Growing up, my favorite time of year was always the summer — no school, my birthday, endless pool days and — my favorite — amusement parks. Testing fears on roller coasters and living to tell the tale. Winning oversized bears at game booths. Eating enough cotton candy to turn my face pink.
Summers have a different feel now, but the one thing I look forward to every year is APA's Annual Convention. Not quite an amusement park, but just as exciting on a complete nerd level. If you optimize your time at convention, these trips can be an amazing professional and personal experience. At various conventions, I've been able to visit new cities, all while networking with psychologists and mapping out my career prospects.
Convention is also how I found my home in our organization. It took some planning, comfortable shoes and a big cup of coffee. The convention halls are confusing, but trust me, a well-planned convention can change your life. I know many students only attend when they are presenting, but I would argue that attending is well worth it, presentation or no presentation.
No other meeting in the world better displays the breadth and richness of psychology, making APA's convention a tremendous way to supplement your program.
Navigating the wealth of offerings doesn't have to be difficult: Simply download the convention app to your phone or tablet so you can search programs by topic or division.
Interested in PTSD? Plug that into the app to search for PTSD sessions, and build your days around them. Want to attend programming specific to students? Use the list of APAGS programming to plan your time. (A digital copy of APAGS programming will be emailed to pre-registrants before convention, so keep an eye out for it, or visit our booth in Denver.)
Convention also offers you the opportunity to meet and talk to some of your psychology idols. Yes, you can talk to them! But keep your comments short and be prepared with what you'd like to comment on or ask about. It is appropriate to exchange business cards and ask to follow up. You can also engage with folks on social media. Tweet them questions and comments about their talks. Do some research before you go and do some pre-convention Tweeting to let them know you are looking forward to their presentation.
If you have the time, make the most of your experience by getting involved at and beyond convention. Many divisions have opportunities for students to help monitor programming and maintain their hospitality suites — keep an eye out on division listservs for calls for student volunteers at convention. APAGS has put a call out for ambassadors to help us with our programs. You can also visit the APAGS booth for information about APAGS activities and leadership opportunities, including the Sunday "Food for Thought" breakfast in the APAGS suite to talk with APAGS leadership.
Pacing and self-care are key at convention. It is easy to schedule every minute of the day and FOMO — fear of missing out — can kick in. So, be sure to rest when you need to, pack snacks and water, and build in time for fun. See "5 reasons not to miss APA’s convention" for a list of activities in Denver.
Final tip: Don't skip out on socials. The APAGS student social is always a hit and is a great place to meet other students from across the country. Our field is so small, you never know when these connections will come in handy. Division socials also offer an amazing networking opportunity. Be sure not to dine and dash at these events.
I hope to see you all in Denver this summer — be sure to say hi.