Having enjoyed psychology-related activities in both the academic and community settings, it is with enthusiasm that I pursue a career in clinical psychology. An important part of this pursuit is attending graduate school. In order to obtain the necessary knowledge and to define my areas of interest, I wish to enroll in a doctoral program in clinical psychology.
Throughout my undergraduate work I have engaged in a variety of activities to help prepare me for graduate study. One such activity is my involvement in research. This past summer I participated in a research project with a UNI professor, Dr. Augustine Osman. Our research involved the examination of the psychometric properties of the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (PASS) in a community sample. I performed basic data entry and ran SPSS-X programs for manova, correlations, and reliability. For two to three hours a day, over an eight week period, my research experience involved discussions on issues of psychometrics as well as learning how to transcribe and run several programs used in factor analysis. Through this experience I have also become familiar with the process of research revision and publication. In fact, I will be listed as a co-author upon publication of this work.
Currently, I am involved in an independent research project investigating sex-role stereotyping in college classrooms. My advisor, Dr. Jane Wong, has been supervising my progress. After completing background reading on this issue, I have decided to investigate the relationship between students' sex typed attitudes and their ratings of instructors with various sex-typed characteristics. I have developed six scenarios in which I manipulated the sex-typed characteristics of the instructor. Students will be asked to complete the Bem Sex Role Inventory and the Traditional Egalitarian Sex Role Scale (TESR) prior to reading a scenario. After reading the scenarios they will be asked to rate the instructor using a rating form developed by Leventhal, Perry, and Abrami (1977). I hope to present my findings at a regional psychology conference and, if possible, submit the work for consideration for publication.
Aside from conducting research, I also have had the opportunity to experience the teaching aspects of psychology while serving as a teaching assistant for a Research Methods course and an Introduction to Psychology course. As a TA for Research Methods my responsibilities included supervising five students' research work. Specifically, I assisted the students in the library while they worked on a bibliography, summary and synthesis, and proposal project. I also reviewed their projects and provided constructive feedback on their work, as well as graded each students' project. I was also responsible for leading course review sessions, developing course test questions, and grading semester tests during both of my semesters as a teaching assistant.
In addition, I have also engaged in several community service activities closely related to my academic studies. As a Compeer volunteer through a local community mental health center, I befriend am individual who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. I am also an advocate for victims of sexual and physical assault at a Crisis Center. I assist victims immediately after they have experienced a crisis situation, consistently validating the feelings they experience and offering support if necessary. As a shelter assistant in a battered women shelter I act as a moderator between the women as well as work with them in exploring their options available both at the shelter and after their stay. I also act as a child advocate when the mothers are absent from the shelter.
I have also interacted with a variety of clients while working for a Section 8 rent assistance program and as an intern for a pre-trial officer at a correctional facility. Many of the clients exhibit such psychological disorders as schizophrenia, depression, alcoholism, and mental retardation. These experiences have given me the opportunity to interact with a variety of people and improve my communication skills. I have also become a more assertive and objective individual while working directly with these clients.
Throughout my graduate education and beyond receipt of my doctorate I hope to participate extensively in research. Fostered by previous work as a volunteer and my research background, my current interests include intercultural relationships, child abuse, particularly the long-term effects of physical and sexual abuse on victims, as well as aspects contributing to domestic abuse. I am also interested in continuing my work with the psychometric analyses of psychological assessment measures. I realize that these are areas that have developed from the work I have done thus far and that as I continue my education my interest will evolve. I feel that a graduate education will enable me to develop more specific research interests.
I believe that through my experiences I have become a well-rounded person while building a strong foundation for future graduate study. Not only do I feel confident about my preparation in psychology, I have also earned a minor in Spanish acquiring fluency in reading, writing, and speaking this language. In addition, I have become proficient with computer programs such as Windows, Word Perfect, data bases, Minitab for statistical analysis, and e-mail. Despite the numerous activities I am involved in, I have remained focused enough to graduate in three and a half years while maintaining a 3.9 GPA.
Having been involved in psychology through these various experiences has greatly enhanced my interest in becoming a clinical psychologist. I am particularly intrigued with psychological research and college instruction. Therefore, upon receiving my doctorate it is my goal to obtain a position that will allow me to serve my interests in both research and education. I believe that I will be most successful in obtaining such a position after completing a doctoral program that emphasizes research involvement and fosters the development of quality teaching and clinical communication skills.
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