Interview with a Lead: Meghan Littles

Meghan Littles is a senior psychology major at UMSL. She has been an ambassador for four semesters and is currently a lead ambassador.

Q: Why did you choose UMSL?

A: I had heard really good things about the psych department here, and for me, UMSL struck a really good balance between financial cost and academic value.

Q: How quickly did you get involved on campus?

A: As a commuter student, it took me little longer to get involved on campus. It can be tough when you have to drive home every night to be involved with some of the extracurricular organizations. The first organization I became involved with was Golden Key. I began volunteering as a general member, and that eventually led to me becoming president last semester.

Q: Speaking of your past Golden Key presidency, in what other ways are you involved on campus?

A: I am the current president of Psi Chi. I also work as a teaching assistant in the psych department. I work as the lead research assistant in Dr. Emily Gerstein's lab, and previously worked in Dr. Matt Taylor's multicultural lab. I have also been involved with the Honors College's Honors Professional Development event as a student speaker the last two years. And of course I’m a lead ambassador for the UMSL Ambassadors and I’ve been a part of the program for two years now.

Q: Wow, that's a lot. How do you balance your extracurricular activities and your schoolwork?

A: It is very challenging. The only way I have been able to manage is to be self-aware and know my limits in certain areas. I knew that I needed to excel in academics and have extracurricular activities in order to build a strong application for graduate school. I just kept my end goal in mind, the reason I was doing each activity, and that helped me focus on the tasks I had at hand.

Q: As for graduate school, where are you going? Are you excited?

A: I will be attending Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in the fall to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology. Yes, I am both excited and pretty nervous.

Q: What is one thing you wish you knew coming into college as a freshman?

A: First, I wish I had known that getting a poor grade on an exam from time to time isn't that big of a deal; stuff happens. Second, I wish I had realized that professors are regular people too, not these big scary grade-givers that you can't go and chat with. And last, I wish I knew sooner that you can get 5 cents off per gallon at the Huck’s down the road by showing them your student ID.

Q: How do you spend your free time?

A: YouTube videos and TV shows. When I have the energy, I also really like to go exploring around St. Louis to find new places that I haven't seen before.