As my time here at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) comes to an end, I look back on my experiences and realize that there are several things that I wish I had known as a sophomore. I feel that if I had known some of these things as a sophomore then I could have been more prepared for what is to come after graduation. I find that many of the things that I wish I had known as a sophomore directly correlate with my plans for graduate study after graduation. Hopefully, by reading the things that I wish I had known as a sophomore, you will be better prepared for whichever path you decide to follow after your graduation from UIC. 

One of the most important things that I wish I had known as a sophomore is how important it is to establish a relationship with your professors. I was quite shy my first three years of college, and found it difficult to talk to others my own age, let alone my professors. However, I did not realize how important relationships with my professors would be later on in my education. During my fall semester of my senior year, I began to gather things needed for the application process for graduate schools. One very important item needed for every graduate school was letters of recommendation. When it came time for me to ask some of my professors to write me letters, I realized that very few of my professors knew me well enough to write letters for me. Throughout the years, I would go and see a teaching assistant (T.A.) if I had a question or needed help in class. By not establishing relationships with my professors, I had a difficult time when it came to asking people to write me letters of recommendation. 

Another important thing that I wish I had known as a sophomore was how important it is to get involved with research. During my first three years at UIC, I never looked into doing research with any of the professors of the Psychology department. Between my classes and having a job, I thought that I would not have enough time for helping on a research project. However, after realizing how important having experience with research is, I now wish that I had made the time. When applying for graduate school, or even when applying for a job it is extremely important that a person has some kind of experience in their field. Psychology is a field in which it is almost necessary to have research experience. If I had known this my sophomore year, I would have made sure to have made the time to gain valuable research experience.

Another thing that I wish I had known as a sophomore is that there are many volunteer organizations within UIC that I could have learned many things from. For instance, there are volunteer organizations that travel each week to different volunteering sites such as hospitals, shelters, and soup kitchens. By joining some of these organizations, I could have gained experience as well as formed long lasting friendships with others. I was not aware that UIC had these types of organizations, but wish that I had been. In the field of Psychology, it is very important to have some type of experience, whether in applying for graduate school or a job. By volunteering around the Chicagoland area, I could have gotten experience in different types of environments. Volunteering may also have helped me realize sooner what I wanted to do after graduation in terms of what kind of an environment I would want to work in. 

I also wish that I would have known more about the Office of Career Services located in the Student Services Building (SSB). I would walk by the office on my way to the Accounts Receivable or Financial Aid offices, but never bothered to go inside. In fact, I just recently learned what it is all about through a lecture on “What to do with a degree in Psychology” hosted by Psi-Chi this semester. Until the lecture, I did not know that this office was there specifically to help you with any career questions or even to help you find a type of job that prepares you for what you want to do after graduation. The Office of Career Services does not place a students into jobs, but they offer a lot of helpful resources. If I had known about this as a sophomore, then I could have taken advantage of it. 

The last very important thing that I wish I had known as a sophomore is that it is never too early to begin looking into potential graduate schools. I should have begun looking into graduate schools and their Psychology programs towards the end of my sophomore year and/or beginning of my junior year. If I had looked into graduate schools earlier than the fall semester of my senior year, I could have been more prepared and could have had ample time to gather my application materials. I also could have had more time to study for the GRE’s, which in turn would have helped me get better scores. If I had known some of the above things as a sophomore then I feel that I would have been better prepared for the path that I take after graduation. I especially would have been better prepared in applying to graduate schools. Hopefully by telling you about the things that I wish I had known as a sophomore, you will be better prepared than I was in planning for the future.

Emily Whitehair, Senior

First off, save everything.  I understand the importance of returning books at sell back times, which is not what I am referring to.  What I mean are handouts, papers, teacher’s email addresses, notes, notebooks, etc.  There were endless times throughout my college career when I tried to look back to something, and I did not save it.  Surprisingly, this was happening even as I got farther into my desired field.  I never would have thought that I would be trying to remember something a teacher said in Psychology 100, when I got into Developmental Psychology 320!  Although it may seem like things are pilling up, having those old notes or an old paper may one day come in handy! 

Secondly, meet and talk to people.  I know how cold people on this campus can be.  UIC has a huge number of commuter students, who seem to come to campus strictly to go to class and not to make friends.  Not until my last year did I realize the importance of meeting people.  Just start a conversation!  I learned so much from the few friends that I had on campus.  I only can wonder what else I would know if I talked to more people.

Thirdly, teachers and TA’s do not want you to fail.  Schedule an appointment with your teacher or TA whenever you have questions.  Teachers teach on a general level, so if you are having trouble and meet with them, you will find that they are so accommodating and will explain things to your individual needs.  If you make your self known to your teachers, they will be more able to monitor your improvement and willingness to do better, and that can affect a borderline grade. 

Fourth, look and plan ahead.  It is our advisors jobs to help plan out schedules, let them help you!  There are so many things that we as students are unaware of.  Graduation requirements, placement tests, different courses, they know what needs to get done.  Don’t end up forgetting or overseeing something important and have to stay an extra semester to get it done.  But not just with graduation requirements, with everything.  Get a planner and write out all of your due dates and exam dates.  When you can see everything you have for each class on one piece of paper, it seems easier to plan ahead and not forget about anything. 

Fifth but not least, start with the rocks first.  It almost seems humorous to say “don’t procrastinate”, I think for college students that is inevitable, so try this, start with the rocks.  A wise tale: if given a pitcher, a pile of rocks, a pile of pebbles, and a pile of sand and asked to fill the pitcher with all of the items, a person would do so in that order.  If either the pebbles or sand went in before the rocks they would not fit.  Take that into consideration when organizing your schedules.  Don’t put off the heavier work loads like papers and studying for exams to get the little homework assignments out of the way.  In most cases everything has to get done anyway, so don’t spend all of your time on the small stuff, make sure that you have room to get in your rocks! 

Nicole Lesch, Senior