Student Groups & Professional Organizations
Whether you just want to make new friends, learn about our world, contribute to a great cause, develop personal strengths, or prepare for an exciting career - it is very important that you get involved in student or community groups.
With 650+ student groups on the IU Bloomington campus there are opportunities for everyone. The organizations you join will depend on your interests and talents, your personal and professional goals, what you've enjoyed in the past and what new experiences you think may enrich your life now. Because psychology and neuroscience majors are very diverse there is no list of organizations that is right for you all -- each student must explore and find the ones that will uniquely suit them. Are you interested in Volunteers in Sustainability? Occupational Therapy Club? Vietnamese Student Association? IUSA? Dance Marathon? Psi Chi? Timmy Foundation? College Mentors for Kids? Arbutus? Circle K? Indiana Public Interest Research Group? The Invisible Children's Schools for Schools Campaign? Go for it! Just about any group you join on campus will have at least one other psychology or neuroscience major who is already a member.
- Click here to search for student groups by keyword (sustainability, children, health...) or by category (Activism, Club Sports, Ethnic & Cultural, Faith & Spirituality, more...) or check out a brief list of IU Activities & Organizations or Student Government Organizations.
- If you don't find a group you were hoping to join, you can get help to create your own student group.
- Explore the Office for Student Organizations and Leadership Development website for more opportunities, including civic engagement service trips and alternative Spring Break programs and Lead IU which offers leadership retreats, workshops for student organizations and more!
- Does your student group need financial support for a philanthropic cause? Metz Grants are available to IU student organizations registered through the Office for Student Organizations and Leadership Development. Any registered student group can apply for funding for typical operating expenses through the IUSA Student Organization Funding Board.
Two groups of particular interest to psychology and neuroscience majors:
- Psi Chi @ Indiana University: The Psychology Honor Society. The official purposes of Psi Chi are to augment and enhance the regular curriculum through psychology-related programs and activities, to recognize and encourage academic and research achievements in psychology. Membership and participation in Psi Chi is a way to experience psychology under more informal and sociable conditions than in regular classes, and to become better acquainted with other psychology major students and with the department and its faculty.
- The Student Organization for Cognitive Science aims to provide a community for the Cog Sci students of Indiana University by putting together events and providing a place for discussions. We organize events such as movie nights, lab tours, reading groups, and faculty dinners.
Professional Societies for Psychology and Neuroscience Majors. Why consider joining a professional organization? You'll learn a lot about potential careers by exploring professional organizations you could join and you may benefit by learning about internships, jobs, or graduate school programs.
If you are considering a career as a psychologist or neuroscientist there are links to relevant professional societies below. If you are interested in a career in business, education, health, law, or another field, talk with your advisor or a professor in that area to learn about professional societies related to your career interests.
Alll students can start by looking at the many Academic & Professional groups active on the Bloomington campus - click here and select the first category in the drop down menu.
National Associations for Psychology and Neuroscience
- American Psychological Association. Professional association providing news/research, professional development, and career listings for the field of psychology. Check out the APA Students and Student Affiliate Membership pages. See also the Divisions of the APA to see how your particular career interest is represented.
- Association for Psychological Science. Professional association providing news/research, professional development, and career listings focusing on education. Check out the APS Students page.
- Society for Neuroscience. Professional association providing news, research, and professional development for the field of neuroscience. Learn about the benefits of membership. Also see Neurosciences on the Internet (Neuroguide.com).
Associations that focus on specific topics
- The American Psychological Association's Divisions page reveals the diverse interests and career pursuits of psychologists.
- The Association for Psychological Science provides a list of Psychological Societies & Related Organizations.
- The Psychology WWW Virtual Library provides a big list of Psychology Professional Societies.
- The Neuroscience WWW Virtual Library provides an extensive list of links to neurosicence organizations, labs, academic programs and journals.
- American Counseling Association. Professional association providing research/news, professional development, and career listings for the field of counseling.
- Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Inc. Professional association providing career listings, research/news, and professional development for the psychology field.
- The Psychology Encyclopedia provides a long list of Organizations and Associations related to the study and practice of psychology. Are you interested in anger management, bereavement, eating disorders, hyperlexia, anxiety disorders, behavioral genetics, process psychology, psychoanalysis, psychosomatics, sandplay therapy, chaos theory, or pastoral counseling...? Note: Not all of the groups listed by the Encyclopedia are professional societies - some are webpages created by people who have been affected by a disorder. You will need to use discernment.
