Student Resources

Welcome to the Department of Psychology in the College of Health Sciences at the University of Rhode Island!

We want to let you know how happy we are that you are majoring in Psychology. We also want to convey some very useful information.

Psychology Advising

Initially, you will be receiving advising through University College in Roosevelt Hall. Call or visit the department office (Chafee 306, 401-874-2193) for more details. You should meet with an adviser every semester to select your future courses and discuss career preparation.

It is not just about coursework

The three “Cs” of advising: Of course, we want you to receive advising about your Coursework that will help you graduate in a timely fashion. But, we believe that a truly effective advising appointment contains conversation about two additional topics. Specifically, your activities as an undergraduate student can influence the likelihood that you will be able to attend graduate school or find a job easily. Therefore, you will also need to speak to your psychology advisor about how to build your Credentials as an undergraduate student, acquiring leadership, research, teaching, and community service experiences that will give you an impressive resume when you graduate. Finally, advising appointments should include discussions of possible Careers that would interest you. Should you plan to attend graduate school? Will you need to do this to achieve your career goals? What job opportunities will you have if you do not seek further education?

Advising can occur in many forms

We use multiple channels of communication with our students:      

  1. Traditional face-to-face meetings with your assigned psychology advisor should take place at least once per semester.  You may be able to make an appointment on Starfish, or you can use the URI psychology department web site to find your advisor’s contact information.
  2. Simple questions can often be answered by email exchanges with your advisor.
  3. A peer advisor is available many hours each week on a drop-in basis to answer advising questions and to help you enroll in your courses on ecampus.  You will receive an email through our psychology majors listserver with available hours at the start of the semester or you can call the URI psychology department office (401-874-2193) for this information.
  4. You will automatically be added to a Brightspace advising site that allows you to communicate with the peer advisor in our Brightspace Advising Chatroom.
  5. Undergraduate Psychology Career Workshops are offered periodically throughout the semester, offering students the opportunity to chat with experts about different types of careers in psychology (e.g., School Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Social Work).  You will receive email announcements about these events through our psychology majors listserv.  These workshops are free for any interested student to attend.
  6. We strongly encourage students to enroll in our one-credit Preparation for Careers in Psychology course (Psy477) during their sophomore or junior years.  This popular course allows students the opportunity to further explore their career options and it helps students design effective resumes and applications for graduate school, as well as the opportunity to polish their interview skills. 
  7. If you are interested in applying to graduate programs, you may also call URI psychology department office (401-874-2193) and ask to be assigned a graduate student mentor.  
  8. Many students have their advising questions answered by attending our weekly Psi Chi and Psychology Club meetings.  In addition to acquiring leadership and community service experiences for your resume, these club meetings provide the opportunity to chat with other friendly students about their course selections and career plans.  Professor Boatright is the faculty sponsor for both organizations and she is also available at each meeting to respond to student questions or concerns.
  9. The strongest and most useful mentoring relationships with faculty and graduate students are often acquired through our undergraduate experiential courses.  You can serve as an undergraduate researcher (Psy489), an undergraduate teaching assistant (Psy488), or work in an internship (Psy305 or the URInternship), giving you the opportunity to earn strong letters of recommendation for jobs or graduate school.

Truthfully, the overall quality of advising that you receive will depend on whether you take advantage of these many opportunities to interact with your faculty, our graduate students, and your peers.  Please make the most of your time here at the University of Rhode Island. 

We are here to help you achieve your career goals.

Adding a Psychology Major

If you are already in a degree-granting college (DGC) and want to switch to or add a double major in Psychology, but have not yet met the requirements to matriculate into the College of Health Sciences, we invite you to join our Waiting for Psychology program. Housed within the College of Health Sciences, Waiting for Psychology pairs students further along in their degree program with a special academic advisor to get them on track in the major and to discuss how their interests and career goals line up with the PSY course options. To join our Waiting for Psychology program, please contact Dr. Sara Cottrill at scottrill@uri.edu

 

Undergraduate Psychology Listserv

You will automatically be added to our undergraduate psychology listserv. This allows you to receive emails about activities for Psychology majors such as our Undergraduate Psychology Career Workshops, and Psychology Club events. Through these emails you may from time to time learn about research, job, internship, and conference opportunities.

Psychology Club

We urge you to get involved with psychology-related activities sponsored by the department. You will receive emails about the activities of the Psychology Club, or you can contact Jill Wainwright (401-874- 2193) to inquire about the weekly meetings. The opportunity to talk with other Psychology majors is a great way to learn about great psychology courses, experiential opportunities, and career options. In the Psychology Club, you will also have the opportunity to build your resume with leadership and philanthropic activities. Everyone is welcome in our meetings, including students who are not psychology majors, so bring your friends!

Undergraduate Psychology Career Workshops

Our department offers free workshops for undergraduate students to learn more about career paths, such as Clinical Psychology, School Psychology, Forensic Psychology, and so forth. We also provide workshops about applying to graduate programs, writing resumes, and other topics useful to undergraduate students. You will be receiving email announcements through our listserv about these workshops and you are welcome to attend any workshops that are helpful or interesting to you. Bring your friends!

Psychology Lounge

We want you to feel at home in the Psychology Department. We have a lounge for your use in Chafee 301. Please stop by!

Again, we extend you a warm welcome and wish you the best in your studies in Psychology.