Professional School of Psychology Entrance Criteria

 

Generally speaking, getting into graduate school is a game of chance. This because many psychology programs are extremely competitive. There's no guarantee you'll get into the exact program at the professional school of psychology of your choice. The following, however, are some things you can do to optimize your possibilities of gaining entrance:

Grade Point Average (GPA)

Grade point average is one index that many psychology graduate schools take very seriously. Obviously, the higher your GPA, the better your chances of selection. Competitive programs may look for GPAs of 3.5 or higher. Less competitive programs may accept 3.0 or lower.

Letters of Recommendation for placement in a Professional School of Psychology

Many psychology graduate schools weigh letters very highly. Strong letters of recommendation can compensate for weak GPAs or GREs. Significantly, your letters of recommendation could become your greatest assets! Talk to the faculty. The better they know you, the more likely they can write a convincing letter. If you ask for a letter of recommendation from a professor, be sure to give the professor some written information about yourself, the courses you undertook, grades, activities you undertook in the department or on campus, etc. Here's one way you can work towards getting a truly excellent letter....

Research with the Faculty

In faculty psychology departments you have the unique opportunity to work closely with professors on research projects. Take advantage of this! Volunteer your time to work with a professor, ask about work study, take a tutorial course. Also, find out if there are faculty who will agree to being your advisor on an Independent Research and Study project. This is a project in which you work one on one with a faculty on a topic of mutual interest. When professors get to know you in this capacity, they can write a very strong letter of recommendation. Successful completion of these projects demonstrates to professional school of psychology graduate schools that you are motivated and can work independently.

In the past students have presented papers at conferences or published articles with faculties based on such projects. Many graduate programs are extremely impressed by such achievements! What's more, it's unusual for undergraduates to do this kind of thing. Graduate programs that emphasize experimental research may be extremely impressed by your having been actively involved in research, especially if the research led to a conference presentation or a publication. Programs that emphasize training in counseling (and not experimental research) may be impressed by projects involving case studies, literature reviews, and experiential learning even if these projects did not lead to a publication or conference presentation.

Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

Many professional school of psychology will require you to take the Graduate Record Exam. It's the SATs all over again, but on a slightly bigger scale! GREs consist of three sections: verbal, math (quantitative), and analytic (which measures abstract thinking). Some psychology schools will also require you to take the "advanced" portion of the test, which for you would be in psychology (it consists of multiple choice questions pertaining to all the different fields within psychology).

Usually programs will use a cut off. If you don't get above a certain score, they may not even look at your application. Graduate Study in Psychology lists the average GRE scores for students who are accepted into a program. A few less competitive graduate schools may not have a cut off score or may not require you to take the GREs at all.

It is unwise to take the GREs cold. Preparation is strongly recommended. Bookstores sell manuals that describe strategies for taking the test and provide sample exams. There also are classes you can take, such as the Stanley Kaplan preparatory courses. A good way to study for the Advanced test in psychology is to get a good introduction to psychology textbook and memorize as much of it as you can. Another way is to serve as a tutor for students in Introduction to Psychology (you can apply to be an "official" tutor and get paid for it).

Some schools also may require you to take additional standardized tests such as the Miller Analogies Test the "MAT" (and you thought the GREs were hard!). There are books that can help you prepare for these exams.

You can call the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Princeton for an application and information about the GREs.

 

Your Personal Statement

There is a broad variation in how graduate schools react to your written personal statement. Here you describe yourself and your reasons for going to graduate school. Some may take it seriously, whilst others may not pay much attention. Play it safe. Spend some time on your personal statement and prepare a well thought out letter. Avoid platitudes like "I'm really interested in psychology" or, for a counseling or clinical program, "I want to work with people." You'll probably agree you would not be applying for graduate school if you didn't feel that way?

Do it right and TAILOR your letter for each program to which you apply. Say something about your background, your accomplishments, what exactly about psychology interests you, what you plan to do in the future BUT ALSO STATE EXACTLY WHY IT IS YOU ARE APPLYING TO THAT PROGRAM. What is it about the program that attracts you? How will it benefit you, and what do you have to offer the program? Be specific. If you are interested in one or more of their faculty member's work, say so! If you are interested in a particular program, say so! And explain why you are interested!

