Alumni Speak
We think we have a great program, but don't just take our word for it...
"My coursework and research experiences have had a major impact on my education and understanding of what I wanted to do post undergrad. Doing research has given me a lot of experience that has been helpful for me getting into graduate school. By becoming involved in research and staying engaged in my classes, I learned a lot and fostered relationships with my professors. Their mentorship was extremely helpful in the process of applying to graduate school and for providing support in various other ways." -Julia Fitzpatrick '23
"The psychology major helped me to hone my writing skills, understand data analysis, and perhaps most importantly, develop a nuanced view on the world and my responsibility to it. In particular, my developmental psychology courses with Dr. Scott Mirabile were influential in my understanding of how to meet the needs of all of the students in my classroom. I still use my understandings of development and moral awareness that I learned in that class to inform my practice." - Gretchen Young '21
"In attaining my psychology degree, the coursework has provided a foundation to my ethical and clinical values. In learning about psychology theorists, immersing into psychological research, and then putting forth that information into real life scenarios is motivating to assess and help those who are in need." - Jasmine (Humphrey) Cucinotta '17
"I work with engineers now, people who are notoriously bad communicators and notoriously stubborn despite intelligence. I like to think that my experience at SMCM and my ability to navigate a scientific environment has helped me bridge communication gaps and work with the team to set reasonable expectations. " - Heather Wood '17
"Psychology allows us to understand (and reliably predict!) how individuals respond to stimuli. Using these principles during the design process can ensure our products, buildings, and digital environments are human-centered." - Kati Peddito '16
"I use to have difficulty switching to other people's perspectives. My psyc education helped me gain better insight as to how other people's contexts shape their thinking, which has helped me improve my communication skills. By completing my SMP, I have learned how to take complex problems and to break them down into smaller components, making devising solutions easier. This skill really helped me complete a class in an unfamiliar subject area where I had to relate topics to concepts I already understand. This was crucial to successful learning. In many ways, my St. Mary's Project resembled not just how research is conducted, but also professional applications of psychology. I also worked in the psychology lab as an assistant sophomore year, helping a senior with his neuroscientific SMP. While I do not necessarily see myself performing surgeries on lab rats, I learned a lot from that experience as well. Now, I am a research assistant helping with autism studies. This process includes data management/analysis, running experimental sessions using an EEG, learning new computer programs, and most importantly, great people skills and bedside manner. Because I have applied my knowledge and run into situations where I had to problem solve, both my SMP and lab experience helped me solidify my prior knowledge in psychology, apply my knowledge to a new situation, and appreciate the nuances of research." - Jake Lowenthal '16
"SMCM will prepare you for the workforce, I learned more at St. Mary's undergrad then a few of my coworkers did in their masters programs." - Charlotte Mecklenburg '16
"I got my first job after college because of my experience doing research in the psych department!" - Liza Moore '16
"My time at SMCM prepared me very well for graduate-level coursework. The level of rigor presented by the SMCM Psychology curriculum was above that of my graduate program, so I was able to thrive in graduate school and glean a great deal of information and experience." - Caroline (Davy) Brunger '15
"Psychology (specifically social and cognitive) has given me insight into my own thought processes and responses to social situations. Recognizing why we react to certain experiences the ways that we do and understanding the unconscious thought processes behind those reactions and other behaviors is one of the most valuable interpersonal (and interpersonal) skills I possess today. " - Willow Smith '15
"My research experiences at SMCM, working in the cognitive psychology lab and doing a SMP, have helped me transition into a research professional. It gave me the necessary skills to succeed both academically and in a contract research organization." - Sarah Fisher '15
"I came to St. Mary's with my heart set on becoming an elementary teacher. I decided to study psychology, focus on educational psychology courses, and minor in educational studies. I realized once at St. Mary's that psychology is an extremely interesting field with a lot of tracks and specialties you can focus on. I ended up taking a liking to social psychology, which I now use in my day-to-day work life. Being able to read people and understand what people want, why they want it, and how they want to receive it is an extremely valuable skill in business." - Cassey Elder '13
"My graduate studies are in the biological sciences, so initially I had to play a lot of catch-up, but my psychology degree has been invaluable. The training I got as a psychology major helps me stand out and bring unique perspectives and insight into the lab. Compared to my peers, I am far more experienced in critical analysis, creative thinking, and independent work thanks to my training at SMCM. There I was able to start doing research my first year, and connections through professors helped me get summer research jobs, which helped me get into grad school. A psychology degree doesn't limit you to psychology; it's made me an infinitely better biologist too!" -Katie Grein '13
"I am so glad I was a Psych major. While I received a solid education about the history and current directions in Psychology, the most valuable thing I learned as a Psych major was how to think critically. The program at SMCM gave me ample opportunities to read research articles, have open discussion, and think independently about topics, and those are the skills that I used the most while getting my Masters and in everyday life! - Kate Pinder '13
"Psychology has allowed me the opportunity to pursue a range of careers. I was unaware that I could continue my education to become an occupational therapist with this degree, but since the content learned as a psychology major is so diverse, it opens many doors. I was well prepared for my graduate program and have successfully complete research projects / class assignments given my experiences at St. Mary's. Studying psychology has changed how I view the world and people, as well as made me more professional in my interactions with others. I would strongly recommend this field to others." - Abby Vandegrift '13
"Being interested in special education, my psychology major at St. Mary's allowed flexibility in my course schedule. I was able to take my major requirements that went hand in hand with my interest in special education. My advisers, the late Janet Kosarych-Coy and David Finkelman (retired), helped me every single step of the way. I work with children with autism and am able to write formal behavioral reports because the psychology major at St. Mary's really teaches you how to observe and make logical conclusions. I love my job and how it's an extension of my education at St. Mary's, because the learning really never ends." - Jessica Kadjas '13
