Dear Rhianna,
I know you’re not really one to write letters or journal entries for yourself to read later. But honestly maybe you should, because of the many things you learned this year, one is that your life can change in a span of even a week. Now I don’t think that’ll happen over the course of this summer. But I do believe that you will grow. First, I expect you to learn a lot about yourself as an academic. Since you were 16, when you barely knew what it meant or why you wanted to, your dream has always been to become a clinical psychologist. And, surprisingly, you’ve never wavered from that, and here you are, in this research fellowship, doing psychology research. And I trust that it’ll teach you a lot about many aspects of the psychological research process. When I first got accepted to the program, I was incredibly excited to be able to conduct my own research study in the area I (oddly and maybe worryingly) already knew I wanted to study long-term. Then I realized I didn’t know how to do almost any of it by myself. But you’re going to learn. And, while stressful at times, it’ll be fascinating and super beneficial. But equally important to the research skills you’ll develop, hopefully you’ll also be able to tell if research is truly something you could see yourself doing for many years like you currently plan to. Last summer you tested out clinical work and loved it. This summer you can test out independent research. But beyond career-related benefits, you should be most excited to live on your own, outside of a dorm and the busyness of the school year. This summer will be the closest you’ll have ever been to “adulting.” You’ll have to learn to budget, not starve, and to be ok with reaching out to others, having little structure, and being alone with yourself. As I learned last night, my omelet-making skills could definitely use some work. But hey, there’s a natural learning curve (or so I tell myself).
Good luck out there,
– Rhianna