Ahmedabad Graduate's Passion for Psychology and Social Justice Leads Her to LSE

"Ahmedabad University gave me the foundation that international institutions look for - not just strong academics, but the ability to think critically, write persuasively, and engage in complex conversations while maintaining a personal stance," remarks Ishita Jain, a BA (Hons) graduate from the Class of 2025. Ishita is set to begin her graduate studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Ishita will pursue a Master of Science in Social and Cultural Psychology. She credits Ahmedabad University for igniting her interest in the social sciences.

Beyond the classroom, Ishita's intellectual curiosity, particularly where psychology and social justice intersect, drove her to take on multiple roles that rigorously moulded her. She served as an Undergraduate Research Assistant for faculty members, pursued her own independent research, presented her work at international conferences, and completed a thesis in her final year.

For her undergraduate research projects, Ishita worked under Nagireddy Neelakanteswar Reddy​​​​​​, Assistant Professor from the University's School of Arts and Sciences​​​​​​. In his project, 'Do Psychology Experiments Show that Cognition Affects Perception,' she assisted in literature reviews, analysing, categorising, and summarising research papers and experimental data to evaluate the validity and applicability of current approaches to studying cognitive penetration. For the second project, 'Philosophical Isms about the Mind and Psychology,' she conducted an extensive and systematic literature review, synthesising research papers and experiments that explore how various philosophical perspectives ("isms") inform our understanding of the human mind and psychological processes.

Ishita also conducted independent research under Professor Mary Ann Chacko and Professor Kaushik Jana from the School of Arts and Sciences. In this project, she studied the experiences of both queer and cisgender menstruators and examined how menstruation impacts gender relations at the University. Her work aims to build an inclusive understanding of menstruation, bringing forth the importance of considering diverse experiences and their implications for gender relations and personal identity among today's youth.

Ahmedabad University's unique academic structure, built on interdisciplinary learning and educational autonomy, empowered Ishita to explore courses across diverse fields. "The courses I took at Ahmedabad invited dialogue, critical reflection, and active engagement with pressing social questions," she explains. "We weren't just reading theories. We were asked to critique them, relate them to lived realities, and form our own arguments." This autonomy directly translated into independent thinking and goal-oriented execution, allowing her to take full ownership of her academic direction. Moreover, her extensive research projects rigorously prepared her for the demands of graduate-level study.

LSE's strong academic training and its global outlook on the social sciences made it an attractive choice for Ishita. Her chosen programme there will probe how social realities, cultural contexts, and collective histories shape human thought, behaviour, and relationships. Ishita's academic journey at Ahmedabad University equipped her with the kind of interdisciplinary thinking encouraged at LSE, offering her the chance to collaborate with competent peers and distinguished faculty worldwide.