Alumni Speak 

"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

"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