Alexandra Shiu has a warning to all prospective Ph.D. students. "Being a Ph.D. student takes a tremendous amount of discipline," she says. "You will spend countless hours writing, preparing for presentations and projects and you'll give up time with your family and friends."

But this fourth-year doctoral student doesn't have any regrets. "I encourage people to embrace the opportunity to be intellectually challenged and learn as much as they can so that one day, they can contribute to the field of their future work," Alexandra says.

Equal-opportunity Education

In her chosen field, educational psychology, she is focusing on the educational attainment of minority gifted and talented students. She has had the opportunity to work on a research project involving enrolling middle school students in an Advanced Placement class. "For my dissertation, I am examining the role of social capital and related factors in the role of college retention," she says.

These opportunities came to her through faculty she considers always accessible, supportive, professional and highly published. "Dr. Susan Johnsen is the editor of Gifted Child Today; she has written over 150 publications and authored three tests that are used to identify gifted students," Alexandra says. "She's also been a model mentor and I am amazed at the quantity and quality of her own scholarship."

Building Blocks of Success

Alexandra finds that the Baylor community at-large, in addition to the faculty, share in its desire to see students succeed. "From the financial aid counselors to the administrative assistants, I've found very caring people at Baylor who are helpful and dependable."

The Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology aims to improve the quality of instruction at higher education institutions, develop teachers who encourage inquiry and creative production, develop teachers who are scholars and develop researchers with multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives.