Current student Caroline Stephens shared the following about being an intern at Social Skills, Imagination, and Theatre Lab at George Mason University…
How did you find this internship?
I found this lab by searching for a list of the best internships for students interested in Clinical Psychology. At the time, applications had not been posted on the lab’s website, so I cold-emailed the PI expressing my interest and she sent me the application and general timeline.
What did you enjoy most about your internship?
One of my favorite aspects of working in research is the variety, and I loved experiencing that at this internship. My tasks included in-lab collaborative work, independent coding assignments, and data collection in the field making each day exciting and different. I was also given a lot of freedom to choose which projects interested me most, which made the internship much more enjoyable and impactful for me.
What did you find challenging?
As much as I enjoyed getting to choose what tasks I wanted to work on, it was sometimes difficult to balance several projects at once. I also had to be sure to not overcommit myself, while also showing initiative and engaging in a variety of tasks. I learned a lot about managing my workload and collaborating with others to efficiently complete assignments during this internship.
What advice would you offer to someone who wants to make the most of an internship like yours?
My main advice would be to ask questions! I was lucky that my internship had a strong mentorship aspect and so my professor and the graduate students in the lab were always available to talk to, whether it be a question about a specific assignment or a broader career question. Being willing to ask for help led to me learning new skills and engaging in aspects of the research process that I would have previously felt unsure about. Asking questions also sparked conversations that provided valuable advice about career paths in psychology while building stronger relationships with the mentors at my internship.
