Behavioural Science in Australia. Get me into Honours - Update: Meeting set up

Morblitz

I've changed the title to reflect the situation

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Hey all,
I'm a couple weeks away from wrapping up my final class which should fufill my credit requirement in order to graduate with a degree in behavioural science.
My goal is to seek post grad education, starting with Honours and to eventually register as a Psychologist. The requirements for this are a certain grade in two statistics classes, and an overall GPA of a certain amount.

As I have an aggravated back condition and am more or less disabled, and am not that good with numbers, I've been struggling with advanced statistics, and may not receive the required grade to get into the honours program next year. It's actually the only thing in my way at this point, my overall GPA is at, or very near the point where they stop counting when reviewing applications, but I may not get in because of this class. It's very frustrating. Anyway, I very well may actually get in, but I don't have my grade for my major assignment back yet, so I don't know how well I need to do in the exam. To not freak myself out, I've been thinking about fall back options in case I don't get through, which are:

Apply elsewhere - Different Universities in Australia have different requirements, such as a straight up good GPA, which I have. Or a provisional version of honours if you don't meet the requirements for the other honours course. However this is a very expensive option, as I'll have to move across states, find accommodation and pay for university. And also because of my injury, it means that working to support myself whilst doing a post grad program will be immensely difficult for me and a massive burden on my parents. Therefore, it is an option that I am only barely considering. If stars align, basically. Such as, if my brothers friend in one of the considered states lets me stay at his place for cheap rent or something.

or

Repeat the statistics class I didn't get the required grade in next year - Whilst this will certainly add an extra class grade into my GPA (both attempts will count towards my gpa, which means I'll have an extra class dragging it down) my GPA can handle it and still be competitive for a place in the program.

So basically what I'm asking is, if I go with option 2, I'll have a year to kill until then and would like to try to find a full time or at least part time job in my degree field. Does anyone know what kind of employment options someone with a degree in behavioural science has in Australia? I have been told by a lecturer that we are super employable because of our skills, I just don't know in what. I am not really concerned about working when I re-take statistics, I'm confident that if it's my only class, I'd do well in it despite my injury.

However, in the event that I don't go through honours by choice or by not being accepted, what might some long term employment paths be?

Thanks.

tl;dr
Soon to be graduate of Behavioural Science (Psychology) degree looking for employment options, inform me

romanqwerty

Have you spoken directly to the honours co-ordinator of the program you want to do? Very often school's they are willing to bend the rules if you can show that you're committed and not just trying to get out of something. This is doubly true if you have a high GPA.

My advice would be to go see whoever is in charge of honours there and basically ask what you just asked us.

Morblitz

I kind of have, but not officially. my statistics teacher is also the head of the psychology department, which involves honours co-oordinator I think, and she's spoken to us (my class) about it because its the final semester for many of us and we are freaking out. However, both her, and the second most senior professor claim that the statistics requirement is not negotiable, but they could also be playing it up a bit, there.

This conflicts with the story of a friend of mine who got in a couple years ago by the skin of his teeth, but another friends dad was on the application committee at that time. So, yeah. I may just get told the rule is firm in regards to stats, I think if they were to bend the rule it would mostly apply to GPA. Nevertheless I'll try to meet with the department head after my exams are done and see what's what.
Cheers

romanqwerty

In my experience (as a high GPA student), the requirements are non-negotiable when addressing everyone, but one on one, they can very often be waived as long as you aren't trying to get something for nothing. You'd likely be surprised how much you can be exempt from if you score well enough.

Have a look at the (psychology?) webpage and find the academic in charge of honours (not the dept head unless he or she does both) because he's the one that is going to best be able to sign off on it.

Morblitz

I think the department head and honours coordinator are one in the same, but I can't actually find any confirmation either way on the University website... and it also appears to not be functioning very well at the moment. I'll call tomorrow and inquire about who it is, maybe set up an appointment for shortly after my exam. It is somewhat of a relief to hear that certain rules are not completely hard and fast, as long as you are committed and have a good record for the most part. I know I could do well in honours, I just need to get in.

Morblitz

So update real quick, I'm studying for my exam.
I found out who the honours coordinator is. Unfortunately it's not the person I had hoped it would be and I had them double check it. Don't get me wrong I like this teacher, she's a good teacher, and if I get into honours I will ask her to supervise me, but she is extremely by the book. She is actually the same person who told me that the statistics grade is 'non negotiable' when I approached her privately about it. So if she has a say, she'll go by the cold facts, and bending of the rules may be a foreign concept for her.

I do however have a meeting with my advanced statistics teacher, whom is also the head of the department. Now, whilst she isn't the coordinator, she has considerable pull with this as I think she is the one that reviews the applications. The reason I have this meeting is because I realised I had made a mistake in my paper due to the distraction of pain and exhaustion. I had to change my results table around, and an important sub-section got lost in the shuffle.

