Upcoming Events for psychology majors-- be sure to mark your calendars!

Are you wondering "what to do with your psychology major?" Presentation by three alums with different experiences and varying perspectives ... April 12... Starts at 6:30 p.m -- Time will be allowed for questions and answers... in the Career Center

Spring break is over, midterms are finally coming to an end, which leaves you all with plenty of free time, right? Realistically, I understand that Spring Semester is going by quickly but there are some psychology related events that may be of benefit to aspiring and current psychology majors. Psi Chi, the Psychology National Honor Society, is working hard this semester planning various events:

• The Psychology Major T-shirt: a sketch of the t-shirts and order forms are located on the bulletin board outside of SSC 27. Please get your orders in to Emily Eddy by April 6, 2005 so that we can get the t-shirts ordered soon after!
  

• On April 12, 2005 come to the Career Center to learn about some career options for psychology majors. The “What to do with a Psychology Major” event will take place from 6:30-7:30 pm. Along with information from Career Center, we will be having three guest speakers from different disciplines within psychology and there will be opportunities to ask them questions about their professions. Refreshments (bars and juice) will be served at the event. To the end, this will be beneficial in that you may become aware of different things that you can do after graduating from Gustavus with a Psychology Major.

• April 14, 2005 marks the date for the Psi Chi Induction Ceremony. Current members, faculty members, and new members are all invited to this special event. If you received an invitation please remember to R.S.V.P by April 6 to Nicole Fuerstenberg.

• On April 26, 2005 from 6:00-7:00 pm, in room #04 in the Social Science Center, Psi Chi is hosting a Senior Advice Night. There will be various seniors present to answer your questions about what it is really like to apply to graduate school, the different types of schools to which you can apply, how to obtain letters of recommendation, the process of taking the GREs, how to begin a search for jobs, ect. We plan on ordering pizza for the event, so come hungry for food and knowledge!
  

April 26... 6:00 - 7:00 PM ... " Senior Psych Majors will be on hand to answer questions of second and third year students about preparing for grad school, letters of recommendation, the GRE process, hints on job searches... Come and ask your real-life questions of the folks who know!!! April 26... SSC 04

[Nicole Fuerstenberg is a senior honors psychology and criminal justice double major, Psi Chi officer, staff writer, departmental student assistant and academic assistant.]

Psych major Joyce Sinakhone honored as The Nancy Pautz Memorial Award Recipient

[The Gustavus Adolphus College Center for Vocatioal Reflection in partnership with the Career Center offered a unique opportunity for students participating in a January term career exploration. The Nancy Pautz Memorial Career Exploration Pilot Award was open to students of all majors exploring vocation. The primary goal of this program was to help students participating in a January term career exploration engage in substantive reflection on issues of vocation, lives of service and how a person's career reflects one's larger sense of self, purpose, and contribution to society.]

At the American Red Cross - St Paul area’s Volunteer Resources department, my job was to establish and maintain meaningful relationships with organizations that worked with Minnesota’s diverse populations. My responsibilities were to diversify the American Red Cross Volunteer pool by building professional with several organizations. The January term internship constantly challenged my interpersonal communication, writing and multi-tasking skills making it much more valuable than any class that I could have taken. Although my job proved to be very challenging and dynamic, I will not pursue this type of career in the future. However, I have come away with invaluable experiences and familiarity with non-profit operations. Not only have I developed skills that are essential for being successful in a professional environment, but I have also gained a new sense of confidence.

The Nancy Pautz Memorial Award was extremely beneficial as it gave me the chance to be available on location for meetings between the Red Cross and the leaders at various non-profit organizations throughout the twin cities. in various parts of the city. Without this award, I would have struggled to balance the tasks at hand with creating new lines of communication between the Red Cross and other organization.

I have received invaluable advice from Brian Koeneman from the Career Center, Marie Walker, Janine Wotton and Dick Martin from the Psychology Department and Mark Turbak, my American Red Cross supervisor. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to take part in this important program with help from the Nancy Pautz Award, and the many individuals that have made this a worthwhile experience.

[Joyce Sinakhone is a psychology major studying abroad Spring Semester, 2005]

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Notes from a Junior Psych Major spending spring semester in Spain

Hey there! I have been studying in Salamanca, Spain since the middle of January, and so far this has definitely been the best experience of my life! I came here to study Spanish, and have four classes with other American students and one in the University of Salamanca. I live with a host family in their piso (apartment), which has definitely been an experience! There are two parents and two girls (8 and 10 years and so cute!!) who have been so good to me since my time in Spain! It's definitely been interesting trying to adjust to living with them. They are always asking more questions than my parents at home ever ask, and sometimes even making fun of me when I can't say something right, but that's just the Spanish way, they don't necessarily mean anything negative by it. They are more direct, and just say what they want so you just have to know how to take it!

The hardest part about being in Spain is actually getting to know Spanish people!! As ridiculous as that sounds, it's super easy to hang out with Americans all day long and only speak English. I have been doing intercambios, which are language exchanges with people who want to learn English, so you meet and talk for a little bit in both languages. It's a good way to meet people who are open to getting to know Americans, and it's cool when you can hang out with these people too! It's really interesting getting to know people from all over the world, and see what kinds of viewpoints they might have or just how their culture is different.

Being abroad, I have to be willing to accept the fact that other people may have different customs or viewpoints but that doesn't mean we can't still get along. I feel like I have to be open to new experiences, because if I expect something to be a certain way, I may not be accepting of new situations. I've also learned that if I want to learn something or do something -- I just have to do it! While I definitely am not fluent in Spanish after being here only 2 months, I won't learn more unless I try using the language, so no matter how dumb I sound, if I need to say something - I just have to try to say it!

That's all the time I have for now, I'm going to get back to the Athens nightlife!!

[Julie Severson is a honors psychology major and student assistant in the psychology department and was in Athens when she sent this article]