Volunteers Needed – Bicycle camp for individuals with disabilities

Lose the Training Wheels™, The Down Syndrome Advocacy Foundation, and The Center for Community Inclusion at LIU Post are collaborating on an exciting event. Lose the Training Wheels™, a program that teaches individuals with disabilities to independently ride a conventional two wheel bicycle, is now taking applications.
Five-day camp sessions will take place:
June 25 – June 29, 2012
Post Campus of Long Island University
720 Northern Blvd.
Brookville, NY 11548

Note – to be eligible to volunteer, participants must have a disability but be able to walk without an assistive device such as a
walker or cane. Each participant must bring along a peer who will learn about disabilties.

Go here for more details.

Volunteer and Paid Positions in Syosset, New York

Various positions described below – contact Information: Lisa Rosen or Claire Lieber-Saul    omg@ohmygirls.com    516-802-5800

Internship/Volunteer
Oh My Girls!, the first ever healthy cooking, fitness and living center for girls ages 6-18 is seeking qualified female students interested in working beside our professional chefs and fitness instructors as role models and mentors to our tween and teen girls.
Hours Needed: Monday thru Friday 4-9. Some weekends.

Paid Position
Kitchen Assistant and Dishwashing/Clean Up
Salary: $8.50/hr.
Hours Needed: Monday thru Friday 4-9. Some weekends.

Paid Position
Female instructors for fitness classes (Cardiocircuit, FunFit, DanceJam,  Boot Camp and Zumba.) Must be warm, energetic, flexible people who love being fit and who can be mentors and role models to young girls.
Salary: $25.00/hr.
Hours Needed: Monday thru Friday 4-9. Some weekends.

Paid research assistantship at Stanford University

Life-span Development Lab

Lab website: http://psychology.stanford.edu/~lifespan/

Overview of the research: The research projects explore topics in adult aging such as the costs and benefits to genetic testing and how sleep, diet, and exercise may impact emotions, thoughts, and social interactions in daily life.

Professor: Laura Carstensen

Supervisor(s): Jason Anderson (Lab Manager), Candice Lowdermilk (3rd year Ph.D. student), Tammy English (Post Doctoral Researcher)

Preferred contact information: jfanderson@stanford.edu

Project description: The Life-span Development Lab seeks paid part-time research project coordinators who have completed their undergraduate degree.  Project coordinators will work closely with the lab manager, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows to track project progress, meet deadlines, and anticipate project needs. The research projects explore topics in adult aging such as the costs and benefits to genetic testing and how sleep, diet, and exercise may impact emotions, thoughts, and social interactions in daily life.

Duties of the position and hours a week: Positions will be for 15-20 hours a week and require 3-6 month commitment, with possibility of extension. The position will begin at the start of summer or earlier for training if possible. Project coordinators will manage several aspects of current research studies including scheduling, coordinating, running, and managing of research participants.

Qualifications of applicant: Graduating seniors only! A BA in behavioral/social science discipline with some background in experimental psychology and statistics is preferred. Prior research experience is also preferred, but not required. Applicants should be comfortable with all age groups. Must be independent, demonstrate strong interpersonal and organizational skills, and have a flexible schedule.

Compensation: Hourly pay.

Other information you want the potential RA to know: Please contact Jason (jfanderson@stanford.edu) if you are interested and include your CV or resume.

Lab manager position at Columbia University: Start date August 6th

Columbia University Couples Laboratory:

The Columbia University Couples Laboratory is seeking a full-time lab manager for a period of at least two years. Our lab, run by Dr. Niall Bolger, has a strong focus on stress, social support, dyadic processes, and health psychology. Training for the position will begin in early June. The official start date is August 6, 2012. Recent college graduates interested in gaining additional research experience prior to applying to graduate programs in social and clinical psychology are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities include:

-Hiring, training, and supervising research assistants -Overseeing administrative functioning of lab (i.e. human subjects protocols, grant submissions, manage research expenses, website maintenance) -Scheduling and coordinating testing room availability -Assist in design of studies, recruiting, and running participants -Assist in data management and manuscript preparation

Requirements:

-Bachelor’s degree in Psychology

-Excellent writing and interpersonal skills -Prior experience conducting research studies -Experience with SPSS, SAS, R or other statistical software -Proficient in Microsoft Office (e.g. Word, PowerPoint, Excel)

Preferred but not required

-Experience with collection of physiological data (electrodermal activity, cardio, cortisol) and/or eye-tracking data -Experience with HTML

Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume/CV, and contact information for three references. Please submit necessary materials and direct all questions via email to Michelle Herrera at coupleslab@psych.columbia.edu.

Grad School Info and Advice

Is graduate school the right path for me?  What’s the difference between a Masters degree, a PhD, and a PsyD?  What types of jobs can I get with these degrees?  I know which degree I need, but how do I begin narrowing down where to apply, and how does the application process work?  Should I take time off before applying to grad school? What kind of financial aid is available?  What are my chances of getting into graduate school?

