• Calendar | News | People | A to Z | Home

Why Major in Psychology?

Below are personal statements of success by some of our Psych majors. These statements were included in Allport Award applications. This can give you an idea of why some of our brightest students have decided to major in Psychology.

Statement #1
Statement #2
Statement #3
Statement #4
Statement #5
Statement #6
Statement #7

STATEMENT #1
As I prepare to graduate from St. Olaf College, I am constantly reminded of what happened four years ago when my older sister graduated from this college, or rather what didn't happen. I was not there to watch her walk across the stage and receive her diploma. I was not a part of the ceremony or the celebration, because I was in the hospital extremely sick, extremely emotionally and mentally sick. I was on a psych ward, wider observation for having just attempted suicide. Although I did not realize it at the time, I can see that I started out as a psychology major here at St. Olaf in an attempt to academically and intellectually understand the turmoil that had been going on inside of me for years with the hopes that I might some day be able to help others who had experienced similar difficulties.

I originally had planned to couple my psychology education with a major in piano performance and go into music therapy. However, the rigors of the music major here at Olaf made me question the sanity of anyone in that field and instead I decided to bring a cross-cultural aspect into my psychology education by pursuing my other deep seeded love, that of the Spanish language and culture.

I had the unique opportunity to meld my two majors through the Associated Colleges of the Midwest's Tropical Field Research program in Costa Rica. Through this study abroad program, I was able to dedicate an entire semester to conducting psychology research while perfecting my Spanish language skills. What could be better?! Although this happened in the spring of my junior year, it was the capstone experience for me in the psychology arena. I was able to bring together everything I had ever learned about the field of psychology and experience first hand the arduous process of proposing, conducting, analyzing and presenting research, all within the context of a developing Hispanic country.

Perhaps the most important thing I learned from this research experience, was that nothing goes as planned when actually conducting one's research. Even the most meticulously planned proposals can be thrown awry by unforeseen forces. In my case, the topic I was studying suddenly hit too close to home. My research was an investigation into 'machismo' and how this latino style of sexism is socialized in children. However, I experienced a very negative side of machismo when my host father sexually harassed me. I had to relocate and start my research again from scratch within the context of a new population, but in the end I wound up with an amazing amount of data and was able to fulfill my research goals. Although I would never wish the harassment experience upon anyone, I am actually glad it happened to me because I also learned a lot about my inner strength and ability to cope in a crisis situation far away from anything familiar. I also think the entire experience will help me relate to more women in a therapy setting who have had to deal with extreme gender discrimination.

While I was in Costa Rica, I applied for and received the Allport Award. During the application process, I grew to appreciate the ideologies and theories of this prominent psychologist and relate it to my own experiences. One of the foundations upon which he builds all of his ideas is a positive outlook of all people and their ability to grow, an idea I believe any therapist should hold fast to. I had the honor of working with Dr. Roberto Castillo who truly exemplified this ideology and who has forever inspired me as a psychologist. He is a man who has made it his job to listen and learn from children in his position as a child psychologist in a juvenile detention center in Puebla, Mexico. This is where all of the street kids, gang members, drug dealers, rapists, robbers and other delinquents ages 6-15 in Mexico are sent. The work I witnessed Dr. Castillo do with these children was amazing. His therapy sessions broke through the hardened exterior shell that these kids had adapted to survive and exposed a fragile human being that had hope for the future and just needed some help to find the right path. This psychologist saw, as Gordon Allport would have as well, that even the children who seemed to be rotten to the core--the ones who had committed rape at age 11, were not irreversibly damaged by their harsh childhoods. Even these social deviants had an urge to become, to grow, and to find meaning. They just need more help along the way than the rest of us. Even though I had this intern experience through a social work course, my experiences in the juvenile detention center are some of the most poignant of my psychology experiences and have forever shaped the way I relate to and see people.

I am continuing to pursue a future that embraces both Spanish and psychology by taking on another internship this spring at La Familia Guidance Center, a bilingual/bicultural therapy center located in a very Hispanic section of St. Paul. I start this coming Wednesday and am looking forward to working with therapists from all different backgrounds, learning hands on about counseling and clinical psychology, and finding out more about the opportunities and possibilities that are out there for bilingual psychologists.

