Preparation for Graduate School

There are many sources of advice for college students thinking about going to graduate school. Seeking guidance from as many sources as possible is highly recommended. 

Academic Preparation

• Master Your Coursework: Focus on truly mastering the material in your classes and determining the best study strategies to succeed. If you put in the effort to truly learn, good grades will typically follow.
  • Remember, learning takes concerted effort, and succeeding in graduate school will require years of persistent dedication—start practicing now.
  • The recommended GPA varies depending on the type of graduate school, but the higher your GPA, the better your chances of admission.
• Seek Help if Needed: If you're struggling with material in a class, seek assistance from your professors and use campus resources such as the writing center or psychology department statistics tutors.
• Take Psychology Statistics Early: Enroll in psychology statistics as soon as possible to build a strong foundation for future coursework and research.

Explore Your Interests

• Identify Your Passions: Pay attention to topics that fascinate you. These interests may guide your choice of graduate school or career path.
• Research Career and Education Options: Explore sections of the psychology department website related to graduate school and careers in psychology. Many students are unaware of the diverse career paths available and may pursue degrees they ultimately don’t want or need.

Planning for Graduate School

If you feel confident about the type of graduate school you'd like to pursue:

• Choose Relevant Courses Early: Enroll in a psychology core class related to your area of interest during your sophomore year.
• Start Reading Scholarly Work: Begin reading scholarly articles or books in your chosen field. For example, if you're interested in social psychology, explore articles in social psychology journals to discover research areas that might interest you in graduate school.
• Pursue Summer Opportunities: Consider research assistantships, work opportunities, or volunteer positions related to your ideal career path, and apply for those opportunities early.

Involvement and Networking

• Engage in Meaningful Activities: Get involved in campus and community activities, such as clubs, consistent volunteer work, or part-time jobs.
  • Prioritize long-term commitments (e.g., volunteering for 2 hours per week for a year) over one-time activities.
  • Be cautious not to overcommit to extracurriculars if it negatively affects your grades.
• Build Relationships with Professors: Get to know your psychology professors and those in related fields. You will need at least three strong letters of recommendation for graduate school. To write compelling letters, your professors must know you personally and understand your goals, not just see you as a student who excelled in their class.

There are many sources of advice for college students thinking about going to graduate school. Seeking guidance from as many sources as possible is highly recommended. 

Academic Preparation

• Master Your Coursework: Focus on truly mastering the material in your classes and determining the best study strategies to succeed. If you put in the effort to truly learn, good grades will typically follow.
  • Remember, learning takes concerted effort, and succeeding in graduate school will require years of persistent dedication—start practicing now.
  • The recommended GPA varies depending on the type of graduate school, but the higher your GPA, the better your chances of admission.
• Seek Help if Needed: If you're struggling with material in a class, seek assistance from your professors and use campus resources such as the writing center or psychology department statistics tutors.
• Take Psychology Statistics, Core Psychology Courses, and the Psychology Lab as Soon as Possible: Psychology is a science, make sure you want to do research as early as possible.

Explore Your Interests

• Identify Your Passions: Pay attention to topics that fascinate you. These interests may guide your choice of graduate school or career path.
• Research Career and Education Options: Explore sections of the psychology department website related to graduate school and careers in psychology. Many students are unaware of the diverse career paths available and may pursue degrees they ultimately don’t want or need.

Planning for Graduate School

If you feel confident about the type of graduate school you'd like to pursue:

• Explore the psychology labs looking for research assistants: Once you find a lab (or more than one) that you’d like to work in, determine if you meet their requirements. If not, obtain those requirements as soon as possible. If you do, follow their directions for how to apply to the lab.
• Continue Reading Scholarly Work: Begin reading scholarly articles or books in your chosen field. For example, if you're interested in social psychology, explore articles in social psychology journals to discover research areas that might interest you in graduate school.
• Pursue Summer Opportunities: Consider research assistantships, work opportunities, or volunteer positions related to your ideal career path, and apply for those opportunities early.
• If you are pursuing a graduate degree in a field related to psychology, take courses in that area. (E.g., social work classes if interested in going to social work school, Pol 306 & 307 if interested in going to law school).

