Recently, I began a mission to find a great college to attend. After careful consideration and several reasons, I chose to start my process at Suny Empire State College. I majored in psychology fifteen years ago while attending Long Island University Brooklyn Campus but unfortunately, I did not complete. Instead, I chose to begin a beautiful family. Needless to say, I am not the typical age of a college student.
I am studying a Psychology degree and this field I have chosen really interests me because I have a passion for helping people. Generally, I am that type of person to put other's happiness and well-being before my own, because it makes me feel like I have a sense of purpose. Also, since I was a little girl I have always been so fascinated with the way people interact, behave, think and feel. I always asked 'why?' and I still do to this very day.
Ever since I was young, I have always enjoyed listening to other people, helping them sort out problems and give advices has been my own personal satisfaction. That was the beginning of my interest in the field of Psychology. My curiosity grew more and I began to wonder how the brain works, how do certain people have certain behaviors, and how can others have the completely opposite attitude. It has become one of my passions and attention. I began searching schools and reaching out to people who knew more about this interest of mine, until I found USC.
Throughout my undergraduate career, I have learned more and more about the field of psychology. I have been able to interact with the field from cognitive, clinical, social, biological, and developmental perspectives, and have quickly realized that my passion lies with clinical science. I am especially interested in investigating the effectiveness of various types of psychotherapy, as well as how this varies for different mental illnesses. For example, are some forms of therapy better for depression than for other illnesses? Perhaps there are some therapies that are actually worse for certain illnesses.
After struggling with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, I knew helping others go through difficult times was my passion. I find myself continually giving others advice or guiding them to seek help. As crazy as it sounds, it is almost second nature to talk about what I have learned studying Psychology. I feel as if I am making a difference and an impact in the world. Seeing my own friends and family light up when they hear my suggestions provides a sense of fulfillment in my life.
Ever since I was a little girl I have always known what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to help people and make the world a better place. Growing up the daughter of a pastor, my parents taught me what it meant to serve. Not in an oppressive way, but in a way, that ironically liberated me. Through them and my relationship with God, I was able to realize that servitude is not about submitting yourself to the will of others, but being an example of what Jesus Christ, himself came to do.
Psychology was one of my earliest career interests dating back to high school. I would eventually follow my interest and pursue a college degree in this line of study where I obtained a 4.0 in all the courses that were in my major. I also was heavily involved in PSI Chi (The International Honors Society of Psychology) where I served as our chapter’s Vice President. It was due to this passion and success that I was offered a position as an undergraduate Teaching Assistant at SIU. I believe my success and experiences in psychology would allow me to be knowledgeable about the course content and the ability to be seen as a credible source of information to my
When I was in 7th grade, I was known as the quirky black girl who wore hot pink knee high socks. I was obsessed with My Little Ponies. I loved playing the violin and I loved to mess with people’s minds with magic tricks. I remember spending hours of my free time looking up card tricks and illusions I could perform during break just so I could hear those “Andrea, how did you do that?! comments.
I returned to Highline Community College I did not know what I wanted to do after school but was more focused on each class and who I could learn. Towards the end of my time at Highline I took an introduction class to psychology, I feel in love with the idea of being able to help people. I choose Central Washington University’s psychology program to receive my Bachelor’s degree. During my senior year while attending Central Washington University I narrowed down what Master’s program what wanted to enroll in to help with the career that I want to have.
One of my goals is to attend the University of Northern Iowa to receive my bachelor's degree in Psychology. After I finish my bachelor's degree at UNI, I intend to attend graduate school where I will earn my masters degree. Down the road, I may also be interested in earning a PhD in Psychology. I am currently choosing to earn a degree in Psychology because this subject intrigues me. I took an introductory course in high school and love learning how humans develop.
My interest in Psychology began during the GCSE course when studying aggression. The nature-nurture debate we had in class when discussing the causes of aggression left me both excited and intrigued into the human psyche. I developed a deeper interest during Psychology AS when studying abnormality, looking at the causes of mental illnesses. Several approaches were covered when debating which we believed to be true, leaving me more fascinated than ever about the nature-nurture debate.
Working towards furthering my education in psychology has always been exciting to me. I did not start college going into psychology, but as I was taking my basic classes I entered Introduction to Psychology and was amazed at how this class took my interest so quickly. Before I found psychology I was trying to find my place and that career path I was meant to take, but I couldn’t find that interest in any other field that I attempted and you could tell that in some grades I made. As I continued I knew psychology was what I was made for. I have excelled in all of my psychology classes because it intrigues me in the knowledge that is available and the history of where it started and how we have come to know and learn so much about a human and why they do things.
“If a window of opportunity appears, don’t pull down the shade.” In this case, the nuclear physics program is the window of chance to further my education. One slight hesitation might result in a missed opportunity of a life time. A previous nuclear physics student had told me about this program; he encouraged me to join and believed that it was a life changing opportunity to experience a course outside of high school. “Although at times it can prove to be challenging,” he said “the experience is well worth it.”
The more I don’t know, the more I know. The more I realize I don’t understand, the more I discover my desire to know more about psychology. My interest in educational psychology was triggered by my first experience in changing schools.
In five years, I hope to be in college, studying about something I'm interested in. I want to get into a good college with a great psychology program where I can learn enough about it so I can turn it into a progression. One thing I've noticed is that it's hard to find a hobby which is directly related to psychology, unlike other professions where your hobbies can be very similar to what you would be doing in that job. I believe that given the environment I was born into, where I have had to help many people to get through tough periods in their lives, I could be a good psychologist. This being my reality, I have grown to enjoy listening to people’s problems and difficulties and trying to help them to the best of my abilities.
