Pacific
Union
College
Angwin,CA94508
ThePsychologyMajor
Handbook
2015‐16
TableofContents
I.
Introduction
2
II.
ThePsychologyMajor:GraduateSchoolPreparation(TrackI)
3
A.
RequiredCoursesforthePsychologyMajor
4
B.
RecommendedCoursesforthePsychologyMajor
1) WithintheDepartment
6
2) OutsidetheDepartment
6
C.
GradePointAverage
7
D.
GraduateRecordExam(GRE)
7
E.
RecommendationLetters
9
F.
WhatGraduateSchoolsareLookingfor
9
G.
Research
10
H.
ExtracurricularActivities
11
I.
VolunteerandWorkExperience
11
J.
PersonalStatement
12
K.
FinancialAid
12
L.
TimetableforGraduateSchoolPreparationandApplication
13
III.
ThePsychologyMajor:Pre‐MedorPre‐Dent(TrackII)
17
IV.
ThePsychologyMajor:PreparationforCareersthatdonotRequire
GraduateTraining(TrackIII)
18
A.
BachelorLevelJobs
18
B.
SkillsandKnowledgeValuedbyProspectiveEmployers
21
V.
Sources:InformationonPsychologyCareersandGraduateSchool
22
VI.
AppendixA:StandardRecommendationForm
23
VII.
AppendixB:SampleLetter
26
VIII.
AppendixC:GraduateProgramsList
27
______
1
I.Introduction
Thepurposeofthishandbookistohelp
studentsgetthemostoutoftheirpsychologymajor,
andtogetanearlystartonplanningforacareeror
graduateschool.Notallmajorswillchooseto
attendgraduateschool,butweprovideinformation
andresourcesheresothatstudentshavetheoption
togotogradschooliftheyeventuallydecideto.We
alsoprovideinformationoncareersstudentscango
intowithonlyabachelorsdegreeinpsychology,
andwhatuniqueskillsemphasizedinapsychology
majoraremostdesirabletoemployers.Finally,we
provideinformationforstudentswhowanttobea
physician,dentist,orlawyerandstillmajorin
psychology.
Thishandbookisnotacomprehensivesourceof
information.ThePUCCatalog,theacademic
advisor,thepsychologygraduateprogramsto
whichstudentsmightapply,thePUCCounseling
andCareerDevelopmentCenter,thewebsitesof
theAmericanPsychologicalAssociation
(www.apa.org)andtheAssociationfor
PsychologicalScience(www.aps.org),andthe
variouspreprofessionaladvisors(ifapplicable)are
allimportantadditionalresources.Oneparticularly
valuablesourceforinformationongraduateschools
andcareersinPsychologyis:Keith‐Spiegel,P.
(2000)CompleteGuidetoGraduateSchool
Admission.2nded.Erlbaum:NY.Alotofuseful
informationforpsychologymajorsisalsoavailable
online.
Itisthestudent’sresponsibilitytogetthe
informationtheyneedandtothentakethe
appropriateaction.
AcademicSuccess:Therearefourbasicguidelines
fordoingwellincollege:
• Attendeveryclass
• Readassignmentspriortoattendingclass
• Getadequate(7‐8hours)sleep/night
• Gettoknowyourteachers
Thefirsttwooftheseareobvious(butoften
ignored).Thelasttwoarecrucial.Mostcollege
studentsliveinprofoundandchronicsleepdebt;
researchclearlyshowsthatsleep‐deprivedstudents
donotdoaswelloncollegetasksastheirmore
restedpeers.Maketimeforadequatesleepinyour
scheduleandyouwillsignificantlyimproveyour
chancesforsuccess.
Oneofthemainadvantagesofattendingasmall
liberalartscollegelikePUCistheopportunitytoget
toknowyourteacherswell.Makeityourbusiness
toasktheteacherofeveryclassyoutakeevery
quarteratleastonequestionafterclass.Arecent
graduatingseniortoldusthatthemostimportant
singlepieceofadvicehewouldgivetonewfreshmen
psychologymajorsistogetinvolvedearlyoninthe
lifeofthedepartmentcommunity.Thismaymean
workinginthedepartmentorhelpingoutona
facultyorstudentresearchproject.Itmayalsomean
beingactivelyinvolvedinPsiChi,thenationalhonor
societyforpsychologystudents,attendingavespers
orvideonightinateacher’shome,orjust“hanging‐
out”intheDepartmentorgoingupandaskinga
teacheraquestionafterclass.
ImportanceofGeneralEducation:Whilethemajor
isanimportantingredienttoafuturecareerin
psychology,asolidliberalartseducationiseven
moreimportant.Besuretoplaceahighvalueon
yourGEcourses.Ifyouqualify,considertheHonors
Program.Aftercompletingthegeneraleducation
program,youwillbebetterableto:
1) thinkindependentlyandcritically
2) communicateeffectivelyorallyandin
writing
3) participateinalifeofChristianservice
4) recognizeyourownassumptionsandseeall
sidesofanissue
5) enjoyculturalexperiences
6) understandGod,yourself,andtheworld
Ofcourse,thepsychologymajorwillhelpwith
thesegoalsaswell,andweseeourmajorasan
importantpartofasolidliberalartseducation.
Tosumup,remembertheacronym"RIG":
Responsibility:Theresponsibilityisyourstoget
theinformationnecessarytobesuccessfulincollege
andtoactonthatinformation.
Involvement:Getinvolvedwithotherstudents
andfacultyinyourdepartment.You'llbesurprised
atwhatyoucanlearnininformalsettings.
GeneralEducation:Generaleducationclasses are
a vital part of your PUC experience and Psychology
Major.
II. ThePsychologyMajor:GraduateSchool
Preparation(TrackI)
Apersondoesnotbecomeapsychologistupon
graduatingfromcollegewithamajorinpsychology.
Adoctoraldegree(usually4‐5yearsbeyondcollege)
istheterminaldegreeforthosewantingtobecomea
psychologist.Youcanbecomealicencedtherapist
withaMastersdegreeineitherpsychologyor
marriageandfamilycounselingintwoyearsafter
college.
______
2
Beginningundergraduatesareoften
overwhelmedbytheideaofgraduateschool.They
thinkeitherthatitwillbetoohard,ortoolong,or
both.Noteverybodyhastogoto“GradSchool”of
course,andtherearemanycareeroptionsworking
withpeopleopentopsychologymajorswhochoose
nottocontinuetheireducationaftercollege.Wedo
findthoughthatmanyundergraduateswhonever
wouldhavedreamedtheycouldgotograduate
schoolwhentheywerefreshmenwindupboth
wantingtogo,andsuccessfullygettingaccepted
intoexcellentprogramsbythetimetheyare
seniors.Wedoourbesttomakesurethatany
PsychologyMajoratPUCwhochoosestowillhave
theoptionofgoingtoGradSchoolbythetimethey
graduate.
Itiscommonforundergraduatepsychology
majorsstartoutwitha"clinicalbias."Thisisthe
assumptionthattheywanttobeclinical
psychologists,withoutfullyconsideringmanyofthe
otheroptionsinthefield.Psychologymajorsshould
beawareofthevarietyofsubfieldswithin
psychology.Almosthalfofalldoctorallevel
psychologistsneverpracticetherapyorcounseling.
Thereareavarietyofwaystoearnalivingwithin
thefieldofpsychology,andafteracarefulgathering
ofthefactsyoumustdecidewhichareabestfits
yourinterests,personality,andlifesituation.You
shouldlearnasmuchaspossibleabouttheoptions
availabletoyoubeforeyoursenioryearofcollege.
Thepublication,Psychology,CareersfortheTwenty‐
FirstCentury,putoutbytheAmericanPsychological
AssociationandavailableinthePsychology&Social
WorkDepartmentisagoodplacetostart.
Followingisapartiallistofareasinwhich
psychologistscanchoosetoconcentrate:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ClinicalPsychology
CommunityPsychology
CounselingPsychology
DevelopmentalPsychology
EducationalPsychology
EnvironmentalPsychology
ExperimentalPsychology
ForensicPsychology
HealthPsychology
Industria‐OrganizationalPsychology
Neuropsychology/Psychobiology
PsychologyofWomen
PsychologyofAging
SchoolPsychology
SocialPsychology
SportsPsychology
ClinicalCareers:Studentswhoareinterestedina
careerasclinical,counselingorschool
psychologistsstillneedaverysolidfoundationin
experimentalandquantitativemethods‐thisisthe
foundationforallofpsychology.Inadditiontothe
coursesrequiredforthemajor,studentsinterested
inclinicalorappliedcareers
shouldalsoseriously
considertakingthefollowingelectivecourses:
AbnormalPsychology,PrinciplesofCounselingand
FieldWorkinPsychology.
GraduateSchoolRequirements:Graduateschool
admissionisacomplexanddemandingprocess.A
numberofcriteriaareimportantforgaining
admission,amongwhichthemostimportantare:
comprehensiveknowledgebaseinpsychologyand
relatedmethods;undergraduateGPA;scoresonthe
GraduateRecordExam(GeneralandPsychology);
Recommendationletters;Researchexperienceand
Practicalexperience(paidandvolunteer).
A.RequiredCoursesforthePsychologyMajor:
GeneralPsychologyI(PSYC121)
4qtr.hours
Asurveyofthefieldofpsychology,thiscourseis
offeredeveryquarterandshouldbetakenthefirst
year.Thiscourseisprerequisiteforallother
psychologycourses.
PsychologySeminar(PSYC122)
3qtr.hours
Anintroductoryseminarwhichexploresand
discussespsychologicalissues.Thiscourseisoffered
WinterQuarterandshouldbetakenbytheendof
thefreshmanyearandnolaterthanthesophomore
year.
Prerequisite:PSYC121.
IntroductiontothePsychMajor(PSYC130)
1qtr.hour
Introductiontothebasicskillsneededtobe
successfulinmajorcourses;anoverviewofcareer
andgraduateschooloptions.Thiscourseisoffered
WinterQuarter,andshouldbecompletedbeforethe
endofthesophomoreyear
Prerequisite:PSYC121.
IntroductiontoStatistics(STAT222)
4qtr.hours
ThisisarequiredGEcourseforalPUCstudents,
andisalsoprerequisiteforseveralrequired
psychologymajorcourses.BesttakenintheSpring
ofthefreshmanyear,unlessmathisasignificant
challenge.
