My Academic Interests in Psychology: Applying to Yale University

Psychology is relevant to everyday life as it helps to explain relationships, mental processes and the nature of our actions. From a young age, I have been captivated by the intricacies of human behavior and the complexities of the human mind. It is this fascination that has led me on a relentless pursuit to understand the underlying mechanisms that shape our thoughts, emotions, and actions. Now, as I stand at the threshold of my academic journey, I am filled with a deep desire to immerse myself in the rigorous and transformative field of psychology at Yale University. In this supplemantal application essay I share why I choose Yale University, I give examples of my academic interests and performance which explain why I can be perfect candidate to study psychology at Yale University. 

My interest in psychology has been expanded through my studies at A level, however I am intrigued by how psychology occurs and can be applied to everyday life. This curiosity has led to me doing research outside of school on topics such as parasocial relationships and interactions which are common due to society's fascination and obsession with celebrities and social media outlets and reality shows which have matured the intimacy of these relationships. I enjoy watching psychological movies such as 'The Imposter' which is a documentary about a man named Frédéric Bourdin, who managed to persuade an American family that he was their lost son. I also enjoy tv shows such as Black Mirror, particularly the idea of the hedonic treadmill which is used by some psychologists to explain why we are never able to fully be satisfied with our lives; I find this theory intriguing as it is something I too can relate with and exposes the extent to which social media impacts and controls our daily lives, even when we are not consciously aware of it.

My aim is to pursue a career in psychology in the future and I hope to pursue post-graduate training in forensic or clinical psychology. The other A levels I am currently studying are English Literature and Biology. I believe that studying biology helps me to understand the scientific methods of psychology

In order to further my knowledge about the subject itself I have completed an online course on Coursera, partnered with Yale University, that act as an introduction to the subject so that I have some knowledge as to what I will be learning at university. From this course, titled 'Introduction to Psychology', I was able to develop a basic understanding of psychology and its origins as well as neuroscience, developmental psychology, and clinical disorders such as depression and anxiety, and infamous psychologists such as Freud, Skinner and Piaget. The course also provided a unique experience as I was able to delve into American psychology, which explores a different perspective than what I am learning in A level psychology.

I have a part-time job in which I tutor children aged 6-13 in English, Maths and Science. My job involves me being responsible for others' education and thus has helped me become more confident, independent and organised. I am helping to develop students' English, Science and Mathematics skills and helping to stop them falling behind at critical points in their studies by aiding them with difficult concepts such as the function of the nervous system in Biology. This has helped to improve my confidence, organisation, as well as encouraging me with my own studies.

I have taken part and completed The Scholar's Programme which is run by The Brilliant Club. It involved meeting with a PhD tutor once a week for around six weeks to discuss topics such as human rights and we were assessed with a final dissertation of 4000 words, in which I received a grade of 1:1. This has helped me learn critical skills that are needed for university such as writing dissertations, conducting research independently and referencing.

In conclusion, I hope that this application will be 'that worked' for attending Yale University. As I stand on the beginning of my academic journey, I am excited to bring this fervor for change to Yale University's diverse community and contribute to the ongoing discourse on challenging beliefs and developing psychology studies at the university.