, and wonderment.

Upon my return to Malaysia, I felt empowered to embrace a more balanced lifestyle, prioritising activities that felt personally fulfilling on both a physical and mental aspect. Conversations with strangers and new people now feel less daunting than it did previously as I learnt that most people would appreciate a pleasant conversation with a polite stranger. I had the chance to experience a portion of the exciting UK studying experience that exchange students often talk about, without staying long enough to experience the dread of feeling homesick. It felt like a true Goldilocks experience. Although it was challenging at times living aboard with all the adulting and uncertainties that comes along with it, I do not regret having taken this internship and would definitely recommend to anyone who would be keen on challenging themselves beyond their comfort zones. If you would like to know more, I have made another post tackling some of the frequently-asked-questions students have on the internship.

This piece is written by Nicole Koh, a year 2 psychology student.

The Problem

Let’s face it, you clicked on this article because you wanted to learn how to write better essays. Even after reading through the feedback your TA or lecturers gave, you still do not quite understand what they mean by “lacking critical thinking”. You can barely grasp the concept of “critical thinking” (as vague of a term that may be), let alone figure out how to apply it into your academic essays. Even knowing the definition of critical thinking alone gives little direction as to HOW one can begin to put themselves in the headspace needed for critical thinking.

What the heck is “critical thinking” and how do I express it in my essays?

This article will try to break it down into simple, small steps so that you actually know how to reliably apply critical thinking into your arguments for future assignments and hopefully impress your lecturers in the process! *wink wink*

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What is Critical Thinking?

Although the definition of critical thinking has been widely debated across the years, the general consensus is that it is not merely a single skill (Fisher, 2011). Rather, it is an accumulative set of skills and attitudes which jointly produce the type of arguments we associate with critical thinking. According to Siegal (1988), critical thinking includes skills such as:

• The ability to analyse the validity of arguments through evidential reasoning. Is something true or falsely misleading?
• How easy it is for one (disposition) to engage in critical thinking
• Habits of the mind

Note how Siegal mentions “Habits of the mind”.

In order to apply critical thinking, it would need to be an actionable, step by step process for the individual to execute repeatedly until it eventually develops into a habit. In other words, critical thinking is a habit, involving various thinking patterns if you will.

Another definition that is helpful to include would be the ability to conduct reasonable thinking based on reflective scepticism (Ennis, 1985; McPeck, 1981). Reflecting upon the statements made by researchers and your own personal interpretation of it would be part of the critical thinking process — basically meta-cognition, or thinking about thinking.

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How do you do “Critical Thinking”?

You, me and every other undergrad: Tips on CT ??? (PLEASE OH GOD HELP ME)

1) Be Sceptical about EVERYTHING

When I say sceptical, I mean “Do these psychologists even know what they are arguing about?” level of scepticism. Take each argument and try to imagine an alternative reality where it is false. Maybe psychologists have been approaching the subject in a misguided fashion. What if (insert topic here) was not how we thought it worked? What other alternative explanations could possibly explain this phenomenon?

It is kind of a fun practice to do and it generates questions that direct you towards finding evidence to support your alternative explanation. Furthermore, it forces you to evaluate the validity of research data to craft well-structured, critical arguments (ah hah!). I use the term “craft” as I believe it is much easier to approach CT as a process requiring multiple revisions before you actually develop a solid and well-reasoned argument.

This is especially true when you are trying to justify why you got “non-significant results” in your practical lab report’s discussion section. Which brings me to my next point…

2) RELATE RELATE RELATE

Just like that one family relative that makes you perplexed each time you wonder how you are related, your reader is going to think the same way if your alternative explanations just pop out of nowhere, completely disconnected from the previous points.

This is where you could use the “So what does x mean?” statement to help you draw connections back to your first point.

Simply stating factual data does not show the reader how it is relevant to your main argument. You have to explicitly show them how the research can be interpreted to support your point. This statement recentres your attention to the big picture and forces you to justify why readers should care about your writing.

How is x finding significant? How does that affect me, the targeted population or the research field? What can people do with this new finding? What is the point that I should care about?

