Eleanor Palmer (Psychology)
"My IE internship gave me more knowledge about graduate school and the University of Texas, as well as putting me in contact with valuable resources. It was great to have my mentor, Andrew Costigan, as a resource for any question I might have about graduate school. When I was debating between two professors to ask for a letter of recommendation, his advice made deciding easier for me. He even helped me refine my statement of purpose.
My mentor put me in contact with Kadie Rackley, another graduate student in the department. Thanks to this contact, I was able to learn more about the department, and sit in on my second graduate class. This course was taught by Kristin Neff, the lead researcher in self-compassion. Since all of my undergraduate research has been focused on self-compassion, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to briefly talk with Dr. Neff after her class.
I feel more prepared for and less intimidated by the prospect of graduate school thanks to this internship. Actually attending classes and talking to graduate students made a huge difference over just reading about graduate school. I am more confident that while graduate school will be challenging, it will also be very rewarding. I am grateful to my mentor, Andrew, and value the contacts I've made within the UT Educational Psychology department. I loved having another person to turn to about applying for graduate school, and realized that graduate students are generally helpful and easier to get a hold of than professors. Although most of my applications are already in, I am now motivated to talk to more graduate students at other schools in order to get a better idea of their programs."