2025 First Years' Guide

PSYCHSOC’S

first years’

PSYCHE

GUIDE 2025

GODDESS OF THE SOUL

table of contents president’s address 2 academic staff’s address 3 editor’s note 4

intro to uni

society life

first year resources 5 first year advice 7 academic advice 8 food spots 9 study spots 10

what is arc? 11 what are societies ? 11 how do i join a society? 12 about psychsoc 13 meet the team 15 event timeline 17 first years camp 18

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academics

core courses 19 first year electives 19 sona 20 academic advice 20 thank you! 21 t1 checklist 22

PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS Hey Hello! Welcome to UNSW. My name is Priscilla and I am absolutely delighted to introduce you to the Psychology Society of UNSW.

priscilla zanak

As the constituent Psychology society at UNSW, PsychSoc aims to provide students with an enriching university experience connecting you with like-minded individuals and creating life long relationships, helping you cope with stress and burnout during your university life, bonding through the crisis of exam periods together and connecting you with professionals to help you become industry ready!

Our fundamental values of inclusivity and diversity means that you will find a forever family in UNSW PsychSoc no matter where you are from or what your interests pertain.

When I took a leap of faith during my second year and joined PsychSoc as a Marketing Subcommittee, I was ridden starstruck by the compassion, intelligence and outreach of my fellow members. I was fortunate enough to meet the friendliest and kindest groups of people I have ever encountered, and two years later, the rest is history. Through my years in PsychSoc, I have met some of my closest friends, progressed my individual skills as a leader, made core memories and developed my career experience.

As 2025 begins, I hope that UNSW PsychSoc could provide the same, if not, more for you! Grab every opportunity that comes your way at uni and make the most out of your time here. As cliche as it may sound, the uni experience truly circulates around ‘you will get as much as you put in.’

These previously unfathomable experiences would not have been possible without that first leap of faith. I hope to see you around.

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ACADEMIC STAFF’S ADDRESS

s u e mo

rris

Hello and welcome! My passion is teaching students like you how to apply psychological science in order to thrive, achieve your goals, and help others – that is, to develop psychological literacy. I want to help you to “think like psychological scientists”, applying critical and creative thinking to challenge your pre-existing beliefs and cognitive biases, and to problem-solve in a scientific and ethical manner that benefits you and those around you. A large focus of my teaching is on student wellbeing – teaching evidence-based self-management and positive psychology strategies to help you to achieve your goals, including maintaining positive relationships, feeling good, and doing well at university and beyond.

s t eve

applied psychology

mo s t

I’m a cognitive psychologist. Cognitive psychology involves trying to understand things like memory, attention, and reasoning… basically, how the mind takes in and uses information. We’ve learned so much about how the mind works over the last halfcentury, and I’m passionate about sharing that knowledge with students and the general public. I’m also excited by the role that students can play in sharing this knowledge more broadly, and one of my favourite things over the last few years has been helping our UNSW undergraduates find ways to communicate their passions and interests to inspire people beyond the UNSW campus.

cognitive psychology 3

EDITOR’S NOTE Welcome to PsychSoc’s First Years Guide and a very warm welcome to UNSW Psychology! If you feel daunted by the university journey that lies ahead of you, you’ve come to the right place. As the Academics Directors of 2025, along with our Marketing portfolio, we have written, designed, and compiled a compact publication to help you throughout your first year at UNSW. This guide will include information about campus life from the initiatives of PsychSoc on campus or online, to the best places to grab food or study on campus, and first-year exclusive events. Keep reading to answer your burning questions about your degree and beyond!

Find more information on events, campus life, academics, careers, and more on the UNSW PsychSoc website, in our publications, and on our social media.

Feel free to ask us any questions about your university experience by messaging our social media pages or reaching out to a PsychSoc member. Take it easy, have fun, and we will see you around campus!

Signed.

Angelina and Adrian Academic Directors of Psychology Society

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First Year

resources Helpful Apps!

TripView

Opal Travel

TripView allows you to create travel plans for trains, light rail, buses, metro lines, and ferries. It also automatically updates its timetables according to realtime delays or ccidents so you can plan your trip to uni on the go!

