Alright, let’s talk about my little adventure with psychology over at Ivy Tech. It wasn’t some grand plan, you know? More like, I found myself with some time, thinking maybe I should learn something new, something different from my usual grind. Psychology popped into my head – always kinda wondered about why people tick the way they do.
Getting Started
So, I looked into Ivy Tech. Seemed straightforward enough, not like applying to some fancy four-year place. Found their website, poked around, saw they had basic psychology courses. Intro to Psychology, that seemed like the obvious place to start. The sign-up process was mostly online, filling out forms, the usual stuff. Wasn’t too painful, honestly.
I decided on an online class. Figured it would fit better around my schedule. Less hassle than driving down there, finding parking, all that jazz. Got my login details, accessed the course page. It was… okay. Pretty standard layout, you know? Syllabus, weekly modules, discussion boards.
The Actual Learning Part
The course kicked off. We dove into the basics – history of psychology, different schools of thought like behaviorism, psychoanalysis. Stuff you probably expect. Freud, Skinner, Pavlov’s dogs, the whole gang was there. Reading the textbook chapters, watching some recorded lectures the instructor posted. Some weeks were more interesting than others.
Here’s what I remember standing out:
- The discussion boards: Man, those were a mixed bag. Sometimes you’d get good back-and-forth, people sharing actual thoughts. Other times, it felt like everyone was just trying to hit the minimum word count.
- The assignments: Mostly quizzes on the reading, a couple of short papers. One paper asked us to apply a psychological concept to our own life. That one got me thinking a bit more, trying to connect the dots between textbook theory and, well, reality.
- The instructor: Mine was alright. Mostly hands-off since it was online, but responsive enough if you emailed a question. Didn’t feel like a deep personal connection, more like they were managing the course mechanics.
I took another psych class later, I think it was Social Psychology. That one felt a bit more relevant to everyday life. Stuff like groupthink, conformity, why we help others (or don’t). Started seeing those concepts play out around me – at work, in the news, even just watching people at the grocery store. It was less about historical figures and more about interactions, which clicked better for me.
Looking Back On It
So, what did I really get out of it? Well, I got the credits, obviously. But more than that, it gave me a basic framework, some new terms to hang my observations on. Didn’t turn me into a psychologist overnight, not even close. It wasn’t some life-altering experience.
It felt very… foundational. Like laying down the first layer of bricks. You get the overview, the main ideas. Ivy Tech seemed decent for that – accessible, gets the job done without breaking the bank or demanding your entire life. It’s practical in that sense. You learn the stuff, you do the work, you pass the class.
Was it super deep? Nah, not really. Felt like we skimmed the surface on a lot of topics. But maybe that’s the point of introductory courses at a community college. It gives you a taste. Enough to know if you want to dig deeper somewhere else, or just enough to satisfy a bit of curiosity, like it did for me. It served its purpose, I guess. No regrets, but it is what it is – a solid, practical starting point.
