What is Psych Club?
The Psych Club was started at Santa Clara in the spring of 2017 as an opportunity to bring people interested in psychology together and put on events for the Santa Clara community. The club is additionally a great resource for students who want recommendations for what psychology classes to take, what internships to look for, or even for reusing old textbooks! Psych Club gives students the chance to explore psychology fields, gain leadership, and build a community on campus.
Who can join?
Anyone! If you’re interested in psychology, building a community on campus, and planning and attending events, this is the club for you. Participants do not need to be a psychology major, hold a specific GPA, or pay dues.
What will happen once I join? Are there mandatory meetings?
There are no mandatory meetings. The club is structured with a fall quarter kick-off to get to know the other members of the club and to think about event planning for the year. Throughout the quarter, officers will check in with event teams and provide them support and resources as needed. Psych Club’s goal is to have two programs a quarter and an end of the quarter “Psych-Fest,” which will be a fun get-together with a talk, discussion, or activity and of course, foo
What are some things Psych Club has done in the past?
The club is committee-driven, meaning that groups work to put on programming events. Programming examples include a bake sale to fundraise for Active Minds (a mental health awareness organization), a psychology “Tech Panel” to provide students ideas on how to use their degree without needing to go to graduate school, a Psychology Pub Trivia night, a S'Mores Event, and more!
What is Psi Chi?
Psi Chi is an international honor society whose purpose is to encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in scholarship of the individual members in all fields, particularly in psychology, and to advance the science of psychology. The Santa Clara University Chapter was established in 1991 and provides students of psychology an opportunity to join Psi Chi if they meet certain rigorous standards.
What are the requirements for joining Psi Chi?
For undergraduates:
- Minimum number of psychology units completed
- Students who began as first-year students at SCU must complete 15 quarter units of psychology courses prior to applying
- Students who transferred to SCU must complete 9 quarter units of psychology courses at SCU prior to applying
- Declared Psychology or Public Health Major
- GPA requirements (cutoffs established based on the class rank of 35th percentile or higher)
- Students must achieve a minimum overall GPA of 3.3 prior to applying for membership
- Students must achieve a minimum GPA of 3.4 in psychology courses (Psyc prefix) prior to applying for membership
For graduate students:
- be enrolled in a psychology graduate program
- have completed at least two-quarters of graduate coursework
- have an overall GPA of at least 3.00 in all graduate courses, including psychology courses
How do I submit an application?
The Santa Clara Chapter of Psi Chi solicits applications for membership twice during each academic year—in Fall and Winter quarters. The application process is completed online at http://www.psichi.org/?page=become_member. Applications that have been submitted by 8 am on Monday of the third week of the quarter will be reviewed that quarter. Within two weeks, you will be notified by e-mail whether you are invited to join Psi Chi. Please e-mail Jui Bhagwat (jbhagwat@scu.edu), Faculty Advisor of the SCU Chapter, with any questions about the process.
Accepting an Invitation to Join
After you have been invited to join, you will be asked to submit a one-time membership fee for the Society (currently $55) and one-time Chapter dues (currently $20). Membership in the Society is a lifetime honor. Following receipt of your fees, your membership will be processed and the Chapter officers will invite you to our annual Induction Ceremony where you will be recognized for your academic achievements, and receive a certificate. Your Chapter dues will pay for a Psi Chi Honor Cord that you will receive in the weeks prior to the June Commencement ceremonies in the year you graduate.
In addition to membership in Psi Chi, new members will also become automatic members of SCU’s Psych Club.
What are the benefits of joining Psi Chi?
In many ways, the benefits of membership in Psi Chi are dependent on what you make them. Just some of the benefits include:
- Potential for Leadership Experiences—You can gain leadership experiences that last a lifetime. For example, consider running for a chapter officer position or taking a lead role in organizing an event for members, e.g., a graduate programs information night, psychology careers night, research colloquium for student researchers, etc.
- Participating in Community Service—You can gain recognition and take great pride in having helped others in your community through a variety of creative service projects, e.g., organizing a mental health awareness day on campus, participating in a walk to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research, etc.
- Access to Financial Resources--Over $400,000 in awards and grants (including travel grants) for undergraduates, graduates, faculty advisors, and chapters.
- Free Online Access to Psi Chi Publications—Psi Chi offers three great publications that will help you make the most of your undergraduate experience in psychology as well as prepare you for post-graduate careers and training.
- Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research is a quarterly peer-reviewed publication found in both PsycINFO and EBSCO databases. The Journal actively publishes empirical research by Psi Chi students and faculty to "foster and reward the scholarly efforts of psychology students.”
- Eye on Psi Chi magazine provides valuable articles by professionals and scholars about psychology, graduate school, career advice, and more.
- Psi Chi Digest keeps members informed about Psi Chi news and opportunities.
More information about benefits for members can be found on the Psi Chi website.