I suppose if we all knew why we think, feel and act like we do, Psychology wouldn’t even exist.  It seems next to impossible, therefore, to try to describe in detail why I have chosen to be a clinical psychologist.  All I can possibly tell you is the sort of experiences I’ve had that demonstrate how interested I am in clinical psychology.

            I can’t even remember why I chose to major in psychology, but I knew once I enrolled in Psychology 101 that if I just stayed in psychology, I knew I would never be bored with my education or my career.  I soon learned how important it was to get research experience, so I enrolled joined Dr. Sensali’s lab in September, 1999.  While there, I was primarily responsible for entering data from a survey we were conducting of students’ attitudes toward different types of teaching styles.  One of the things I most appreciated about this experience was that I got to interact with other graduate students, and observe firsthand the stresses and joys of graduate school.  I also got my first exposure to SPSS that semester, and I am grateful for that because it gave me a bit of a head start in learning how to use a statistical analysis software.

            In January 2000, I enrolled in Abnormal Psychology.  Dr. Richmond taught this class, and it was probably his enthusiasm for the subject matter that eventually converted me to the idea of becoming a clinical psychologist.  I did well in the course as I did in most of my courses, but the most important thing about that class was that I had to write a research paper on personality disorders as a course requirement.  For whatever reason, I was particularly struck by narcissistic personality disorder, and as I spent hours and hours in the library researching this topic, it became clear very quickly that although psychologists know a lot about this and other disorders, more high-quality research is sorely needed.   I remember thinking how frustrated I was as I realized that there were gaps in my paper—no one seemed to have explored this question or that question—and I could only imagine how practitioners felt as they tried to do the best they could for their clients but didn’t quite have all the information they needed in order to do so.  Good research is crucial to alleviating people’s distress, and I want to be any research that moves toward that goal.

            In my final semester of my senior year at XXXXXX, I joined Dr. Raskin’s lab.  There, I was able to run married couples through an interview procedure as part of a study on how marital communication is affected by the death of a child.  I appreciated Dr. Raskin’s trust in me, even if it was scary at times.  Later I also assisted as a data enterer and response coder.  On a few occasions, I also participated in data analysis sessions with the graduate students.

            Another important experience I had that semester is that I began volunteering for Crisis services.  This was not just an eye-opening experience, it was also a real personal challenge for me, as I was basically forced, with minimal training, to somehow establish common-ground with people who were experiencing acute, severe distress.  Some of my life’s scariest experiences took place while I volunteered for Crisis services, but it was so uplifting to be able to know I might have made a tiny difference at just the right moment for a handful of people.  After this experience, I knew for certain that I would attend graduate school in Clinical Psychology.

            Overall I am pleased with my academic record and I believe that it has prepared me very well for graduate school.  As you may notice, however, my grades improved over time.  I began college as a pre-med major, and as should be evident, most of the “damage” to my GPA occurred in my freshman-year chemistry and physics classes.  I learned important things about the philosophy of science in those classes, but as I learned about a year later, my interests were clearly elsewhere (i.e., in working with people).

            I assume that my recommenders have adequately addressed my qualifications for your graduate program.  I hope you will seriously consider me as a student in your program, because by interest in personality disorders is well-represented by the faculty in your department.  I sincerely believe I would make an excellent student in your program, and I am prepared to work and study hard in order to meet the high standards that CWRU is known for.  Thank you for your consideration.