Involvement and Networking

• Continue Engagement in Meaningful Activities: Continue involvement in campus and community activities, such as clubs, consistent volunteer work, or part-time jobs.
  • Prioritize long-term commitments (e.g., volunteering for 2 hours per week for a year) over one-time activities.
  • Be cautious not to overcommit to extracurriculars if it negatively affects your grades.
• Continue Building Relationships with Professors: Keep getting to know your psychology professors and those in related fields. You will need at least three strong letters of recommendation for graduate school. To write compelling letters, your professors must know you personally and understand your goals, not just see you as a student who excelled in their class.

There are many sources of advice for college students thinking about going to graduate school. Seeking guidance from as many sources as possible is highly recommended. 

Academic Preparation

• Master Your Coursework: Focus on truly mastering the material in your classes and determining the best study strategies to succeed. If you put in the effort to truly learn, good grades will typically follow.
  • Remember, learning takes concerted effort, and succeeding in graduate school will require years of persistent dedication—start practicing now.
  • The recommended GPA varies depending on the type of graduate school, but the higher your GPA, the better your chances of admission.
• Seek Help if Needed: If you're struggling with material in a class, seek assistance from your professors and use campus resources such as the writing center or psychology department statistics tutors.
• Take Psychology Statistics, Core Psychology Courses, and the Psychology Lab as Soon as Possible: Psychology is a science, make sure you want to do research as early as possible.

Explore Your Interests

• Identify Your Passions: Pay attention to topics that fascinate you. These interests may guide your choice of graduate school or career path.
• Research Career and Education Options: Explore sections of the psychology department website related to graduate school and careers in psychology. Many students are unaware of the diverse career paths available and may pursue degrees they ultimately don’t want or need.

Planning for Graduate School

If you feel confident about the type of graduate school you'd like to pursue:

• Explore the psychology labs looking for research assistants: Once you find a lab (or more than one) that you’d like to work in, determine if you meet their requirements. If not, obtain those requirements as soon as possible. If you do, follow their directions for how to apply to the lab.
• Continue Reading Scholarly Work: Begin reading scholarly articles or books in your chosen field. For example, if you're interested in social psychology, explore articles in social psychology journals to discover research areas that might interest you in graduate school.
• Pursue Summer Opportunities: Consider research assistantships, work opportunities, or volunteer positions related to your ideal career path, and apply for those opportunities early.
• If you are pursuing a graduate degree in a field related to psychology, take courses in that area. See information on the undergraduate student webpage.

Involvement and Networking

• Continue Engagement in Meaningful Activities: Continue involvement in campus and community activities, such as clubs, consistent volunteer work, or part-time jobs.
  • Prioritize long-term commitments (e.g., volunteering for 2 hours per week for a year) over one-time activities.
  • Be cautious not to overcommit to extracurriculars if it negatively affects your grades.
• Continue Building Relationships with Professors: Keep getting to know your psychology professors and those in related fields. You will need at least three strong letters of recommendation for graduate school. To write compelling letters, your professors must know you personally and understand your goals, not just see you as a student who excelled in their class.

Timing Your Application

Begin thinking about when you would like to apply to graduate school. The advice below is tailored for students planning to apply during their senior year of college. If you intend to apply later, these tips apply to the period leading up to your application.

Junior Year or Summer Before Senior Year

• Explore Graduate Programs:

  • Research potential programs that meet your requirements for graduate school.
  • Focus on programs accredited by relevant agencies (e.g., American Psychological Association for psychology).
  • Keep track of programs, their requirements, application processes, and why you like them in one place (e.g., Excel spreadsheet, document, or notebook).
  • Apply to multiple programs, including both "reach" schools and realistic options. Many graduate programs are highly selective.
  • The number of applications depends on the program's competitiveness, the strength of your materials, and your letters of recommendation.

• Plan for Entrance Exams:

  • Determine when to take required exams (e.g., GRE, Psychology GRE, LSAT, MCAT).
  • Set a study schedule and follow it diligently to perform well.
  • Consider taking exams during the summer to reduce stress and allow time for retakes if needed.

• If Pursuing a Psychology Ph.D.:

  • Define Your Research Interests: Be as specific as possible. For example, instead of saying "child psychology," specify "prevention and early intervention programs for Autism Spectrum Disorder in infants and toddlers."
  • Find a Research Mentor: Look for a mentor specializing in your chosen research area.
    • Research doctorate programs often require students to work with a primary mentor.
    • Identify mentors by reading articles in your field of interest and checking the programs where the authors are based.
    • If you find a program and mentor appealing, read more of their work to confirm your interest.
    • Email potential mentors to express your interest and ask if they will be accepting students in your application year. This helps avoid wasting time and money applying to unavailable mentors and shows your serious interest.

