Blog 10

Since, obviously, I am in graduate school and not avidly looking for employment at the moment, I can relate to this chapter in my search for where and how I wanted to continue my education after completing my undergraduate degree at Lebanon Valley. I knew going into college that with a degree in psychology I would be limited as to a profession if I stopped after my Bachelor’s degree. I was not thinking about this too much my first two years of college—although I was a top-notch student (except in statistics. . .ANOV-huh?), I was more concerned with my boyfriend(s) than what I wanted to do vocationally. During my junior year, my advisor lent me the 1000 page book that outlines all graduate schools nationwide and what they have to offer. I didn’t even look at Millersville. I wanted to get my doctorate in clinical psychology and I would settle for nothing less (until the rejection letters started trickling in). I knew that in order to be successful in my life, I would have to follow my heart in what I was passionate about, not what I thought I should do with my degree. I applied to Millersville as a back-up plan and ended up falling in love with everything the interview had to offer: the professors, the energy, and my fellow interviewees (especially Matt!).

            My experience with choosing a graduate school goes hand-in-hand with Corey and Corey’s (2010) section on “Choosing an Occupation or Career” (pg. 284-8). In order to make the right decision for myself, I had to keep in mind the essential factors for making such a hefty choice: what my motivation was for selecting a graduate program, how my peers and professors blended with my personal values, and how it would affect my self-concept if I chose either the right or wrong school. If I had gone with one of the other clinical psychology programs that I had been accepted to, I most likely would have been unhappy, out of place, and in the same self-discovery-less hole I was in before MU’s school counseling program forced me to learn things about myself that I never thought of before.

            On a separate note, while reviewing the six vertices of the Holland’s Code hexagon (pg. 292) I chose to pick out personality traits from each that embody me. I am taking part in the Holland’s Code activity with undecided undergraduates this Saturday, and I am in charge of leading the “enterprising” group in their quest to rebuild a society (after a zombie apocalypse, of course). This originally caused me some stress, because I primarily fit in the social category (yay! I chose the right graduate program), but I am coming to realize that I can bring out different aspects of myself when necessary. And honestly, I don’t think it will be difficult to show my outgoing and organized side.

Corey, G. & Corey, M. S. (2010). Managing Stress. In Brooks/Cole (9th edition), I Never Knew I Had a Choice (132-169). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.