In addition to the courses you may take, you can gain experience in the field and pursue special areas of interest in several ways. Full-time internships are generally arranged during the Interim, though some are done in the summer. In recent years, St. Olaf students have been placed in a variety of social service institutions, hospitals, schools, research laboratories, and businesses in a number of different cities in the U.S. and Europe. Independent study and research projects, usually completed during the junior or senior year, allow students to take an idea through the entire research process. Students in some psychology classes are asked to participate in one or more of these studies, giving student researchers a ready pool of participants.
Sophomores have the opportunity to participate in research as assistants to juniors and seniors.
Many students present the results of their research at local, regional, national, and international professional conferences. The Psi Chi Paper Session is held each spring and gives psychology majors the opportunity to present the results of their independant research to students and faculty of St. Olaf. Once a year a panel of recent alumni, currently in graduate school, meets with interested students to discuss the realities of graduate education in psychology. Each year the Psychology Career Night is hosted by the department in cooperation with Career Services. The Psychology Club, Psi Chi, and department also host a variety of social events throughout the year.