This is really the hardest part of scientific writing and the CT process: trying to come up with a theoretical argument that may highlight unventured areas of the research field. This does require some creative muscle thinking so try to be imaginative.

3) Compare and Contrast different explanations

Lastly, identify key differences and similarities between various explanations. Drawing a table helps! This includes different interpretations of a theory and assumptions made by respective researchers. From there, identify missing ideas or unaddressed questions that could aid in formulating your alternative explanation.

Using such key differences, you can attempt to challenge pre-existing assumptions regarding a research topic, even though everyone might be agreeing on the same thing for decades. Obviously, you should back up your theory with relevant supporting research. Otherwise, you will just sound like a lunatic shouting out outrageous claims on the streets (hah).

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Closing Remarks

These are just some guidelines that I have found to be beneficial whenever I need to transition into the “critical thinking mindset”. Feel free to take what resonates and adapt the concepts to fit your style of writing. As a challenge, try to refer back to your previous assignments and analyse how you can reinterpret your arguments using these concepts.

Lastly, I want to point out that background knowledge on the subject plays a part in dictating how easy it will be for you to apply critical thinking analysis into your essays (Lai, 2011).

As an undergraduate, most of the concepts introduced in research papers would still be new to you. This makes it challenging to come up with convincing explanations for your study, given that you will spend half of your research time trying to understand the basic definitions and concepts of the topic. Try not to beat yourself up too much when you struggle to conjure up critical arguments. It takes time and intentional practice before it becomes a natural process and I still struggle with it.

However, I hope that this piece provided clarity on how to initiate the critical thinking thought process and made it less intimidating for you. I did not cover every step involved in the critical thinking process but additional resources will be listed below if you are interested in reading further. Ganbatte!

References

Ennis, R. H. (1985). A logical basis for measuring critical thinking skills. Educational Leadership, 43(2), 44-48.

Fisher, A. (2011). Critical thinking: An introduction (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Lai, E. R. (2011). Critical thinking: A literature review. Pearson Publishing.

McPeck, J. E. (1990). Critical thinking and subject specificity: A reply to Ennis. Educational Researcher, 19(4), 10-12. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189×019004010

Siegel, H. (1988). Educating reason: Rationality, critical thinking, and education. New York:Routledge.

The School of Psychology bagged a prestigious Lord Dearing Award for the academic year of 2020/2021! The Lord Dearing Award is presented by the University of Nottingham to staff across all three Nottingham campuses (UK, MY and CN), and recognises the efforts of staff to provide quality education and support to the students. Nominations are sent in by both staff and students.

Here is what Dr Jess Price, former Director of Teaching and Learning for the School of Psychology and team lead on the application for the award, had to say:

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We were recently awarded a Lord Dearing Award for providing excellence in the learning environment. To be nominated is an honour in itself, to be awarded one during the pandemic is truly humbling. As part of the nomination process, we were given the opportunity to talk about our practices and what we do to support students. It made us realise that we tend to focus on which aspects we could improve on further without noticing the good things we already do as a school. We have always taken a holistic, student-centred approach, which has enhanced the student experience in real and important ways.

We were pro-active in supporting our students when the pandemic first hit, with regular updates sent via email reassuring students that we will support their learning. In addition to the regular Learning Community Forums, we asked students for feedback after every teaching session when we first moved to online teaching. We added extra Q&A sessions for our international students in different time zones to try and reduce the impact on their learning.

We are very lucky to have such wonderful students, it has not been easy for them. We have tried hard to support their learning but also their wellbeing during these difficult times. We introduced regular “tea breaks” on Microsoft Teams. These informal sessions give staff and students the opportunity to connect and gives us a sense of community.

I am very lucky to belong to a school with such dedicated, supportive academic staff. The adjustment to online teaching was not easy, and we made sure to share any tips with each other. It also helps that we have Markus, our superstar lab technician, his assistance, particularly in practicals has been much appreciated by staff and students alike.

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On behalf of everyone in the School of Psychology, we thank the organising committee for recognising the hard work that the staff put in during a year of uncertainty and risk, and we hope to reach new heights in providing impactful education to our students!