Prerequisite:MATH096(orAlgebraIIinhigh
school,andENGL101).
ChildDevelopment(PSYC235)
3qtr.hours
Agoodcoursetotakethebeginningofthe
sophomoreyear.
Prerequisite:PSYC121.
______
3
ChildDevelopmentLab(PSYC235L)
1qtr.hour
Concurrentregistrationinthislab,whichwill
givehandsonexperienceinresearchwithchildren,
isrequiredforPsychologymajorswhotakePSYC
235.
SocialPsychology(PSYC264)
4qtr.hours
Asophomoreorjuniorlevelcourse.Three
lecturesandonelaboratoryperweek.
Prerequisite:PSYC121.
PsychologicalTesting(PSYC257)
4qtr.hours
Thepurpose,contributionandproblemsof
psychologicaltesting.Emphasisonboth
psychometricsandclinicalcharacteristicofcore
standardizedtests.RequiredLab.
Recommendedprerequisite:STAT222.
ResearchDesign(PSYC322)
4qtr.hours
Inthiscourseyoulearnhowtofindtheanswers
tointerestingpsychologicalquestions.Thiscourse
hasarequiredlabwhereyoulearnhowtousethe
computer(SPSS)inyourpsychologicalresearch.It
istaughtFallquarterandshouldbetakeninthe
junioryearifyouareplanningforgraduateschool.
Prerequisite:MATH222
ExperimentalPsychology(PSYC323)
4qtr.hours
Youwillactuallyconductthestudyproposedin
ResearchDesign.Afterstatisticsthesetwocourses,
PSYC322andPSYC323,arearguablyyourmost
importantonesintermsofgraduateschool
preparation.TaughtWinterQuarter,itshouldbe
takeninthejunioryearifyouareplanningfor
graduateschool.
Prerequisite:PSYC322.
PsychologyofPersonality(PSYC344)
4qtr.hours
Asophomoreorjuniorlevelcoursetaught
AutumnQuarter.
Prerequisite:PSYC121.
Colloquium(PSYC394)
.2qtr.hour/3qthoursofcreditrequired
Sixquarters(1.2totalcredithours)of
Colloquiumarerequiredofallmajors.Thisincludes
3presentationsaquarterontopicsofcurrent
interestinthefieldofpsychologyandsocialwork.
ColloquiumistakeninboththeSophomoreand
Junioryears.
Prerequisite:Sophomorestatus.
PhysiologicalPsychology(PSYC436)
4qtr.hours
Thisisasophomoreorjuniorlevelcourse
offeredFallQuarter.
Prerequisite:PSYC122.
LearningandMemory(PSYC445)
4qtr.hours
ThisisajuniorlevelcoursetaughtSpring
Quarter.
Prerequisite:PSYC121.
GenderIssues(PSYC390)
3qtrhours
Thisisasophomoreorjuniorseminar.Either
thiscourseor“Racial”&EthnicRelationsisrequired.
“Racial”&EthnicRelations(SOCI355)
3qtrhours
Thisisasophomoreorjuniorcourse.Eitherthis
courseorGenderIssuesisrequired.
PsychologyofReligion(PSYC435)
3qtrhours
Thisisajuniororseniorcourse.Eitherthis
courseorSacred&ProfaneinSocietyisrequired.
Sacred&ProfaneinSociety(SOCI435)
3qtrhours
Thisisasophomoreorjuniorcourse.Eitherthis
courseorPsychologyofReligionisrequired.
SystematicIssuesinPsychology(PSYC499)
3qtr.hours
Wehavethreecapstonecoursesinthesenior
year,andthisisthefirst.Thiscoursereviewsthe
psychologymajorandhelpsyouprepareforthe
GraduateRecordExam(GRE‐Psychology).
Reservedforseniorpsychologymajors.
HistoryandSystemsofPsychology(PSYC444)
4qtr.hours
Thesecondseniorcapstonecoursereviewsand
discussestheintellectualfoundationsofpsychology.
Prerequisite:PSYC121.
IssuesinReligion,EthicsandTheHuman
Sciences(PSYC490)
4qtr.hours
Thethirdseniorcapstone,thisprovidesan
explorationofthetensionsbetweenyourprofession
inthehumansciencesandChristianity.
______
4
RequiredCognates:
CulturalAnthropology(ANTH124)
4qtr.hours
Usuallytakenthefirstorsecondyear.
IntroductiontoSociology(SOCI121)
4qtr.hours
StatisticalMethods(MATH322)
3qtr.hours
Whilethisisarequiredcognate,itisoneofthe
mostimportantcourseforgettingintograduate
school.DoyourbesttogetanAorBinthisclass.
Graduateschoolsareinterestedinstudentswho
knowhowtousestatisticstohelpthemintheir
research.Thiscourseshouldbetakeneitherbefore
orduringthequarterthatResearchDesignistaken.
Prerequisite:Math222.
RecommendedCognate
BiologywithLab
5qtr.hours
MoststudentswillfufillthiswithHuman
Physiology(BIOL102),usuallytakeninthefirstor
secondyear.ThiscoursewillalsofulfillaGEScience
requirement
ElectivePsychologyCourses:
StudentspursuingaB.S.willtakeanadditional
11hoursofPsychologyunits;thosepursuingaB.A.
willfulfilltheforeignlanguagerequirement.Note
thatHumanDevelopment(PSYC234)doesnot
applytowardapsychologymajor.Students
consideringcareersinclinical/counseling
psychologyshouldprobablytakeAbnormal
Psychology,PrinciplesofCounselingandField
WorkinPsychology.
Note: Students who have established residence
at PUC must take all upper division psychology
major requirements at the upper division, even if
taken and then transfered in from other
institutions.
______
5
SampleCurriculum
FirstYear
A
W
GeneralPsychology
4
PsychologySeminar
3
IntrotoPsychMajor
1
IntrotoStatistics
IntrotoSociology
CollegeEnglish
4
4
GenEd/Electives
8
8
16
16
SecondYear
A
W
Colloquium
.2
.2
ChildDevelopment
4
CulturalAnthropology 4
StatisticalMethods
PsychologicalTesting
4
SocialPsychology
4
GenderIssues/RaceRelations
AdditionalPsychology 4‐8*
3‐4**
8
GenEd/Electives
0‐4
16.216.2
ThirdYear
A
W
Colloquium
.2
.2
ResearchDesign
4
ExperimentalPsychology
4
LearningandMemory
AdditionalPsychology 4‐12**** 3‐8**
GenEd/Electives
0‐8
4‐9
16.2 16.2
FourthYear
SystematicIssues
HistoryandSystems
IssuesinRe.Ethics
AdditionalPsych****
GenEd/Electives
A
4
W
B.RecommendedCourses
S
4
4
8
16
S
.2
3
3
3‐4***
10
16.2
S
.2
4
3‐8***
4‐9
16.2
S
1. WithintheDepartment:
FieldWorkinPsychologySeminar(PSYC481)
1qtrhr
Aweeklyseminarfocusedonethicaland
professionalissues.RequiredforFieldWork
students.Notethereareseveralprerequisitesfor
thiscourse(seeCatalog).
FieldWorkinPsychology(PSYC491)
Placementinalocalhumanserviceagency(3‐6
clockhoursperweek).PSYC481coorprerequisite.
Canberepeatedforamaximumof3credits
GraduateSchoolApplicationSeminar(PSYC398)
1qtr.hr
Thiscourseprovidescrucialinformation,
practiceandsupportforjuniorsplanningon
applyingtograduateschoolinthefalloftheirsenior
year.
2. OutsidetheDepartment:
CollegeAlgebra(MATH106)
4qtr.hours
ThisisagoodreviewfortheGREgeneraltest
andshouldbetakeninthejunioryear.
OrganizationalBehavior(MGMT465)
3qtr.hours
Basicallyanorganizationalpsychologycourse
taughtWinterQuarter.
IntroductiontoChristianEthics(RELT216)
3qtr.hours
Psychologistsareoftenconfrontedwithethically
demandingsituations.
Miscellaneous
• AsecondlanguagesuchasSpanishis
stronglyrecommendedforpsychologists
goingintothehelpingprofessions.
• Spendingayearabroadtolearnabout
anothercultureisalsoveryhelpful.
• English102shouldbecompletedbytheend
ofthefreshmanyear.
• Eligiblestudentsshouldstronglyconsider
theHonorsProgramasanalternatetothe
standardGEpackage.
4
4
0‐3
9‐12
16
12
16
12
16
______
6
C.GradePointAverage:
ThecollegeGPAisthesinglemostimportant
factorforadmissiontograduateschool.Graduate
programsareinterestedinselectingapplicantswho
willbesuccessful.Itisabasicruleofassessment
thatthebestpredictoroffuturebehaviorispast
behavior.Thus,thebestpredictorofeventual
successingraduateschoolispreviousperformance
inanacademicsetting.CollegeGPAisevidencenot
justofacademicability,butofacademicand
personaldisciplineandcommitment.Astudentwho
isacademicallygifted,buttoolazyordisorganized
toturnassignmentsinontimeisunlikelytodowell
ingraduateschool,wheretheemphasisisonthe
abilitytomotivateanddisciplineone'sself.
Graduateadmissiondecisionsarenotbased
simplyongrades,butincludeavarietyofcriteria,so
itisimpossibletostateaminimumGPAthatwill
guaranteeadmission.Somestudentswithrelatively
lowgradesgetaccepted,whileotherstudentswith
veryhighgradesdonot.However,somerough
guidelinescanbegiven.