The official Opal card app lets you manage trips on public transport and save routes for later reference. You can also check your balance and transaction history to know when to top up (which you can do from the app).

Google Maps

Lost on Campus

Google Maps is super helpful for locating what buildings your tutorials and lectures are in. The app provides real-time GPS navigation, traffic, and transit info! It’s also handy for finding alternative bus and train routes (alongside TripView) when public transport is out of whack!

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You can use this app to locate every tutorial room, lecture theatre, coffee shop, carpark, bus stop or toilet on campus! It also gives you photos of the classroom you’re looking for; however, it will only give you a linear route to the destination (so check with Google Maps how to actually get to the building).

Public Transport Closest Train Station: Central Station Lightrail: To change at Central Station to the Lightrail, head to the

Central Chalmers Street Stop, which is accessible via the Elizabeth St. exits from Central Station.

Lightrail: L3 Juniors Kingsford Line and get off at UNSW Anzac Parade Bus: Take the 370 from Green Square to UNSW Gate 2

Upper Campus (Gate 8)

Lower Campus (Gate 2)

☆ You can use the L2 Randwick or L3 Juniors Kingsford Lines to get to UNSW. Lightrail: L2 Randwick Line and get off at UNSW High Street Bus: Take the 370 from Green Square to UNSW Gate 8

Tip: As psychology students, most of your tutorials and lectures will be on upper campus (e.g. Mathews Building), so be sure to catch the L2 Line to avoid walking up the Basser Steps. But always check the building you’ll be in and plan ahead so you don’t arrive late for your classes!

☆ Notangles and CrossAngles are unofficial UNSW timetable planners that are useful for planning your courses before your enrollment period rolls around! After selecting your classes (e.g. PSYC1001 and PSYC1011), you can see when the tutorials and lectures run for that course. This is super handy in helping you decide how many days you want to come to uni and whether your tutorials from different courses clash. ☆ Moodle is UNSW’s online learning platform, where lectures and assessment notifications will be uploaded. Here, your course convenors will communicate with students through weekly announcements and digital course content, so keep an eye out for these throughout the week!

Tip: Download Outlook on your phone to see notifications when your course convenors make announcements from Moodle on the go! ☆ myUNSW is your access point for UNSW services and resources. Here, you’ll be able to register and enrol for classes throughout the year and pay your SSAF (student services and amenity fee), which you’ll have to pay each term! You can also access your WAM and academic standing and reports for each term when results are released after your assessment periods.

The Nucleus: Student Hub The Nucleus is the ‘go to’ place for advice on anything relating to your degree, enrollment, or other general support regarding essential university processes.

Location: right of the Main Library entrance

UNSW Psychology & Wellness UNSW Psychology and Wellness is a confidential counselling service available to all students at UNSW who would like to seek mental health support.

Information concerning the booking of appointments, billing, and more can be found below. (https://www.student.unsw.edu.au/counselling) Location: In the Quadrangle

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☆ Academic advice for first year students from PsychSoc’s 2025 committee!

1. Honours & Your Psychology Weighted Average Mark (WAM)

2. ROUTINE! Study Methods & MORE ROUTINE!!!

If Honours is something you are interested in, it’s important to know that your Psychology WAM (the weighted average of your marks in psychology ‘core courses’ throughout your degree) needs to be above a certain threshold.

This means that the saying ‘Ps get degrees’ does not hold if Honours is a goal of yours. It’s recommended that you attempt to maintain a psych WAM of 75 or more during your first year since content only gets more difficult as you progress through your degree. Even though first year is an amazing time to have fun, meet new people and experience new things, don’t give up on your academics and save yourself from future stress by maintaining a healthy ‘work-life’ balance.

The most common academic advice you will get is to STAY ON TOP OF YOUR LECTURES, and this is for good reason.

Unlike high school, no one is there to check on you so it becomes extremely easy to procrastinate and leave the lectures till ‘later’.