"My statistics and research methods classes in graduate school were a breeze because of the quality of education in research at SMCM." - Lena Brittany Nicodemus '12
"The psychology major at SMCM has a good deal of breadth, giving students the opportunity to simultaneously explore the far reaches of the science while finding the distinct subject matter they find most appealing and focus on it. The professors represent a range of topics and are eager to help students identify their passions and particular areas of research. The breadth of areas of study provides an excellent background for taking the major and translating it to a variety of career paths." -Kristina Schiller '11
"[Psychology is] applicable to every second of every day! I love having a deeper understanding of the world in which I live. My background in psychology has helped me foster amazing relationships, both personally and professionally. The opportunities and resources that are available within the department are incredible. The possibilities and flexibility around SMPs is so unique. I don't think I realized that until I compared my undergraduate research experiences with those of my peers. " - Abby Rowlands '10
"Although I am not in the psychology field, I use what I learned in my psychology major everyday. This ranges anywhere from understanding how to work with each co-worker depending on their personality, to using the research tools I learned to gather new information. I learned how to learn in my psychology classes and that has been an invaluable tool over and over again." -Melina Vamvas '11
"The psyc-specific information has admittedly not impacted much in my career, but the drive to understand how things work, and the ability to approach one problem (or person) from a variety of perspectives has gotten me where I am today." -Rob Blackwell '09
"I found it so helpful to have a personal relationship with my adviser, who was a member of the psychology department. She and I kept in touch even after I graduated. She continued to write me letters of recommendation and answer questions for me about graduate school and other career opportunities." -Michel Hughes '09
"[SMCM] gave me the freedom to explore various topics and my personal curiosities without judgement. I LOVED MY SMP which made that process much more enjoyable for me. The psychology and WGSX major/minor combo was perfect for me. I enjoyed the diverse exposure of coursework. My studies at SMCM supported me in being clear on what I did and did not want to pursue in the realm of psychology. " - Marian Stukes '09
"Studying psychology at SMCM has been an asset to my career in international development. It was through the Psychology department that I completed a summer field school in the Gambia, which was the beginning of my international interests and career. Also, in addition to the standard psychology courses, requiring labs, statistics, and research has been an asset because work in every field can be benefited by a solid understanding of monitoring and evaluation, research methods, and studies. Furthermore, the professors at SMCM really reviewed and edited paper submissions, which is how I learned to better my writing skills. I've attended ad hoc MBA classes at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business school (as Jhpiego is affiliated with JHU), and the professors don't even return papers or comment on papers, thus taking back the chance for students to learn and grow in their writing skills. The quality of education at SMCM is superb, and I would absolutely choose the same school and major if I had to re-do my undergraduate career." - Ashleigh Dueker '10
"When I started grad school, I had such an advantage compared to my classmates from my psyc studies at SMCM. The classes that were the hardest: statistics, research methods, and all of the focus on writing and APA gave me a huge step up when preparing for a masters level thesis, even compared to my classmates who were psyc majors at their universities." - Sara Rubinstein '08
"I received an outstanding education at St. Mary's. The faculty were second to none in terms of maintaining high academic standards but also meeting students where they were and building them up from there. I'm amazed at the number of skills I learned at St. Mary's that many students in my graduate programs have never covered before or had a poor understanding of even when coming out of an undergraduate psychology program. That goes to show that the St. Mary's Psychology Department not only introduces a broad spectrum of information about psychology concepts/skills but does a good job of helping students make meaning of it to the point that it is learned knowledge for future application." -Christopher Hughes '08
"I love people, and I found Psychology to be incredibly interesting and helpful in understanding people and relationships. It was an immensely engaging topic and there was never a dull moment in any of the psych courses I took at SMCM. In law school I've found my psychology background to be easily transferable to the legal field. It provides a wonderful background in understanding the reasoning and actions of individuals in the criminal cases for example. And it gives a different perspective and view than my classmates who do not have a social science background." -Esther Adetunji '08
"I believe (or at least like to think) that I have made many wise decisions in my life. One decision I have made that I know was possibly the wisest of all, was majoring in Psychology. I have used all that I have learned studying Psychology at St. Mary's College of Maryland on a daily basis. Since obtaining my degree I have been employed by two highly accredited organizations that have provided me with numerous life-changing experiences. I worked as a caseworker with the Choice Program where I worked with at-risk and gang-involved adolescents and their families. I then worked for the Institute for Family Centered Services as a Family Centered Specialist, where I provided home-based family therapy. Had I not received a degree in Psychology from such an incredible college filled with such highly-educated and motivated professors, I would not be writing this post about my past successes. Best major there is (in my opinion)." -Brian Mansky '07
"In my opinion, there are no paths of life in which the study of psychology is not useful. While I did not choose to follow my studies into a directly related career, I use the knowledge that I have gained every day. As a parent, I am thankful every day for my child development/child clinical concentration. As a project manager and during my grad studies, my psyc background has provided an advantage and unique perspective in working with clients and employees. Simply interacting with others out in the world or making sense of events that I encounter, I constantly find myself falling back on all that my professors have shared with me. Psychology is an extremely versatile major and combined with the diversity of the liberal arts courses at SMCM, the resulting graduate is well prepared to go in any direction." - Lauren Robey Morris '06
"Dr. Bailey showed me the beautiful marriage of psychology and neuroscience. This has shaped everything I did post-SMC. And even know as I make my way through graduate school I am amazed to see how I can use a neuro-psychological approach in the field of school psychology." - Jennifer (Lee) Fornaro '03
"The psych faculty did an excellent job of teaching critical thinking. This was the greatest asset I took with me after graduation, and has allowed me to excel in numerous non-related fields." - Lindsey (Plaut) Cosimano '95