Category Archives: Advice

Living at the Intersection: Reflections on the Graduate Student Experience

Reflections of an Orthodox Jew: Entering the Real World

Guest columnist: Chaya Lieba Berger, BA, Long Island University Post

My name is Chaya Lieba Berger, and I am currently completing my first year at Long Island University Post’s Psy.D. program. I am also an Orthodox Jew.

From the moment I began graduate school, I was confronted by my religious identity. Having never before been in a school that was not specifically for Orthodox Jewish women, everything was a transition. Even my name was a challenge, as it is difficult for people who do not speak Hebrew to pronounce. I have noticed that when I introduce myself, people seem to not even hear the unfamiliar sounds, nodding politely before they erase the introduction from their minds. I have always been called by this name, and so adjusting has been an experience, and I am appreciative of my professors and classmates for the patience they have exhibited in learning it. I have also never before been in a co-ed school setting. It has been a challenge to feel comfortable discussing certain issues in a co-ed classroom, working on projects and presentations with male colleagues, and being open to becoming friends with the men in my program.

Recently, I was speaking with my mother about a non-Jewish organization I had been volunteering for and she laughed as I attempted to describe them with: “Oh, they’re normal. I mean they’re regular people. I mean they’re not religious.” When did I become the other? When did the people I have spent most of my life surrounded by become different, irregular, and not normal? I am so grateful to be in a program that respects and accepts me as an observant Jew. At the same time, I have become, essentially for the first time in my experience, a minority. And being a minority can be a very “other-ing” experience. At times, the Hebrew and Yiddish expressions that are merely a part of my vocabulary remain stuck on my tongue as I search around for the appropriate English translation. At times, my experience of certain issues is swallowed by the experience of the majority. My world, a world with its very own dress code, its own music, and dating rules far different from my colleagues, has now become the “other” world.

I can say with certainty that this process, thus far, has been a learning experience. It has also, however, been a challenge, balancing my multiple identities as a student, an Orthodox Jew, a single woman, a psychological researcher, and soon, a clinician. I have come to realize that as much as one may try to separate one’s identities, it is simply unavoidable:

Wherever you go, every identity enters the room with you.

In my growth as a psychologist, I attempt to bring every part of myself with me. As I enter the real world, I am integrating an understanding of myself as the other, and I bring my other world with me.

Editor’s Note: This column is part of a series highlighting the experiences of students and professionals with diverse intersecting identities and was created by the APAGS Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity and the Committee for the Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Diversity. Are you interested in sharing about your own navigation of intersecting identities in graduate school? We would be happy to hear from you! To learn more, please contact Heather Dade.

Check out previous posts in this series:

How Can Blogging Make You a Better Student?

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Within a few weeks of starting my psychology education, I realized that the way I was attempting to learn and retain information wasn’t very effective, in fact it was terrible. I found myself reading and rereading the same paragraphs over and over trying to force the information to sink in. 

With psychology, I found something that I was genuinely interested in, so it was important to comprehend AND retain what I was reading so that I could make sense of all of these new ideas and concepts. Eventually I found a way that suited me: reading short sections then re-writing the information in my own words.

But then, as I decided to embark on a master’s degree and take on a new placement, things got tougher. Not only was I expected to learn at a much faster rate than before, but also stay on top of new research (which tends to be published at an astounding rate). So I decided I needed a new method to keep abreast of new research, while being able to remember it in a meaningful way.

It started with a log…

The way I discovered what eventually worked best for me was born out of a requirement. At the end of each term, my instructors asked that I hand over a detailed, specific, and evidenced reflective log of what new information I had learned, how I had learned it, and where I found this information.  We called it a “reflective log.” The log was initially a foreign concept for me –and I found out that writing it from scratch a few hours before the deadline was, without question, a terrible idea.

Nonetheless, this process helped me develop a process for reflection that allowed me to grow as a practitioner. (Unless we can be self-evaluating, and self-critical when needed, we’re likely to get stuck in a rut which may stunt our growth.) 

…And ended with a blog

While I agree there is something to be said about handwriting notes rather than typing notes on a laptop, knowing that I am going to publish my notes to the world means that I engage more than I would if I were mindlessly typing as my professor spoke. 

With the creation of a blog, there’s a good chance that your notes, like mine, will become highly (and effortlessly) organized. Rather than having random bits of paper or files on your computer, your notes will be sorted by date and, more importantly, they will be searchable by keyword.