Please be wise and learn from the mistakes of others (almost every uni student ever…) instead of having to learn the hard way yourself. You do NOT want to reach exams with 20+ lectures to grind through. Try creating your own routine and find study methods that work for you. Psychology courses dump a LOT of content on you FAST so finding a method that works for you is VITAL if you want to maintain a healthy worklife balance! Some common methods include flashcards and spaced repetition, mindmapping, annotating the slides instead of making notes, and even trivia nights with your friends!

Of course, that is not to say that WAM is everything. First-year is a time to meet new people, figure out what does and doesn’t work for you, have fun, and so much more. A slip up here and there is normal during such a turbulent period in your life. First-year is a learning experience and you can always recover your WAM in later years. Your first year as a uni student is something that you can never get back so enjoy it to the fullest and take care of yourself!

3. Other Tips!

For PSYC1001 & PSYC1011, DO YOUR SONA STUDIES AND GET ALL THE BONUS POINTS! 4 points may not sound like much, but it is easily the difference between a Credit and a Distinction, or even a Distinction and a High Distinction.

Don’t get too obsessed with finding the ‘perfect system’ or writing the ‘perfect sentence’. Perfection can be paralysing; it’s easier to just write something and edit it later than get stuck on one paragraph for a week or spend more time perfecting a system than actually studying.

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advice for first years

“What is something you wish you knew as a first year student?”

‘Everyone's pace in university is different. Coming from high school, where everyone followed similar schedules and was working towards similar goals, it can feel strange to see people you know taking different paths and doing different things - some might be going into jobs, changing degrees/majors, taking gaps, seeing different people. Don’t stress if your timeline looks different from others'.

— Jayden Luong (Productions Subcommitee)

‘Give yourself time to work it all out! It's okay to be a bit dazed and confused in your first few weeks, so just ride the wave. Also, if you want to make friends, it's very likely the people in your tutorial want to as well, so just say "Hi!" and put yourself out there and I'm positive it'll work out!!’

— Ethan Lee (Academics Subcommitee)

‘To be open-minded and get out of my comfort zone as much as possible - the effort you put into your social life or academics, is what you’re going to get back.’

— Kathy Bui (Productions Director)

‘Apply for the social opportunities that UNSW offers like clubs, volunteering programs etc. I had an excessive fear of rejection and didn’t start making use of these opportunities until second year. The friends and memories I’ve made since second year onwards have been amazing but they would’ve been great points of support from first year had I stepped outside of my comfort zone earlier!’

— Priscilla Zanak (President)

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food spots

1st

PHO HOUSE Located at the Pavilions, Upper Campus Serves authentic Vietnamese food in a casual, open dining setting.

The menu features their very popular pho, rice paper rolls, salad rolls, juices, salads and more. Also, it’s relatively inexpensive! Open weekdays,

YALLAH EAT

2nd

Located in the University Terraces building, lower campus.

Offers a range of Middle Eastern foods and is definitely the place to go if you are super hungry since their meal bundles are HUGE!

STOCK MARKET Located in the Upper Campus food court (Matthews Arcade) Choose from a range of salads or build your own! They also offer pasta and soups. (Tip: you can get free bread with any order!)

4th

GUZMAN Y GOMEZ

4th STELLINIS 9

3rd

study spots

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UNSW Psychology offers a peer mentoring program to support your transition from high school to university. The program consists of weekly meetings during your first term of university, where you will join a small group of fellow first years mentored by older psychology students. Your mentors will help answer any questions about university in general, your degree, exam preparation and more. Joining peer mentoring is a great opportunity to meet new friends and get to know your peers, and also ask any questions you may have!

how to sign up If you are interested in participating in Peer Mentoring, keep an eye out for a Moodle announcement after Oweek, typically on your PSYC1001 Moodle page, which will provide more information on the Peer Mentoring program and a registration link.

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society life What is Arc? Arc @ UNSW is a student-run organisation that aims to enhance the student experience by providing a variety of services, facilities, and opportunities for students. You can join Arc for free to sign up for societies, sports, and volunteering, and receive free resources and discounts to events! Sign up for Arc during O-week at the Arc Stall, at the Arc reception during the term, or complete the membership form on the official Arc website.

What are Societies?

