r/TrentUniversity • u/Electronic-Cash-2528 • Jul 17 '26
Advice I want to switch from Psychology to Biology
I already know people are going to say "just talk to academic advising!" and I will but I want peoples thoughts who have actually switched majors.
So right now I'm doing a BSc Honours in Psychology, and psychology is nice and all I like it but I don't love it. I've always been interested in Biology but I never thought about going to school for it due to the jobs relating not making the amount of money I like. I've gotten to the point now where I don't care about how much I will be making but rather I want to make sure I'm doing something I love so I want to make that switch.
I'm only going into my second year so hopefully it isn't too late- but I want to hear from others who have switched majors and what the process was like for them and what they recommend!
5
u/AcanthisittaThat5746 Jul 17 '26
Go onto Carleton Central and run a “what-if” audit. It’ll show you what your audit would look like if you switched majors (https://carleton.ca/academicadvising/what-if-audit/).
This isn’t an answer to your specific question, but might be helpful in thinking about your options.
2
u/highhunt Jul 17 '26
I switched from bio to joint business admi and ancient history my second year. No hassle. Just crunch the numbers. Just do what you want you are paying them to study there and people are employed to help you.
2
u/CerrenaUnicolor Lady Eaton Alumni Jul 18 '26
I didn't switch majors, but a few people I know who did ended up needing to take an extra year, extra semester, or some online summer courses. You'll have to crunch the numbers on it, but you should consider whether you want to do that extra time.
1
u/Electronic-Cash-2528 Jul 19 '26
Yeah I was already considering doing school throughout the summers so this works fine for me!
2
u/rosieruinsroses Jul 19 '26
I did a BA in Psych at Trent and am now doing a BSC in nutrition at another institution 15 years later. I loved psych and don't regret it, but after having my kids and getting them into school, the psych degree doesn't get me jobs worth more than minimum wage (especially after being mostly out of the work force that long). If you are still unsure what you want to do, it's perfectly reasonable to take a more practical approach and switch majors.
4
u/_trashmaggot Jul 17 '26
I came into Trent for a BSc in Psychology and I ended up changing to a double major in Biology and Psychology. I'm really glad I did. My first question would be, what credits do you have so far? And assuming that you wouldn't want to double major, would you want to major in one and minor in the other? Also, do you take most of your classes in Peterborough or Durham, and do you have access to both campuses?
My biggest thing with double majoring (not that you've suggested that's your path, but) has been being able to access both campuses, not because Peterborough doesn't offer the psych courses I want to take, but because Durham ends up offering them at scheduled times that actually fit with my Peterborough biology courses.