BA in Psychology

Sophia Yedigarian, 2016

What attracted you to Mason?

There were several aspects which attracted me to Mason. One was that Mason is close to home, and I also thought that it could provide me with better opportunities than schools in other parts of Virginia, because of its proximity to D.C.

You’re in your second semester of the honors program. What is your thesis?

My thesis is on how acculturation and ethnic identity are related to body dissatisfaction through social media use. I’m working with a graduate student under the supervision of Dr. Sarah Fischer. This graduate student is doing a social media and a body dissatisfaction project, and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with her and Dr. Fischer. My family is of Armenian descent and so that is part of the reason as to why I am interested in studying ethnic identity and acculturation.

We are using SONA systems to recruit undergraduate participants. We will be doing surveys, questionnaires, and some other measures. The study will be available on SONA systems shortly.

What is your favorite class so far?

This may sound cliché but I really liked abnormal psychology! The class definitely resonated with me because I am interested in clinical disorders. I also hope to get accepted into a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program.

Who is your favorite instructor?

Dr. Chrosniak, and she’s the head of the honors program. I also took physiological psychology with her, and she made the class really engaging.

What has been the most exciting part of your time here at Mason?

Most exciting? That’s kind of hard. I think definitely when I got accepted into the honors program. That was really exciting because there are only about 20 of us [out of 1000 psychology majors] so it’s pretty competitive. (This is like an honors infomercial!)

Why should people consider taking psychology as their major?

It has to be something you’re passionate about, so having a genuine interest in psychology is an important element. I’ve experienced that the faculty members here are very supportive, and even in large classes I’ve felt that individual assistance was always available. In terms of the honors program, since day one I’ve enjoyed it! Dr. Chrosniak has supported us with her constant encouragement, and getting us in touch with a mentor.

What would you do with an hour of free time?

One of two things: either catch up on my favorite Netflix shows or work on my blog, because I don’t have much time outside of studying to do either of those.