Thereareactuallythreedifferent"GPAs"that
maybeconsideredbyagraduateschool.First,and
mostimportant,isthecumulativeGPA,whichisthe
gradepointaverageforallclassestakenatthe
collegelevel(yes,thisincludesthat7:40a.m.survey
ofmusicclassyousleptthroughyourfreshman
year!).StudentshopingforadmissiontoaPh.D.
programwoulddobesttoaimforacumulativeGPA
ofatleast3.5bytheendoftheAutumnQuarterof
thesenioryear.(Sinceapplicationdeadlinesfor
graduateschoolaregenerallyduebyJanuary,
winterandspringquartergradesforthesenioryear
arenotavailableforconsiderationbyacceptance
committees.)Still,wehaveseenmanyPUCsenior
psychologymajorswithGPAsbetween3.0and3.5
getintodoctoralprograms,sodon’tgetgiveupif
youcan’tmakeitto3.5.Inaddition,admission
committeeswilllookattwootherindexesof
academicsuccesstohelptheminterpretthe
cumulativeGPA.ThesearethepsychologyGPA
(justpsychologyclasses)andtheGPAforthelast
twoyearsofcollege.Thesestillwon'thelpstudents
whosecumulativeGPAismuchunder3.0,butthey
mayhelpconvinceanadmissionscommittee(in
additiontogoodGREscores,lettersof
recommendation,andotherevidence)thata
studentwithaborderlinecumulativeGPAhasreally
maturedandisreadyforgraduate‐levelwork.
Master'sprogramsaresomewhatless
competitive,sostudentscanbeadmittedwith
lowerGPAs.Oftenstudentswhoarenotreadyto
makethelong‐termcommitmenttograduateschool
demandedbythePh.D.,orwhoareunabletogain
admissiontoaPh.D.programdirectly,findthe
master'sprogramtobeagoodalternative.
Increasingly,studentsareusingthemaster'sdegree
asasteppingstonetodoctoralprograms.Ofcourse,
thecareergoalsofmanystudentswillmakethe
master'sdegreetheirfirstchoice(Marriageand
FamilyCounseling,forexample).Again,minimum
GPAsguaranteeingadmissioncannotbegiven,but
studentsplanningonadmissiontoaMaster's
programshouldaimforacumulativeGPAof3.0.
InspiteoftheimportanceplacedonGPA,it
wouldbeamistakeforstudentstoviewagoodgrade
astheprimarygoalofeachcollegeclass.Gradesare
notanendinthemselvesbutareareflectionofa
deepercommitmentonthepartofthestudentto
academicexcellence.Studentsforwhoman"A"isthe
solereinforcerforlearningmay,throughsheerbrute
force,gainadmissiontograduateschoolbutwill
havewastedtheeffort.Graduatestudyisbestsuited
forthosewhogenuinelyvalueandenjoylearning.
Thecapableundergraduatestudentwhobothtakes
collegeclassesseriouslyandisabletodevelopa
senseofpleasureinlearningshouldbeabletoearn
thekindsofgradesnecessarytocompetefor
admissiontograduateschool.
D.GraduateRecordExam(GRE):
ThereareactuallytwoGREtestswhichneedto
betakenpriortoapplyingtograduateschool:the
GeneralandtheSubjectGRE.
TheGeneralGREissimilarinnaturetothe
collegeaptitudetests(SAT,ACT)moststudentstook
attheendofhighschool,thoughofcourseitismore
demanding.Itconsistsofthreesections:Verbal(e.g.,
vocabulary,reasoning,readingcomprehension);
Math(e.g.,algebraandgeometry);andAnalytic(e.g.,
problemsolving).
ThegeneralGREis(alongwithcollegeGPA)one
ofthetwomostimportantcriteriausedinselecting
studentsforgraduateschool.Itcanbeusedasa
"cross‐check"onGPA,sinceeverystudentisaskedto
respondtoitemsofroughlythesamelevelof
difficulty,whereasan"A"atoneschoolmaybethe
equivalentofa"B"atanotherschool.Incombination
withthecollegeGPA,standardizedtestslikethese
canbehelpfulinidentifyingstudentswhowillbe
successfulingraduateschool,buttheyarefarfrom
perfect(correlationbetweencombinedGREandGPA
withgraduateschoolperformanceisaround.40,
Anastasi,1989).
Therearespecialskillsthatcontributetosuperior
performanceonobjectivetestswhichmaybeonly
moderatelyrelatedtotheskillsneededtodowellin
graduateschool.Thisiswhyother,moresubjective,
______
7
methodsofassessmentarealsousedinthe
selectionprocess(e.g.,lettersofrecommendation,
personalstatements).However,giventhatmost
graduateprogramshavemanymoreapplicants
thanavailableslots(theratiorangesfrom2:1to
200:1),mostbutnotallprogramshaveestablished
minimumGREscores.Thesescoreswillvary
dependinguponthecompetitivenessoftheschool
andthespecificprogramwithineachschool,but
tendtorangebetween600and700(verbal=80th
to95thpercentile;quantitative=65thto85th
percentile).
BecauseoftheimportanceoftheGeneralGRE
test,itisessentialthatstudentstaketheir
preparationforitseriously.Itisagoodideathat
studentstaketheGeneralGREbyOctoberoftheir
senioryear.Year‐roundcomputer‐basedtestingis
availableattestcentersworldwide.GetmoreGRE
informationonlineat:http://www.gre.org/.
Studentsarestronglyencouragedtosetaside
timefordisciplinedstudyinpreparationforthis
test.Acarefulreviewofalgebraandgeometryisa
must.(Takingacollegelevelmathclasseveryyear
isnotabadidea).ThereareseveralgoodGRE
reviewbooksavailableatmostbookstores.These
includemathandvocabularydrillsandreview,plus
copiesoffull‐lengthpracticetests.Itisessentialthat
studentstakeseveralpracticetestsunder"real"
conditions,timedandclosedbook.Muchoftheskill
involvedindoingwellontestslikethesehastodo
withknowinghowfasttowork,whichquestionsto
investmoretimeon,and,mostimportantly,what
strategiestouseinattackingthedifferenttypesof
problems.Theseskillscanbesignificantlyenhanced
throughexperienceandpractice.
TheSubjectGRE,alsocalledthePsychology
Test,isasetofapproximately200to225multiple
choicequestionscoveringtheentirefieldof
psychology.Graduateschoolsuseitasastandard
measureoftheapplicant'sknowledgeofthefield.
Notallprogramsrequirethistest,butmanydo,and
thosethatdonotmaybeinfluencedbyahighscore.
Whenusedminimumscoresrangefrom600to700
(60thto90thpercentile).Allpsychologymajorsat
PacificUnionCollegearerequiredtotakethe
AdvancedGREattheendoftheAutumnQuarterof
thesenioryear.
Inarealsensetheentirepsychologymajorisa
preparationforthistest.Studentswhodidwellin
theirpsychologycourses,especiallythosewhowere
intrinsicallyinterestedinlearning,notjustinthe
minimumnecessaryforagoodgrade,willbeina
betterpositiontodowellonthistest.Inthe
AutumnQuarterofthesenioryearallmajorstake
thecourse"SystematicIssuesinPsychology,"which
isinpartacomprehensivereviewofthesubject
areasinpsychology,usingahigh‐levelgeneral
psychologytextbook.Thisclassshouldhelpthe
studentpreparefortheSubjectGRE,althoughthe
responsibilityforpreparingrestswitheachstudent.
E.RecommendationLetters:
Lettersofrecommendationaretakenvery
seriouslybygraduateschooladmissioncommittees.
Theyareaprimarysourceofinformationregarding
thosequalitiesandabilitieswhichcannotbe
measuredobjectivelythroughGPAortestscores.
Graduateschoolsarelookingforapplicantswhoare
personallymature,responsible,motivated,
committedtoandpersonally"turned‐on"by
psychology,andwho,ingeneral,willmakeapositive
contributiontotheiracademiccommunity.
Responsible,enthusiasticparticipationinclassisone
ofthebestwaystogetgoodrecommendationletters,
(SeesampleRecommendationForminAppendix).
Mostprogramswillaskforthreeorfourletters
ofreference.Theseshouldbefromeithercollege
professorsorsupervisorsfromapsychologyrelated
work,volunteerorresearchexperience.Atleasttwo
ofthelettersshouldbefrompsychologists.Don't
assumethatpeoplewillwriteyouapositive
reference;politelyaskthemiftheyfeelthatthey
knowyouwellenoughtowriteapositiveletter.
Potentialreferencesshouldbecontactedearlyinthe
AutumnQuarterofthesenioryear,andshouldbe
providedwithyourresume,alistofclassestaken
fromthem(withgradesearned)andaddressed,
stampedenvelopes.Giveyourletterwritersalistof
alloftheschoolsyouareapplyingto(alongwithany
specializedrecommendationforms)atonce.Donot
givethemtwothisweek,anotherthenextweek,and
threemorethethirdweek.Allowatleastthree
weeksfromthetimeyouaskforthelettertothetime
itisactuallymailed.Remember,facultyareprobably
writinglettersforotherstudents,andtheendofthe
quartertendstobeabusytimeforfaculty,too.
Oneoftheadvantagesofasmallliberalarts
collegelikePUCisthatstudentshavethe
opportunitytogettoknowtheirprofessors
personally.Thisisimportant,sinceagoodletterof
recommendationisnotjustpositive,butconcrete
andspecific.Aletterreading"Joeisanenthusiastic,
matureandsuperiorstudent"ismuchlesseffective
thanonethatreads"Jenniferisthekindofstudenta
teacherrelishes.InmySocialPsychologyclassshe
regularlyaskedmeforoutsidereferences,andwould
comebymyofficetodiscussherinterestincognitive
dissonanceresearch."Inorderforteacherstowrite
______
8
effectiveletterslikethis,studentsmusttake
advantageofsmallclasssizestosharetheir
interestsandpersonalities.
Ontheotherhand,negativeimpressionsare
easily,ifsubtly,communicatedatasmallschool.
Consistentlysleepingthroughclass,turningin
sloppyorlateassignments,orgettingbywith
minimumeffortarerememberedandinterpreted
byfacultyasimmaturity,lazinessorapathy.The
temptationmayariseto"fakegood"andattempta
superficialinterestorcommitment.Notonlyisthis
usuallyeasilyseenthrough,butitisfoolishly
counterproductive.Ifoneisnotgenuinely
interestedinsomeareaofpsychology,thenwhy
fakeit?Amorecommonproblemisthestudent
whoisgenuinelyinterestedandexcitedbysome
areasofpsychology,butisshyoruncomfortable
aboutsharingthisinterestwithateacher.Students
areencouragedtotakeasmallrisk,eitherinclass,
duringofficehours,oratoneofthemany
opportunitiesforinformalteachercontact(club
functions,chapel,Sabbathschool,etc.)andallow
thebehavioralsciencefacultytogettoknowthem.