One of the programs being offered this spring at La Familia is for adolescent Latinas dealing with body image issues. The director of the center is planning on having me take on a major role in facilitating this group, thanks to the background that I also have in Women's Studies. I have this background thanks to the seminar class I took with Prof. Donna McMillan on the psychology of women and "MADNESS." This course was by far the most personally relevant course that I have taken in my entire career at St. Olaf, touching me so deeply that I become a concentrator in Women's Studies. It was in this course that I realized for the first time that the depression I had fought for so long, was not just a personal problem that I faced alone, but rather a very large, contemporary gender issue affecting twice as many women as men. The material I learned in this course was also very beneficial in my work as a mentor with the Nightingales project working with junior high girls. The required reading of Reviving Qphelia, was a real eye opener for me into the fragile psychology of the adolescent female.

Although I felt the most connection to my Psychology of Women course, I must admit that I really learned the most about psychology as a whole this past fall through being a preceptor for the introductory psychology lab. I was selected for this position due to an extensive background in psychology. However, through having to teach other students, I actually learned how little I know about the field. The saying really is true, "the more you know, the less you know you know."

I will graduate from St. Olaf with the certain knowledge that I know so very little, but with the strong desire to always be a life long learner. I will graduate as a psychology major with a better understanding of people, how we relate to one another and to ourselves. I will graduate as a psychology major, eternally indebted to the real life practice of psychology which has enabled me to live again. Even though my own psychological problems prevented me from being there for my sister, I know she will be there for me. My hopes are to some day use my study of psychology to be there for, others, helping to prevent anyone else from missing out on the celebration we call life.

---

---

---

STATEMENT #4
I approached my first week as a camp counselor with the naive belief that I was fully prepared to counsel any child. The first evening, however, my confidence began to fade when I discovered that three boys in my group were diagnosed with Attentive Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The next day my intimidation only grew as I realized that the week was going to be more of a challenge than I had anticipated. I started to become lost in the frustrations of the week, but then I decided to change my approach. After making a few adjustments to our activities, a noticeable difference occurred in the campers' behavior. During this week of counseling I not only learned how to be flexible and creative as a counselor, but also the interactions I had with my campers further piqued my interest in child psychology.

With this inspiration, I came to St. Olaf College where I eagerly began the academic study of psychology. I have learned much from all the psychology courses I have taken; however, I gained a new perspective on the subject from one course in particular. This course was a seminar in Positive Psychology, which I took -during the spring of 2002. Whereas many psychology courses concentrate on the treatment of negative symptoms, this course focused on the concepts of happiness and subjective wellbeing and their effects on life. From this course, I became acquainted with a different approach to psychology. Instead of only looking at a situation and trying to reduce the negative issues, I am now also able to look at the same situation in a way that emphasizes the positive influences.

During my undergraduate years, I have learned much not only from the psychology courses I have taken, but also from several research opportunities. In the summer of 2002, 1 participated on a research team led by Dr. Jo Wilson at Wittenberg University. As a group, we designed and conducted a study that examined caloric compensation in adolescents. We anticipate the publication of the paper, of which I am a co-author, "Caloric Compensation in Preadolescent Children at a Lunchtime Meal," in the journal, Physiology & Behavior. In the spring of 2002, 1 also assisted Dr. Pamela Bacon of St. Olaf College in her research on the threatened ego. Playing an active part on the team of researchers for this study, I helped develop the method to be used, and I personally conducted research sessions on several occasions. I also made presentations at weekly seminars, to update other research teams on the progress of the study. Through these experiences, I became intimately familiar with the requirements of conducting an academic study.

Through my other majors, Russian Language and Russian Area Studies, I have become interested in cross-cultural psychology. In the courses I have taken at St. Olaf, I have studied Russian adolescence and the resiliency of children placed in the Russian orphanage system. While studying in Russia for four months this fall, I volunteered at a public school, which furthered my interest in psychological differences between cultures. This volunteer position helped me to familiarize myself with the Russian culture from the perspective of a child. With the knowledge and interest that I have gained from these experiences, I hope to conduct future research that addresses cultural influences on child psychology.

During my time at St. Olaf, the materials I have read, the faculty I have worked with and the students around me have constantly encouraged me to critically evaluate my beliefs and views on psychology. It is this self-assessment that has allowed me to be confident in my opinions. This self-assurance will be valuable when I pursue my career goal of being a clinical child psychologist. After receiving my doctorate, I hope to find a position with a private practice where I will work with a variety of clients from young children to adolescents. Although I may not have the opportunity to work with a diversity of children from a cultural standpoint, the backgrounds from which they will come promise to be diverse. From my experiences with different cultures at St. Olaf, I have even now begun to gain an awareness of the possibility for differences between people. The additional experience that I will gain from my graduate studies will serve to further increase this consciousness of the individuality of clients.

