Emily Roberts

Emily Roberts

Emily Roberts ’16 found Coe to be the perfect place to explore her dual passions of psychology and mathematics, earning herself a double major. She cited this example of sharing her research across departments. 

“While working on my senior thesis project about optimal roommate matching in the Mathematics Department, I was invited to present my research at the annual Psychology Research Symposium,” Emily said. “Opportunities to combine my interests in the Psychology Department and across campus highlighted the importance of collaborative and interdisciplinary work.”

To prospective students considering multiple majors, she said, “Completing a double major in mathematics and psychology was very attainable, and the variety of courses available allowed me to personalize my course schedule to my interests.”

Emily found ways to pursue these interests beyond her regular coursework. She served as treasurer for the Psychology Club, joined the psychology honor society and worked as a teaching assistant.

She fondly remembers her professors, saying, “The Psychology Department faculty are extremely welcoming and helpful. Walking into their offices to talk about my interests in public health and statistics always left me enthusiastic about my future. This has continued since graduation as I keep in touch with some of the faculty. They were always willing to assist in writing letters of recommendation, which were vital to my academic pursuits.”

Emily attends the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, where she is pursuing a Ph.D in biostatistics. She explained how skills learned at Coe help her to succeed in graduate school.

“The psychology major allowed me to learn about current research methodology, including how to plan and implement a good study, which is very important in a biostatistics graduate program,” she said. “I recently completed a research capstone course … that relied on understanding the intricacies of a research question and presenting results that are appropriate for a broad audience. Learning statistics and research methods in [Coe’s] Psychology Department has given me a perspective of how impactful research can improve lives.”

Emily’s advice to first-years students is to consider the question, “What is your passion?”

“It’s easy to get caught up in the stressors in college, but I believe if you continue to question what drives you and allow that to motivate you, college will be enjoyable and rewarding even through difficult courses,” she said.