Hello, I am a rising senior looking to major in neuroscience/psychology, and I would like to know the prevalence of students getting involved in research or some kind of internship? How difficult/competitive is it to get on board with research? Is it a significant part of the culture at Haverford?
Hi—
Haverford is an EXCELLENT place to go if you’re looking for research. First, each student is required to complete a senior thesis related to their major, so virtually all students conduct original research. Also, Haverford has three academic centers that provide significant funding for internships and research positions on campus, elsewhere in the USA, and abroad. If you’re interested, I’d direct you to the “Academics” tab at www.haverford.edu, where you should pay attention to the ‘senior thesis’ and ‘libraries, centers, and resources’ information on the lefthand menu.
Additionally, if you select any department’s website (under ‘departments and programs’) and view the major requirements, you’ll find a more detailed description of the research involved to fulfill the thesis requirement for that particular department’s major.
As a rule of thumb, Haverford is a friendly, collaborative place, which I find is the best culture within which to conduct research!
My S graduated with a degree in Psych, and he found it very easy to work with one of the professors on her study. He was actually approached by the professor because she loved one of his papers and saw great potential in him. He worked for her for 2 years. Meanwhile, he was approached by a second professor, but he had to turn that lab work down because he was already working for the first professor AND a second professor from Villanova, whom he had contacted over the summer of his Junior year. S was also accepted into a very exclusive internship program at NYU over that same summer.
So the short answer to your question is YES. There are definitely opportunities both on campus and off for students interested in Psych/Neuroscience.