The full list of winners can be found via this link: https://pd-systems.nottingham.ac.uk/lord-dearing/results

This article, along with its cover image, is from our first year psychology student Nicole Koh

Have you ever felt how weird it is that we as a society love, and I mean LOVE, to demonise our own feelings? How often do we choose to repress our feelings and even downright hate ourselves for feeling the way we do? It is a rather strange thought process if you think about it. Why would feelings be a pre-programmed mechanism within us if it was not designed to protect us? Yet, we are quick to dismiss its inherent functionality and usefulness with phrases such as “Get over yourself” or “It’s fine I’m totally fine”. It is almost as if it has developed into a reflexive habit in order to cope with uncomfortable emotions such as guilt, disappointment, and anger. Rather than giving ourselves permission to feel our emotions, we often find ourselves (and the people around us) trying their best to usher us out from that negative emotional state. Perhaps is due to their own urge to alleviate their own distress feelings while with someone in a negative emotional state. But often more than not, it can leave a negative impression to the receiver that their feelings are not being validated as something that is just and worthy of feeling in the first place.

This brings me to question that started this topic. Why are we not allowed to feel awful?

Yesterday, I failed to bake two loaves of sourdough bread. Granted, sourdough bread is a challenging and difficult bread to make successfully. However, that fact alone did not relieve the amount of grief and disappointment I felt after hours of kneading and waiting spent only to toss it into the garbage bin by the end of two day’s worth of effort. My family members were quick to encourage me after seeing my rather defeated look of expression, saying how it was alright to fail and that I should not be too upset of my failed loaves.

But the part that noticeably stood out to me was the fact that my family members were surprised that I was still upset over my failed bread after a few days. It felt strangely weird how hard they were trying to make me “get over my feelings” that I could not help but reflect back on the numerous accounts in my life where I experienced the same exact response. For example, when I scored grades beyond my expectations during my college years, instead of feeling overly filled with glee and joy, I was awestruck and in disbelief as to how I even got those grades in the first place. A part of me felt happy, but it did not match the proportion of happiness that one would expect with such achievements. So there I was, being “harassed” by the people around me telling me exactly how I should feel even though I clearly do not share their degree of enthusiasm for the subject. It is easy to guilty about your own feelings especially when others are constantly reminding you how you should feel. And to think that your life was not already bombarded with countless other societal expectations that you are compelled to meet, but feelings? Really? The thought of something that deeply personal and individualized being the receiving end of societal control is beyond perplexing to me.

As someone who is in tune with her emotions, these feelings are not just fleeting states of existence to just dismiss. Emotions carry particular weight and act as an internal security system that alerts you whenever you feel psychologically affected by an event or situation. Thus, rather than dismissing emotions as “useless” or “annoying”, we should learn how to acknowledge their existence and utilize this benefitted knowledge to reflect on our own psychological well-being. By acknowledging how we truly feel about a subject, we can begin to uncover the true reason why we were affected by a certain situation (e.g. conflict of internal values) and to take suitable action. Based on past experience, I know it is better to give yourself the permission to feel negative emotions and to sit with them for as long as you need to accept them. After all, both negative and positive emotions are part of the experience of being alive.

This piece is written by our first year psychology student Nicole Koh.

If you’ve spent more than 5 mins on Instagram, you’re bound to come across an aesthetically pleasing flat lay of someone’s work desk, possibly with an open journal with neat handwriting or impressive calligraphy font spread through their expensive Leuchttrum or Mossery notebook, with captions describing how they tracked their habits for the month. Often, this is the impression one conjures up when they think of the concept of “journaling”, becoming almost synonymous with the concept of keeping a diary log, at least that was how I initially viewed the activity. However, I’ve learnt a few lessons since I began journaling back in September which drastically changed my initial impressions of what journaling meant to me and why so many people (clinical psychologists included) recommend an activity that is frequently dismissed as trivial and menial in the minds of many. Thus, I will be sharing some of the key insights that I’ve gained through my journaling process which differs from the traditional impressions of journaling.