• Prepare Your Application Materials:

  • Start drafting your personal statement or other required documents.
  • Create a polished, professional Curriculum Vitae (CV) or résumé.
  • Identify three individuals who can write strong letters of recommendation. Be sure to request these letters at least one month before they are needed.

There are many sources of advice for college students thinking about going to graduate school. Seeking guidance from as many sources as possible is highly recommended. 

Academic Preparation

• Master Your Coursework: Focus on truly mastering the material in your classes and determining the best study strategies to succeed. If you put in the effort to truly learn, good grades will typically follow.
  • Remember, learning takes concerted effort, and succeeding in graduate school will require years of persistent dedication—start practicing now.
  • The recommended GPA varies depending on the type of graduate school, but the higher your GPA, the better your chances of admission.
• Seek Help if Needed: If you're struggling with material in a class, seek assistance from your professors and use campus resources such as the writing center or psychology department statistics tutors.

Explore Your Interests

• Identify Your Passions: Pay attention to topics that fascinate you. These interests may guide your choice of graduate school or career path.
• Research Career and Education Options: Explore sections of the psychology department website related to graduate school and careers in psychology. Many students are unaware of the diverse career paths available and may pursue degrees they ultimately don’t want or need.

Planning for Graduate School

If you feel confident about the type of graduate school you'd like to pursue:

• Continue Reading Scholarly Work: Begin reading scholarly articles or books in your chosen field. For example, if you're interested in social psychology, explore articles in social psychology journals to discover research areas that might interest you in graduate school.
• Take a graduate level course (500 level) in that area if you have met the pre-requisites for the 500-level course.
• If you are pursuing a graduate degree in a field related to psychology, take courses in that area. See information on the undergraduate student webpage.

Involvement and Networking

• Continue Engagement in Meaningful Activities: Continue involvement in campus and community activities, such as clubs, consistent volunteer work, or part-time jobs.
  • Prioritize long-term commitments (e.g., volunteering for 2 hours per week for a year) over one-time activities.
  • Be cautious not to overcommit to extracurriculars if it negatively affects your grades.
• Continue Building Relationships with Professors: Keep getting to know your psychology professors and those in related fields. You will need at least three strong letters of recommendation for graduate school. To write compelling letters, your professors must know you personally and understand your goals, not just see you as a student who excelled in their class.
• Explore and follow all of the recommendations for graduate school provided on the psychology department advising website.

Timing Your Application

The remainder of this advice is for students who plan to apply during their senior year of college. If you do not plan on applying during your senior year of college, this advice applies to the time period before you apply.

• Explore Graduate Programs:

  • Research potential programs that meet your requirements for graduate school.
  • Focus on programs accredited by relevant agencies (e.g., American Psychological Association for psychology).
  • Keep track of programs, their requirements, application processes, and why you like them in one place (e.g., Excel spreadsheet, document, or notebook).
  • Apply to multiple programs, including both "reach" schools and realistic options. Many graduate programs are highly selective.
  • The number of applications depends on the program's competitiveness, the strength of your materials, and your letters of recommendation.

• Plan for Entrance Exams:

  • Determine when to take required exams (e.g., GRE, Psychology GRE, LSAT, MCAT).
  • Set a study schedule and follow it diligently to perform well.
  • Consider taking exams during the summer to reduce stress and allow time for retakes if needed.

• If Pursuing a Psychology Ph.D.:

  • Define Your Research Interests: Be as specific as possible. For example, instead of saying "child psychology," specify "prevention and early intervention programs for Autism Spectrum Disorder in infants and toddlers."
  • Find a Research Mentor: Look for a mentor specializing in your chosen research area.
    • Research doctorate programs often require students to work with a primary mentor.
    • Identify mentors by reading articles in your field of interest and checking the programs where the authors are based.
    • If you find a program and mentor appealing, read more of their work to confirm your interest.
    • Email potential mentors to express your interest and ask if they will be accepting students in your application year. This helps avoid wasting time and money applying to unavailable mentors and shows your serious interest.

• Prepare Your Application Materials:

  • Edit your personal statement (or other type of written document needed for the type of program you will apply to) and seek assistance from others to help you further edit it to make it as strong as possible.
  • Edit your Curriculum Vitae (or résumé) in the same way.
  • Request three strong letters of recommendation. Be sure to request these letters at least one month before they are needed.