Thiswillnotonlyresultinmoreconcrete,and
thereforehelpfullettersofrecommendation,but
willgreatlyenhancethelearningcommunityofour
department.
Keith‐Spiegel,andthatthecharacteristicswillhave
differentrankingsthanthosegiveninherbook.)
PositiveQualities:
1. Applicantislistedasaseniorauthorofa
researcharticlepublishedinarefereed
scholarlyjournal.
2. Applicantissoleauthoronapaper
presentedatAPA,APSorWPA.
3. Applicant'spersonalstatementrevealsa
sustainedandfocusedinterestinanarea
appropriatetoyourprogram.
4. Applicantwritesverywell
5. Applicantincludesaresearchpaper
(independentstudyproject)insubmitted
applicationpackagethatisrelevanttoyour
programfocus.
NegativeQualities:
1. Academicdishonesty
2. Applicationmaterialspreparedincareless
mannerandrevealnumerousspellingand
grammaticalerrors
3. Applicationturnedinlate.
4. Applicanthandsinassignmentslate
F.WhatGraduateSchoolsareLookingfor(andwhat
theyarenotlookingfor)
GraduateSchoolsuseG.P.A.andGREscoresto
identifyarelativelylargegroupofapplicantswho
haveagoodchanceofsucceedingwithadvanced
academicstudy.Themorecompetitiveschoolswill
usefairlyhighcut‐offs,lesscompetitiveschoolswill
usesomewhatlowercut‐offs.Thisprocessstill
leavesmanymorequalifiedstudentsthananyone
programcanaccept;Howdotheymaketheir
selectionsfromthisgroup?Nooneknowsthe
preciseanswertothisall‐importantquestion,since
everyacceptancecommitteehasitsownprocedures
andcriteria.However,Dr.PatriciaKeith‐Spiegel,in
herinvaluablebookTheCompleteGuideto
GraduateSchoolAdmission(1991)hassummarized
theresultsfrom
numeroussurveyssheconductedwithactual
selectioncommitteesthatprovidessomeexcellent
insight.Everystudentconsideringapplyingto
graduateschoolisstronglyencouragedtopurchase,
oratleaststudy,thisbook(availableinthe
BehavioralScienceDepartment).Whatfollows
belowisaselectionofimportantpositiveand
negativetraitswhichhaveasignificantimpacton
anapplicant'schancesofgettingacceptedto
graduateschool.(Notethatthislistiscompiled
fromseveraldifferentlistssuppliedby
5. Applicantmissesclassesfrequently
6. Applicantsleepsduringlectures
7. Applicanttalkstoneighborsduringlecture
presentation
G.Research:
Severalrecentsurveysofgraduateschool
admissioncommitteeshaveshownthattheresearch
experienceofundergraduatestudentsisthesingle
mostimportantfactorwhendistinguishingbetween
qualifiedapplicants.Inotherwords,whenchoosing
betweentwoapplicantswhobothhaveGPAsabove
3.5,GREscoresabovethe90thpercentile,and
positivelettersofrecommendation,theapplicant
withmoreresearchexperience(asopposedtothe
higherGPAortestscore)ismorelikelytobe
selected.Researchexperiencecanalsosignificantly
helptheapplicantwhosegradesortestscoresmay
bealittlebelowtheaveragegraduateschool
applicant.
Anotheroneofthestrengthsofthepsychology
majoratPUCisthatwerequireallofourstudentsto
takeathree‐quarterresearchsequenceofcourses
(Statistics,ResearchDesignandExperimental
______
9
Psychology).The"StatisticalPackagefortheSocial
Sciences"(SPSS),apowerfulcomputerbased
programforthestatisticalanalysisofresearch,is
taughtinresearchdesign.Masteryofthisprogram
islookeduponquitefavorablybygraduateschool
admissioncommittees.Studentsplanningon
graduateschoolarestronglyadvisedtocomplete
thissequencebytheendoftheirjunioryear.Bythe
endofthissequencethepsychologystudentwill
havedesigned,carriedoutandwrittenuptheirown
psychologyexperiment.Theywillalsohave
presentedtheirresearchatanon‐campus,student
researchsymposiumsponsoredbyPSICHI.Ifthis
projectiscarriedoutthoughtfullyandcarefully,
studentsshouldhaveagoodprobabilityofgetting
theirresearchacceptedforpresentationatthe
WesternPsychologicalAssociationConventionand
maypossiblysubmititforpublicationina
psychologicaljournal.Eitherthepresentingor
publishingofresearchisasignificantaidinthe
graduateschooladmissionprocess.Studentsare
alsoencouragedtoattendseveralpsychology
conventions,evenwhennotpresentingthemselves,
bothtoexposethemselvestonewresearchin
psychologyandtolearnaboutpsychologyasa
profession.
Studentsinterestedinfurtherresearch
experiencemayconsiderapplyingtothehonors
programintheirfreshmanorearlyintheir
sophomoreyear.
Thisprogramisdesignedtoenrichthestudiesof
academicallymotivatedandqualifiedstudents.
Manyofthegeneraleducationrequirementsare
metbytakingthecorehonorsclasses,whichfollow
moreofaseminarformat.Inthesenioryear
studentscompleteanhonorsresearchproject.The
benefitsofthisprogramincludeanenhancedliberal
educationexperience,asecond,structured,
researchexperience,andthedesignation"With
Honors"onthediplomaandtranscript.Allofthese
willaddtothecredentialsofthepotentialgraduate
schoolapplicant.Entrancerequirementstothe
honorsprogrammaybefoundintheschool
Bulletin.
Interestedstudentsmaywanttoseekresearch
experienceontheirown,eitherduringthesummer
atcolleges,universitiesorhospitalsnearhome,or
byassistingaPUCprofessorwithhisorherown
research.Studentswithsuchaninterestare
encouragedtodiscussitwiththeiradvisor.
H.ExtracurricularActivities:
contributestothedevelopmentofourdepartment
community.Everyyeartheuniquepatternof
personalitiescreatedbyourstudentsandfaculty
makespossiblespecialandimportantopportunities
forintellectual,socialandspiritualgrowth.Liberal
artseducationisnotlimitedtowhatgoesoninthe
classroom.Oftenthemostimportantlearning
experiencesforbothstudentandteacheroccurin
informaldebatesordiscussionscarriedonin
hallwaysandofficedoorways,sharedjoyinavideo
orasoftballgame,orspiritualcommunioninasong
orprayer.Studentsareencouragedtojoinand
participateintheacademic,socialandspirituallifeof
thedepartmentoutsideoftheclassroom.
Asecondbenefitofextracurricularparticipation
istheopportunityitaffordsforallowingfacultyto
gettoknowstudentswellenoughtowritehelpful
recommendationletters.Studentswhoactively
participate,orevenbetter,serveasofficers,inthe
departmentalclubsandorganizationsgivefaculty
muchmorespecific,concretedataonwhichtobase
suchletters.
PSICHIisthenationalhonorsocietyin
psychology.Membershipinitisrecognizedworld
wideasasignofacademicachievementand
commitmenttoacademicexcellence.PUCisoneof
onlytwoSDAcollegestohaveachapterofPSICHIon
campus.Membershiprequirementsincludea
minimumof12psychologyunitsandacumulative
GPAof3.5.Activitiesincludespecialinterest
seminarsandsymposiums,supportandinformation
relatingtocareerandgraduateschoolselection,
viewinganddiscussionofpsychologicallyrelevant
videosandplays,attendanceatpsychological
lecturesandconventions.
Studentsarealsoencouragedtojointhe
AmericanPsychologicalAssociationasastudent
affiliate.Thiscosts$25.00ayearandincludesa
subscriptiontoAmericanPsychologist,thebasic
journaloftheAmericanPsychologicalAssociation,
andtheAPAMonitor,theAPA'snewspaper.
ApplicationformsareavailableattheDepartmentof
Psychology&SocialWorkoffice.Inaddition,the
motivatedstudentisencouragedtopicka
psychologicaljournalcoveringaparticularsubjectof
interest(socialpsychology,childdevelopment,
psychotherapy,etc.)andreadthroughcurrentissues
astheycometothelibrary(usuallyeverymonth,or
everyquarter).Thiswillhelpkeepthestudent
up‐to‐dateoncurrentresearchinthefield,suggest
areasfortheirownresearch,andperhapseven
suggestgraduateprogramstoapplyto.Discussing
thesearticleswithdepartmentfacultyhelpsfocus
importantquestions,andallowsprofessorsto
becomeawareofyourinterestsandmotivation.
Studentinvolvementinout‐of‐classactivities
hastwosignificantconsequences.First,it
______
10
I.VolunteerandWorkExperience:
Studentsareencouragedtoseeksomesortof
practicalexperienceduringtheircollegeyears.This
doesmorethandeepenclassroomlearningor
improvethegraduateschoolapplication(although
itwilldobothofthese).Itservestoemphasizeone
oftheprimarygoalsoftheDepartmentof
Psychology&SocialWork.Educatedstudentsare
thosewhonotonlycanuseknowledgeto
understandtheirworld,buthavethecommitment
tousetheirknowledgetomakeitbetter.The
Angwincommunityoffersseveralopportunitiesfor
interestedstudentstoworkingrouphomesfor
emotionallytroubledchildren.Otherworkor
volunteeropportunitiesmaybeavailableattheSt.
HelenaHospital,NapaStateMentalHospital,and
thesuicidepreventionline.Inaddition,theStudent
Associationoftenmakesavailableopportunitiesto
workwiththehomelesspopulationinSan
FranciscoorprisoninmatesinVacaville.
Graduateschoolisveryexpensive.Evenstate
schoolscancostseveralthousanddollarsayearin
tuition,pluslivingexpensesandbooks.Private
schoolscancostmuchmore.Whilefinancesneedto
betakenseriously,studentsareencouragednotto
letcostbethefactorthatpreventsthemfrom
applyingtoaprogramtheyareinterestedin.
FinancialAidisusuallyavailable,intheformof
fellowships,grants,loansandwork.Itisrarethat
studentscan'tworkoutthefinancialarrangements.
L.TimetableforGraduateSchoolPreparationand
Application:
FreshmanYear
1. TakeFreshmanlevelrequiredintroductory
psychologyandcognatecourses.
