Deciding which professional organization to join

[fallen625]

From reading past posts in this forum, it seems like it may be worth it to join a professional organization come grad school application time (please correct me if I am wrong - I would hate to spend $ unnecessary).

I am debating which organization to join (if any at all). Would it be better to join one related directly to your research interests (ei - the Academy for Eating Disorders) or is it better to join a well known one like the APA?

Thanks!

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[ndlek21]

I've been a member of the AED (Academy for Eating Disorders) for over a year now and I feel like it's definitely worthwhile -- more so than being a member of APA, although that's probably good too. I'm not sure which "looks" better in terms of applications, but I have been able to do some great networking through AED (including meeting and working with a renowned researcher who wrote one of my letters) and plus, you get to be a part of the listserv, so it's really easy to keep up-to-date on what researchers and clinicians are discussing and working on. And that includes the people you're applying to work with in grad school. I've found it to be a great resource, plus it's a way of showing people reading your CV that you are not just generally interested in a topic -- you have a real, professional interest in it and commitment to it.

There's my two cents

 

[Pragma]

From reading past posts in this forum, it seems like it may be worth it to join a professional organization come grad school application time (please correct me if I am wrong - I would hate to spend $ unnecessary).

I am debating which organization to join (if any at all). Would it be better to join one related directly to your research interests (ei - the Academy for Eating Disorders) or is it better to join a well known one like the APA?

Thanks!

I would join the organizations that seem important to your interests. If you can swing it, APA is a good thing to do, but you don't get a lot out of it. If you want to go into counseling, try ACA.

Another option, depending on where you are applying, is to get involved with your state associations. You might get more tangible networking opportunities that way and have more chances to actually speak with people in the field.

 

[fallen625]

I've been a member of the AED (Academy for Eating Disorders) for over a year now and I feel like it's definitely worthwhile -- more so than being a member of APA, although that's probably good too. I'm not sure which "looks" better in terms of applications, but I have been able to do some great networking through AED (including meeting and working with a renowned researcher who wrote one of my letters) and plus, you get to be a part of the listserv, so it's really easy to keep up-to-date on what researchers and clinicians are discussing and working on. And that includes the people you're applying to work with in grad school. I've found it to be a great resource, plus it's a way of showing people reading your CV that you are not just generally interested in a topic -- you have a real, professional interest in it and commitment to it.

There's my two cents

Wow, that does make it seem worthwhile / great ! How exactly did you swing working with the researcher?

 

[histerical]

i think it's a good idea to do this. however, one thing to consider is that some grad schools will reimburse you for the APA membership costs after you are a student there. at least, that's what my school does. so you may want to wait

 

[ndlek21]

Wow, that does make it seem worthwhile / great ! How exactly did you swing working with the researcher?

He lives in my hometown, which made things easier (there is a top-tier university 10 minutes away from my parents' house with a renowned psych department and a med school). He posts on the AED listserv sometimes and I wanted to do something eating disorder-related over the summer, so I shot him an email and talked to him about some of the things he wrote. He had some projects he needed help with...and he's helped me network quite a bit.

He's older and way more willing to help a lowly undergrad than I imagine many people would be. So even if joining the AED doesn't get you this exact, crazy, lucky set of circumstances...I'd still recommend it for sure. Especially if you currently don't have access to journals, because then at least you can get the International Journal of EDs and keep up on the major ED research.

 

[Pragma]

i think it's a good idea to do this. however, one thing to consider is that some grad schools will reimburse you for the APA membership costs after you are a student there. at least, that's what my school does. so you may want to wait

Lol, that's awesome! I haven't heard of that before.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Definitely work from your niche up. When I was a student I joined APA divisions bc I saw a direct return in my support (e.g. Access to listservs, discount on conference fees, networking), but I didn't bother signing up as an APA student member bc I saw little value in return (e.g. lack of support for important student and field related issues). I'm an APA member again bc my dept pays for it, otherwise I would look elsewhere like APS.

 

[bmedclinic]

Personally I feel like the APA does very little for me. The niche groups of areas I'm more interested in are very active (SBM, Sleep, Anxiety) and the circles tend to be small and people are well known. As such, it's not very hard to get a lot out of your membership and network better in those areas than it is within the APA. In my opinion, same rule applies for going to conferences. Just my 2 cents.

 

[cara susanna]

I like ABCT and the APA Divisions.