Keep the letter short - maybe two or three pages, TYPED. Experiment with being both creative and informative. Ask friends and professors for comments on what you have written.

Field Work and Other Practical Experiences

Some graduate programs may be impressed by your having had some substantial practical experience in a setting related to their program. For example, experimental programs may find it appealing that a student helped out with a professor's research project. A developmental program may be impressed by someone who worked with developmentally handicapped children. Clinical and counseling psychology may think it important that a student worked in a mental health setting.

Your department may offer field work courses where you can get such practical experience. You also can volunteer on your own or look for part time/summer jobs. However, there is no guarantee that a graduate program will highly value this experience. Those programs that emphasize research training (including clinical psychology programs) may be more concerned about your academic achievements than your practical experiences.

Required courses

Many professional school of psychology will require that you have taken undergraduate courses in psychology and a certain number of credits in psychology. Courses such as statistics and experimental psychology often are required. However, specialized programs may require specialized courses. Check "Graduate Study in Psychology" which will list the requirements for each graduate program.

Using the Direct Method

To maximize the possibility of placement in a professional school of psychology, make application to as many schools as possible - perhaps twelve or more. Apply to a few outstanding programs: who knows, you might get lucky! Also apply to a few programs that are less competitive, so you'll be guaranteed of receiving at least one or two offers! But don't be too upset if you are rejected. The odds are that some programs WILL reject your application.

If you're willing to move to another part of the country, you will have a wider selection of schools to apply to, and a better chance of being accepted. There are very good programs in parts of the country that people perceive to be less desirable areas to live.

Visiting for Interviewing

If possible, go see the school even before you know whether or not you are accepted. Talk to the faculty and students. It may help you decide whether or not you want to be there. It also may help you make an impression on them. Making a personal contact can be very effective (even on the phone) as long as you are not pressuring people or being a pest in some way!

Definitely try to visit the programs that accept you! Talk to the faculty, find out everything you can about the program. Do they feel like people you could work with? Are they friendly, helpful, cold, obnoxious? Make a point of talking to beginning and advanced students - they will tell you things that the faculty may not.

 

Apply now or later?

Many students think that they should apply to professional school of psychology immediately after they finish their undergraduate work. If you are the type of person who loses motivation after taking a year or two off, then maybe you should consider making application right away. However, it's not critical that you apply immediately. If you take a year or two off to work - in order to make money for graduate school or to get experience in psychology - this might look good in the eyes of the graduate program. They like motivated, determined individuals. However, if you drift from job to job, or if you aren't working at all and just amble about with no rhyme or reason, equally, that could look bad.

Older students who have been working a number of years or raising a family sometimes think they are at a disadvantage. Again, this is not necessarily true. If there is evidence that you are a conscientious and motivated person, then those are points in your favor. Some counseling and clinical psychology programs prefer older students. They believe they are mature and responsible. Many counseling psychology programs are specifically designed for mature people who may be working full time and/or have families.

Finance

Education costs money. Graduate school is no exception. Many programs may offer you some financial support. Some programs - usually those at state universities - support students for the first few years in the form of "stipends." Others may offer a "Research Assistantship" in which you help a professor conduct his or her research in return for pay. For a "Teaching Assistantship" you would help a professor teach a course, or perhaps teach a section yourself, in return for pay. You may not get as much money as you want, however, usually you get what you need (enough to live on). Also, some universities may waive tuition. Find out about stipends, teaching and research assistantships, and tuition remission before you decide to go to a program.

Timetable

If you intend to go to professional school of psychology right after you finish your undergraduate work, here's a rough timetable for preparing your applications:

Spring semester of your junior year:

* think about what type of program you're interested in
* start talking to the faculty
* if you haven't already done so, find out if you can get involved in faculty research or an Independent Study project; consider taking a fieldwork course

Summer before your senior year:

* look over "Graduate Study in Psychology"
* make a rough list of schools you might apply to
* start writing your personal statement
* begin studying for the GREs

Fall semester of your senior year:

* near the start of the semester, write to schools for information about their programs
* as you receive this information, start making your final list of schools you will apply to
* continue studying for the GREs
* IN OCTOBER TAKE THE GREs
* near the end of the semester, ask professors to write letters of recommendation

After the Fall semester:

* complete your applications and send them off
* deadlines may be in January, February, or March, depending on the school
* if possible, visit the schools