2. ConcentrateonGeneralEducationclasses,
andtaketheseseriously!Remember,the
firstpurposeofcollegeistobecomeliberally
educated,andGraduateSchoolsarelooking
forthesekindsofapplicants.Historyof
WesternArtisasimportantasGeneral
Psychology.DONOTSHYAWAYFROM
MATH,SCIENCEANDWRITINGCLASSES.
Interestedstudentsshouldtakethecourse
“PsychologyFieldwork”intheFallquarter.After
completingtheweeklyseminar,studentsmay
repeattheagencyplacementseveraltimes.
Inadditiontothesecommunityservice
opportunities,theDepartmentofPsychology&
SocialWorkhiresseveralstudentseveryyearto
workassecretary/readersandlaboratory
assistants.Thesejobsgivestudentsagreater
exposuretopsychology,experienceinresearchand
teaching,andallowdepartmentfacultytogetto
knowthembetter.Thesepositionsusuallygoto
studentswhohavedemonstratedmaturity,
independence,self‐motivationandacademic
accomplishment.Interestedstudentswhofeel
themselvestobequalifiedshouldinquirewiththe
departmentchair.
3. Ifyoumeettherequirements,seriously
considertheHonorsprogram.Thiswill
greatlyenhanceyourliberaleducation,and
provideyouwithanotheropportunitytodo
researchinyoursenioryear.
4. Takecareofyourgradepointaverage.Don't
getdepressedover"C's,"butconcentrateon
improvingyourgradeseveryquarter.
Remember,youareaimingforaminimum
GPAbetween3.2and3.5,soeventuallyyou
willneedtogetmostly"B's"and"A's."
5. Getinvolvedinthelifeofthedepartment
community.JointheBehavioralScienceClub.
J.PersonalStatement:
Everygraduateprogramwillrequirean
autobiographicalessay,describingthestudent's
background,interestsandcharacteristicswhich
suggestsuccessforgraduateschoolandfora
psychologicalcareer.Everyprogramwillhaveits
ownuniquerequirementsforthisessay,butin
generalitwillaskthestudenttosynthesize
academic,extracurricularandpersonalinformation
inawaythatcommunicatesdesirabilityfor
selection.Thisessayshouldbetakenveryseriously,
andwrittenverycarefully.Thestudentshouldshow
earlydraftstofriendsandfamilywhoknowthem
well,andtopsychologyprofessors(andperhaps
Englishprofessors)whocanofferhelpfulfeedback.
6. Attendactivitiesandvolunteertoworkon
specialprojects,evenifit’sjustorganizing
foodorcarwashes.Don'tworryifyoudonot
feellikeoneofthe"insiders"justyet,that
willcomeintime.Thefacultyandolder
studentswanttogettoknowyou(and,you
wantthemtoknowyou!)
7. Talktofacultyandolderstudentsabout
careeroptionsinpsychology.
8. Applyforstudentmembershipinthe
AmericanPsychologicalAssociationandthe
WesternPsychologicalAssociation
K.FinancialAid:
______
11
services,consideravolunteerplacementfor
afewhoursaweekinacommunityagency.
SophomoreYear
1. Startafileboxinwhichyouwillput
importantinformationfromGradSchool.
Savenotesonyouractivitiesand
accomplishmentsforyourresume.Locate
andsaveinformationonpossibleinterest
areasinpsychology(researchand/or
clinical),copiesofjournalarticles,etc.Save
thesyllabifromyourmajorcoursesand
(veryimportant!)saveyourtextbooks.Also,
savecopiesofmajortermandresearch
papers.
JuniorYear
1. Starttheresearchsequence(Research
DesignandExperimentalPsychology).
Developasenseofthejoyofdiscoveryin
research;itwillmakethingseasierforyou,
andyouwilldoabetterjob.Ifyoudoagood
jobonyourresearchprojectyouwillbeable
tosubmititforpresentationattheWPA
convention.
2. Takeupperdivisionpsychologycourses,
andnoticespecificresearchareasyou
mightbeinterestedin.Talktoprofessors
whomayhavespecialknowledgeoractive
researchinterestinthoseareas.
2. Considergettinginvolvedinanother
researchproject,eitherassistingwitha
facultyproject,designingyourown(under
facultysupervision),orworkingwith
someoneoffcampus.Youmaydothisduring
theschoolyear,orduringthesummer.
3. Regularlyreadcurrentissuesofa
psychologyjournalinanareayouare
interestedin.Notecurrentresearch
methods,problemsandtopics.
3. Continuetakingupperdivisionpsychology
courses.Considertakingelectivemathand
sciencecoursesabovethegeneraleducation
requirements.Considerespeciallyatleast
thefirstcourseinCollegeAlgebra(MATH
111).Thiswillimprovethequalityofyour
application,andmostimportantly,helpyou
preparefortheGRE.
4. JoinPSICHI(ifeligible).
5. AttendtheWPAconventioninthespring.
Meetcurrentgraduatestudentsandtalkto
themabouttheirexperience,askforadvice.
Payattentiontothecontentandstructure
ofresearchpresented(especiallyposter
sessions).Startthinkingaboutthekindsof
graduateprogramsyoumightbeinterested
in.
4. CheckwithyouradvisorandtheGraduation
Analysttomakesureyouareontheright
trackforgraduation.
5. StudythebookGraduateStudyin
Psychology,publishedbytheAPA(acopy
canbefoundintheDepartmentof
Psychology&SocialWork).Startidentifying
programsyoumightbeinterestedin
attending.Payattentiontothe
competitivenessoftheprogram,the
strictnessoftheadmissioncriteria,the
emphasisinthetraining.Makealistof
programsyouareinterestedin(includea
broadvariety‐Ph.D.andmasters,moreand
lesscompetitive,appliedandexperimental.
Youwillnarrowitdownlater).
6. Ifyouareinterestedinclinicalor
counselingareasofpsychology,tryto
arrangeforsomeclinicallyrelated
experienceforthissummerornextyear.
Examplesincludepsychiatrictechnicianor
orderly,grouphomeworker,preschool
assistant,crisislinevolunteer.Lookfora
settingwhereyoucandemonstrateyour
interpersonalmaturityandskills,andget
supervisedbyapsychologist(oratleast
somelicensedmentalhealthworker).
7. Reviewyourprogresswithyouradvisor.
WillyourGPAbeover3.0bytheendof
yoursophomoreyear?Ifnot,assessthe
reason(motivation?,studyskills?etc)and
workonimprovement.
6. TaketheGraduateSchoolApplication
SeminarintheSpringquarter‐thiswillgive
youcrucialsupportinpreparingtoapplyto
gradschoolinthenextFall.
SummerBetweenSophomoreandJuniorYear
1. ConsidertakingoneortwoGeneral
EducationCoursesinsummerschool.
2. Ifyouneedtowork,trytofindajobthat
relatesinsomewaytoyourareaor
populationofinterest(e.g.children).
3. Ifyouarethinkingofacareerinhuman
______
12
submityourresearchprojectfromlastyear
forpresentationatthisyear'sWPA
convention.Thisprocesswillbeeasierif
youareamemberofPSICHI.Deadlinefor
submissionisusuallyinOctoberor
November.
SummerBeforeSeniorYear
1. Requestinformation(bulletins,brochures,
financial‐aidforms,applicationformsand
listoffacultyresearchinterests)from
programsyouareconsideringapplyingto
(seesampleletterinAppendixB).
Remember,fromnowon,everycontactyou
havewithagraduateschoolwillcontribute
totheirimpressionofyou.Thisincludes
phoneconversationswithsecretariesand
lettersrequestinginformation.Alwaysbe
politeand"mature"onthephone.Always
neatlytypeandproofreadletters.Don'tbe
conservative,contactatleast25different
schools!Reviewandorganizethe
informationcarefullyasyougetit.Lookfor
programsthathavea"goodnessoffit"with
yourinterestsandqualifications.Tryto
identifyprogramsandfacultythat
specializeinareasyouhavespecialinterest
orexperiencein.
2. Take"SystematicIssuesinPsychology."This
classwillhelpyouprepareforthe
psychologyGRE.Butremember,preparing
forandapplyingtograduateschoolisyour
responsibility.
3. Considertakingalighterloadthanusual
AutumnQuarter.Ifyouareseriousabout
applyingtograduateschool,thetimeyou
willspendontheapplication,test
preparationandtakingprocesswillbe
roughlyequivalenttoa3‐hourcourse.
4. Prepareapersonalresume.Thiswillbe
giventofacultywhowritelettersof
recommendationforyou,andwillalsobe
includedinyourapplication.
2. Ifyoudidn'ttakethegeneralGREinthe
spring,besuretoregisterfortheOctober
administration(registerthroughthePUC
counselingcentertoguaranteea
non‐Sabbathadministrationdate).Ifyou
tookitinthespringbutdidn'tdoaswellas
youwouldlike(i.e.,yourscoresarebelow
theminimumlistedforgraduateprograms
youareinterestedin)registertotakeit
again.Ineithercase,STUDY!STUDY!
STUDY!(YouwillbetakingthePsychology
GREinDecember.)
5. Startnarrowingdownyourlistofgraduate
schools.Lookforthat"goodnessoffit."Talk
itoverwithfriendsandfacultywhoknow
you.Trytoapplytoatleast10,includingtwo
whoserequirementsyoudefinitelymeet,
twowhoserequirementsmayslightlyexceed
yourqualifications,andtherestsomewhere
inbetween.Remember,graduateschoolisso
competitivethatyouarenotguaranteed
admissioneventoschoolsyouarequalified
for(theyhavemanymorequalified
applicantsthanslots).
3. Theactualapplicationprocesswilltakeup
muchofyourtimeduringAutumnQuarter.
Itwillalsocostmoney($50to$75per
application).Youwillbeencouragedto
applytoatleast10programs,sothecost
forapplicationfeesalonewillbearound
$700.Youwillalsoprobablywanttovisit
someoftheschoolsyouareapplyingto,and
thiswillalsocostmoney.Don'tletmoney
stopyou!Allschoolshaveaprocessfor
waivingapplicationfeesforstudentswith
demonstrablefinancialneed.Findoutif
youqualify.Spendsometimethissummer
gettingmoneytogetherfortheapplication
process.Work,talktoparents,church,etc.A
coupleofhundreddollarssoundslikealot
ofmoneyrightnow(anditis),but
comparedwiththebenefitsassociatedwith
reachingyoureducationalgoals,itisworth
it.