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Journaling became a self-reflection log rather than a visual piece of artwork ready for Instagram rolls. What I mean by a ‘self-reflection log’ is that each time I wrote an entry, I did it with the intent on reflecting upon a particular subject instead of just writing factual accounts of the day (as typically seen in diary entries). This mindset is crucial to keep in mind while writing since most of the value people preach about when they talk about the benefits of journaling is related to this very concept, the fact that journaling provides an opportunity in your busy day to fully digest and replay all your personal thoughts and feelings regarding the events that occurred throughout your life. The subject may include an infinite spectrum of topics you’re interested in reflecting on, ranging from your favourite coffee of the month, personal life philosophies, specific childhood events, thoughts on a line uttered by an acquaintance during a meet-up that caught your attention, literally the sky is the limit. It’s also important to keep in mind that the journal itself should be treated as a safe haven for your thoughts to wander, so no censorship required (since it defeats the purpose of an honest self-reflection that only you are going to read) and if you are one to worry about invasion of personal privacy, keep the book in a place no one would ever think to look for (be creative with this).

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The whole point of doing self-reflection entries is to provide yourself physical feedback to track your behaviour, thoughts, and emotional states as you go about doing life, making it easier to identity personal behaviours in need of changes or to assess fundamental causes of thought patterns inherited from events from the past (e.g. feeling a sense of distrust among teachers due to past traumatic event in a school setting). You would be surprised at the clarity of thought gained gradually from the process of having to sit down and write your thoughts out on paper. Additionally, you’ll gain more self-awareness when you reread past entries at a later date, wondering how anyone would deal with the amount of whining past you wrote. It is this concept that has naturally motivated me to keep relatively consistent entries throughout the week, to the point where I craved it during a temporary hiatus a month after I finished my first book. Journaling was especially helpful on nights when I was too anxious to sleep due to chronic overthinking about the amount of workload I still had pending. I would argue it gave back some sense of control over my day and acted as a form of emotional expression, the fact that I did this activity for no one other than myself for completely non-academic or work-related purposes felt personally liberating during times where it felt like my daily routines were purely dictated based on the next deadline.

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Furthermore, the journaling design should cater according to the needs of the individual. For example, if you’re an artistic person who derives a sense of joy from drawing creative pieces in your journal, by all means, do it; whereas if you’re someone who prefers a streamlined, organised style of expression with bullet points and paragraphs, you should not feel the need to conform to what Instagram thinks ‘journaling’ is. I address these points with the knowledge that many people feel intimated at the act of picking up journaling as a habit or perhaps drop it halfway through due to the simple fact that they felt unable to maintain the intense amount of time commitment required to craft journal entries similar to those seen on social media. It really does not have to be that complicated. Perhaps you may be one of the few crippled by the vague, endless spectrum of journaling styles to the point where you feel lost as to where to start. It can be a simple as simply noting down interesting ideas or thoughts into a short point (e.g. what are the benefits of doing nothing), or as elaborate as an entire essay analysing the brand philosophy and product design of MUJI, either way, both of them count as entries for the day regardless of how long or short the entry themselves may be. Shifting from the traditional idea of journaling where one is expected to write a log every day, the individual should only journal when they feel the need for emotional expression as forcing the activity into a strict regime only imposes unnecessary pressures to write something for the sake of it which may eventually devalue the entire experience of solace obtained through journaling. A flexible schedule in combination with the freedom of topic choices work to leverage journaling to a whole new level, allowing the individual ample space to experiment and personalise journaling as an activity which serves to adapt its purpose along with changes in one’s lifestyle.

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To end the article, I would like to show you a picture of my real journal to give you some ideas as to how creative and vulnerable you can be through this medium of expression, happy journaling!

The writer of this piece is a first year psychology student who has chosen to remain anonymous

Hi, I’m a first-year psychology student just like you (assuming you are also a first-year student and one of my classmates). Since we’re nearing the end of our first year, I would like to take a moment to bring you on an incredibly personal journey recounting all the moments I’ve experienced in the past year or so since I’ve joined this school. There has been many ups and downs, epiphanies that I would rather unsee, growing pains from the past that resurfaced to my own detriment that has made this period a significantly important one, like p< .001 sort of significant (I can never use the word ‘significantly’ the same way I used to ever again).

