Undergraduate Research

Mid-American Undergraduate Psychology Research Conference (Indiana),

_________________________________________________________________________

Wallace E. Dixon, Jr. |

Department of Psychology | "Rocket science is child's play

Heidelberg College | compared to understanding

Tiffin, OH, USA 44883 | child's play."

dixon@nike.heidelberg.edu |

(419) 448 - 2269 | -unknown

___________________________________|_____________________________________ ------------------------------

West Virginia Psychological Association - Spring Meeting and Research Symposia

Date: Fri, 07 Mar 1997 09:27:34 EST5EDT4,M4.1.0,M10.5.0

From: "Kevin T. Larkin"

Subject: Re: Undergraduate research opportunities

Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970307092030.254fde22@wvnvm.wvnet.edu
At 04:04 PM 3/6/97 -0500, you wrote:
A common thread on TIPS has been the many positive aspects of undergraduate
research presentations. I will participate in a Psi Chi Panel Discussion
of publishing and presenting undergraduate research at the Southeastern
Psychological Association meeting in April. I would like to report on
available opportunities for undergraduates to present research.

I am aware of opportunities associated with courses, departments, local
organizations, regional meetings, and national meetings. If you are
familiar with a particular opportunity, would you please complete the
following survey? Please respond to my e-mail address and I will share
collected responses with all who request.

Thanks!

The undergraduate research opportunity I am familiar with is associated with:
__ a course
__ a department
__ a local organization
XX a regional organization
__ national organization
other ________________

The name of the meeting (if there is one)? West Virginia Psychological Association - Spring Meeting and Research Symposia
How long has the meeting been in existence? 6 years
Where is the meeting normally held? Where is it held this year? Charleston WV
When is the meeting held? April of each year, this year April 3-5
How long does the meeting last? (one day, more than one day) 3 days/2 nights
If there is a registration fee, how much is it? $55 WVPA members, $90 nonmembers; $40 student; $10 student presenter
Is housing on campus available? Charleston House Holiday Inn is conference location; WVPA will pick up the room cost for students (4 per room) if they help at registration desk for a few hours
Is there normally a keynote speaker? If so, who is the speaker this year? Several excellent workshops; usually bring in one big-name speaker; this year it is Gerald Koocher, Ph.D.
Normally when is the deadline for applications to present at the meeting? two weeks prior to meeting
Are abstracts required? Are submissions competitive? Yes; not really competitive as all reasonable abstracts are accepted after peer review through local Psi Chi chapters
What presentation formats are supported? (papers, posters) Poster session; symposia
Judy & Lonnie Yandell
yandelll@Belmont.EDU

Hope this helps!

We have been doing this for several years now and have found it is a great way to develop professional connections for our students. In addition to the presentation, all presented papers are published in our state psychology journal, The West Virginia Journal of Psychological Research and Practice. Therefore, students have both a presentation and published abstract as a result of their experience.

Students participate from many surrounding regions (e.g., Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia).

Kevin T. Larkin, Ph.D., Associate Professor

Department of Psychology

P.O. Box 6040

West Virginia University

Morgantown, WV 26506-6040

(304) 293-2001, ext. 668 FAX: (304) 293-6606 ------------------------------

INTERNSHIPS

From: noam@psych.purdue.edu (Noam Shpancer)

Subject: Re: APA interships?

Message-ID: <9703100207.AA11573@psych.purdue.edu

i went through the internship application process this year. i applied in 15 places, got 9 interviews and received offers on notification day from 4 out of my top 5 sites. i got my first choice internship. all other 6 applicants this year at purdue got their 1st or 2nd choice. the process is terribly flawed in my opinion, on multiple levels. first, the number of internship slots is decreasing while the number of applicants is increasing. the number of candidates who do not place has been actually doubling every year in the past 3-4 years. some have predicted that if the trend continues, we would have about 900 applicants failing to place. this did not materialize, but the number of those left with nothing is still way too high. also, the process is too long and costly. there is no uniformity in the applications so you have to fill different forms for the different sites. many sites demand on site interviews despite the overwhelming evidence that the interview is a poor predictor of job performance (and we are supposed to be empirically sophisticated..) all the above notwithstanding, there are still ways to make yourself a better candidate and improve your chances of placing well. to summarize my experience: you need to apply to at least 12-15 places in different geographical locations. you need to make sure your vita is competitive: make sure you've got over 1000 clinical hours, get assessment experince, teach, publish. students in decent ph.d programs can still compete very well with the psy.d candidates on these fronts. i noticed that university counseling centers tend to prefer counseling candidates or those with a "soft" emphasis. med schools, hospitals and VA centers like a more "science" emphasis. you need to consider your fit.

in all my interviews and discussions with both candidates and interviewers and program directors and current interns i did not meet one person who believes that the process as it is now structured is either good or here to stay. action probably needs to come from the APA, but the APA is so far mum, so this strange and painful dance goes on..

noam shpancer

purdue university

noam@psych.purdue.edu ------------------------------