Students

The American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS) Student Committee works to advance the interests of Student Affiliates within the Division, including by enhancing communication among Student Affiliates and between Student Affiliates and other members in the Society, enhancing the participation of Student Affiliates in Society affairs, and generally advancing the professional development of Student Affiliates.

Although many of our resources are reflected on this website, please like our Facebook page for access to the most recent information from the Student Committee. We post to our Facebook page multiple times per week and have over 1,200 page followers at most recent count. The Student Committee also publishes a committee update report in an issue of AP-LS News.

Students interested in getting involved with the Student Committee should first become Student Affiliates of AP-LS. In addition, they should consider joining Division 41’s parent Association, the American Psychological Association (APA), as a student affiliate. Graduate students who join APA are also automatically members of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS). The yearly dues to each are offset by the numerous benefits afforded exclusively to student members.

Undergraduate, graduate, or professional students (who are AP-LS Student Affiliates) may apply to serve as AP-LS Student Committee Campus Representatives. In addition, and as per our bylaws, elections for Student Committee officer positions are held each year in the summer.

Chair: Chris King, BS, Drexel University

Chair Elect: Casey LaDuke, M.S., Drexel University

Past Chair: Alana N. Cook, M.S., Simon Fraser University

Secretary: Lauren Gonzales, MA, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY

Communications Officer: Joanna Weill, BA, University of California, Santa Cruz

Campus Representative Coordinator: Stephanie Kline, MA, Sam Houston State University

Clinical Liaison: Scholar Colbourn, BS, Sam Houston State University

Experimental Liaison: Erika Fountain, BA, Georgetown University

Law Liaison: Emily Haney-Caron, BA, Drexel University

We hope everyone enjoyed the Student Committee’s programming at the 2014 AP-LS Conference in New Orleans!

Please join us for our upcoming programming at the 2014 APA Convention from August 7–10 in Washington, D.C. Our programming at this year’s APA Convention is focused on the intersection of forensic psychology and the military, and we are co-hosting a number of sessions with our student counterparts in Division 19 (Society for Military Psychology).

We've made available a listing of student-focused programming at this year’s APA Convention that we’re either hosting or recommend for Student Affiliates. Also, our AP-LS Conference Student Guide contains useful conferencing tips for first-time student conference goers.

2014–2015 Student Committee officer elections timeline

1. Call for self-nominations: Saturday, June 28, to Saturday, July 12
2. Online election (only Student Affiliates may vote): Sunday, July 13, to Sunday, July 20
3. Winners announced: Monday, July 21
4. Official transition of officers: Thursday, August 7, at the AP-LS Business Meeting at the 2014 APA Convention

More information about our elections (including the self-nominations process) is available online. Keep an eye out on our Facebook page for updates.

Funding resources

• Graduate students seeking funding for their research may apply for the AP-LS Grants-in-Aid ($750 maximum).
• Students from underrepresented groups or students conducting research on diversity related issues should apply for the Minority Affairs Committee’s Diversity in Psychology and Law Research Awards and Diversity Travel Awards.
• AP-LS Conference student travel awards coordinated by the Conference Advisory Committee: To be considered for one of these student travel awards, you don't have to do anything besides ensuring your current student dues are paid. Awards are based on reviewer ratings; students with the highest reviewed submissions receive the awards. Only student first authors are eligible; second authors are not considered.
• Student Committee-coordinated AP-LS Conference presentation awards: These awards are coordinated by the Student Committee and are distinct from the ones that the Conference Advisory Committee offers. Students submit their presentations (be it a symposium paper, an individual paper, or a poster) for consideration and they are judged anonymously at the conference. The Student Committee disseminates information about how to apply for its awards each year.
• Student Affiliates are also often competitive for these non-AP-LS funding opportunities, in addition to the American Academy of Forensic Psychology Dissertation Grants in Applied Law/Psychology ($1,500 maximum). APAGS has also compiled a listing of all of the student-focused grants that each of the various divisions of APA offer.
  
• Non-AP-LS resources about grant-writing.

Awards

• If you completed a dissertation involving basic or applied research in psychology and law, consider applying for one of the division’s dissertation awards.

Training resources

• The Student Committee Clinical Liaison develops a predoctoral internship resource guide for students each year. AP-LS also hosts a listing of predoctoral internships that have at least some element of training in forensic psychology.
• The Student Committee Experimental Liaison develop a postdoctoral fellowship resource guide for students each year, which includes the names of professionals willing to be contacted about by prospective postdoctoral trainees interested in setting up their own postdoctoral positions. AP-LS also hosts a listing of forensic psychology postdoctoral fellowship training opportunities, as well as certificate programs in forensic psychology. In addition, the Teaching, Training, and Careers Committee has developed a Resource Directory of Forensic Psychology Postdoctoral Feeling Training Programs.
• Postdoctoral resource listing of current postdoctoral positions.
• Students and professionals interested in legal training may be interested in reviewing the results of our law training survey. The data is available upon request.

Job and teaching resources

• The Teaching, Training, and Careers Committee has compiled many useful teaching resources.
• Several AP-LS professionals have donated sample application materials for internship, postdoctoral fellowship, and faculty positions. Thanks are due to the named and anonymous professionals who contributed these samples.

Mentorship resources

• Check out our interviews with professionals in the field, which cover a wide range of professional development topics.
• The AP-LS Student Committee hosts a webinar series featuring different AP-LS professionals presenting on topics of interest to Student Affiliates.
• Graduate students may be interested in the AP-LS Mentorship Committee's mentorship programming.

Resources specifically for undergraduate students

• Current undergraduate students interested in a career in psychology and law should review the page Careers in Psychology and Law, which provides an overview of the field, different specialty areas, and various training routes.
• Many of the graduate programs in psychology and law (but not all) are available at the following links: clinical doctoral programs, non-clinical doctoral programs, and master's programs. These listings include dual- and joint-degree programs, and a collection of references about dual- and joint-degree programs are available here. The Guide to Graduate Programs in Legal and Forensic Psychology, compiled by the Teaching, Training, and Careers Committee, is also a great resource.
• Students from underrepresented groups who are interested in gaining more research experience to make themselves more competitive for graduate school should check out the Minority Affairs Committee’s Access Path to Psychology and Law Experience (APPLE) program.
• If you were a major contributor to a project on a topic relevant to psychology and law, consider applying for the AP-LS Award for Best Undergraduate Paper.

Miscellaneous resources

• Check out our most recent AP-LS Conference Student Guide, which contains information useful for any conference you might attend.

Current undergraduate students interested in a career in psychology and law should review the information found on the Career's section, which provides an overview of the field.

Students who are interested in applying to a graduate program can learn about existing programs, including clinical PhD programs, non-clinical PhD programs and masters programs.