My interest in child clinical psychology first began as the result of a challenging week as a counselor at camp. As I continued to encounter a variety of disorders throughout my six years of camp counseling, this initial interest developed into a fascination and desire to specialize in this field. Having gained a strong background in psychology at St. Olaf, I now look forward to pursuing my studies in graduate school, where I will specialize in child clinical psychology. My experiences thus far in the field of clinical psychology have begun to modify my approach, and I eagerly anticipate having my outlook shaped and fine-tuned even more in graduate school.

---

STATEMENT #5
My introduction to psychological research has been the experimental study of mental imagery and its relation to cognitive processes. I became involved in this work when Professor Bonnie Sherman described her research in my introductory psychology class. I was fascinated that someone else knew about and was interested in this concept of visual representation which seemed so personal and abstract to me. My own visual representations of the months of the year and of numbers had existed for as long as I could remember, but I had never thought to inquire whether other people had similar mental structures. I soon became involved in Prof. Sherman's research and continued working with her on a related study during summer 2001, supported by a Hughes Grant. Along with another St. Olaf student, we developed a questionnaire, interview, and experimental procedure to investigate number forms and the effect of their presence on a mental addition and comparison task. I presented a poster entitled "The Prevalence and Usefulness of Number Forms" at the Pew Undergraduate Conference in November 2001, at the Minnesota Undergraduate Psychology Conference in April 2002, and at the St. Olaf Annual Research Symposium in May 2002. Along with Prof. Sherman, I have continued work on the project on my own time and plan to complete it in an Independent Study with her this spring. My experience with this research has piqued my interest in the unique mental constructs that shape each individual's relationship to his or her world.

The following summer, Professor Chuck Huff invited me to work with him on his website devoted to ethics in computing, www.computingcases.org , which is supported by an NSF grant. In working on that project, I gained experience gathering information, arranging and conducting phone interviews, presenting my work in both oral and poster presentation formats, and working independently.

At Professor Huff's suggestion, I was also a research assistant for Leilani Endicott, Tonia Bock, and Jim Lies, Ph. D. students at the University of Minnesota working on a project about moral development in junior high students. Ms. Endicott recruited several St. Olaf students to help with the project. We attended weekly meetings at the U of M to learn about moral development theories, pick up qualitative data to enter into Excel files during the week, and discuss ideas for analyzing the data. At the end of the summer, Professor Endicott invited me to sit in on a few meetings where she, Ms. Bock, and Mr. Lies discussed the statistical analysis of quantitative data. In this way, I was able to get a glimpse of graduate work in psychology.

Last semester I worked on an independent research project with Professor Donna McMillan, investigating connections between nature and death anxiety from the perspectives of terror management theory and the biophilia hypothesis. My work involved researching TMT, biophilia, and related literature and scoring and analyzing data from a questionnaire that was distributed to Introductory Psychology students. This project tapped into my interest in the interaction between philosophy and psychology, since TMT draws on the ideas of existentialism as interpreted by the cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker. I also gained more practice at the statistical analysis of research data.

I have received strong encouragement from each of my research supervisors to pursue a career in research psychology and am currently in the process of deciding on a graduate program in Social Psychology for next fall. I believe I have the discipline to do graduate work, and I enjoy many aspects of doing research, like discovering the background literature on a given topic and collaborating with others on a project. I have developed several lasting friendships this way over the course of my studies in psychology.

However, the psychology department isn't the only place where I've been inspired to pursue this field. My interest in the issues addressed in social, psychology has arisen from the broad range of classes I have taken in the liberal arts. The literature I read for my philosophy, English, French, and religion classes has sparked my fascination with the questions of the human condition. What does individuality mean? To what extent does free will exist? What is the best way to live? My present interests in self theory, the unconscious, and existential psychology arose from studying the works of Kierkegaard, Camus, Freud, and Shakespeare. In addition, my musical experience as a four-year member of the St. Olaf Orchestra has made me attuned to the phenomena of individual perception and group dynamics in working toward a common goal.

In pursuing a double major in psychology and mathematics, I have had the opportunity to combine my knowledge of research methods and statistics. Last semester I gave a presentation in my statistics class about the common misuses of null hypothesis significance testing in psychological research. After learning about the APA Task Force on Statistical Inference, I read two articles: one by Jacob Cohen entitled "The Earth is Round (p < .05)" and the other by Robert Abelson entitled "On the Surprising Longevity of Flogged Horses: Why There is a Case for the Significance Test." In reading these surprisingly entertaining articles and preparing a short presentation and paper on the topic, I had fan learning about a relevant issue in research from a multidisciplinary perspective.

