Blinn psychology alum seeks to make a difference as a pediatric therapist

Augustus Cosby is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Texas A&M University

March 5, 2024

For Augustus Cosby, an 8-week Blinn College District psychology course was all it took. He was hooked.

“I remember thinking, ‘I’m learning about my brain in this class,’” he said. “It was just so interesting to hear about all these theories on how people think and make decisions. It was fascinating because I was a subject in the thing I was learning about.”

He quickly changed majors and signed up for every psychology course he could take. This winter, the 21-year-old transferred to Texas A&M University to complete his bachelor’s degree and pursue a career in pediatric therapy.

“It just makes me happy to work with kids,” he said. “I think it’s a really important time to make sure they are getting good messages and lessons and being that someone in their corner who can really be looking out for their mental health would be so rewarding.”

Now in his first semester at Texas A&M, Cosby feels lucky to have found Blinn after beginning his college career at a large, out-of-state university that was not the right fit.

“I went to another four-year school and the faculty just didn’t care as much about their students. At Blinn, the teachers really want you to succeed,” he said. “I feel like it’s this hidden gem. I was only supposed to do one semester and move on, but I instantly found teachers that I really liked and wanted to stay longer.”

He believes the extra time he spent at Blinn set him up to succeed now that he’s transferred.

“I learned strategies on how to study and how to take notes that have given me a safety net,” Cosby said. “I didn’t get those skills in high school or other colleges, I got them at Blinn.”

Blinn offers Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees in psychology that are available entirely online and on the Brenham, Bryan, RELLIS, Schulenburg, and Sealy campuses. The degree transfers seamlessly to many bachelor’s degree psychology programs at four-year universities, including several offered by Blinn’s RELLIS Academic Alliance partners at Texas A&M-RELLIS in Bryan.

Through the Clear Affordable Pathways to Success (CAPS) Program offered in partnership with the University of Houston-Victoria (UHV), psychology students can earn their Associate of Arts in Psychology from Blinn and their Bachelor of Science in Psychology from UHV. In addition, Blinn’s co-enrollment partnerships with Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and Sam Houston State University (SHSU), allow students to earn their associate degree from Blinn and either their Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from SNHU or a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from SHSU.

Cosby also found that Blinn’s student organizations and campus activities helped enrich his college experience.

“I did the theatre, which was wonderful and was full of psychology majors, which was very funny because it sometimes felt like a group of therapists,” he said. “There really are plenty of communities here, which was a fantastic surprise.”

With the solid foundation he received at Blinn, Cosby said he was well-equipped to succeed at Texas A&M and is excited about the varied career opportunities a degree in psychology will provide.

“It’s so versatile in career options and study options. I’m a big numbers guy. I love stats so much, so knowing I could be a statistical analyst while working in the field of psychology to help people that need therapy techniques is really rewarding,” Cosby said. “There are a lot of different companies that need psychologists to understand how they’re treating people. If you’re not thinking of majoring in it, just taking one psych class can be very healthy. You learn about yourself, no matter what.”

To learn more about Blinn’s psychology degree offerings and partnerships, visit www.blinn.edu/psychology.