Miami University is now accepting applications for their third annual Diversifying Psychology Weekend being held virtually, May 1st, 2021. This weekend is designed to help students from underrepresented and diverse backgrounds learn more about research and graduate school in psychology, prepare to apply for a doctorate in psychology, network with graduate students and faculty, and learn more about what their department has to offer. The event is supported by Miami University’s Psychology Department, College of Arts and Sciences, and Graduate School, and Center for Student Diversity & Inclusion. Students who are early in their college careers and/or who are less familiar with doctoral degrees in psychology are encouraged to apply.
To receive full consideration, successful applicants should:
Demonstrate a strong interest in learning more about a doctoral degree in the following areas of psychology: clinical, cognitive, community, developmental, social, or neuroscience.
Identify as a racial or ethnic minority traditionally underrepresented in psychological science AND/OR identify as an individual who will enhance the diversity and inclusivity of psychological science. Examples include (but are not limited to): first-generation college students, individuals with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals, individuals from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds, etc.
To apply, follow this link. Applications are due April 7th, 2021.
More information about their psychology department can be found here.
A current Psychology student at Roanoke College, Grace Page, is completing an internship with Thriving Families Counseling, so we decided to highlight this local organization and share her experience and story. Thriving Families Counseling is a counseling center that provides services for adults, children, and adolescents.
Their services include individual, family, and group counseling sessions, and creative therapeutic modalities to address psychological distress (such as depression or anxiety), substance abuse, stress, family problems, grief, and much more.
The mission statement for Thriving Families Counseling (TFC) is: “to provide support, encouragement, compassion, and unconditional positive regard to adults, children, adolescents, and families while guiding them to find their inner resources and true Selves so that they may heal, grow, and learn to thrive in life”.
Grace Page is the first undergraduate intern TFC has ever had and sets a great example of how students can seek out engaging opportunities in the Roanoke Community. Grace had previously been a part of Roanoke’s Career Services’ Maroon Mentor program, and her mentor happened to work at TFC. After getting to know the Mentor, she was able to talk to her boss to work out an internship for Grace, creating the position based on Roanoke’s internship criteria.
“My favorite part about doing an internship is getting real-life experience working with someone in a position I hope to be in someday in the future.” – Grace Page
While TFC may not have other positions available for students, Grace sets an amazing example of what can happen when students step outside of their comfort zone a bit and independently search for meaningful opportunities. If struggling to find a place to start, students can always reach out to faculty members or the department’s head of internships, Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand.
Congratulations to Alumnae Alex DiFelice ’17 and Dr. Powell on their recent publishing in the Journal of Sport Behavior, titled “Self-Efficacy of Female Youth Athletes in An Intensive Training Camp”. This paper is based on DiFelices’ Honor in the Major Project and specifically, examined how sport-specific self-efficacy, as well as sources of sport-specific self-efficacy, changes post attending an intensive training camp. They found that intensive training camps are in fact effective for increasing both sport-specific self-efficacy, as well as sources of self-efficacy. For more information refer to the graphic below, and once again congratulations to DeFelice ’17 and to Dr. Powell for their recent publication!
Hopefully, this is not the case for you, but if you are feeling stressed with how quick mid-terms have approached, definitely check out our tips/tricks to get through this week below!
As we approach the mid-way point to this semester, hopefully, you’re feeling less like Zack Morris from Saved by the Bell (as pictured above) and rather, prepared to tackle all your assignments in this coming week! While it may come as a shock to some that we are already half-way through this semester, we are here to help guide you through this stressful time, with some tips, tricks, and advice to make mid-terms more doable and less stressful. If you’re feeling the weight of mid-terms knocking you down, then keep reading to learn ways to get through these coming weeks successfully.
Planning ahead and looking to see when assignments are due or when tests/quizzes are coming is a good place to start. Once you have your schedule, begin by tackling one assignment at a time. For some, that may be going in order of what is due first, for others, it may be tackling the hardest/most time-consuming assignment first. Whatever it may be, try to minimize your point of view from focusing on every assignment all at once, to focusing your attention on just one at a time. Remember, you will get everything done and if you’re feeling overwhelmed with how much you have, then keep reading to learn some additional tips/tricks to ease this feeling.
Set up a meeting with your professor
Are you having trouble understanding the assignment? Are you experiencing something else in life that is making it hard for you to complete an assignment on time? No matter what it may be regarding, professors offer a lot of advice, and odds are good that they understand their own assignments better than anyone else. That said, do not fear reaching out to your professors to get a better understanding of the assignment, for advice on how to move forward with it, or to discuss with them why you may be behind. Professors want to help in any way they can, and by planning ahead and looking over the assignment early, you can reach out and gain clarification before you too closely approach the deadline.
Meet with other classmates
If the option is there to meet with your classmates, then take it! While meeting with a professor is best practice, if you still find yourself struggling in a course, and happen to know some others in the class, reach out to see what tips/tricks they have to best tackle and complete an assignment, or ways they have found success in studying for an exam/quiz. Before doing so though, consult your course syllabus for the professors’ policies on meeting with other classmates, and as always, keep Academic integrity policies in mind.