If you’re interested, there is a free guide I recommend that explains how to quickly start your own psychology blog. It covers some of the basics:

  • Setting up your blog from a technical perspective
  • Coming up with the name of your blog
  • What do to if  you run out of ideas for article topics

A way to set yourself apart

I’ll close with this: Having a blog carries many secondary benefits.  The most obvious is preparation for competitive jobs. Here, it’s not a case of wanting to set yourself apart from others, but a case of needing to. As well as the usual work experience and placements, writing your own psychology blog will be a unique selling point for most prospective employers. It not only shows you are passionate about psychology, but it also what you can do with your passion and knowledge.

When the dreaded ‘why should we hire you?’ question comes up, you’ll have a range of answers to give about what your own psychology blog has created for you:

  • I actively network with professionals within the field
  • I keep up to date with the latest research and understand how it informs our practices
  • I am practiced in disseminating high-level information to people who do not have technical knowledge

Those are just a few possible answers that might arise through your experience blogging.

Now, get out there and get started!

Editor’s Note: Marcus Clarke, B.Sc., M.Sc., regularly blogs at psysci.co, a psychology, science, and health blog that examines the latest research in psychology and science, and explains how findings can impact and help individuals’ everyday lives.

6 Tips to Help You Become a Better Writer

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“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” – Ernest Hemingway

Being confident in your ability to formulate thoughts into words that end up as coherent text on paper is a necessary skill for succeeding in your graduate career, to say nothing of life beyond. Yet many students view good writing not as a skill—that is, something that can be learned—but as a blessing gifted to the fortunate few: like winning the lottery or having nice hair.

But as your incoming APAGS Member-at-Large, Research/Academic Focus , I’m here to tell you that writing is a skill, and becoming a better writer takes little more than practice, dedication, and time. As communicating ideas through writing is an essential aspect of psychological science, I’ve assembled some tips for how to become a better scientific writer below. They may not make academic life effortless, but they do a pretty good job at stopping the bleeding.

  1. Write what you mean…

Seems pretty simple, right? More often than not though we find ourselves knee-deep in word-muck at the end of our third paragraph, unable to decipher which variable we hypothesized to predict what outcome. At the outset, it is very easy to get wrapped up in jargon so write exactly what you mean, even if it sounds (at first blush) like a kindergartner wrote your introduction. You can always go back through your writing a second time to polish it up, but the single most important thing in writing is to manifest readable content.

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Why You Should Join the APAGS Convention Committee

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The 2016 APAGS Convention Committee at this year’s APA Convention in Denver.

If you have ever been to the APA convention, you know how thrilling it is: the famous psychologists, the innovative research ideas, and the free pens (just to name a few exciting things)! I was completely enamored after my first convention and wanted to contribute. Some of you may be thinking the same exact thing now, and with another convention over, it is time to start considering being a part of the APAGS programming and fervor that is convention.

Here are some reasons why you may be a good fit for the APAGS convention committee:

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How to Survive Your First Year of College Teaching

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Teaching psychology for the first time can bring up a lot of emotions: excitement, fear, trepidation, eagerness, rage, feelings of inadequacy, and even nervous laughter. When 50 pairs of starving hyenas’ eager undergraduates’ eyes are staring at you for the first time, expecting words to come from your mouth, and more than that, infallibly factual words… it can be a little intimidating. Couple that with a strong imposter syndrome (I’m still learning too, you know!), and it’s a wonder we’re not all incapacitated by bind attacks from a Bulbasaur (ah Pokémon, how I missed you).

No matter your reasons for getting into teaching (having a TA-ship, being forced/encouraged by your advisor, having a martyr complex, or a genuine desire to teach), the first time might feel more like drowning than teaching. However, with some quick tips, compiled and condensed here by yours truly, you’ll be on your way to swimming like Michael Phelps in no time! (marijuana optional).

In the beginning…
1. Prepare! Utilize resources.
Why do more work than you need to? Sign up for an instructor account with the publisher of the textbook you’ll be using, and you can get a FREE desk copy and access to online resources (premade lectures, interactive activities, and even exam questions). Experienced instructors who have taught that class before can be a great resource as well. Many universities also have teaching centers that have an army of people ready and willing to help you out.

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