It started off with a sense of reckless optimism, perhaps with a touch of naivety that I could still establish close friendships despite the whole online, long-distance set up that every university is undergoing at the moment. I was nervous (as many of you were too I’m guessing) but I forced myself in a lot of uncomfortable situations to try to socialise first and perhaps through putting myself out there, I may be able to find some form of a connection with a fellow classmate. Weeks turned into months, as one assignment after another rolled in was when I realised how lonely my university life was. Though I was talking to several classmates, I never felt like I was getting anywhere in terms on conversational material. Somehow, there was always a perpetuating feeling of insecurity and fear that blanketed each conversation, an overwhelming sense that “I’m not going to tell you anything because I haven’t even met you in real life yet” that only seems to worsen as perpetuating extensions of lockdowns get announced, slowly crushing what I thought would be one of the most life-changing experiences of my young adulthood. The whole aforementioned problem itself has got to be one of the biggest understated problems of online learning that many educational institutions are attempting their best by providing some form of counselling service. However, it does not change the fact that people are afraid to open themselves up to essentially strangers even with the knowledge that someday we would eventually see each other physically in person. The most difficult part of the social aspect of online university is attempting to accept the fact as to whether any interaction between your peers is even genuine or meaningful, beyond questions regarding assignments.

The second hardest part about my first-year was the unexpected avalanche of workload I would be expected to completed. From past experience, I’ve tried my best to submit my assignments rather punctually, rarely missing any deadlines since the fear of being at the receiving end of my educator’s judgement scared me more than failed grades (not a fun situation to be in). Being a meticulous person with high standards for myself, I realised that I could no longer afford to sustain my perfectionist tendencies if I wanted to maintain some resemblance of a sanity without sacrificing my entire life towards assignments. Thus, I learnt to pick my trade-offs, either spending more time crafting on an essay while sacrificing personal time off or submitting a ‘good enough’ essay with some downtime to spend for yourself until the next deadline. This was a recent painful discovery and a learning process still, so the ‘guilt’ of knowing that I could have submitted a better piece given more time still stings each time I click on the Turnitin page. The worse part comes from the fact that I’ve received higher grades for assignments that I’ve spent less time devoting towards compared to essays which I have cracked my head for hours trying to formulate my best arguments for, which is just additional evidence that shows time spent on an assignment does not translate to better quality of work (a bitter pill to swallow I know). This all begs the question: what exactly is needed for a good essay? Although lecturers have mentioned specific skills like critical thinking and even presenting several writing workshops for us, I am of the opinion that writing, just as with any other skill, requires time, patience, and persistence. Though I may be adequate in presenting arguments vocally, writing was always an area I struggled with the most. I have come to a point where I’ve accepted that I would not be able to consistently produce a piece that was better than the previously submitted assignment and that is okay. If you feel the same way, I highly urge you to recall the reason why you even decided to choose this course in the first place. Nobody is going to judge your entire work performance as a future counsellor/therapist/cognitive neuropsychologist based on one poorly written essay done at 4 am with 5 cups of coffee in your system. It helps to ease some of the self-inflicted pressure off your shoulders when you remember the big picture of why you are studying psychology in the first place, whatever reason that may be. The writing will get better the more pieces you write, it is not an overnight process and even if you asked your friends or lecturers what could have been improved or what techniques to implement, it comes down to consistent practice and being comfortable in acknowledging how much you have been able to pour into this piece instead of all the imperfections it has.

