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Where are they now?
Guy lancaster:ASU Honors Alumni of 1999
Vinessa Kaye JonesASU Honors Alumni of 2002
Note: Most people don’t realize that admission to graduate programs in clinical psychology is very competitive. Many students hope to win one of the coveted spots, and many of them are disappointed. Vinessa is one student who succeeded. Indeed, she was accepted to the University of North Texas and Brigham Young University; she begins her studies at BYU in fall 2002. My problem was that I was broke.
So I was glad when Arkansas State University offered me good scholarships,
but I realized that I would have to work hard to keep them. In fact, I could not afford to be anything but the student
who would keep her scholarships, no matter what.
I enrolled as a psychology major and immediately began taking general
education courses, including Honors classes.
Eventually, I decided against a second major and focused on excelling
in psychology. Overall, I
took the most interesting (but perhaps the most difficult) psychology
classes available, several “regular” Honors courses, an Honors seminar,
two Honors independent studies, and did an extremely frustrating but fulfilling
Honors senior thesis. Additionally,
I lacked only a few hours from obtaining a second degree in English.
In August of 2002, I will graduate summa cum laude with
a 4.0 GPA (and in Honors, of course).
This fall, I will move to Utah in order to obtain a doctorate in
clinical psychology from Brigham Young University. Now,
please allow me to explain how I really did this.
First, I avoided what I call “superficial socializers.” That would include those in social Greek associations, those
who partied a bit too frequently, and/or those whom I knew did nothing
but “hang out” all day. Please
do not misunderstand me here. I
do not mean that I ever believed these people were evil or that I felt
I was too good for them. I
mean that our respective goals and values were stikingly different, and
I instead chose to befriend those in my Honors classes and/or those whom
I knew were as serious about learning as I was.
This was probably the most important decision I made.
Second, I communicated with my professors.
If I did not understand a part of the lecture, homework, etc.,
I asked my professor to clear up my confusion.
If I questioned a test or homework grade, I approached my professor
about it. If I was not stumbling
upon the correct way to study for a class, I asked that professor.
You get the idea. However,
communication was not just one-on-one.
I also asked questions and made comments during class.
I believe this is one way professors realize how well their students
are absorbing lecture material.
Third, I put the majority of my religious questions to rest. To be more specific, I killed them with knowledge.
Once I dedicated a certain number of hours per week to research
on this topic, I knew whether I believed in God, whether I believed the
Bible was true, whether I could
believe in both religion and science simultaneously, etc.
Many aspects of my life began to join beautifully.
I could worship the entity of my choice with the congregation of
my choice and still choose to
study with a clear mind.
Fourth, I remained jobless for the first two years of school. In other words, school became my job. I realize remaining jobless is not possible for all students,
but I still stress that it helped me tremendously.
I was inevitably broke, but I transitioned into campus life without
too many scars. Had I found
a job during those first two years, I most likely would not have kept
good grades. During the summer
before my junior year, I finally began working as a Study Skills Advocate
and tutor at Student Support Services.
With that experience, I moved to Disability Services the next summer
and have remained there as the Primary Transcriptionist and tutor.
Fifth, I kept a detailed schedule.
I do not mean that I marked special events on my calendar. In fact, I rarely looked at my calendar (and, hence, rarely
knew what day it was…but I digress).
I made an hour-by-hour schedule so that I knew where I was supposed
to be at any given time. I
scheduled everything: class times, work times, study sessions, time for
homework, special events, and even free
time. A busy person has a busy schedule, and (s)he must be organized!
Finally, I crammed for the GRE and settled for an iffy score because
I was sick of it. Did you notice how I made a bad decision there? I hope so. Cramming
for the GRE was not a good idea, of course, and I would not recommend
it to anyone. Ever! Consequently,
the following is the story I wish
I could say was mine: I began
studying for the Graduate Record Exam at least one year before taking
it, studied for it as if it were the difficult test it is, and took a
few electronic practice tests beforehand in order to find my weaknesses.
Yes, that is much better than what I did. Please do not assume that graduate tests are like the ACT.
I know that BYU accepted me despite my GRE score, not because of
it. In fact, I believe one
can safely bet that excellent scores make you competitive, okay scores
might be competitive combined with a good vita, and bad scores hurt you
even with a first-rate vita. (I
will not describe how I applied for graduate school programs because I
did not do that correctly, either…but that’s another story).
Well,
that is in sum the recipe for my personal success.
It will not work for everyone, but perhaps the interested student
will gain some useful knowledge from this story.
In general, realize that ordinary people can succeed in life as
long as (s)he remains true to short-term goals.
Be proud. Be confident. Love and like yourself.
Accommodate and assimilate when necessary.
Be stubborn when necessary.
Succeed. 17 June 2002
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