Students frequently learn too late that active involvement outside of
the classroom is an indispensable education in itself as well as a critical
factor in obtaining employment and gaining admission to graduate school.
Consider the following student qualities contained in the standard University
of Scranton letter of recommendation form:
| Academic performance | Judgment/common sense |
| Communication skills | Interpersonal skills |
| Organizational skills | Integrity |
| Originality/resourcefulness | Responsibility/dependability |
| Interest/enthusiasm |
Most of these dimensions refer to faculty-student interactions outside of the classroom, not to your course grades. Many a bright student has sabotaged his or her educational experience and career goal by not becoming involved outside of the classroom. The common lament -- in the senior year -- is "If only I'd known earlier to get involved!"
The moral of the story? Become involved early and stay active.
Below are several methods nominated by our graduates.
| 1) | Psychology Club -- open to all students, particularly psychology majors and minors. Activities of the club include socials, speakers, and picnics. Watch for announcements throughout the year. |
| 2) | APSSC -- the local chapter of the Association for Psychological Science Student Caucus, for which you must first become an affiliate of the APS (see below). |
| 3) | Psi Chi -- the national psychology honor society open to juniors and seniors who meet national and local criteria for grades. Activities of Psi Chi include student conferences and national newsletters. Only those who qualify as a sophomore or above will be invited to join. |
| 4) | Research with a professor -- students may work with a faculty member in planning studies, collecting data, analyzing the results, and the like. The department strongly encourages psychology majors to enroll in the Undergraduate Research course (Psyc. 493-494) for credit during their junior year. Feel free to approach any professor regarding his/her research interests and projects. |
| 5) | Become an APA or APS affiliate -- you can join the American Psychological Association (APA) for a nominal fee,which includes monthly issues of the American Psychologist and theAPA Monitor. You can also join the American Psychological Society (APS) as a student affiliate, which includes monthly issues of Psychological Science and the APS Observer. See your advisor for applications. |
| 6) | Annual Psychology Conference – sponsored by the Psychology Department each February. You can serve on one of the many committees and submit your own research project. |
| 7) | Attend University functions -- be seen and see other students/faculty at workshops, meetings, talks, plays, and other university functions. |