Introductory Psychology: Personal Statement

I became initially interested in psychology when I was helping a friend who was having problems at home and was considering suicide. I felt so helpless trying to deal with his problems that I decided to learn more about human behavior and how to help those in need. This experience led me to enroll in an introductory psychology course in order to understand more about what motivates people. I have become more and more interested in the field of clinical psychology during my four years at college.
In addition to my educational experience, I actively pursued work experience in psychologyrelated fields. I worked as a resident assistant in one of the dormitories during my junior year. In this role, I encountered students who had problems relating …show more content…
My work experience has proven to me how much more I need to learn before I can attain my goal of becoming an accomplished researcher and teacher.
I became interested in research as a sophomore when I enrolled in a research class. By the time I graduate, I will have presented a total of five papers on a variety of topics at undergraduate research conferences. My experience with the first study, an examination of mood effects on time perception, led to other research endeavors on topics including student evaluation of faculty, academic integrity, and comparisons of personality profiles of brain injured individuals.
The relevance of two of these projects, academic honesty and student evaluation of faculty, led me to present my results at two College Forums. At St. Louis University, I am specifically interested in the research efforts of Harvey Austrin (hypnosis), Nancy Brown (child adolescent psychotherapy outcomes), and Thomas Grisso (clinical, personality, and community assessment). As an undergraduate, I have learned the importance of working closely