Psychology undergrads have a new expert to turn to this year that can help you make the most out of your time at U of T and figure out what to do with your degree after you graduate.
Professor Ashley Waggoner Denton is the Department of Psychology’s first Undergraduate Faculty Advisor.
We caught up with Prof. Waggoner Denton to get a better idea of what an Undergraduate Faculty Advisor does, and how you can connect with her.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am an Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, and I have been a faculty member in the department since 2012.
I actually did my undergrad here so I'm very familiar with the department from both the student and faculty side of things.
After my undergrad, I took a year off from my studies and worked in a psychology lab as a research coordinator. After that, I got my PhD in social psychology from Indiana University in Bloomington. I fell in love with teaching during graduate school and knew I wanted to pursue a career where that was my focus.
I got super lucky with timing and the department was hiring a teaching-focused professor while I was wrapping up my PhD, so I applied, and ended up landing the job here.
I teach Introductory Psychology nearly every fall and winter semester, and the Social Psychology Laboratory usually once or twice a year. I’ve also created a bunch of other courses, like PSY204: Psychology Careers and Applications and PSY422: Community Psychology and Advocacy.
How did you come to be the Undergraduate Faculty Advisor?
That’s a great question!
It’s a brand-new role that the department saw a need for because there was a gap in the sort of advising that the department was able to provide.
We have wonderful staff advisors who give advice to students about joining the department and fulfilling their degree requirements. But sometimes they get questions that are outside of that scope.
Our Undergraduate Associate Chair, Prof. Katherine Duncan, approached me last year and said that given the knowledge I have from teaching the Psychology Careers and Applications course, I would be well-suited to give this sort of position a try.
What does the Undergraduate Faculty Advisor do?
I can help students look at the sorts of things you can do with a Psychology degree. So what the different pathways are for applying to graduate school, how to get research experience, how to network, and the different jobs and industries that are out there for psychology graduates.
I have also put some info sessions together for students and I have drop-in hours when students can come and chat with me.
What kind of questions can students come to you with?
Students can come to me during their first year when they are thinking about pursuing a Psychology degree and wondering what you can do with it. They might also be curious about how Psychology can apply to another major they are pursuing.
I can help students get started on career exploration by figuring out your interests and values, and the types of careers that you might be well-suited to. We can talk about all the transferable skills that you’re developing as you make your way through an undergraduate program, and how to articulate those to an employer or in a grad school application.
Whether you’re looking for a summer job, or about to graduate, we can talk about how to look at a job description and figure out what you can say to show an employer that you have the skills they’re looking for. Or if you are applying for graduate school, we can talk about how to build your application.
So what’s the best way for students to connect with you?
If it’s a short question or if you are just looking for resources, email is absolutely fine. You can reach me at a.waggoner@utoronto.ca.
If you want to have a deeper conversation, booking an appointment with me is the best way to go. In the booking form, you can indicate if you prefer meeting over Zoom or in-person.
Save the Date!
Prof. Waggoner Denton will be hosting a Career Exploration Info Session on Wednesday, October 16 from 5 – 6:30 pm at Sidney Smith Hall, Room SS1069 to discuss registered psychotherapy and social work pathways.
Come to this info session to learn more about these pathways from recent psychology alumni and get your questions answered!