UIC Chapter Psi Chi Honor Society

This has been my most beneficial experience as a psychology major for many reasons. Primarily, it helped me realize that I love research and want to pursue it in graduate school and as a career. Once I realized that, it has become one of my strongest assets as an undergraduate applying to grad school (aside from the ever-lovely GRE). Working in the same research lab for a year and a half, I’ve been able to develop my own independent research project (and apply for numerous scholarships because of it), attended and co-presented at an international psychology conference (an INCREDIBLE networking opportunity) and worked very closely with my faculty advisor and the graduate students in her lab (which makes a letter of recommendation that much better). In addition to helping you rack up the things that graduate schools look for, being an undergraduate research assistant also means that there is a wealth of knowledge available to you in the form of your advisor and his or her graduate students. Despite their ridiculously busy schedules, they are happy to answer any questions you have, describe their research in more detail, or just talk about the experience of being a graduate student. If you’re lucky, they’ll even help you with homework! I doubt I would have passed Psych 242 if it had not been for the kind assistance of the graduate students I work with. All in all, I cannot overemphasize how fantastic an experience research is. One tip: be proactive! Ask questions! Graduate schools will not be impressed if all you can say about your time as a research assistant is “I entered data into SPSS.” If you take initiative, you will stand out even more.

2. Taking a lab class

If you’re unable to work as an undergraduate research assistant (although you should try your best to do so!) taking a lab class is the next best thing. First of all, the classes are small (around 15-20 people) so your professor and TA have a much better chance of getting to know you and being able to say something besides “This person got this grade in my class.” For you shy types, this is an opportunity to speak with faculty without having to approach them in their office hours, which can be quite a daunting task for many. In addition to more great networking opportunities, for some people this may be their first introduction to the applied, “real” form of psychology (but please, please participate in research if you can). You learn how to design a research question based on existing theories, design an experiment, run subjects, enter and analyze data, and draw conclusions based on your findings. For some people, this may be the first glimpse of “I love research!” and for others, it may be a realization that research isn’t for them. In any case, it’s better than waiting until graduate school (having spent thousands of dollars and many, many hours) to try out first hand what you’ll be getting into.

The most obvious choice for this one would be to sign up for Psych 394 and become an In-Touch Hotline volunteer. You take a semester-long class to learn how to help people in crisis, and you also have a chance to see whether you’re really interested in the clinical side of psychology. Many people go into psychology because they want to help people, which is wonderful, but they don’t always realize what it entails. Once again, better to realize now than halfway through an expensive and time-consuming graduate program. Due to scheduling conflicts, I have unfortunately been unable to participate in the In-Touch Hotline, and so I took an alternate route to direct-service volunteering. I spent 56 hours last summer training to be a rape crisis counselor with Rape Victim Advocates, a Chicago agency. I now spend two 12-hour shifts a month on-call, which means that if someone comes to an emergency room and says they’ve been sexually assaulted, I’m paged and go to the hospital to advocate for them. This has been a life-changing experience for me. It has also helped me realize that while I do want to go into clinical psychology, I could never be a full-time counselor—it’s too emotionally draining. Experiences like these will help you define how you want to spend your life, and they are invaluable.

Or more specifically, running for an office on the Psi Chi Executive Board. It’s great to have honor societies listed on your resume, but actively getting involved in a leadership position will set you head and shoulders above the rest. This year I was the Graduate School Focus Group Leader, and I plan to run for President next year. This year I have organized various graduate-school-oriented panels for students to attend, in addition to helping out with the various tasks that go along with keeping a student organization running. These experiences have helped me get to know more psychology faculty and graduate students (as I wheedle them into being on a panel) as well as making me more confident in my leadership skills, and making me more cognizant of what I need to do to prepare for graduate school. Which leads me to my next point…

While it may sound a bit heartless to use the mistakes of others to my own advantage, it’s better than ignoring everything that goes on around you and then making those same mistakes. When I first started coming to Psi Chi meetings, I listened to seniors describe how they wish they had started studying for the GREs earlier, I made a mental note. I’ve already taken the GRE Subject Test in Psychology, and I’m going to take UIC’s GRE prep class this summer.I’ll take the actual test before school starts in the fall—there’s one huge worry gone before I even start thinking about classes. I read the essay of last year’s Psi Chi Scholarship winner Emily Whitehair and learned that she wished she had started looking into potential graduate schools much sooner than she did, which was the fall of her senior year. Because of this, I already have a list of graduate schools I plan to apply to, and I ask almost every professor I know if they have any suggestions for programs I haven’t thought of.

I could go on and on about the great experiences I’ve had being a psychology major, but one must stop somewhere. Besides, you now have five things you can go out and try to have your own wonderful experiences! Good luck!