Psych Student Profile: Dustin Townsend
It’s one thing to hear about the school from professors and tour guides, but you will find out a lot about the psychology program when it comes to the students themselves. I got together with Dustin Townsend, a double major in Psychology and Premed Biology at Florida Tech, to ask him some questions about his studies in psych.
Why did you choose FIT?
Initially, I didn’t even know about FIT. I had been admitted to two other schools and wasn’t really looking anywhere else. Unknown to me, my girlfriend had applied to FIT for me and I was accepted. The main reason I choose FIT over the other schools is that students are permitted the opportunity to participate in hands-on work right from their starting year.
Why did you choose to study psychology?
Initially, I liked the idea of helping people. At home I was frequently the family mediator. Over time it just turned into a general interest, especially in the area of mental defects.
Who is your favorite professor and why?
Professor Palmer, because he’s the one who gave me the opportunity to work in his lab my freshman year, and I still work there now. He always offers to help, and tries to get everyone involved. The team work that he brings to his classes and labs is very beneficial to everyone involved.
If you weren’t a psych major, what would you want to be?
Most likely, I would have become a mechanic. I’ve always been very good at working on cars and figuring out how things work. If I hadn’t learned about how to become a psychiatrist, I probably never would have even gone to college. Since I’ve been here, my interests have expanded and I occasionally wish it were possible to be a quadruple major. The two other majors I would consider after having been here for a year are computer science and astrobiology.
What do you want to do once you graduate?
After I graduate, I intend to go to medical school, not completely sure where, but definitely medical school. If all goes according to plan, I’ll specialize in psychiatry and go on to do research into schizophrenia.
This was a short spotlight into one of the many different psychology students, with many different motivations and experiences that brought them to Florida Tech.