At some point near the end of the first semester, I started to re-experience a bulk of my depressive memories from my past online schooling experience. Everything from the feeling of isolation, incompetence, just completely unsure as to whether I’m doing anything right with university, it all started to unpackage itself like a rolled-out carpet from the past. To my surprise, experiences and feelings which I once thought I have learnt to fully grasp had slowly started to infer with both my physical and mental health, adding to the additional sense of general incompetence and feeling like I’m falling in a thousand directions at the same time. I’m aware that feeling is common whenever you start something new, but it can feel exceptionally difficult when you do not trust or know your classmates enough to even tell them how you genuinely feel. If that is the case, then I hope sharing this story of mine will provide you some sense of comfort that you are not alone, that as much as it seems like people are doing well, we all struggle with our personal problems that we choose not to tell. Good luck with that essay, it’s fine even if it’s a half-baked essay, there are plenty more opportunities to improve your writing.

Article by Haqeem Moreton, Year 1 student for the 2020/2021 academic year

I recently wrote a lab report on gender norms in educational achievement. Of course, by gender norms, I mean those norms relating to males and females. I felt compelled to specify as such, for it seemed an injustice to those peoples who identify as a third, that is, other, gender. Judith Butler (2006) states that it takes conscious effort to ‘unlearn’ things that seem rooted in common sense. Which is kind of pain, but a necessary and potentially cathartic one, like exercise. Relying on Western models of thought like the gender binary is basically sitting (unpopularly decried as the new smoking.)

I suspect that the real reason for our continuous use of Western models is due to the insistence of a small percentage of the world’s total population. Much has been taken from us, and yet we fail to recognize and address the injustice of still adhering to the terms of the takers. But in this instance, you may guess, I am concerned with the psychological field. Psychology is overwhelmingly WEIRD: Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic.

This is obviously problematic. How are we to conduct research that is useful to all of humanity when our predecessors have insisted on studying people from only a few countries? They seem arrogant in retrospect, thinking that studies of the WEIRD people of the Occident were applicable to the entire world. Simple logic, I think, will persuade you to the contrary.

You have to wonder how exactly a mistake of this caliber occurred. I only have to point at our SONA system as an example. Bright young minds — aperture may vary — enter into studies with the objective of gaining credits so they can further their education, in the grand tradition started by Wilhelm Wundt in his Leipzig Laboratory. Therein lies the problem: many studies use data from people who are educated enough to be at university and can pay for it. Obviously, this makes the lives of researchers easier, and the findings are usually generalizable within the university’s country. But what happens when unique populations declare themselves hegemon and therefore the standard by which others are evaluated?

Of course, I’m sure that the issue would have been resolved sooner or later had the Occident not already endeavored to impress their culture and language upon the corners of the globe. Now, obviously, we have to do better, but considering that we’re already talking about it, and the fact that we are all (most of us, anyway) situated in non-Western countries, I should think the issue is well on its way to being resolved (or at the very least, quarantined) one hundred and forty one years later.

Article by Malmaruhan A/L Bala Murugan, Year 2 student for the 2020/2021 academic year

I’m genuinely glad that we live in times where the importance of mental health has become more prevalent especially among us youths in this era. However, I’ve always felt that not everyone really understands why & how mental health is equally important to physical health because according to WHO, 800,000 people die from suicide every single year. That’s honestly a staggering number of people that could have been helped or at least, be comforted.

Personally speaking, I myself struggle at times to keep my mental health in check & I suppose the pandemic has made it worst because I was always the one that was out & about meeting people as well as having solo trips as a method of coping with stressful times. Now that all of that was stripped away, I felt miserable at the initial stages of the Movement Control Order (MCO).

To put it simply, I did realise that the whole world literally had to change their lifestyle in order to fit the new normal life ever since the pandemic began & it did give me comfort knowing that I wasn’t the only one that felt suffocated with the current situation. But then, this pandemic also made me realise one important aspect of life, & that’s gratitude. Why? That’s because it took me a whole pandemic to understand that there were far more terrible situations people have been dealing with day in day out way before this pandemic took place. We get so carried away with our hectic lives that we often don’t pay attention to what’s actually happening to our brothers & sisters around the world & let’s just say that the pandemic is nothing compared to what they go through.

