For psychology major Adriana Jodoin, who graduated this past May, undergraduate work went far beyond the classroom. Jodoin, who was drawn to psychology out of an interest in understanding human behavior in a way she could apply to helping others, took full advantage of Northeastern University’s cooperative education program during her time as a student, taking on research and clinical experiences that built on her academic work and clarified her interests in a way most students don’t accomplish until graduate school.

“I figured out my interests because I tried out diverse labs and clinical experiences,” Jodoin says.

During her time at Northeastern she engaged in two clinical co-ops and a research co-op. Her clinical co-ops, first at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University and then at the Center for Effective Child Therapy at Judge Baker Children’s Center, enhanced her experiences from two classes on applied behavioral analysis and fueled her interest in behavior therapy. Research at her second co-op at Northeastern’s Social Interaction Laboratory led to her presenting at Northeastern’s annual Research, Innovation, and Scholarship Expo, and even took her to California, where she presented at the annual Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference. “These varied experiences in clinical and social psychology domains helped me fine-tune my clinical interests,” Jodoin says—an unusual accomplishment for an undergraduate student.

Jodoin’s experiences have served her well as she’s begun applying to graduate programs in clinical psychology. “[Co-op] has enabled me to obtain work experience at the post-baccalaureate level while still in my undergrad years,” she says. In the past month she’s interviewed for two clinical psychology doctoral programs, where she was a competitive contender against older candidates because of her extensive undergraduate experiences.

“Northeastern has given me incredible opportunities,” Jodoin says of her diverse clinical and research work. “My advice to psychology students is to get involved in everything. These are the moments and experiences that are unique to Northeastern students.”