The department of psychology is one of Western Illinois University's strongest, and there are some things that tend to happen to everyone in it. Here are 10 things that WIU psychology students all find out eventually.
1. You know Waggoner hall almost as well as your own home.
Well, the first floor anyway. Waggoner hall's simplistic layout means that it will be permanently sealed into your brain within your first week, unless you are asked to go upstairs. Then you're in uncharted territory.
2. Newbies don't know where rooms 003 and 054 are.
Whether this happened to you at first or not, newcomers always miss the numerous signs that say rooms 003 and 054 are in the basement. If you have ever sat at the table for a bake sale or some other reason, you have had a few people ask where those rooms are located as you fake a smile and say "through those doors and down the stairs".
3. Freud.
This one probably applies to psychology students in general. Sigmund Freud was one of the more...unique minds of his time. Despite some of his controversial views, he always pops up in every psychology class in one way or another.
4. Professors love bake sales.
Whether you have worked one, or just passed by at the right moment, you have witnessed the professors' fondness for baked goods. Professors (especially those with children) will stop by a bake sale to make a purchase more than once a day, sometimes even buying treats by the armful.
5. There is always an exception.
Another one that applies to psychology students in general. People often enter a psychology class with a blind optimism that convinces them they will be able to predict someone's every move. This fantasy is shattered once they learn that personality and behavior are only observed in trends and there is no one concept that applies to everyone.
6. Dr. Mathes's personality class is a must.
Even if you haven't taken it, you probably have heard stories about Dr. Mathes's personality class. People often rave about how his personality class is the one to take. Anyone who has taken it will say his personality fits the class perfectly.
7. You know all the professors, even if you don't.
You may not be aware of this one unless you have actually stopped and thought about it. Have you ever looked at the list of professors or heard a professor's name and instantly knew who they were even if you haven't met them? Of course you have, but you never realized it until now.
8. People never remember that labs do not meet the first week of the semester.
The first floor of Waggoner hall is exclusively psychology except for rooms 104 and 105, which are reserved for biology labs. If you are a WIU psychology student, you have seen at least one poor soul walk up to one of them, notice that lab isn't happening, and walk right back to their room.
9. The couches in Waggoner are great for naps.
Admit it, you have had a break between classes, sat down on a couch, and dozed off. Even if you haven't, you have at least seen someone lying on a couch with a jacket over their face snoozing their free time away.
10. Grad students never leave.
No matter what time it is, if you walk the first floor of Waggoner you can always find a graduate student somewhere. They are few, but they are always around, and you think they're always there. They just seem to live there. Maybe it's the couches?
WIU's psychology program leaves an impression on each student, however most don't expect it to be in quite these ways.
