Psychology student prepares for grad school after Lehigh Valley commencement

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — When Madalyn Saylor was a high school senior starting her college search, she said, she was sure of two things: she wanted to study psychology, and she wanted to go to a small school. 

“I came from a large high school, and I wanted something different for college,” she said.

Penn State Lehigh Valley (PSU-LV) had everything Saylor was looking for. Coming from a family of Penn State fans and as a daughter of an alum (Saylor’s mother attended a Commonwealth Campus and University Park), Saylor seemed destined to carry on her family’s tradition.

An AP psychology class in high school kindled Saylor’s interest in the mental health field; an abnormal psychology class at PSU-LV sparked her passion for it. In her time at PSU-LV, Saylor has had many opportunities to explore different aspects of the psychology field and tailor her studies to align with those opportunities.

She said she plans to attend graduate school after leaving PSU-LV; she’s been accepted into two doctor of psychology programs and is currently weighing her options. 

“It’s a huge decision to make,” she said. “I’ve leaned on a lot of my professors for support and insight, as I’m trying to navigate which will be the best decision for me and my future.”

Saylor is part of the PSU-LV Honors Program, which allows students to work with their academic adviser and Honors coordinator to develop individualized academic plans that include honors course work. 

“I’ve done the [Honors Program] since my freshman year and am still currently doing that. It’s been a great experience and really allowed me to work with my professors in a different way,” she said.

The research project she’s working on with David Livert, professor of psychology, focuses on the "Influences of Social Media Networks on Young People." She said she chose this topic because she ultimately wants to work with children and teens, and she had access to a lot of young people to assist her with surveys and other research — her peers at PSU-LV.

“It was more feasible to do this because we had a lot of research subjects [available]. Dr. Livert is in the social psychology field and knew I wanted to incorporate that [social psychology] into this field,” she said. 

Saylor presented a poster on her findings at the recent Undergraduate Research Symposium and attended a research conference in New York City.

The Honors program and the relationships Saylor has developed at PSU-LV have laid a strong foundation for graduate school and beyond, she said.

“Dr. Livert encouraged me to take my research further than I’d envisioned. [The Honors Program] allowed me to tailor my education specifically — I can take courses and tailor them to my own interests. I’ve taken women and gender studies [classes] and tailored them toward psychology. It’s been great as I prepare for my future as well.”

As if a full courseload and completing research wasn’t enough, Saylor is wrapping up a semester-long internship in the Youth and Young Adult Peer Certified Specialist Program at Valley Youth House in Allentown.

“I wanted to do an internship because, with applying to grad school, I knew I needed both internship and clinical experience,” she said. 

She's gained invaluable experience at her internship, she said. Valley Youth House is a nonprofit organization serving youth across Pennsylvania whose focus is to help youth achieve their goals for the future, and it offers support in many different facets — family therapy, counseling, educational programs, certified peer specialist program, homelessness outreach and more.

Saylor said her internship has been “amazing. It’s prepared me for the future — not just for grad school but entering the field in general. My internship was in the Integrated Community Therapy — it’s basically community therapy where people can understand they’re not alone. That’s given me an opportunity to go into the field and the area I want to go in — I’m interested in psychotherapy and assessment. I’ve made some amazing connections with people at Valley Youth House that I think will be great for my future.”