Eventually I see myself doing research in the academic sphere as a university professor. In particular, I am fascinated by the questions of self theory, the unconscious, and existential psychology because of their immediate relevance to daily life and to overarching philosophical questions about identity. I am determined to find a way to connect my passion for the humanities with the skills I have developed in research methods and mathematics, and pursuing a Ph.D. in Social Psychology seems like a promising way to accomplish this goal. Given my research experience, my advantage as a math major, and my broad background in the liberal arts, I hope to thrive in this pursuit.

---

STATEMENT #6
During my first few years of study at St. Olaf I was able to explore my interest in psychology and began to realize that I would like to pursue psychology as a career. As my studies progressed I began to narrow my interests and discovered I am interested in becoming a school psychologist. At first I was unsure of my decision but as time went on my educational and experiential experiences showed me that I had made the right decision.

During my internship with the Community Action Council, I learned what it is to be a school psychologist, and how that applies to Special Education. During my internship I had the privilege of shadowing a School Family Support Worker for three days in which I met many troubled high-school students, one of which was currently applying for a Special Education Program at her school. With the student and her parent's permission I was allowed to attend her initial Special Education Qualification Hearing and see the interaction of her teachers, the School Family Support Worker, and School Psychologists in determining the best course of action in her situation. I heard how the process of gaining admission to a Special Ed. Program in their district progresses and the various tests which would be administered to determine whether she was eligible, if at all, for any of their programs. I also had a chance to talk with one of the school psychologists after the meeting to ask about her duties as a school psychologist.

After the meeting I was sure that I wanted to become a school psychologist. I got to see first hand the care that goes into determining which course of action will most benefit that student in their particular situation. It made me realize that in psychology we may not be able to change society, but that by helping one individual we may be helping them to better function in society and in the future. If by developing a personalized learning plan for the student we keep them more engaged in school and prevent them from dropping out of school early we are improving their over all education and ability to function in our society.

My experience working with a child with severe autism also helped me to see the broad range of abilities that a school psychologist may have to deal with. As part of my position I would meet a couple of times a year with the other Personal Care Attendants, his school staff, the school psychologist, and his parents to discuss his progress and possible changes to his learning and behavioral plans. During one of these meetings his parents had the school psychologist explain her position and what she does on a daily basis. She also discussed the individual attention and modifications that must be made for each particular child and that you must look at progress within that child's abilities and strengths and not compared to other children; this is especially true with the broad range of abilities in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). I found her point to be of particular importance because too often we compare the progress of each child compared to what other children are capable of and not that particular child's capabilities. Although comparison to other children is an important step in determining the child's developmental progress, it is important to consider the child's individual abilities and capabilities when developing a learning plan that will help the child to be successful in school. I think this is the most important role of the school psychologist; to find alternative ways for each child to be successful in school based on their own abilities and needs.

The other important point that I made note of from this experience was the importance of parents in the education of the child. Parents need to be involved with their children's education and be willing to fight for the benefit of the best education for their children. I heard this not only with the parents of the autistic child whom I worked with, but also throughout the interviews with college students who were part of Dr. Woitezewski's resiliency research. In each case the child's success appeared to be based largely on parental support and involvement in their education.
My current interest is on the ways in which family interactions can influence self-esteem and how it relates to other psychological issues with adolescents. This is as a result of my own research into this subject but also as a result of the many adolescents I saw throughout my internship, both within the school and at the community center where I worked for the majority of my internship. In both cases, it seemed that family relations had a large influence on the children's adjustment and sense of well-being, and in many cases, I saw the importance of getting the parents interested and involved with their children's lives at an early age.

In the future I plan to do graduate work in school psychology and obtain a master's and then go on to earn a doctorate degree in this area. I am hoping to then become a practitioner in the school systems where I can be the greatest help to students who may be currently overlooked or not receiving adequate help for their learning disabilities. I firmly believe in finding the potential in each individual and using their strengths to build their self-esteem and design educational programs to fit their individual needs.

This is the ending point of my current experience. As time goes on I hope to expand my knowledge of school psychology and its various components as I continue my work into graduate school and beyond as a practitioner in the field. I hope that in the future I can bring further understanding to the role of family and the educational system in children's social and educational development and success.

