This story is part of an ongoing partnership between The Ohio State University Mansfield and Richland Source. For more, click here.
When looking to further their education, many students crave the comfortable, caring and personal environment a smaller-scale college can provide. The Ohio State University at Mansfield community offers these qualities and many more to all undergraduates who step foot on the campus.
Sydney Newton, a Mansfield native, graduated in 2019 from St. Peter’s High School and began her college journey at The University of Dayton in their psychology program. After her freshman year, she decided moving back home to study psychology at Ohio State Mansfield was best for her both financially and educationally.
“I think I realized there were a lot more opportunities for me here than at a larger campus,” Newton said.
Now in her senior year, Newton is confident she made the right decision. Not only was she able to save money by commuting to campus and gain new knowledge in her field of study, but she was also able to create personal relationships with her professors and have some unique learning experiences.
“The professors not only know everyone’s name, but know a little bit about them too,” she said.
Amy Brunell, professor of psychology & psychology coordinator at The Ohio State University at Mansfield, enjoys the deeper connection between her and her students due to her small class sizes.
“Students know they are supported and the faculty and staff really do care. We benefit from having a close-knit community,” Dr. Brunell said.
A very large portion of a psychology major’s senior year at Ohio State Mansfield is their senior thesis. Newton’s study dives deep into the correlation between narcissism and romantic attraction, a topic Dr. Brunell has always been fascinated with.
With Dr. Brunell’s background and knowledge of narcissism and research experience, she is able to guide Newton through her thesis as well as teach her new skills along the way.
“We really stretch them to understand statistics that an undergrad usually doesn’t learn. For example, very often a student won’t have the experience of data analysis, so we will do that together,” Dr. Brunell said.
“All of these things will strengthen Sydney’s curriculum vitae when she applies to graduate school.”
Newton and her thesis partner will be traveling to Chicago in the spring semester to attend a conference and share their findings from their research. The two also have hopes their senior thesis will become part of an academic journal in The Ohio State University database.
“I think it’s going to be a really great learning opportunity and a way to make connections,” Newton said. “[My senior thesis] definitely made me think in a different way. It has challenged me to read through a lot of literature and dissertations and have broader ideas and how to analyze data while also thinking how I can add on to it.”
Despite the smaller campus, Newton believes the course load is just as rigorous as a larger program and has always felt intrigued and challenged with her work. She also thinks by coming to Ohio State Mansfield, there were more opportunities to grow in her learning such as her senior thesis and the individual attention she was given in her classes.
“It’s a great place to get your feet wet and know what it’s like to learn from other psychologists,” Newton said.
According to Brunell, despite the psychology program being a very popular major at Ohio State Mansfield, her class sizes are still purposefully small, usually capped at around 15 students.
This allows her students to be able to connect with one another and share ideas. There are opportunities for them to revise their work and she is able to use different activities in the classroom to expand their learning. All of these are possible with a more intimate class setting.
The psychology program challenges students to reach new heights in their education. This spring, a social psychology conference will take place where two undergraduate students and two graduated students of Ohio State Mansfield will present their findings.
When asked to describe The Ohio State University at Mansfield in three words, Newton immediately chose supportive, opportunity and close-knit.
For more information about The Ohio State University at Mansfield or to start your journey as a buckeye, visit their website.
