Weekly Report 8

As we progress in the school year, we begin to think about more long-term goals, such as preparing for Research Showcase at the end of this semester and Final Presentation Night in the spring.  In order to prepare for these events, we must design a display board, so that people attending the event are able to quickly learn more about who we are, what we’re studying, and how we’re learning. The display boards should be eye catching and engaging, so that people will be interested in our field, but as we created the designs for our boards, we had to remember to balance creativity and professionalism.  We also took color into consideration, since different colors inspire different emotions and are associated with different ideas.

This week, I also completed m first interview assessment.  This allowed me to gain perspective and uncover what I really got out of the research interviews that I have had the opportunity to go on so far.  By reflecting on what I’ve learned about my field already, I gain a deeper understanding of the material and at the same time allow myself to move on so that I am not unnecessarily repetitive in my interview questions. 

Weekly Report 7

After business symposium, we discussed our strengths in the event and areas where we could improve as a class. Last week we also wrote an assessment on our experiences at business symposium in order to help us reflect on our performances and benefit as much as possible from the event.

I also completed another research assessment, which highlighted the importance of understanding child development to forensic psychology work in family courts, especially in custody evaluations. Without completely understanding the developmental stage of the child in a case and the needs that accompany that stage, it's hardly possible for a psychologist to make the best decision regarding the custody arrangements for the child.

In addition, this week I wrote my topic proposal, in which I officially propose forensic psychology as my field of study. In the process of writing our topic proposals, we investigated our personality types, and compared our traits to traits that are useful in our fields to see if they're a good fit for us. For instance, I tend to be very analytical, which is an important trait to have working in many areas of psychology, because it drives the psychologist to try to understand his or her clients as thoroughly as possible.

Business Symposium Assessment

view Business Symposium Assessment

Research Assessment 3

view RA 3

Weekly Report 6

I had my second research interview this Tuesday, which I feel was a success. I was fortunate enough to meet with a professional who focused on the areas of forensic psychology that I am interested in, and I got a lot of valuable information. It was interesting to compare and contrast the information I had learned in the two different interviews, as well as discovering the difference that an individual’s personality makes in the interview process.

Since Business Symposium was on Friday, we dedicated a lot of this week’s class time to reviewing introductions, touching up our resumes, and practicing our responses to potential interview questions.  On Friday, the Liberty ISM students met at Independence High School along with ISM students from Centennial, Heritage, and Independence, and professionals in various fields who had volunteered to come to the event. We were able to network with the professionals and with the other students, practice our interview skills one on one with the professionals, and get advice from former ISM students.

I feel that symposium was extremely beneficial to me because it gave me the opportunity to see how I would perform in a realistic interview situation. I was able to see the areas that I need to improve and get advice on my resume from potential employers. As the event went on, I also grew more confident and became more successful at professionally introducing myself and carrying on a conversation in a networking setting.

Weekly Report 5

In the past week, I completed my first research interview, which felt like a monumental step in my ISM journey.  Going into the workplace of a respected clinical psychologist with experience in forensic psychology was nerve wracking to say the least, but due to my preparations, I felt confident in my ability to present myself professionally. I had already learned a number of things about my chosen field through research, but reading articles and looking up information couldn’t compare to the experience of speaking with someone who has been where I want to go.

The interview lasted longer than I had initially expected, but I left with so much more knowledge of my field, and I had answers to questions that I hadn’t even thought to ask. I look forward to conducting more research interviews in the coming weeks, because the insight that this first interview has provided into the field of psychology is truly invaluable.

In class, we worked on setting up our portfolios. These portfolios will be updated throughout the year to track our progress, until at final presentation night we have a collection of all the research we’ve conducted, articles we’ve analyzed, and original work we’ve completed.