6. Requestastudentcopyofyourtranscripts
fromeveryundergraduateinstitutionyou
haveattended.Checktheseovercarefullyfor
errors.Youhavetimetocorrectthesenow,
butyouwon'tlater.
7. Planinformativevisitstoschoolshighon
yourlistduringAutumnQuarter.Don'tjust
dropinunannounced;callaheadandaskif
theremightbeaconvenienttimeforyouto
talkwithafacultymember(specifysomeone
ifyouhaveyoureyeonhis/herresearch
interest)andsomegraduatestudents.This
willnotbeanadmissioninterview,justa
chanceforyoutogetabetterfeelforthem.
8. RegisterfortheAdvancedGREofferedin
December.(DothisthroughthePUC
counselingcenterinordertogeta
non‐Sabbathadministrationdate.)Ifneeded,
registertotaketheMillersAnalogiesTest
(MAT).Moststudentstakethisatthe
counselingcenterattheUniversityof
CaliforniaatBerkeley.
SeptemberandOctoberofSeniorYear
1. Withtheconsultationandconsentofyour
advisorordepartmentchair,reviseand
9. Contactthoseindividualswhomyouplanon
______
13
Acceptanceoffersprobablywon'tcometill
April.Youmayhowever,getrejectedbefore
then.Rule#1:everybodygetsrejected
somewhere,andmostpeoplegetrejected
frommostprograms.Don'ttakeittoohard.
havingwriteyourlettersof
recommendation.(Youwillneedthreeto
four,andtwotothreeofthesemustbe
psychologists).Askthempolitelybut
directlyiftheyfeeltheyknowyouwell
enoughtowriteapositiveletter(see
Handbooksectiononrecommendation
letters).Allowthreetofourweeksfromthe
timeyouasktothetimetheletteris
actuallysent.
2. Findoutthepolicyofeachschoolyou
appliedtoregardinginterviews.Some
intervieweveryone,someonlyinterview
aftermakinga"firstcut,"someonly
interviewthosewhorequestone,andsome
don'tinterviewatall.Readtheapplication
informationfirstbeforecallingtofindout.
Scheduleinterviewswhereappropriate,or
bepreparedfor"surprise"telephone
interviews.Anticipatelikelyquestionsand
practiceansweringthem.
NovemberofSeniorYear
1. Finalizethelistofschoolsyouwillapplyto.
Checktheapplicationdeadlines,andpost
thesewhereyouwillseethemfrequently
(e.g.yourbathroommirror,coverofyour
notebook).Makesureyouhavecomplete
applicationpacketsforalloftheseschools.
3. Prioritizeyourschools,soyouwillknow
howto respondifyougetaccepted
somewhere.Ifschool#3acceptsyouearly,
don'tbepressuredintoimmediately
acceptingit.Thankthemsincerelyand
politelyandtellthemyouwillgetbackto
them.Callschools#1and#2tocheckon
yourstatus(areyoustillbeingconsidered?).
BythebeginningofAprilyoushouldhave
heardonewayortheotherfromallofyour
schools.Callanyschoolyouhaven'theard
fromandcheckonyourstatus.Don'taccept
anyofferuntilyouaresureitistheschool
youwillattend.NEVERacceptanofferfrom
morethanoneschool.Onceyouacceptan
offer,promptlyturndownallotheroffers.It
isNOTappropriatetoacceptoneoffer,then
turnitdownwhena"better"offercomes
around.Makesureyouhaveconsideredall
availableoptionsbeforeacceptinganoffer.
Keepinclosecontactwithyouradvisor
duringthisprocess.Itisagoodideato
consultwithyouradvisorbeforeaccepting
anoffer.
2. Writeyourpersonalstatement.Rewriteit.
Showittosomepeople.Rewriteitagain.
(SeeHandbookonpersonalstatement).
3. RequestthatyourGREandMATscoresbe
senttoallschoolsyouhavedecidedto
applyto.
DecemberofSeniorYear
1. Preparethefinalcopiesofyourapplication
materials.Thesemustallbecarefullyand
flawlesslytyped.Makeacomplete
photocopyofeachapplicationforyour
records.Allapplicationsshouldbemailed
inatleasttwoweeksbeforethedeadline.
Makesuretoincludenecessaryapplication
fees,orarrangeforawaiverbasedon
financialneed.
2. Haveyourtranscriptsfromall
undergraduateinstitutionsbesenttoallof
theprogramsyouhaveappliedto.
4. Ifyouarenotacceptedatanyprogram,do
notgiveuphope!Youstillhaveseveral
options.Theseincludeapplyingtoamaster's
programataschoolstillaccepting
applicationsforthenextfall(youwillbeable
tofindseveralofthese);takeayearoffand
workonimprovingyourapplication(GRE
scores,re‐takingcourseswithbadgrades,
gettingresearchorclinicalexperience)and
applyagainnextyear;applyforgraduate
studyoremploymentinsomerelatedareaor
field.Consultwithyouradvisorimmediately.
3. Asyougetclosetoapplicationdeadlines,
checkwithyourrecommendersandaskif
theyneedanymoreinformationtowrite
yourletter(ofcourse,youarereally
checkingtoseeiftheyhavesentyour
letter).
4. Twoweeksaftermailinginyourapplication
materials(oraweekbeforetheapplication
deadline)checkwithyourschoolstomake
suretheyhavereceivedallofyour
materials.Bepolite!
January‐AprilofSeniorYear
1. Getreadyforsomeanxiouswaiting.
III. PsychologyMajor:Pre‐MedorPre‐Dent(TrackII)
TheDepartmentofPsychology&SocialWork
hasmanystudentswhoarepreparingfora
non‐psychologyprofessionsuchasmedicinebut
______
14
whohavechosentomajorinpsychology.Many
professionalgraduateschooldesireapplicantswho
haveawell‐roundedbackgroundasopposedto
narrowinterests,andsincemostofthese
professionsarepeople‐oriented,apsychology
majorisaveryusefulmajortotheirchosencareer.
ThePacificUnionCollegepremedhandbookpoints
outthatmostmedicalschoolsencouragethe
selectionofnon‐sciencemajors.Ifyouareastudent
whowantstogointooneofthesenon‐psychology
professionsyetalsotakeamajorfromthe
DepartmentofPsychology&SocialWork,youmay
beinterestedinthe“Psychology&Culture”
emphasisofthePsychologyMajor.Thisoffersa
broaderexposuretoavarietyofPsychology
courses,inadditiontocourseworkinSociologyand
SocialWork.Italsoallowsabitmoreflexibility,
whichmaymakeiteasiertoworkinotherrequired
pre‐professionalcourses.Eitheremphasisofthe
Psychologymajorwillgowellwithpremed,
predent,orprelawprograms;ifyouthinkyou
mightwanttheoptionoflaterpursuingpsychology
ingraduateschool,thenthepsychology&science
emphasismightbeabetterchoice.
Premedpsychologymajorsshouldstayinclose
contactwiththepremedadvisor.Thepremed
psychologymajorshouldfocusthefirsttwoyears
onthepre‐medcoursesandalsoonpreparingto
taketheMCAT.Thepsychologycourse
requirementscanbetakencareofasthepremed
schedulepermits,withtherestofthesepsychology
coursesbeingtakenduringthelasttwoyearsof
college.Thissamebasicadvicealsoholdsforthe
predentalpsychologymajors.
MajorinPsychology:PremedandPredent
FirstYear
A
GeneralPsychology
IntrotothePsychMajor
4
CollegeEnglish
W
S
1
4
4
BiologicalFoundations
GeneralChemistry1
5
5
5
5
5
5
GeneralEducation
3
17
2
17
3
A
W
S
17
SecondYear
IntroductiontoSociology
PsychologySeminar
IntroductiontoStats
2
4
4
3
ChildDevelopment
4
OrganicChemistry
GeneralPhysics3
4
4
4
4
4
4
GeneralEducation
3
2
9
171717
ThirdYear
Colloquium
Followingaresampleschedulesshowinga
majorinpsychologywitheitheremphasisalong
withthepre‐medandpre‐dentcourses:
A
W
S
.2
.2
.2
StatisticalMethods
3
CulturalAnthropology
4
SocialPsychology
4
AdditionalPsychology4
8
GeneralPhysics
4
4
4
GeneralEducation
5
2
13
171717
5 Biology should be taken the first year. Students without good
preparation in chemistry should take Intro to Chemistry before the
General Chemistry sequence. Many premed majors take the entire year of
General Chemistry in the summer after the freshman year.
6 If the Child Development Lab conflicts with a science lab, take
Physiological Psych or Personality.
7 Many premed students will take the entire year of physics in the summer
after their sophomore year.
8 Take two of Personality, Physiological or Child Development
(whichever not already taken).
______
15
FourthYear
A
W
S
Colloquium
.2
.2
.2
SystematicIssues
3
IV. PsychologyMajor:PreparationforCareersthatdo
notRequireGraduateTraining(TrackIII)
A.Bachelor'sLevelJobs
History/Systems
ofPsychology
4
IssuesinRel.Ethics...