UNSW is home to over 300 clubs and societies for you to join. These range from facultyassociated clubs (such as UNSW Psychology Society!) to hobbies such as sports, gaming, and even cat appreciation. Societies are one of the best ways to meet new people, make new friends, learn new skills, and step out of your comfort zone. We highly encourage you to make the most of your university experience by joining a society, especially in your first year.

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1. General Member Sign up to societies as a general member through spArc in order to attend their events. Feel free to sign up for all the clubs and societies that you are interested in, as it’s an easy, low-stakes way to meet new people and participate in fun events at university with a lower commitment to the society.

n i o j i o d how a subcom?

how do i join ty? cie so a

2. Subcommittee Member Subcommittee members (’subcom’) of a society are part of the internal team and play a role in planning, organising, and executing the events and resources provided by the society to the external community. Societies tend to consist of portfolios catering to its different aspects, such as academics, socials, marketing, and more. Being a subcommittee member of a society generally involves attending weekly meetings, bondings such as road trips and dinners, as well as responsibilities in your designated role.

Joining a society as subcom is a much greater commitment compared to being a general member; however, what you put in is what you get out, and many can testify that the friendships and experiences make it worth your time.

To join a subcommittee, you usually have to submit a written application as well as pass an interview stage.

This can seem daunting at first, but it never hurts to give it a try! Being part of a society as a subcommittee member is extremely rewarding, and is a great opportunity to make life-long friendships, learn new skills, and be involved with something meaningful.

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s y P c t hsoc u o b A UNSW Psychsoc is the society for all UNSW psychology students, and others interested in psychology. We are a student-led organisation aiming to connect the psychology cohort with the School of Psychology, as well as provide opportunities for students’ personal, professional, and social development. UNSW Psychsoc creates various events and releases resources throughout the year to help support your academic and career growth, boost your wellbeing, and help you make new friends.

Psychsoc consists of seven portfolios which work together to ideate and execute events to meet the aims of the society.

Academics Careers Marketing Productions Socials Sponsorships Wellbeing

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Recruiting Soon!

Do you want to be a part of UNSW Psychsoc? We are looking for any students enthusiastic to join our subcommittee in one of the portfolios listed above. If you want to be a part of our collaborative environment and contribute to our events and resources for the upcoming year, make sure to follow our Facebook page for more details and updates!

Stay Updated SpArc:

Facebook:

This is Arc’s membership portal where you can go through all the societies at UNSW. Join PsychSoc on SpArc to stay up to date on our initiatives throughout the year!

Follow our official Facebook page, UNSW Psychsoc, to view our latest events and initiatives. Be sure to also join our Facebook community group, Psychology UNSW, for exclusive community posts and announcements.

Instagram:

Mailing list:

Follow our Instagram page, @unswpsychsoc, to stay up to date with our events and also other fun psychology content!

Subscribe to our mailing list which can be found on our website, www.unswpsychsoc.com, for insider info on our events and be updated on upcoming opportunities.

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executives presi

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Events Timeline PsychSoc organises over 50 events each year to meet the diverse interests and needs of our psychology community. Here are a few highly anticipated upcoming events on the horizon—be sure to check out our social media for updates so you don’t miss out!

Term 1 First Years Camp Meet n’ Greet the Directors Psyc1A BAR Assignment Writing Workshop Volunteering expo

Term 3 Meet the Supervisors PsychSoc Annual Ball Annual Careers Fair

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Term 2 Interfaculty City Cruise Industry Mentoring Program Project Mind Psyc1B Revision Workshop Psychtown Social Pubcrawl

First Years’ Camp Get Ready for an Unforgettable Start to Your Uni Journey!

PsychSoc’s Annual Orientation Camp is your first chance to dive into university life and bond with your fellow psychology students. This isn’t just any camp – it’s your opportunity to create lasting friendships and memories that will make your first year unforgettable!

As a first-year student, camp is the event to meet new friends, connect with classmates, and have fun! Over three action-packed days (March 7th-9th, Week 2, T1), you’ll take on team challenges, build connections, and experience the best of uni life with your future psychology cohort. You won’t forget the laughs, the moments, and the people you'll meet!

