Majors:
Psychology and German, with a minor in music.
Hometown:
Kinzers, Pa.
High School:
Pequea Valley High School.
Best thing about my Dickinson experience so far:
I love the close connections I’ve been able to form with the faculty at Dickinson. Since the classes I’ve taken are generally small, I’ve gotten to know most of the professors I’ve had. Some of them have come to events that I’m part of outside of class, such as Dickinson Orchestra and Noonday Concerts. The connections I’ve made with the faculty have led to some amazing opportunities, such as dog-sitting for one of my bosses on campus.
On choosing Dickinson:
On my first campus tour, Dickinson was the only place I could picture myself actually going to. I could see myself walking around, grabbing coffee and making close connections—something I didn’t feel on any other college tours.
Favorite professor:
It's difficult to pick a favorite out of all the amazing professors I’ve had, though Professor of German Sarah McGaughey holds a special place in my heart. She has attended many of my concerts and performances after I’ve mentioned them to her, and she makes sure to note when her students have big events during the semester. I did a research project in a course I took with her my sophomore year, and she encouraged me to expand on it—so I’ll be doing just that in an independent study with her this upcoming year. Professor McGaughey was also on sabbatical in Germany when I was abroad in Bremen, and I went to visit her, along with some other students in the program.
On studying abroad:
I studied abroad for my entire junior year in two different programs: DIS Stockholm and the Dickinson-in-Bremen program. In Stockholm, I explored forensic psychology through a course and lab, and we traveled to Edinburgh and Glasgow to learn about opportunities in the field in the U.K. The Bremen program offered language immersion, so I was able to take psychology classes in German, and I even made a few friends from those classes. I didn’t expect to make such personal connections with local university students, but I did!
About my research:
In Stockholm, I researched whether we can tell if someone is lying by observing their eye movements through an eye tracker in a crime scenario. I examined how long and how frequently people looked at an object involved in the crime. We found that people can accurately detect lying only about 53% of the time—basically, it's like flipping a coin!
Post-Dickinson plans:
I’d like to continue my education to become a researcher in forensic psychology—or, as it’s called in Germany, rechtspsychologie.
Proudest accomplishment so far:
Living, taking classes and making friends in Germany and Sweden.
Clubs & organizations:
The Dickinson Orchestra, Flute Ensemble, Liberty Caps (tour guides), German Club, Psychology Club, Mermaid Players, WDCV-FM, Dig Drop Devils and Costume Studio (student-worker).
Honors/scholarships/awards:
1783 Scholarship, Bullard Scholarship, Psi Chi, Dean’s List and the Urkunde Certificate.
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