Undergraduate Students

Graduate and Postgraduate Students, Undergraduate Students February 4, 2019

I-O Psychologists’ Passion Projects: Animal Rescue

While exploring your career options, you may have come across the field of Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology, the American Psychological Association’s Division 14. I-O psychology is the study of behavior in the workplace. I-O psychologists frequently help businesses better hire, motivate, and retain employees. On the surface, this work might not look personally meaningful or exciting. But, dig a little deeper and you’ll find that many I-O psychologists apply their skills in surprising ways and their work can extend far beyond helping businesses succeed.  

Undergraduate Students January 21, 2019

Should You Become an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant?

Do you remember your first college class in which the instructor had an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA)?  You may have been surprised when you realized that a peer was going to be teaching and perhaps even grading you.  Did you wonder about the duties of your teaching assistant and perhaps also the knowledge, skills, and characteristics (KSCs) and experience and/or training it takes to become a UTA? In this article, I would like to provide some answers to these questions and also discuss the benefits and challenges of this experience.

Undergraduate Students December 24, 2018

Ten Tips to Help You Navigate the PSYCAS Graduate Application Process

Since opening with four psychology programs in 2015, PSYCAS, the centralized application service for graduate psychology, has grown to nearly 80 programs at the master’s- and doctoral-levels of training in 2018. For prospective students to PsyD programs, more than one quarter of APA-accredited PsyD programs now participate in PSYCAS. Unfamiliar with PSYCAS?  You can learn more here.

Graduate and Postgraduate Students, Undergraduate Students December 10, 2018

4 Innovative Women Who Were Pioneers of Industrial-Organizational Psychology

Women have long been underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. In 2015, women made up just 28% of the STEM workforce. One exception is industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology, the subdiscipline of psychology focused on the world of work. In this year’s U.S. News & World Report “Best Job” rankings, I-O psychology is the 21st Best STEM Job and the 2nd Best Science Job.

Undergraduate Students, Undergraduate Teachers November 13, 2018

Incorporating I-O Psychology into Introductory Psychology

Interest in Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology, the psychology of the workplace, has gained a lot of traction in recent years. Unfortunately, even with increasing interest many Intro to Psychology students, especially non-psychology majors, rarely get exposed to this dynamic field. Why is this exposure important? First and foremost it broadens a student’s knowledge and understanding of psychology’s application in various contexts. This was the main reason I was drawn to I-O as an undergraduate. I attended a predominately business-oriented college and initially planned to major in economics and finance. That changed when I was introduced to I-O — the perfect marriage of my desire to major in business and my new-found interest in psychology. Secondly, understanding I-O can be extremely beneficial in navigating the world of work, an important skill for students who are starting their careers.

Undergraduate Students August 13, 2018

One Tip for Choosing the Right Graduate Program

Towards the end of the Fall semester every year, faculty in my program review applications for entry into our doctoral program in counseling psychology. It’s a fun experience – on our end at least – because we see so many aspiring psychologists who are talented and poised to do great things. As an applicant, each stage of the process is filled with doubt. Where should I apply? Will I get interviews? Will I get an offer? Will I get more than one offer? Will I be able to succeed wherever it is I end up?

Undergraduate Students, Undergraduate Teachers June 11, 2018

A Different Way To Teach Psychological Science: The 18 Minute Overview

What are some core elements of Psychological Science? If you had just a few minutes to summarize why your discipline is important, what would you say? I filtered down the key elements of the entire 15-week course down to the amount of time it takes you to hard boil an egg (a little more than 12 minutes for those of you who have not boiled one recently). I gave a TEDx talk and now, with the help of Rosalyn Stoa, present several fun ways to use the video in classes and to engage students. Students have a fun way to see how much psychology they know and teachers have a ready-made assessment tool (student responses to the quiz provided can be shared).

Graduate and Postgraduate Students, Undergraduate Students June 4, 2018

Graduating with a degree in psychology? Check out what the data say about careers, workforce demographics, salaries and more!

Did you know that an estimated 3.4 million individuals in the United States hold a bachelor’s degree in psychology and that younger psychologists are more racially/ethnically diverse than older ones? The APA Center for Workforce Studies maintains a series of interactive data tools to answer these and other questions about the psychology workforce and education pipeline. Hold your mouse over the graphs and figures, and a box pops up with additional information.

elderly hand held by physican's

Undergraduate Students May 28, 2018

5 Steps to Jumpstart Your Career in Aging

Did you know that older adults (individuals 65 years of age and older) are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population?

Did you know that in 2035, older adults are projected to outnumber kids for the first time in U.S. history?

Did you know that the Bureau of Labor Statistics just reported that the majority of the jobs that will have the most growth in the next 10 years are related to aging services?

There is a broad range of exciting and personally fulfilling career opportunities to work with this rapidly growing segment of the population. However, students seldom consider pursuing a specialization and career focused on adult development and aging.