Psychology Opportunities Beyond the Classroom

Psychology, the science of the mind, is a fascinating field. How do human brains work, and why do they work the way they do? These questions have fascinated scientific thinkers throughout time, and continue to do so today. 

Are you looking for opportunities to explore the field of psychology beyond the high school classroom? Psychology activities are out there. Let’s explore together!

Long breaks from academic instruction provide time for students to engage in a full-time extracurricular activity. After all, you have the freedom to decide what to do, so why not make the most of it? Few other moments leading up to high school allow for such immersive investigation as a semester or seasonal break. 

While participating in organized activities during summer isn’t required to earn college admission, Empowerly advises students not to miss the chance to stand out.

For students seeking psychology-specific activities, it’s important to get started early!

Try consulting a counselor, teacher, or mentor (or the internet) to compile a comprehensive list of activities for students that catch your eye. This list could include opportunities in the humanities, academic programs, volunteering, and community college courses. Each of these activities can provide a unique perspective on the field of psychology, or whichever science you wish to explore further.

If you’re still coming up empty, expand your search keywords. Psychology-related work might pop up in unexpected places! In addition, the research experts at Empowerly are always happy to do some digging and answer your specific questions. 

Summer Internship Program (SIP): Empowerly's Summer Internship matching program gives you hands-on, real-world experience interning in software engineering, business development, marketing, research, and more. Not only does this provide you with meaningful firsthand memories and a great resume item; you’ll be dedicating time to investigating the realities of psychology-related work. Good for you!

Research Scholars Program (RSP): The Empowerly Research Scholars Program is a selective research program that offers students the opportunity to work one-on-one with a Ph.D. mentor to produce an independently-developed research project. Once accepted into the program, students meet with a mentor and identify a topic. Under the guidance of their mentor, students research the topic and write a paper, which may be submitted to a journal for publication. This is an invaluable opportunity to truly let your academic strengths shine.

Best of all? Each of these options is recommended to students interested in psychology-related work and opportunities! Ultimately, taking the time to explore the questions that interest you will help you become a better student thinker. Not to mention, you are one step closer to finding your future college major or career. Even if you find that you’d rather pursue a different direction, the Empowerly program will accommodate your needs.

It’s true, the Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology class is a popular one at many high schools across the United States. There seems to persist an idea that AP Psych is an “easy A” to boost your transcript…. or perhaps, simply an easy way to test out of a few college credits on your own. While you can take the AP exams without a formal course as a prerequisite, that doesn’t mean you should just wing it. 

Here's what a few of our experts had to say:

“When it comes to coursework, it is important to take on courses that you can excel in and increase your chance of success. AP Psychology would be an asset to your transcript if you are able to do well in the class without compromising your grades in other classes. However, you are already taking on an intensive course load, so it is not necessary to take on another AP class if you think it will be too much to juggle and could potentially compromise your success in the other classes.”

“Taking a step back, it's important to know that colleges look at students based on their holistic story and goals. They want to be able to see how your coursework, internships, volunteer work, and extracurriculars all tell a cohesive story about you, your interests, and how that college can help you get there. It all depends on what your goals are, then crafting your narrative to vividly tell admissions what your aspirations are. Therefore, I'd encourage a little adjustment in perspective. Don't view classes as what weighs more, but rather, what fits your story better.”

Psychology is a wonderful scientific field to explore. If this sounds like you, remember that Empowerly is here to support students in exploring their interests and finding their best-fit schools. If you’d like to learn more about what you read here or have other lingering questions about the college admissions process, don’t hesitate to book a consult and talk over our options. We are looking forward to meeting you.