Psi Chi - Central Michigan University

Relay for Life is this weekend, Saturday (April 2nd) at 10am through Sunday (April 3rd) until 10am in the IAC. Anyone is welcome to come volunteer at the Psi Chi table at any time throughout the event; you don't have to be signed up.

Our book drive for Dr. Carroll's program ends this Friday, April 1st. You may drop off books in the Sloan lobby at 5pm.

If you have not yet notified us that you are attending the Induction Banquet (April 17), or that you are bringing guests, please contact Nicole (doll1nl@cmich.edu) as soon as possible.

Our last meeting of the semester is April 12th - We will be having a fun YouTube screening night with psychology-related videos.

From Previous Meetings This Semester:

March 15, 2010:

Hope all of you had a great Spring Break!

At our meeting tonight, Robert Brooks (brook2rd@cmich.edu) and Colleen McNeely ( mcnee1ce@cmich.edu), who are running together for SGA president and VP, came to speak about their platform. They plan to restructure the government into a unicameral system, emphasize sustainability, create student jobs, encourage civic participation, and improve students’ access to resources. Voting is the first week of April at vote.cmich.edu, so take a look at the candidates and help pick CMU’s next student leaders.

For the rest of the meeting, we discussed applying to graduate school. A few tips that were shared include:

Personal Statements - Counter-intuitively, this document should not actually be too personal. Answering the prompts with full sincerity can often sound clichéd or be inappropriate.
Curriculum Vita - Many students struggle to decide what they should include. Generally, everything you've done is fair game: volunteering, research, conference attendance, scholarships, awards, programs you've put on - basically anything that’s happened through your college years that expresses a skill or achievement can go on your CV. Since this document is so individual, there is no default order or structure to follow.

GRE - Many (but not all) graduate schools require this test, and sometimes the psychology subject test too. It costs $160 and you can sign up at www.ets.org/gre. Start studying early! - 3 months is recommended. One good resource ismygretutor.com, but there are a lot of prep books and software available.

Letters of Recommendation - Try to have all your resources together to give recommenders within the first week of the semester in which you’re applying.

“The Insider’s Guide to Graduate Programs” is a good resource to help you pick schools.

Start saving - Not only is the GRE expensive, but each school costs around $60 to apply and many students have travel expenses for interviews.

**Time management and organization are key throughout the whole process - Start early and keep all of your information in order

Our next meeting is March 29. We will be having e-board elections and class hash (where we advise each other on which courses to register for). ***In addition, there will be a brief meeting afterward for those interested in the MPA conference - we need to get a final count.***

March 1, 2010:

Thank you to everyone who came and had fun at our luau party tonight!

We have a few important things coming up:

We are having a book drive for Dr. Carroll's education program in Nigeria. Books may be donated any time until April 1st at 5pm, and a flyer is attached with more information. Even if you have books to give that do not fit the description, you may still donate them and they will be put to good use.

Relay for Life is April 2-3 in the IAC. If you'd like to sign up, our team website is: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=29870&team_id=895862. Registration requires a $10 donation which helps fund cancer research, but you can also come volunteer at the Psi Chi table.

The induction banquet is April 17 at Riverwood Resort from 11:30 to 1:30. The meal will be $12 per person, unless you are being inducted or fulfill the incentives - then it's free! You are welcome to bring family and friends.

Our next meeting is the first Tuesday after break: March 15. We will be discussing curriculum vitae and the process of applying to graduate school.

February 15, 2010:

For those of you who were unable to come, here's what happened at our last meeting:

Dr. Quirk came to speak about "The Psychology of Love." He discussed whether pheromones are real, what attracts us to certain people, whether "hooking up" has a negative emotional impact, and what makes a good relationship. The #1 factor in whether couples stay together and happy (according to longitudinal studies)? Humor/positivity!

We also had a lot of fun making red and pink inkblots while enjoying Valentine's candy and cupcakes!

A quick reminder: Membership applications are due March 1st, which is also the date of our next meeting. They can be turned in at the psychology office (in Sloan) any time before then, or at the meeting. Remember - along with the form, you need to turn in an unofficial transcript and a $65 one-time membership fee.

February 1, 2010:

Hope you had a great snow day! Our meeting last night was short and sweet, but there were a few important reminders in addition to the topics we discussed.

Applications are due in less than a month, on March 1^st. The application form is available on the front page of our website: http://www.chsbs.cmich.edu/psichi/default.html. The form and check can be turned in at any meeting or to the psychology office .

We have decided on a date and venue for the induction banquet - April 17^th at Riverwood. We hope everyone can turn out, it’ll be a really nice event! Remember - new members attend free, and anyone who fulfills the incentive (attend 4 meetings, 1 fundraiser/social, and 1 volunteer activity) can get in free as well.

Brian already sent an email about this, but again, we’re setting up committees this year. It’s a great opportunity for those of you who want to be more involved in Psi Chi - we’re looking for people who’d like to help out in everything, from planning fundraising, social, and volunteering events to chalking and posting flyers. Just let any of us know if you’re interested, and we’ll be happy to find something for you to do!

A clinical grad student, Cheryl, talked a little about what she’s looking for in research assistants. She needs two people to code videos of child interaction throughout the spring semester. The hours are flexible and anyone with a basic knowledge in research methods is encouraged to contact her: Cheryl.L.Gering@gmail.com.

For those of you who are looking to get into research but would like to know more about it, many Psi Chi members (and almost all of the e-board) have and are currently doing research. If you have any questions about it, or want to know what kinds of opportunities there are, feel free to talk to us about it!

Brian, Molly, and Nicole spoke about their experiences attending the MPA (Midwestern Psychological Association) conference, which is May 5-7 this year. Thousands of psychologists and students attend annually to see research presentations and posters, get the chance to meet other people who love psychology, and enjoy the awesome city of Chicago! We have plenty of funding this year, so we’re looking forward to having a lot of members attend.

Our next meeting is February 15^th at 7pm. We will be hosting Dr. Quirk to talk about the psychology of love and making festive red and pink Rorschach inkblots!

January 18, 2010:

Hello all!

A big thank you to everyone who attended the semester’s first meeting! It was wonderful to see so many of you despite the nasty weather.

A recap of what we did:

Dr. Carroll, a CMU psychology faculty member, gave a great talk entitled “Worldwide Educational Resources Goes to Nigeria.” Over the past several years, he has created and expanded a non-profit group which helps grant educational access to underprivileged children in Africa and India. His organization has not only provided schooling materials to communities, but has also constructed buildings and wells for those in dire need. In order for the program to continue spreading literacy in impoverished nations, they are in need of volunteers, fundraising, and books. Contact Dr. Carroll or check out www.educationinabox.com if you are interested in donating your time or goods!

We introduced Psi Chi and how it acts as a “stepping stone” for students to enter the psychological community. We welcome everyone who has a passion for this (or related) fields, even if you don’t qualify or can’t join just yet. Psi Chi provides the opportunity to learn about graduate school, various areas of psychology, the GRE, and most importantly, to get to know students who like the same things that you do.

The Spring 2011 E-board was introduced. We are excited to make this a fun and engaging semester - If you have any ideas or suggestions to make Psi Chi an even better experience, please feel free to let us know

The next meeting is on Tuesday, February 1^st

We will be discussing the MPA (Midwestern Psychological Association) conference and how to get involved with research opportunities.

Mark your calendars! The meetings for the rest of the semester are as follows:

February 1^st

February 15th

March 1st

March 15th

March 29th

April 12^th