Increasingly, organizations and individuals see the benefits of engaging students in research experiences beyond the typical model of having a research assistant work on a faculty guided research.
A few years ago my research team and I set out to understand a simple question:
How do very productive academic psychologists approach their work?
We specifically were interested in professors who published a lot and whose publications were cited heavily by other academics. And because our research area was counseling psychology we specifically targeted faculty in these programs. To find these folks we tallied the numbers of publications and citations for every faculty member in a counseling psychology program and then asked the 20 most productive people on this list if they would be willing to be interviewed – 17 agreed.
“Please Sir, May I have some More?” Oliver Twist’s request for more porridge was denied with vehemence. Sometimes students’ requests for instructor lecture slides are treated similarly. Should teachers give students their slides before or even after class?
Industrial-organizational psychologists research and apply principles of psychology to the world of work. Their mission is to identify and apply techniques that benefit not only employers, but also employees. In general, the more efficient an organization is (be it a for-profit corporation, non-profit agency, or government entity) the more all stakeholders benefit. For more about what I-O psychologists do click here.
Congratulations! Your hard work has paid off and you have been asked to present your research in a poster session or symposium at a professional conference. Now what? Beyond getting your presentation prepared, what else should you consider in order to guarantee the best impression on fellow students and faculty?
Employers value seven basic categories of skills in college graduates during the hiring process (Appleby, 2014), and the presence or absence of these skills also determines whether new college hires succeed or fail on the job (Gardner, 2007).
The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s (SIOP) Visibility Committee recently wrote a blog introducing students to the rapidly growing field of Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology. As a quick reminder, I-O psychologists study behavior in the workplace and are employed in various academic and organizational settings. Perhaps you are now seriously considering graduate school in this field, and while knowing the benefits of a future career in I-O, still have some questions about what life might be like as an I-O student. We can help with that!
Think back to the days of playing dress-up—those moments when you slipped on your mother’s nicest dress or carefully slid your arms into your father’s fanciest jacket. Besides drowning in a sea of baggy cotton, what else did you feel? Did you walk with the grace of a ballerina? Experience a sudden rush of maturity? Notice a shift in your perspective? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you’ve come to the right place!
Psychology teachers can serve an important role as mentors to their students in ways that can help students make a successful transition to college. By sharing information about the differences between the high school and college experiences, teachers can help students understand they will be adjusting to many changes, particularly in terms of expectations.
Happy New Year! After a (hopefully) restful respite, we are back on the Road to Graduate School. Most deadlines, especially for doctoral programs, have passed, and you’re in a waiting stage, while selection and admission committees review applications, deciding on whom to invite to the next stage: The Interview.