Study with friends
Create study sessions with friends! Whether you set up hammocks on the back quad, head to Mill Mountain Coffee, or meet in the library, studying and completing assignments alongside friends can sometimes lead to greater productivity, or at least can take some stress off.
Yoga has been linked through research to a reduction in stress and enhanced relaxation. Roanoke College group fitness currently offers two yoga classes
Virtual Yoga: Tuesdays from 7:30-8:30 PM (Must RSVP online to receive Zoom Link https://today.roanoke.edu/14491)
In-person Yoga: (Bast 138) on Thursdays from 8:15-9:00 PM.
If neither of these dates and times works for you, there are also various resources online where you can follow an instructor on your own time.
Do something you enjoy
Whether it be reading a book, listening to music, getting exercise, playing an instrument, or playing video games, make sure you take time between completing assignments and studying to do something you enjoy!
Above all else, make sure you practice self-care during this time. Simple things such as getting a good night’s sleep, showering, eating well-balanced meals, and taking time to do things you enjoy will make the world of difference during mid-terms. While some days it may seem impossible, there is always some time you can take for yourself to take care of yourself.
We hope this blog helps you get through mid-terms with a bit more ease and as always, the psychology department will be cheering you on through these next few weeks!
Each student at Roanoke College is required to take the Intensive Learning (IL) or May Term which provides the opportunity to learn in an immersive environment. For 2021, several psychology professors are offering classes to meet this requirement. Currently, there are four seats for Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand’s and Dr. Carter’s INQ 177 course Psychology of Teams. This course will last for 3 weeks (June 1st to June 18th) and will be in-person on the Main Campus.
The goal of this course is to examine what makes teams effective, drawing upon classic and modern research in psychology. What changes when individuals must function as part of a team? How do effective teams solve problems and make decisions? What group dynamics lead to challenges in effectively solving problems? What kinds of team environments foster cooperation and allow for successful communication? What makes for a good team leader? What kinds of personality traits make for the most (and least) effective team members? We will attempt to answer these questions through a combination of readings and daily activities, including a number of cooperative and competitive team-based games and local field trips.
Other ways to satisfy the IL requirement are through an IL Independent Study or an IL Internship. Students must apply for these 400-level projects to satisfy the IL requirement. These projects are usually within the student’s major and must meet the requirements of the department in addition to those specific to IL. The project must be undertaken when the student is not enrolled in other classes meaning that many projects may start in May but will continue through part of or all of the summer. Students will work closely with a faculty mentor who supervises the project to provide one or more final products (ex. paper, portfolio, oral presentation, artistic works, etc.).
The deadline for the application for using an independent study, research project, or internship to fulfill the IL requirement is May 6th for May Term/Summer projects in 2021. Completed applications (cover sheet, description of internship/project, and signatures of a faculty mentor and department chair) must be submitted to Dr. Dave Taylor, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs by the deadline.
Follow this link to find more information about the IL requirements and for the applications to use either an independent study or an internship to satisfy the IL requirement.
This time last year our lives were put on pause for three weeks. Little did we know, a year later, the COVID-19 pandemic would be as present as ever, and unfortunately, those active quarantine activities have turned, for many of us, to enjoying a little bit too much Netflix and various delicious snacks. Nonetheless, while a new March is upon us and many of us have experienced a year pass between with little to no change in our daily routine, during the last 12-months there have been some major accomplishments across our department and in psychology. That being said, we hope this blog helps lifts some spirits, create some laughs, and act as a friendly reminder that this is a fact a new March.
Roanoke College Psychology Department Highlights
In the spring of 2020, we had 37 students graduate from the psychology department, many of which completed an Honors in the major, went on to various graduate programs, have obtained jobs, and/or have continued contributing to the field through research and practice.
Many students have continued working through internships both in Roanoke and Salem, as well as in various other cities and states.
Six psychology students were inducted in Phi Beta Kappa.
Numerous students, alum, and faculty have published or prepared manuscripts and articles.
Eight students presented virtually at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference.
All students and faculty have found ways to stay connected, create cozy office spaces, and try new things to help adapt to the new normal that has been sprung upon us for the time being.
Psychology Highlights
The introduction of a new variable in research – with the COVID-19 pandemic came the opportunity to examine the effect of this major event on various aspects of research that may not have ever been addressed before.
Virtual events – while in-person events may be preferable, everyone lives busy and separate lives. Therefore, with the introduction to virtual conferences, virtual psychology meetings/forums, etc. comes the fact that more people can attend and not only contribute to the field of psychology, but also learn from all that is evolving within it.
Adaptability in practice – As all have experienced over the last year, the ways things used to “have to be done” have proven to be untrue! Whether it be in clinical assessment, research, application, counseling, therapy, teaching, etc. many aspects of psychology that used to rely on the in-person nature to run, have adapted to online/virtual formats, opening the field to future opportunities to adapt and successfully reach those that may require an online format to succeed.
As evidenced by this blog, while the last 12-months may have been a bit of a blur for many, there have been accomplishments throughout our psychology department and the field as a whole, something that should leave all proud!
While it may be shocking that March has re-arrived, just know you’re not alone. With that, have a laugh at some ways others have depicted the return of March, and let us all look forward to the new accomplishments and successes that will fill our department and field over the coming months!
