Presenting at a conference is an excellent way to network or promote your research, and looks great on your CV! APAGS has a couple of options for you to do both at the 2017 APA Convention in Washington, DC! This post will contain helpful information to help you decide whether you would like to submit a proposal for a poster or a program.
Author Archives: Lora Henderson
Learning the Ropes: Attending Convention for the First Time as a Graduate Student
APA Convention can be overwhelming with tens of thousands of psychologists and graduate students descending on a new city with the purpose of staying current with our work and networking! These tips will help you to plan for convention, survive (and thrive!) while attending, and debrief afterwards.
Before Convention:
- Now is the time to register!
- Find some other grad students to room with to save a few bucks!
- Also, keep an eye out for any airfare specials if you will be flying to Denver.
- Once the conference program is out, start to plan your days at Convention.
- Start with APAGS program; it’s specifically geared towards the needs of graduate students
- Use keywords to search the electronic program and find sessions that you’re interested in attending.
- Plan to attend talks on your research interests, but also step outside of your comfort zone and go to a talk on a topic that you may not be exposed to in your own program.
During Convention:
- Network! Find other psychologists and graduate students who are doing work that you are interested in. Bring business cards so that you can exchange them and keep in touch after the conference.
- Attend APAGS events to specifically network with other graduate students.
- The APAGS Social is always a hit! Don’t miss out!
- APAGS also provides free food at the Food for Thought Breakfasts each morning. What a great reason to wake up early, right? This is also a great time to hear talks by amazing psychologists. Be sure to check the program for the line up!
- Attend talks that align with your research or clinical interests, but also attend something that is new to you.
- Get out and see Denver! As a graduate student, how often do you really get to travel? Take advantage of the opportunity to explore this cool city a bit.
After Convention:
- Relax! You might need to take a day or two to recharge. Convention can be both exhilarating and exhausting.
- Follow up via email or maybe even social media with the people that you met at convention.
- Start thinking about Convention 2017! Do you want to present your work? Do you want to be an APAGS Ambassador or maybe even apply to be a member of the APAGS Convention Subcommittee?