Fearing the worst impact to my grade in probably my most important class, I e-mailed her about it when I discovered it a week later, and also asked if I could talk to her about my standing as a near graduate. She told me to come in after my exam.

So, what I'm asking for is, when the discussion turns to Honours, how do I put forward the argument that I deserve a spot in the program based on my performance throughout the degree (with the possible exception of this one, albeit, important class. I won't flunk it, but I may not get the required grade) and they should bend the rules for me, without sounding like an entitled little snot? I know I've been told to say what I've said here, but I don't want to come off like a jackass about it. Additionally, whilst the meeting isn't with the coordinator, I can always set up a meeting with her, or even the head of the department could put a word in for me. So I see this meeting as a good opportunity.

I know I can do well in it, if I can just get in. I get a better handle on the stats stuff the more experience I have with it.

Edit: I should add this meeting will likely be in the next couple days. I'll go over right after my exam.

romanqwerty

Can you identify some of the reasons you're finding this course so hard and why you think they won't be a big deal come honours?

Morblitz

Well, I'm not that great at maths in general, the school I went to was really really shit at laying down a good foundation for a lot of the basic stuff.
Statistics in Psychology, at any rate, is moving into a more automated approach, all the calculations are crunched by software and we only need to be able to interpret the results to be able to write reports and thesis's. It isn't so much that I'm finding the work too difficult, I just keep running into physical obstacles that slow my learning down.

My main issue though is my back condition, I have had a bad semester because of this. I am basically in constant pain and have trouble getting to classes sometimes, or attending the full lecture, and its often very difficult to find the endurance to complete assessments. I do complete them, and they usually do grade very well, but I often need extensions.

The thing with statistics is, because of my physical problems and inherent difficulty with numbers, I learn it all a bit slower, but I know I can get it in time. That's why I know I can do well in Honours, plus, I plan to do it part time over 2 years, which splits the workload. Coursework in the first year, thesis in the second.

Also, like I said, I get better as I go. I've had to repeat the first statistics class because (which involved manual calculations and a full report) I didn't take it seriously (I wasn't aware of the grade requirement then) and was having trouble adjusting to the demands of uni, whilst balancing the impairment of my condition. I took the class again and nailed it.

In my statistics class, the first assignment this semester wasn't worth much, but I was told it was a very good statistics paper. It is just that now, I've completed 2 out of my 3 courses, with only statistics to go - A major paper and an exam, and I am completely physically burnt out. As such, my major paper may not be of the best quality, and I've been having trouble prepping for the exam. I still may do well enough in it to get my required grade, I'm just very nervous about it.

Next year, if I get into honours, because I'll be doing it part time, I'll have more time to work on rehabbing my back, which will result in less impairment throughout the semester. And even though the classes will be harder, there will be less to deal with, only 2 classes a semester. I did 3 this semester, and one was merely a first year class, and it ate up way too much of my time. So despite the difficulty, more time to focus on classes and rehab can only be a good thing.

Plus, by the time I get to my thesis in the second year, I'll know enough about statistics and what is required to really take my time with it and make it a solid paper.

I'm going to treat honours as serious fucking business, and do everything I can to offset my disadvantages. This isn't to say I havn't been already, I've been working very very hard, but I only have so much endurance. Which is frustrating, because I'm really good at actual psychology stuff, the papers, the therapy work, the theory. My grades show all that.

ED!

I would suggest, if you can - taking an introductory statistics class (ie taught by the actual math department) and THEN taking the stats for psych majors class/es. Students already have the greatest trouble with stats; it seems to be compounded when dealing with stats designed for a specific discipline.

That assumes this is feasible, and this is coming from an American perspective.

Morblitz

Yeah, that might not be a bad idea. However, in the event I need to take it again, it will be my only class, and since I'll have more time to devote to it, I'll probably end up doing quite well.

The first statistics class I had to take during my second year focused more on the mathematics involved, however the focus in later classes is more about understanding the concept of various analyses, away from the actual maths.

I've looked around for a tutor before, they're hard to find. Although honestly I was busy and didn't look -that- hard. However, if by some chance I do get into honours, my statistics knowledge may have to be more sound, and I definitely will hunt harder for a tutor.

Update:

I just got my paper back and I didn't do as badly as I thought. In fact I got a bit over the minimum amount I wanted to get. It wasn't a terrific mark, but it takes the pressure off of me for the exam, I should be alright from here. Just will try not to blow it.

I'm sure all of this probably looked like a nervous student having a meltdown, but thanks for the advice so far. I'm still going to meet with my lecturer because I need to discuss some things regarding the paper and still possibly honours, but I won't be making any arguments. Next year if I'm in honours I'll look hard for a tutor. My gf mentioned that if I can find someone willing to do it (someone who has already done honours, for example), the Uni may even cover the cost. I'll explore that option further.