I chose to attend Luther College because I was encouraged to work hard to achieve, to see the value in both the arts and sciences and most importantly, to pursue my passions. It was paramount for me to attend a school that would fulfill both my passions to sing and learn more about how humans behave, think and function in society. At Luther College, I combined my varied interests by majoring in Psychology and Vocal Performance. Early in my residency, I formed a deep interest in the field of clinical psychology. I conducted extensive research online, interviewed a variety of psychologists and mental health professionals as well as joined a psychology department research lab. The flexibility of the curriculum at Luther College allowed me to organize …show more content…
To explore interconnections between music and cognition in my cognitive processes course, I conducted a personal research project on the college studying experience. Under the tutelage of Dr. David Bishop, as a part of his developmental research lab, I conducted a research study on how parental attachment relationships’ influence the utilization of coping mechanisms amongst first year students in their college adjustment when observing college as a potential strange situation. Structural equation modeling was used to model mediation. At the conclusion of the study, we participated in the research poster presentations at the Tri-State Undergraduate Psychology Conference at the University of Wisconsin in Platteville. In the process of this study, I attained valuable lessons on the frustrations research can present such as failing to confirm the initial hypothesis and discrepancies in raw data. From my research experiences I have gained knowledge on how to perform research from the organization of how data will be collected for analysis to interpreting data in preparation for a publication manuscript. These research experiences have helped me develop an appreciation for the role science plays in clinical psychology doctoral