Although there aren’t any simple answers to these questions, the links below provide the information you need to begin considering your options for life after college.  I’ve gathered this information from well-respected organizations in the field and from several faculty advisors who have successfully mentored undergraduates through the graduate school application process.  Be prepared to do some of the “leg-work” on your own – your search for information will no doubt extend beyond the links contained in this blog.

The Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology

Each of the three links below is a treasure trove of information, courtesy of The Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP).   The first two links contain general information about different types of graduate degree programs in psychology and the careers that they prepare you for, information about when to apply to graduate school, and what you need to do to get into grad school.  The second link (Sections 2 and 3) also contains advice tailored to students who are applying to PhD Programs in clinical psychology, including what to expect at the interview (yes, it is possible that you will need to interview for a spot in graduate school).  There is a lot of information contained within both of these links (41 pages in the second link), but it will be well worth your time to read all of it. Doing everything in your power to be informed now will help guarantee your future well-being! The third link is also tailored to students who are applying to clinical psychology graduate programs.

• CUDCP – 1
• CUDCP – 2
• CUDCP – 3

Eye on Psi Chi

Eye on Psi Chi is the publication of the international honor society in Psychology. I’ve inserted the links to a few recent articles here, but you should browse the publication from time to time for additional info.

• Questions (and answers) about successful psychology graduate admissions: Three heads are better than one
• What are your chances? New Probabilities of admission into graduate Psychology programs

Professional Organizations

Of the three professional organizations below, I think the APA provides the most useful information for students. But all three organizations are valuable sources of information and you should check them all out.

• American Psychological Association
  • Careers in Psychology  (For more explanation of the types of careers within different subfields of psychology, e.g., Clinical, Cognitive, Developmental, Social)
  • Tips for Applying to Grad School
  • Grad School Application Timeline (for PhD programs with a Fall start date, you should start the application process one year earlier, in September)
    
  • The don’ts of grad school applications
• Association for Psychological Science
• Eastern Psychological Association
  

Books

Dr. Sanderson (Professor of Clinical Psychology, Hofstra) highly recommends the following two books if you are considering pursuing graduate study in clinical or counseling psychology.  These books will provide all the numbers you need to consider when choosing a program (e.g., average GRE scores or GPA for a particular program, number of applicants and how many students they take each year), descriptions of each program’s theoretical orientation (an especially important factor to consider when choosing a clinical program), contact information, financial aid info, deadlines, etc.

• Insider’s Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology ($17.81 on amazon.com)
• Graduate Study in Psychology  ($28.95 from APA website)

Hofstra Faculty Advisors

Your faculty advisor in the Psychology department went to graduate school, and so he or she is an excellent sources of information.  If you decide to meet with your advisor to discuss grad school/career options, just be sure to do your homework first.  At a minimum, you should visit the links included in this post.

Shortly after Dr. Novak created this blog, she posted her advice for applying to graduate school.  If you haven’t checked it out already, be sure to do so now. Dr. Novak covers some ground that isn’t addressed in any of the links above.  And while you’re at it, also check out Dr. Novak and Christine D’Urso’s tips on how to write a statement of purpose (particularly helpful for students applying to graduate programs with an emphasis on research).

• Dr. Novak’s advice on applying to graduate school
• Tips on how to write a statement of purpose, courtesy of Dr. Novak & Christine D’Urso

As I come across additional useful links and documents, I’ll post them here. But some “bigger” entries might require a separate post, so be sure to check the Grad School Info category on this blog: http://hofstrapsychadvising.wordpress.com/category/grad-school-info/

Job, Internship, and Research Assistant Opportunities

The information here will help you search for psych-relevant jobs, internships, and research positions.  To learn more about psychology careers and graduate training in psychology, visit the grad school advice post on this blog.

Hofstra Career Center
Resources available for current students AND alumni.

Thegradcafe.com
Great discussion forum of how to find full-time RA positions – links contained within.

Social Psychology Network Jobs Forum
Routinely updated with ads for lab manager/ research assistant positions (you’ll have to filter out the ads for Professorships and Postdoc positions).

Job Opportunities
For job positions , check out the posts in the job opportunities category of this blog.

Psych Internships Blog
Paid internship positions are rare, but if you seek experience in research and/or applied settings, consider interning on a volunteer basis or for college credit.

Research Assistant Positions
Research assistant positions are obviously a great way to gain research experience. They are typically done on a volunteer basis.

Psych club meeting – Wed 5/2, common hour, Hauser 109

The next Psych Club meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 2nd, during common hour in Hauser 109. Dr. Sarah Novak and doctoral candidate Christine D’Urso will give a mini-workshop about applying to grad school. They will especially focus on writing statements of purpose, giving tips about how to approach them and showing examples of successful statements. And, of course, they will answer questions about the application process more generally. It may seem like strange timing to talk about grad applications in May when they aren’t usually due until fall, but the summer is a PERFECT time to work on application materials to reduce the stress of the process and to give yourself the best shot of successful admission.