---

STATMENT #7
Though I will be attending law school rather than continuing the formal study of psychology after the completion of my undergraduate work, my work in the field has been instrumental in shaping the character of my college experience, and will continue to influence my path in the years to come. My primary interest throughout college has been in the reconciliation of theory and application, in matters ranging from those of a social nature involving legal questions, to those on a more personal level involving character development. The study of psychology in particular has represented the opportunity to examine the juncture between values and their implementation on an individual level. Though I've enjoyed reading philosophical works by scholars such as Aristotle and Immanuel Kant, I've continually felt as if such theoretical discussions leave something to be desired, unless complemented by the kind of personal focus recommended by psychologists such as Gordon Allport and Abraham Maslow. My interest in such work reflects my interests in discovering ways in which the academic materials I become acquainted with can be put to work in changing lives. This disposition is one that I owe to the many strong role models present throughout my childhood, and in particular to a family member whose influence pervades my life on a number of levels. My story begins with his influence in setting my course, and continues with the activities and goals, both abstract and particular, that this course has led me toward. The common interest that binds these experiences and aims may have preceded the selection of my academic emphasis, but my time spent with the study of psychology has reinforced this inclination throughout my time at St. Olaf.

I vividly recall a conversation that my Grandfather and I had just months before his death. His determination and vigor were evident as he described to me his beginnings as a machinist working in a one-room shop producing eggbeaters, and the years of hard work that followed his purchase of this shop and transformed it into a successful manufacturing plant. His sense of duty was clear as he described how he and his eldest brother had enlisted in the armed services in the hopes that their youngest brother would thus be spared from having his journey toward becoming a pastor interrupted. And his regard for life was un-mistakable as he explained how this younger brother had enlisted anyway, and been the only of the three brothers killed in battle.

My studies in psychology, in courses on social psychology and altruism in particular, have acquainted me with the complexities awaiting anyone hoping to offer an academic treatment of morality, and experience has introduced me to the opacity of mind to be dealt with by anyone hoping to appeal to ethical theory in practice. Yet I have often felt as if particular individuals with whom I have been familiar have exemplified a certain dispositional core, composed, perhaps, of both a humble brand of commitment and a genuine regard for life, necessary for the conversion of any moral doctrine from written word to action, and reflective of the noblest of intentions. Though particular paths to right action may be obscure, I believe it necessary for this basic fabric of character to be present in order for a concern for the location of such paths to develop at all, and that it is this foundation that I am to seek to exhibit throughout my own life. It is hard to do figure what the right thing to do is, but I feel as if my Grandfather helped me understand how to try.

Despite the noted limitations of mere theoretical treatment of ethics, it is my interest in it as a topic of inquiry that has drawn me toward the study of it in both philosophy and psychology. Mere reflection, however, reminds me that my conversations with my Grandfather were about actually living life, rather than about the merits of particular views on ethics offered by scholars. He surely had considered how he was carrying himself, but not to such a degree that it interfered with the time necessary to put his character to use, in such venues as the local school, church, and commerce boards. It is a desire to pursue such opportunities for active engagement with the world in my own life that has led me to choose the transition from the study of philosophy and psychology to that of law.

Many of my primary personal and academic interests revolve in some way around my concern for the connection between theory and practical application. My continued involvement in athletics is largely due to the opportunity they provide for examining one's character in more direct a manner than is perhaps readily available in other areas of life. Though attempts to appraise my performance in academic and personal endeavors are often complicated by such subtle obstacles as rationalization and vanity, I have yet to discover a cognitive means by which I might render inconsequential a lack of physical or mental preparation for an athletic season or event, or alter the numbers displayed by an exercise bike or on a scoreboard. Athletics have allowed me to engage in an activity in which the degree- to which one has developed one's character through the application of one's ideals, rather than the mere academic acquaintance with them, is difficult to hide from.

By providing me with the opportunity to assume an active role in the St. Olaf Student Athletic Advisory Board, my participation in athletics has also given me the chance to influence the lives of others. My presentation of a plan for raising money for the construction of schools in impoverished areas abroad has convinced the rest of the members of this organization to join me in launching a large fund-raising effort, and actively participate in the development of the world.
Another of my interests is research involving drinking and driving. Comprehensive treatment of the drinking and driving problem requires the resolution of several questions of a philosophical and psychological nature, regarding causation, freedom, and the purpose of the law. It is at such intersections between theoretical inquiry and practical application that I find myself most invigorated, and where I hope to have occasion to explore during future academic endeavors.

Though I believe that the continued intellectual growth likely to accompany continuing academic work will be mirrored by an evolving understanding of what career path is right for me, several options appear reasonable at present. My interest in discovering avenues for the application of the theoretical tools with which my education will leave me equipped has led me to consider several fields of law, and the merits of preparing myself to help fill the international legal needs of a continually shrinking world. The possibility of working toward worthy ends through the relatively instrumental means available in academia is also appealing. Regardless of setting, I am certain that I will be actively engaged in attempts to bring the written word to life.