It’s when we’re trapped at home and glued to our phones that we realise from social medias that there’s so much injustice going on in the world & imagine the amount of mental health issues those people had to & still is going through. My point is, I know that many people would say “Don’t compare yourself to others” but I’d like to disagree & say that “It’s sometimes okay to compare yourself with others” solely because if you think you’re life is imperfect, think again. It’s completely okay to feel vulnerable & low but it’s crucial to note that this journey of sorrow & misery isn’t immune to anyone but if if you still have a roof above your head & food on your plate, trust me that you’re far more privileged that many other people.

Of course mental health deserves a book on its own for the amount of importance it carries with itself but I’m here just to say that this pandemic has put us all through so much & I’m proud for each & every one of you that has made it this far as we all know it wasn’t an easy situation. I just hope that at times where you feel low & worn out, you’d take some time to reflect about everyone around you because it’s true when people say that everyone goes through something they never share about & this one statement alone should make each one of us realise that kindness comes free thus please spread it as much as you can because like I said, there are some people that don’t even get that. Be kind to one another any given time & believe that your kindness has an impact on others because in the end, it will.

Article by Tanushri Jayani A/P Krishna Murthi, Year 1 student for the 2020/2021 academic year

Sigismund Schlomo Freud, commonly known as Sigmund Freud requires no introduction. Known as the ‘Father of Modern Psychology’, his contributions in psychology is not only known by his peers, but by the public as well. For example, terms such as ‘Freudian Slip’ being administered in daily conversation or concepts such as the Oedipus complex, though mind-boggling, leaves a strong impact on a person. As psychology students, I believe we are well acquainted with his contributions as the founder of psychoanalysis, in psychosexual development, defence mechanisms, dream association, the Tripartite Theory of Personality and such, so let’s look at some lesser-known facts about Freud.

Freud was a bright student, having graduated with honours from a reputable high school, and was fluent in German, French, Italian, Spanish, English, Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. Subsequently, Freud graduated from the University of Vienna as a doctor of medicine, then pursued neurology. As a student, Freud spent six years in a physiology laboratory comparing human brains with vertebrates and invertebrates. His research on the biology of nervous tissue was highly influential towards the discovery of the neuron in the 1890s.

Although he had great interest in philosophy, Freud started gravitating towards psychology. It was said that his great interest in William Shakespeare’s plays contributed towards his understanding of human psychology. Freud came up with the idea of ‘free association’, otherwise known as ‘talk therapy’ after abandoning hypnosis from his clinical practice. This was because he found free association to be more consistent and effective compared to hypnosis as patients were allowed to speak without censorship or inhibition. Shortly after, he coined the term ‘psychoanalysis’ that concerns the interaction between the conscious and unconscious as a form of treatment for mental disorders.

Being Jewish in Austria and one of the most influential people of his time, Freud became a target of the Nazis in 1933. His books were among the first that were burnt and destroyed. After Germany annexed Austria, the Nazis raided Freud’s apartment. Luckily, he was able to flee to Paris with the help of a friend and patient, Princess Marie Bonaparte, the grandniece of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Finally, Freud was an avid supporter of cocaine use as he found his spirits to be improved after drinking water with dissolved cocaine. He was in awe of cocaine, so much so that he wrote a paper on its therapeutic benefits called ‘On Coca’ and distributed doses to his friends and future wife. However, this was short-lived when Freud suggested that his friend should try cocaine to overcome his morphine addiction. You could probably guess how well this ended. Despite his use of cocaine for over a decade, he eventually died due to his chain-smoking. He believed that smoking enhanced his productivity and creativity, but more bizarrely, he stated that addictions such as tobacco were great substitutes for ‘the one great habit’, masturbation. Over 16 years, Freud underwent 33 surgeries but continued to smoke. He did not quit smoking because his doctors downplayed his cancer as they were afraid of him committing suicide.

There are many other ‘fun’ facts about Freud that are lesser-known as they are hidden from the public by his daughter, Anna Freud’s wishes to preserve his legacy. I say ‘fun’ facts as they regard his blatant sexism and his views on homosexuality as a fetish, inter alia. Simply put, Freud was very much a man of his times. Though his bigoted views are somewhat known to the public, there are other cases such the tragedy of his patient Emma Eckstein that was kept under wraps, but that’s a story for another time.