Reflection Paper

Reflection Paper

Grand Canyon University; LDR-462

How Program of Study has Assisted in Volunteering

My volunteering was as a research assistant. Psychology is revolved around research. Psychologist base all their claims off research. While completing my research assistant internship/volunteering with my professor, all my psychology courses assisted me with my volunteering. My professor and I did research on psychopaths and sociopaths, are they made or born. During the course I used Personality Psychology, Psychological Research and Ethics, Abnormal Psychology, and even my Professional Applications in Service Learning 2 course. Each course served me in different ways while completing the research. These specific classes assisted over the others, because each class had specific information needed for the research.

How Will it Help in the Future?

I want to become a Forensics Psychologist. My program of study, which is, Psychology with a Minor in Pre-Law will help me in reaching that goal. These specific classes served me in great ways while completing my research. In my personality psychology class, I learned that a psychopath is someone who suffers with a personality disorder. The main difference between a psychopath and sociopath was that one knows how to manipulate and be more social than the other. I have applied abnormal psychology because abnormal psychology studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotion and thought, which may or may not be understood as precipitating a mental disorder. My research and ethics class teach how to properly cite in APA and how to research properly and narrowing down topics to find a better search of what you’re looking for. When coming across issues, I was thankful of learning the IDEAL process of problem-solving as it assisted when I came into a problem with the research or internship itself and will help with breaking down any problems in the future.

One or Two things that Would have Enhanced my Experience at GCU

When I started school at GCU, I never stopped. I dedicated my summers even to school. As a senior now, I wish I would have involved myself a bit more by joining clubs that pertained to my program of study, to have been a part of GCU events: soccer and basketball games, and maybe even have done some community service. I have felt that I haven’t gotten the most out of my college experience, because I have maintained dedication to school. One thing I have done this year is make more friends on campus and hang out with them outside of class.

People at GCU Who had a Positive Influence on Me

When I started at GCU, I was a Pre-Medicine major. I thought pre-med was my calling, until I realized that it was not exactly that until I took my first general psychology class. Professor Julia Langdal was an amazing professor. So amazing, that I had to change my major to psychology. She made psychology so fun and so interesting to learn. In fact, I had general psychology at 7am, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and didn’t miss a single class because of how great her lectures were.

Another positive influence on me must be my professor, Larry Laprade, who was also my supervisor during my internship. He started late into his career in psychology. He liked to talk about his adolescence and his time at Long Beach, California. He’s a great influence, because he has taught me that it doesn’t matter how “late” you start, as long as you start. He has such a passion teaching abnormal psychology and his passion motivates me to not only be and participate in class, but to also push myself, because I have no excuses.

How this Experience Will Impact My Future

This volunteer experience will give me a foot in the door when it comes to applying for internships dedicated to the field I want to focus on. The volunteering adds to the experience as well, because to get to where I want to be, I need to gain experience somewhere. As an undergrad, its difficult to find internships. So, I felt blessed when I got this internship, because the research that we did was just to give me a taste of what it would be like to be researching a topic once I am practicing in my field. While doing this internship it has taught me how important it is to research and make sure that your work is creditable and up to date.

How am I Better Prepared for My Professional Life?

I know I still have a lot to go when it comes to being prepared for my professional life. Being in college and the job I currently hold, has prepared me for what they call the “real world”. The internship has provided me with experience with research. Like I have mentioned before, research is critical when it comes to psychology, because you need research to back up your claims. Each class that I have taken at GCU has prepared me in different ways, as each class and professor teach something or in someway different. A few life skills I learned in college that will prepare me for my professional life is becoming disciplined, knowing how to time manage, navigating tough conversations, gaining perseverance, asking for help, and strengthen my integrity. All things I also learned and applied during my internship experience.