Meet Some Recent Alumni

Aaron Koch, December 2001 Grad

Aaron works for RBC Dain Rauchser as a Customer Service Rep

Brief job description of what you do:

Field questions from brokers/associates about accounts and certificate in regards to the physical transfer of stock registrations. (Boils down to problem solving.)

One thing you would recommend undergrad psych majors do:

In terms of finding a job - write a resume that sticks out (don't focus so much on education, focus on your work history.) Follow through with confidence and a positive attitude. Make a great first impression. In terms of life - continue to better yourself through reading and expanding your comfort zone.

Matthew Powell, 1998 Grad

Matthew is a student at Saint Louis University, in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program.

Brief job description of what you do:

I am a student at Saint Louis University, in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. It is a generalist program, but allows for some degree of specialization in areas of interest prior to internship and postdoc work (e.g., child psych, neuropsych).

The first two years are devoted heavily to academic work and developing fundamental assessment and therapy skills. Academic work focuses on Cognitive and Personality Assessment, Psychotherapy, Univariate and Multivariate Statistics, Ethics, Research Methods, Psychopathology. One is expected to complete a master's thesis and dissertation (both empirical). One is expected to pass master's orals, doctoral orals, and a comprehensive preliminary examination as a way to assess one's competency in core clinical areas (assessment, psychopathology, ethics/prof. issues, psychotherapy). And one must complete a yearlong internship prior to graduation.

Overall, I have been very satisfied with my program. I like the generalist nature of it because it has allowed exposure to a a variety of issues and topics. I feel fortunate to have a student run psychological services center on site. Not all universities have this. I think it has a nice balance of science and practice...but slightly more practice (clinical experience), which I like. The faculty have been supportive, which was helpful.

Probably the most difficult thing for me was developing a "professional identity." It was a rather difficult transition from undergrad to grad, in that I had much more responsibility and was expected to work closely with people of all ages. At 24, conducting therapy with a 60 year old man was somewhat challenging initially. But I think this is true of many people during that time of their lives. Whether it be in graduate school or within the context of one's first "professional job."

One thing you would recommend undergrad psych majors do:

One piece of advice I'd give to undergraduates is to make sure they seek out appropriate experiences that would make them successful candidates for graduate school (e.g., volunteering for research opportunities at local universities, volunteering or obtaining some type of job relevant to area of interest). As you know, psychology graduate school, unlike some other professions, appears to do the majority of weeding out during the acceptance phase. (Our school accepts 8 students out of about 150 applicants). After being enrolled in a program, I think the majority of programs are rather supportive of their students and want them to succeed.

Sarah Naponelli, 2001 Grad

Sarah is a graduate student at Boston College in the Mental Health Counseling Program

Brief description of what the program is like:Is it harder than you thought it would be? easier? What do you like/not like about grad school (looking for honesty here)?

BC's program consists of a total of 60 credit hours that are taken over the course of 2 years. The first year is all course work. You typically take 5 classes each semester and 4 over the two summer sessions. This might not seem like a lot because at Bethel we regularly take at least 15 credits a semester.
However, it is different and a little overwhelming at times. It is convenient to work (as in a paid job) for about 10 hours a week. Some people work 20 hours but that gets to be difficult at times. The second year consists of finishing the course work (9 credits a semester) and a 20-25 hour a week internship. Internships range from working in college counseling centers to inpatient wards to community health centers. I am going to be working with Boston Health Care for the Homeless. I will see clients at a hospital clinic and at shelters around the city. Being in Boston, you can basically do anything you want. However, because of the great schools (i.e. Harvard, Boston University) some places are picky about who they want interning for them. Coming from BC's program however gives an advantage over a lot of other people because it is a very well respected program.

School is not harder than I thought but it is definitely not easier either. You can expect to be assigned about 400-600 pages of reading a week. Fifteen page papers become the norm and are no longer difficult to write. Keeping the page length down on papers is a much bigger struggle than not having enough to put in a paper. This sounds overwhelming but it is not as bad as it seems. Trust me! Sometimes it doesn't all get read but the professors know that you are not superhuman (that is the Ph.D. students). I actually have more of a social life than I did when I was at Bethel but I am not involved in all of the extracurricular activities either. BC's culture is not Bethel's. Be ready to adjust to a completely different way of life from Minnesota and from Bethel. I don't really know how to explain Bostonians but they are just different than Minnesotans.

I like BC because they have a very person centered program. I like the social justice piece of the program also. There are a lot of hurting people in this world and BC teaches you how to meet the needs of a lot of different people. It places in you a sense of responsibility for helping bring social change. I felt this at Bethel too so it was a nice progression to BC. I don't like BC because it doesn't do a lot to connect the graduate students to each other and to the school. It is hard to connect with professors and it is sometimes difficult to find research to work on. Since there is a Ph.D. program also they tend to use the Ph.D. students to meet their research needs. If you are planning on stopping your education at the Masters level then this is not a huge deal. If you planning on pursuing a Ph.D. then it is important to have as much research experience as possible and BC's situation can cause some difficulties.

What one piece of advice would you give to undergrad psych majors:

I don't have just one piece of advice. As far as course work goes, take a multicultural class or a psychology of women class. Broaden your mind while you are at Bethel because it is easier to talk about the difficult issues when you are surrounded by Christians than to try to figure out where everything fits within Christianity when you are surrounded by people who think religion is ridiculous. Also, be committed to school. Don't go to grad school because you THINK you are interested in this. It is too much work and money to not be completely passionate about what you are doing. You have to love it. Find something that you love doing and pursue it. Ask God which one of the talents He gave you is the one that He wants you to use to do His kingdom work. Sometimes it feels like you don't know what you are doing or where He is but if you let Him guide your life then you will be happy (maybe not rich, but happy). It is your choice whether to let Him take control of your life. I recommend you hand it over because you will be amazed at what He can accomplish through you. Good luck!

Linnea Betzler, 2001 Grad & Our Muck Award Recipient

Linnea began as an Executive Support Officer and was promoted to Resource Development Officer at CHF International.

Brief job description of what you do:

I am working to leverage additional funds through soliciting private and foundation support for our work Internationally. I do research (using my skills honed in Psychology classes) on our programs, reach, lives changed, effects, etc... I write proposals and letters after researching prospective funding groups, and I am working on some major cultivation events centered around our 50th Anniversary. I am in charge of implementing a new fundraising software system in our organization and training individuals with the software.

I also coordinate our Impact Data Reporting which collects data and statistics from the past year's work in each program in the 35 countries where we are currently working and processing that data into a form that we can use in our proposals and publications --basically for designing a way to quantify and measure more qualitative and descriptive data.

I also write press releases, help write and edit articles for various publications, and write for and update our website.

One piece of advice you would give undergrad psych majors:

God will work through your life if you give it to Him, letting go of preconceived notions or expectations. He will do so much more than we can ever dream or imagine. Dream Big! Coming out of college with an undergraduate major in Psychology can set you up for anything. If you learn to present yourself right you can prove to companies that you have all the skills and abilities organizations are looking for, besides the interpersonal understanding and skills. Believe that you are intelligent and valuable, and present yourself in that way. Be confident of yourself and your God-given abilities, and be willing to work with all your heart, wherever you begin.

Most importantly, you are graduating from an excellent institution where you were taught to learn, ask questions, and make results happen, and with perseverance, motivation, diligence, and dedication this can continue, even in your first years of work.