Psychology does matter
INTERNATIONAL Medical University (IMU) Psychology students organised a Psychology Week last Apr 25 to 26 at the university’s campus in Bukit Jalil. This is the fourth time that this event was organised at the university and showcased various areas of Psychology.
This year’s event theme is “Psychology Does Matter” and covered integrative applications of psychology. There were posters on addictions, health psychology exhibitions, experiments on taste perception, expressive art therapy demonstrations, 30-second lift speech for job interviews and many more, giving the opportunity for the Psychology students to present their “classroom knowledge” to students from other IMU programmes.
Semester 2 Psychology students commented, “We learnt a lot more about the topics allocated to us for the event, including how to provide appropriate responses to questions from the lay person.
“What is useful is that we were able to improve on our presentation skills, an important aspect of our own personal and professional development.”
One of the highlights of the event is the art therapy and card therapy organised by Semester 8 students.
Student Izza Amira commented about the card therapy booth: “The students who took part in this activity were open to the idea of card therapy, interested to learn about the cards and were willing to share their thoughts with me.”
She added, “It was such an overwhelming experience as I was able to gain more insight and see different perspectives from the sharing with these students. Just as much as I was hoping the students can see their strength in the cards, they taught me how to see things from such a diverse perspective.
“I find myself more critical in finding positivity in every weakness. In all, it was such a great experience to be able to facilitate the therapy”.
The “30-second lift speech” for job interviews had students from different programmes.
Students record a clear, brief message about themselves communicating who they are, what they are looking for and how they can benefit a company or organisation.
The recording duration was 30 seconds; the time required to ride a lift from top to bottom of a building.
Students interested in the Industrial and Organisational Psychology activity said that: “The 30-second lift speech activity was interesting – although it was tough for certain individuals, it was beneficial and provided a good learning platform.
“We learnt strategies to be more comfortable at sharing about ourselves especially when applying for jobs.
“It was a good opportunity to take a good look at oneself in regard to how one performs in front of others or interviewers, and reflect upon what we see and hear during the playback.
“The participants were able to see the benefits derived from this activity, such as interpersonal skills and how it will make a different impression in the eyes of the employers or audience.”
The three-year Bachelor of Science (Hons) Psychology at IMU, Malaysia’s first and most established private medical and health sciences university with over 25 years of dedicated focus in healthcare education, has a curriculum that has been developed to meet high international standards.
Students have the option to complete the entire psychology degree in IMU or study part of the programme in IMU and transfer to University of Newcastle, Australia or the University of Strathclyde, UK for completion of their degree.
The three-year Bachelor of Science (Hons) Psychology has also been accepted internationally for further specialisation at the graduate level.
In order to become a qualified psychologist, students should first complete the undergraduate degree in psychology, followed by a Master’s degree in one of the specialised areas of psychological practice.
Intakes for the Psychology programme are in February and September and is open to both Arts and Science students.
Those who enjoy thinking about the causes of human behaviour and have a desire to help others manage problems, should apply for a career in psychology.
Those who just completed their SPM and do not have pre-university qualifications can consider enrolling in the one-year IMU Foundation in Science, the preferred foundation and direct route for entry into any of the university’s local degree programmes.
■ For more information, refer to www.imu.edu.my, e-mail start@ imu.edu.my or call 03-2731 7272.