ResearchDesign
4
4
Experimental
Psychology
4
GenderIssues
/RaceRelations
3
LearningandMemory
4
PsychofReligion
/Sacred&Profane3
PsychologyElectives*
4
While careers as a psychologist or licensed
therapist do require graduate school in addition to
an undergraduatemajorinpsychology, there are careersinfieldsboth directlyandindirectlyrelated
topsychology that are available to students with only
an undergraduate degree.Itisagood ideatotake
somecoursesfromotherdepartmentsto better
prepareyouforthatcareer.Forexample,a
psychologymajorisgoodpreparationforworkingin
acompany'spersonneldepartment;however,a
studentwouldbeevenbetterpreparedifs/hetook
somemanagement/businesscourses.Accordingto
Zeller(1988),apsychologymajorisgood
preparationforthefollowinglistofbachelorlevel
careers:
4
GeneralEducation 2
4
2
16.216.217.2
activitydirector
addictioncounselor
administrativeprogramassistant
admissionsmarketanalyst
admissions‐publicrelationsdirector
admissionsrecruiter
admissionsrepresentative
adolescentcaretechnician
adolescentchemicaldependencycounselor
advertisingtrainee
adviser‐educator
affirmativeactionofficer
agencyrepresentative
airlinereservationsclerk
alcoholcounseloralcoholismcounselor
alcoholismunitmanager
areaadministratorarenaandsportsfacility
instructor
assistantresidencemanager
assistantyouthcoordinator
associationmanager
behavioranalyst
campstaffdirector
______
16
caretaker
directorofactivityandrecreation
casetrackingspecialist
directorofalumnirelations
caseworker
directorofday‐carecenter
centersupervisor
directorofdisplacedhomemakers
chemicaldependencyadvocate
directorofhumanservices
chemicaldependencycoordinator
directorofIndianeducation
chemicaldependencycounselor
directorofplannedparenthood
chemicaldependencysecretary
directorofplanning
chemicaldependencytechnician
directorofsecurity
child‐carecounselor
directorofyouthservicebureau
child‐careworker
drivinginstructor
child‐developmentworker
drugcounselor
child‐protectionworker
earlychildhoodspecialist
circulationmanager
educationpreventionspecialist
clericalworker
educationdaytimecoordinator
collectionassistant
educationalcoordinator
collector
educationalrepresentative
collegeadmissionsrepresentative
educationalsalesperson
communityactivist
educationaltextbookrepresentative
communitycorrectionalserviceworker
employee‐assistanceprogramspecialist
communityoutreachcoordinator
employeecounselor
communityorganizer
employmentcounselor
communityservicecoordinator
employmentrepresentative
communityworker
executivedirector
complianceofficer
exportordercoordinator
consultant
fieldrepresentative
cottagetreatmentteam
foster‐homeparent
counselor
grantscoordinator
counseloraid
grouphomecoordinator
counselor(drug)
grouphomecounselor
counselor/therapist
grouphomeparents
countypersonnelofficer
groupleader
crime‐preventioncoordinator
groupworker
customerrelations
headofalumniaffairs
customer‐servicetrainee
headoffundraising
dailylivingaid
host/hostess
day‐careaid
houseparents
demonstrationcoordinator
human‐relationsdirector
deputyjuvenileprobationofficer
human‐servicestechnician
developmentalreadinginstructor
infant‐stimulationteacher
developmentofficer
informationspecialist
______
17
informationreferralspecialist
residentcaretaker
in‐servicedirector
residentialassistant
instructor
residentialdirector
instructor,handicappedadultprogram
residentialservicecoordinator
insuranceagent
residentialsupervisor
interviewerinvestigator
resourcedeveloper
juvenilejusticeplanner
retainmanager
juvenilepreventionprogramcoordinator
salesperson
juvenilespecialist
secretary
living‐unitassistant
securityofficer
loadingdocksuperintendent
serviceadvisor
managementtrainee
socialsecurityadjudicator
marketingmanager
socialsecurityinterviewer
mentalretardationprofessional
socialservicedirector
mentalretardationunitmanager
socialservicessupervisor
neighborhoodoutreachworker
socialstudiesteacher
occupationalinformationdeveloper
socialworker
parkandrecreationdirector
socialworkercoordinator
patientservicerepresentative
statisticalassistant
personnelanalyst
studentactivitiesadviser
personnelcoordinator
supervisor
personnelgeneralist
supportservicemanager
planner‐assistant
taskforcecoordinator
planner‐evaluator
temporaryadmissionsclerk
privateschoolrepresentative
textbookcoordinator
privatetutor
trainer
probationofficer
trainer‐coordinator
professionalworker
veteran'sadvisor
programconsultant
volunteercoordinator
programcoordinator
workactivityprogramdirector
programdirector
youthworker
projectlearninginstructor
police‐trainingcoordinator
publicinformationofficer
rehabilitationaid
reliefhouseparents
researchanalyst/planner
researchassistant
Ifyouhaveaninterestinfindingoutmoreabout
whatkindsofcareersonecanenterwithabachelors
degreeinpsychology,youwillwanttocheckthe
followingsources,allofwhichareavailableinthe
DepartmentofPsychology&SocialWork:
•
Fretz,B.(1979)Wheretolookforpositions.in
P.J.Woods(Ed.),ThePsychologyMajor:Training
andEmploymentStrategies.Washington,D.C.,
AmericanPsychologicalAssociation,pp.27‐29.
•
Woods,PaulJ.,editor.(1987)IsPsychologythe
MajorforYou?,Washington,D.C.,American
researchtrainee
residencecounselor
residentaid
______
18
PsychologicalAssociation.
•
•
PersonalTraits
1. Abilitytoworkwithothersinateam
Woods,PaulJ.,editor.(1988)IsPsychologyfor
Them?AGuidetoUndergraduateAdvising.
Washington,D.C.,AmericanPsychological
Association.
Zeller,M.J.(1988)Titlesofjobsinhuman
servicesforstudentswithabachelor'sdegreein
psychology,InP.J.Woods(Ed.),IsPsychologyfor
Them?:AGuidetoUndergraduateAdvising(pp.
195‐196).Washington,D.C.,American
PsychologicalAssociation.
B.SkillsandKnowledgeValuesinBachelorLevel
ApplicantsbyProspectiveEmployers
Whatskillsandknowledgedoprospective
employersexpectbachelor'slevelpsychology
majorstohave?In1988EdwardsandSmith
interviewed118organizationsintheChicagoarea.
Theseorganizationswereaskedtostatetheskills,
knowledgeandpersonaltraitsthattheydeemed
importantforpsychologymajorsthattheywould
hireforpositionsrequiringsomeresearchduties.
Theseemployersincludednon‐profitorganizations
suchascharitableorcommunityorganizations,
governmentagencies,andcommercialfor‐profit
companiesthatsoldaproductoraservicesuchas
bankingoradvertising.Thefollowingisasummary
ofthemostimportantskills,knowledge,and
personaltraitstheprospectiveemployerssaidthey
wouldliketoseeintheirbachelorlevelpsychology
employees.
Skills
2. Motivationtoworkhard
3. Positiveattitudetowardwork
4. Organization,leadershipandflexibility
5. Communicateswell
Manyofthecoursesrequiredinourcurriculum
addresstheseobjectivesinadirectmanner.
Inasimilarstudythefollowingknowledgeand
skillswerestatedasbeingmostimportantby
prospectiveemployers:
Skills
1. Workingwithfamilies
2. Interviewingandgroupprocesses
3. Writingpsychologicalreports
Knowledge
1. Normalpsychologicaldevelopment
2. Abnormalpsychology
3. Legal/ethicalissues
Again,manyofthecoursesinthepsychology
curriculumaddresstheseconcerns.
Insummary,you,thepsychologymajorshould:
1. Writeproposalsandreports
1. Identifywhoyouareandwhatyourgoals
are.
2. Identifyproblemsandsuggestsolutions
basedonresearchfindingsandknowledge
ofbehavior
2. Realizethatemployersdowantbachelor
levelpsychologymajors.
4. Dostatisticalanalysis
3. Acquiretheskills,knowledge,andpersonal
qualitiesdesiredbytheprospective
employers.
5. Designandconductresearchprojects
4. Selectclassesthatareconsistentwiththe
3. Conductinterviews
careerpath.
5. Gatherresourcesaboutemploymentissues.
Knowledge
1. Attitudes,opinionformationandchange
2. Personnelselection
3. Howpeoplethink,solveproblemsand
processinformation
4. Effectsofphysicalenvironmentonpeople's
feelingsandactions
______
19
V. Sources for Further
Woods,PaulJ.(1979).ThePsychologyMajor:
TrainingandEmploymentStrategies.
WashingtonD.C.,AmericanPsychological
Association.
Information on Psychology
Careers and Graduate School
Altmaier,E.M.&Meyer,M.E.(1985).
AppliedSpecialtiesinPsychology.NY:
RandomHouse.
Woods,PaulandWilkinson,Charles,(1987).Is
PsychologytheMajorforYou?Washington
D.C.,AmericanPsychologicalAssociation.
Baum,CynthiaG.(Ed.)(2000).GraduateStudy
inPsychology.WashingtonD.C.,American
PsychologicalAssociation.
Buskist,WilliamandMixon,Amy,(1998).Allyn
andBaconGuidetoMaster’sProgramsin
PsychologyandCounselingPsychology.
Boston,AllynandBacon.
Degalan,JulieandLambert,Stephen,(1995).
GreatJobsforPsychologyMajors.Chicago,
VGMCareerHorizons.
Gifford,Robert(1991).AppliedPsychology:
VarietyandOpportunity.Boston,Allynand
Bacon.
Kardas,EdwardP.(1999).Psychology
ResourcesontheWorldWideWeb.New
York,BrooksColePublishingCompany.
Keith‐Spiegel,P.(1991).TheCompleteGuideto
GraduateSchoolAdmission,Psychologyand
RelatedFields.Hillsdale,NJ,Lawrence
ErlbaumAssociates.
Landrum,E.,Davis,S.,andLandrum,T.(2000).
ThePsychologyMajor,CareerOptionsand
StrategiesforSuccess.NewJersey,Prentice
Hall.
Mayne,Tracy,&Sayette,Michael.(2000).
InsidersGuidetoGraduateProgramin
ClinicalPsychology2000‐2001.NewYork,
GulfordPress.
McLaughlin,Ann.(2000).OccupationalOutlook
Handbook2000‐2001.Scottsdale,Associated
BookPublishers,Inc.
Nettles,OlinJ.(Ed.)(1993).GettingIn:AStepby
StepPlanforGainingAdmissiontoGraduate
SchoolinPsychology.WashingtonD.C.,
AmericanPsychologicalAssociation.
Palmer,E.andThompson‐Schill,S.(1997).
Barron’sGREPsychology4thEdition.New
York,Barron’sEducationalSeries,Inc.
Psychology,CareersfortheTwenty‐FirstCentury,
AmericanPsychologicalAssociation,
WashingtonD.C.,1995.
Sternberg,RobertJ.(1997).CareerPathsIn
Psychology:WhereYourDegreeCanTake
You.WashingtonD.C.,American
PsychologicalAssociation.
