Student Experience

The student representative serves as a liaison between students and faculty, advocating for student needs and concerns during monthly faculty meetings while also communicating important administrative information to the student body. As part of this role, the student representative hosts monthly student-only coffee town halls, providing a space for students to discuss topics relevant to their experience in the program and their development as scholars. Students are also encouraged to share their perspectives through anonymous check-in surveys and one-on-one conversations with the student representative

The Developmental Colloquium convenes weekly, bringing together esteemed researchers and experts to discuss current topics in theory, research, and applied work in developmental science, spanning infancy through early adulthood. Each year, two students organize the colloquium under the supervision of the Program Chair, aiming to enhance students’ opportunities to network with scholars in the field and advocate for their interests in the selection of invited speakers. As a core component of the training program, the colloquium is required for all first- through third-year students, and participation from advanced students is strongly encouraged.

Developmental students have created a shared resource database that includes materials for methods training, grant and fellowship opportunities, examples of conference proposals, CVs, and talks. It also provides guidance and recommendations on key program milestones, such as the dissertation process and comprehensive exams for candidacy. Maintained by current students, the database is accessible to all students in the program, who are encouraged to contribute their own materials.

The Developmental Practicum, which meets monthly under the leadership of the Program Chair, is designed to help students develop the skills necessary to become independent developmental scientists. These skills include but are not limited to, grant and manuscript writing, submission, and review processes, effective communication with academic and non-academic audiences, organization and goal setting, and expanding methodological toolkits (e.g., using national databases, conducting meta-analyses, and applying open science practices). In the past, practicum sessions have also served as writing workshops, providing students with opportunities to work on and receive feedback on various writing projects, such as manuscripts and conference abstract submissions.

Developmental students can also participate in the weekly writing groups hosted by the department. These spaces are led by students across the Developmental, Psychology and Social Intervention, and Clinical/Counseling programs, and aim to support individual student writing goals through opportunities to structure the writing process and community accountability for writing.

The program’s social committee organizes monthly social events for faculty and students or student-only gatherings. Past events have included happy hours with games and arts and crafts activities. Every May, the program hosts a one-day event to celebrate the end of the academic year, providing students with an opportunity to share their work and future goals. Students work on their presentations with their faculty advisor and during practicum sessions ahead of the event. The event includes breakfast, and lunch and concludes with a happy hour!