My Gap Year is Almost Over. Now what?
by Paige Shellhammer UA’24 and Jim Stellar
In this gap year, we have discussed alternatives in types of graduate schools. I’ve (PS) provided my own insight through experience, as well as received advice from my mentor (JS) concerning other options I have upon returning.
This seems important as forensic psychology is arguably a newer field even though it has old roots in the field of psychology. For example, forensic psychology programs just got American Psychological Association accreditation in 2001. On my end, (PS) this required much more research and work on my part to discover related programs, opportunities, and experience. The options were much more limited in comparison to my other peers’ programs. Due to this, I made a crucial goal for myself upon starting a graduate program: to find a professor, possibly another mentor, who has current or past direct experience in the field. My hope is that such a mentor would be able to help me build a framework for my future practice based on what helped them personally get to where they are today. At the least, they could give me general advice on how to avoid unnecessary hurdles so I can spend more time focusing on productive endeavors.
From our shared perspective, the key is information scarcity in terms of career development in both college and in graduate school. Universities have an obligation to help students (graduate and undergraduate) understand how to deploy their knowledge that they largely got from the academic classroom structure to their future career possibilities. Nominally, that is the job of the Career Office on almost all campuses. But it is typically small relative to the size of the undergraduate and master’s degree student population.
Second, the professors are hired to be cutting-edge scholars in their fields but typically are busy with research and teaching and do not see individual mentoring as high on the university’s obligation list. Their expertise is often focused, with some clear exceptions, on an academic discipline and not as much on how that knowledge translates into next steps after graduation, particularly in the workplace. Certain universities or programs, particularly career focused ones, do have the staff and the focus on career outcomes, but even here, individual professorial mentoring is still typically seen as part of a professor’s third tier of service obligations after research and classroom teaching. PS’ hope is that graduate programs that are focused on a practice, like clinical psychology or medicine, broadly have certification programs that require hand-on skills as well as theoretical knowledge.
Caught up in my extensive research of graduate programs and finding one that best suited me, I (PS) started coming across opportunities I had not considered previously which stemmed way beyond enrolling back into school this upcoming fall. In my search, I came across a prison foundation located in Philadelphia known for advocating for the health and living conditions of incarcerated people. Although Forensic Psychology is up and coming, this foundation has been working to better our system for over two hundred years. The ideas presented within this speciality have been appearing within our judicial system dating back to the start of our nation. Sharing such similar aspirations with this organization’s mission and having them located right outside of where I live, it has led me to consider this as another option for the following year. Most would expect for my return to university upon completion of my gap year, however, this specific field might benefit more from personal experience and hands-on work due to working alongside many diverse individuals.
Instead of beginning classes at the conclusion of August as previously expected, I would instead be filling an essential role of interviewing inmates and investigating their access to programs and other services. At graduate school I could network and further strengthen skills required and shape my career path academically. Joining this foundation or one similar would instead give me the opportunity to step into a potential occupation and see for myself if that is something I would want to continue with moving forward. This could help me get a better idea of what I should focus on most in graduate school since forensic psychology has many career outcomes. In this position, I would ensure they had access to support for both them and their loved ones through a distressing time for all involved. Starting myself directly in the process can be nerve wracking due to not having done such a thing ever before. But that is why this real-life experience is so essential early on. After being within the prison walls, I would have a better understanding if that is where I see myself long term or if I should consider another environment such as a police station or other agency.
With the scarce amount of information presented online regarding occupations in the field and programs required to qualify for those positions, connecting with others in the field and experiencing for myself what such a position would feel seem like the two best options for myself moving forward. Due to classified information and clearances, shadowing in psychology and criminal justice are not all that common. Now that I have completed my Bachelor’s degree in both of those specialities, I am prepared to apply that knowledge to real-life scenarios and learn from the experts surrounding me. I would be presented the opportunity to network with other individuals who share common goals in the justice system and that could guide me in any grey areas that I can not seem to clear up with the internet. Currently, I do not have relations with anyone working in a career similar to where I see myself. Setting a short-term goal of filling this position would be very beneficial when navigating these new areas for me and many others. Regardless, the invisible string guiding us through life will eventually get us to where we are meant to find ourselves; the journey is the part that will differ for us all. My choices, this big one currently, will pave that personal path. Update: PS was recently accepted into a Master’s Degree program at the Chicago School in DC in Forensic Psychology. She is in contact with The Philadelphia Prison Society, where she would be speaking with incarcerated individuals about their living conditions and treatment within their facility and advocate for them whenever needed.
