“I have had ‘teacher’ and ‘doctor’ on my list of potential careers since I was a young child”: A Conversation with 5th Year Student Madeline Wiseman

(Photo provided by Madeline Wiseman)

“It is a dream of mine to be able to passionately share my expertise in the field of Psychology with the next generation of students and teach them about all of the other amazing research in the field.” ~Madeline Wiseman

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*In the following article, TS refers to The Synapse and MW refers to Madeline Wiseman;

TS: Could you briefly introduce yourself, and why you chose to study psychology at UNB?

MW: My name is Madeline Wiseman. I am a fifth-year undergraduate student completing an Honours in Psychology with a specialization in Neuroscience (BSc). I chose to study Psychology at UNB after transferring from St. Thomas University in 2019. I loved my Intro Psych course at STU, and I evidently decided to continue taking more Psychology courses at UNB. Psychology was one of my stronger courses and I was eager to learn more about the field. So, I declared myself a Psychology major and now I am completing my honours!

TS: What is the most fascinating thing you have learned about psychology from your courses at UNB so far?

MW: This is a loaded question since I have learned so many amazing things! That said, one of the most fascinating things I have learned so far is that infants are born with way more neurons than adults, and they get pruned over time as they learn. It is so cool how much is going on in their tiny little brains, and there is so much that we still don’t know!

TS: How far do you wish to pursue studies in Psychology and why? (bachelors, masters, PhD, career, etc.)

MW: I wish to pursue a PhD in experimental psychology with a focus on language development and speech perception. My goal is to have a career in research and academia because I love learning. I have had “teacher” and “doctor” on my list of potential careers since I was a young child (and with a PhD I can be both!). It is a dream of mine to be able to passionately share my expertise in the field of Psychology with the next generation of students and teach them about all of the other amazing research in the field.

TS: If you met someone who wasn’t interested in psychology at all, what is something you would say to try to enlighten them?

MW: I believe there is something in Psychology for everyone since it is such a broad field, and it is important to keep an open mind. In high school, my classmates who took AP psych (the only psych course we had) made it seem like psychology was a boring and difficult class, so I had no interest in taking Psychology courses when entering my undergrad. It wasn’t until I was desperately trying to find electives to fill my first-year schedule when I finally opted for Introductory Psychology. It ended up being my favourite class, and the rest is history!

TS: Is there any discipline other than psychology that you would seriously consider pursuing? Why?

MW: Biology! I have always loved biology since I was very young, especially human anatomy because my mom and dad were both nurses. I remember receiving my first “body book” when I was roughly four years old, and I became super fascinated with biology since then. Although I am pursuing psychology, biology will always hold a special place in my heart.

TS: Do you have a favourite psychological film/book/song/artwork/etc.? If so, which, and what do you like about it?

MW: Yes! “The Brain that Changes Itself” by Norman Doige is a fascinating book that I read last summer about neuroplasticity. This book describes revolutionary work in the field of neuroscience which led to a paradigmatic shift in psychologists’ views of the brain and its ability to recover from damage. Honourable mentions also go to “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat” by Oliver Sacks and “My stroke of Insight” by Jill Bolte Taylor.

TS: Is there anything else you wish to share about yourself as a psych student?

MW: I am currently in the process of recruiting participants for my honours project on language and laterality, and I am super excited to find out the results! Ψ

Created for The Synapse by Incé Husain.