Don’t Miss Out! Tickets will be available during O-week, so keep an eye out! You'll be able to grab yours by scanning a QR code at the PsycSoc Stall or through our Facebook Event page. And don’t worry if you miss the first round – more tickets will be released, but they go fast, so make sure to stay on top of updates by clicking “Interested” or “Going” on our Facebook page!

2025 Camp Tickets!

2024 Camp Recap TikTok

Join the Fun!

Ready to make this your best uni experience yet? Scan the QR codes below to catch a glimpse of what’s in store. We promise you won’t want to miss this crazy, fun-filled adventure!

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Core Courses The three core courses required to complete first year psychology are PSYC1001, PSYC1011, and PSYC1111. These courses are only available once a year, in terms 1, 2, and 3 respectively. It is not necessary to complete these courses in your first year of study at UNSW, but it is important to note that completion of these three courses is a prerequisite for all Level 2 core courses (aside from PSYC2101, which only requires completion of PSYC1001).

Additionally, students completing a Psychology (Honours) degree must take PSYC1021, offered in term 1. Other psychology pathways, such as Psychological Science, Science, or Advanced Science (honours), may have other mandatory first year courses. Check the UNSW handbook to check the requirements for your degree program (https://www.handbook.unsw.edu.au/).

First Year Electives There are a number of “first-year” psychology courses (you can do them any time!) that are offered by the UNSW School of Psychology. If you have free electives to do in your degree, and want to explore psychology outside of the mandatory core courses, it might be a good idea to take a look at these electives. These courses cover a range of content from different fields in psychology and are a great way to learn things you would not learn in your core courses. (Refer to the UNSW Handbook for course outlines, terms offered, modes of delivery, etc.)

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SONA Mandatory research participation is a part of your final grade for the first year core courses PSYC1001 and PSYC1011. You are required to complete 4 hours of research participation for 4% of your final grade (1 point per hour) and may complete up to 8 additional hours for 4 bonus marks (0.5 points per extra hour). These experiments are run by Honours students and academic staff in the UNSW School of Psychology. They provide you with a taste of the experimentation process necessary for later psychology studies.

It is recommended that you complete your hours early in the term because the number of experiments that run and the time slots available later in the term are limited. Once term starts, course convenors will provide you with your SONA details and additional clarifying information.

Resources The UNSW Academic Skills Support website (https://www.student.unsw.edu.au/skills) provides useful information on referencing, AI use, writing skills, and much more. Other services are offered to students to help build skills, such as one-on-one support and workshops.

UNSW PsychSoc has a tutors list on our website (https://www.unswpsychsoc.com/). These tutors are previous students who performed well in their psychology courses and are willing to offer tutoring services to current students. Furthermore, PsychSoc writes practice exam papers for all first and second year core psychology courses. Freely available on our website, these are invaluable revision resources for all psychology students!

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Hey! Thank you for reading through the First Years’ Guide!! Our Academics port worked really hard to compile all this information into a neat little guide, and Marketing with the design and formatting.

We really hope you’ve gotten some good insight or advice, whether it be how to prepare for your uni classes, or where to eat! First Years’ Guide is also a little peek into UNSW PsychSoc, who we are and what we do for the psych student community! So don’t be afraid to reach out, it’s what we’re here for

🫶

We want to shoutout our amazing T3 Marketing Subcommittee for all the work they’ve done for First Years’ Guide and O-Week. Lovely subom Warisa made the front and back cover (which she DREW HERSELF!!).

Alice worked incredibly hard (while overseas too...) with us directors to decorate and design the content pages! And if you haven’t already seen the stunning UNSW PsychSoc’s O-Week post, that was made by Dani!

Anyways, we’ll leave you now to explore what else uni life has to offer! See you around...hopefully at camp

lots of love, Sophia and Xiaoru, Marketing Directors

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😶‍🌫️

T1 Checklist!

Enrolled and registered for Term 1 2025 classes Applied for Opal concession card (if you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident)

Collected student ID Signed up for Arc and obtained the 2025 Arc membership sticker

Logged into Moodle Checked important course announcements and course outlines Signed up to SpArc Joined PsychSoc on SpArc and followed our social media (Facebook, Instagram)

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