______
20
VI. AppendixA
STANDARDRECOMMENDATIONFORM
TotheApplicant:Thisformshouldbegiventoprofessorswhoareabletocommentonyourqualificationsfor
graduatestudyinpsychology.Youshouldnotrequestarecommendationfromanon‐academicpersonunless
youhavebeenawayfromanacademicinstitutionforsometime.Fortheconvenienceofthepersoncompleting
thisform,youshouldincludeastampedenvelopeaddressedtoeachgraduateprogramtowhichyouare
applying.
UnderthefederalFamilyEducationalRightsandPrivacyActof1974,studentsareentitledtoreviewtheir
records,includinglettersofrecommendation.However,thosewritingrecommendationsandthoseassessing
recommendationsmayattachmoresignificancetothemifitisknownthattherecommendationswillremain
confidential.Itisyouroptiontowaiveyourrighttoaccesstotheserecommendationsortodeclinetodoso.
Pleasemarktheappropriatephrasebelow,indicatingyourchoiceofoption,andsignyourname.
[
[
]
]
Iwaivemyrighttoreviewthisrecommendation.
Idonotwaivemyrighttoreviewthisrecommendation.
Date______________
Applicant’ssignature______________________________________________
Name(print)______________________________________________________________________
Degreesought(checkone):
Master’s[] Doctorate[]
RECOMMENDATION
1.
Ihaveknowntheapplicantfor_____years,_____months.
2.
Iknowtheapplicant:slightly[]
fairlywell[]
verywell[]
3.
Ihaveknowntheapplicant:
[]Asanundergraduatestudent
[]Asagraduatestudent
[]Other_____________________
4.
Theapplicanthastaken:noneofmyclasses[]oneofmyclasses[]twoormoreofmyclasses
5.
Indicatethepopulationwithwhichtheapplicantisbeingcomparedinthisrating:
[]undergraduatestudentswhomIhavetaughtorknown.
[]graduatestudentswhomIhavetaughtorknown.
[]allstudents,graduateandundergraduate,whomIhavetaughtorknown.
[]colleagueswhomIhaveworkedwith.
[]Asateachingassistant
[]Asanadvisee
Originality
[]Generatescreativeideasinclassdiscussions.
[]Hasdevisedasurgicaltechnique,designedlaboratoryequipment,ordevelopedanunusualresearch
strategy.
[]Hascompletedaninnovativeresearchproject.
[]Haswonaprizeforcreativewritingorworkedontheschoolorlocalnewspaperasawriter.
[]Hascreatedanoriginalworkofartormusic.
[]Recastsoldproblemsinoriginalways.
SocialSkills
[]Organizedasciencefairorsimilarspecialevent.
[]Seemstobegoodathelpingpeoplewhoareupsetortroubled.
[]Issoughtbystudentsorfacultyforadvice.
[]Makesandkeepsfriendseasily.
[]Participatesinvoluntarycommunityorsocialserviceactivities.
[]Wasemployedasacaseaide,psychiatrictechnician,orstudentassistantinatelephonehotline
______
21
LeadershipandPersuasiveSkills
[]Isconvincingindiscussionsordebates.
[]Leadsgroupdiscussionseasily.
[]WasactiveintheDepartmentofPsychology&SocialWork.
[]Waselectedanofficerofanorganizationortoapoliticaloffice.
[]Volunteerstogiveoralreports.
[]WasactiveinPSICHI.
OrderlinessandClericalSkills
[]Alwayscompletesclassassignmentsorpapersontime.
[]Schedulesownworkandfollowsthroughwiththeschedule.
[]Hasworkedasadepartmentsecretaryorreader.
[]Submitsworkthathasbeencarefullyproofreadandcheckedforspellingorcomputationserrors.
[]Submitsneatlypreparedwrittenreports.
Independence
[]Triestosolveproblemsindependentlybeforeseekingadvice.
[]Performedresearchwithafacultymemberthatwasnotforcoursecredit.
[]Completedanindependentprojectwithlittlefacultydirection.
[]Requireslittledirectionfromfaculty.
CommitmenttoPsychology
[]Attendedaregionalpsychologyconventionasanundergraduate.
[]Attendspsychologydepartmentcolloquiums.
[]Seeksoutpsychologicalliteraturebeyondcourseworkrequirements.
[]Isinterestedinacareerofapplyingpsychology.
[]Isinterestedinacareerofresearchinpsychology.
[]Isinterestedinacareerofteachingpsychology.
7.
GlobalRatings:ComparedtothepopulationindicatedinItem5,ratethisapplicantoneach
characteristic.
Lower
Characteristic
50%
AcademicAbility
GeneralKnowledge
ScientificSkepticism
OralExpressionSkills
WrittenExpressionSkills
Originality
SocialAwareness/Concern
EmotionalMaturity
DesiretoAchieve
AbilitytoWorkwithOthers
LeadershipSkills
PersuasiveAbility
Independence/Initiative
ProfessionalCommitment
ResearchSkills
TeachingSkills
PotentialforSuccess
CarefulnessinWork
Upper
50%
Upper
25%
Upper
10%
______
22
Upper NoBasisfor
5%
Response
8. Istheapplicant'sacademicpotentialgreaterorlessthanthatindicatedbyher/hisgrades?InsertanX
whereappropriateonthescalebelow.
l____________l____________l____________l____________l____________l__________1
much
somewhat
equal
somewhat
much
less
less
greater
greater
nobasis
forjudgment
9. Iftheapplicanthashadteachingexperience,howwouldyourateher/hispotentialforcollegeteaching?
poor[] fair[]
good[] excellent[]
cannotdetermine[]
10. Iftheapplicanthashadresearchexperience,howwouldyourateher/hisresearchpotential?
poor[] fair[]
good[] excellent[] cannotdetermine[]
11. Howwouldyouratetheapplicant'spotentialforworkinappliedresearchsettings?
poor[] fair[]
good[] excellent[] cannotdetermine[]
12. Howwouldyouratetheapplicant'spotentialforclinicalorcounselingwork?
poor[] fair[]
good[] excellent[] cannotdetermine[]
13. Indicatethestrengthofyouroverallendorsementoftheapplicant.
[] Notrecommended
[]Recommendedwithsomereservations
[]Recommended
[]Highlyrecommended
14. Thespacebelowissuppliedforanyadditionalinformationyoumaywishtoprovide,suchasexplanationsof
anyofthecriticalincidentschecked.Themostimportantinformationyoucanprovideaboutthisapplicantis
informationthatisnotreflectedintheapplicant'stranscriptandtestscores(i.e.,workdoneoutsideofclassand
othercharacteristicsyoubelievearerelatedtosuccessingraduateschool).Attachadditionalpagesifnecessary.
______
23
VII. AppendixB
SAMPLE"GRADUATESCHOOLINFORMATIONREQUESTLETTER"
(Note:Anemailrequestforinformationispossibleatmanyinstitutions,andisfaster.See
http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/cdemello/univ.htmlforalistofgraduateprogramsinpsychology).
June5,2015
GraduateAdmissionsOffice
205DavieHallCB#3270
DepartmentofPsychology
UniversityofNorthCarolina,ChapelHill
ChapelHill,NC27599‐3270
DearMadamorSir:
IamjustcompletingmythirdyearasapsychologymajoratPacificUnionCollege,andIamintheprocessof
gatheringinformationaboutprogramsinyourfieldofinterest,e.g.,HealthPsychology.Wouldyoupleasesend
methefollowingmaterials:
1. Agraduatecatalogandbulletinfromyourinstitution
2. SpecificinformationconcerningyourHealthPsychologyprogram(e.g.admissionrequirements,special
emphasisandopportunities,etc.)
3. Alistoftheresearchandclinicalinterestsofyourfaculty
4. Anapplicationforadmissionandfinancialaid
Iwouldappreciatereceivingthisinformationassoonaspossible.Thankyousomuchforyourassistance.
Sincerely,
______
24
VIII. AppendixC
SelectedGraduateProgramsThatHaveAcceptedPUCDepartmentofPsychology&SocialWorkMajors
(Revised9/16/15)
AdlerUniversity
AndrewsUniversity
AuburnUniversity
ArizonaStateUniversity
BostonCollege
BostonUniversity
BowlingGreenUniversity
BrighamYoungUniversity
CaliforniaSchoolofProfessionalPsychology
CaliforniaStateUniveristyFullerton
CaliforniaStateUniversitySanBernardino
ChicagoSchoolofProfessionalPsychology
ClaremontGraduateSchool
ColumbiaUniversity
EmoryUniversity
FresnoStateUniversity
FullerTheologicalSeminarySchoolofPsychology
GeorgeWashingtonUniversity
HastingsSchoolofLaw
HowardUniversity
IowaStateUniversity
LomaLindaUniveristy
LomaLindaSchoolofMedicine
LondonSchoolofEconomics
MankatoStateUniversity
McGeorgeLawSchool
MichiganStateUniversity
NewYorkUniversity
Palo Alto University
PepperdineUniversity
PortlandStateUniversity
PurdueUniversity
RosemeadSchoolofProfessionalPsychology
SacramentoStateUniversity
SanDiegoStateUniversity
SanJoseStateUniversity
SanFranciscoStateUniversity
SantaClaraUniversity
SeattlePacificUniversity
SyracuseUniversity
UniversityofAlabama
UniversityofCaliforniaBerkeley
UniversityofCalifornia,Irvine
UniversityofCaliforniaLosAngeles
UniversityofCaliforniaRiverside
UniversityofCaliforniaSanDiego
UniversityofCaliforniaSantaBarbara
UniversityofCaliforniaSantaCruz
UniversityofDenver
UniversityofIdaho
UniversityofEdinburgh
UniversityofMaryland
UniversityofMinnesota
UniversityofNebraska
UniversityofNevada,Reno
UniversityofNorthCarolina,ChapelHill
UniversityofPennsylvania
UniversityofSouthCarolina
UniversityofTennessee
UniversityofUtah
UniversityofWashington
UniversityofSouthernCalifornia
VirginiaCommonwealthUniversity
VirginiaPolytechnicInstitute
WashingtonStateUniversity
YaleUniversity
______
25
PacificUnionCollege
Angwin,CA94508
ThePsychologyMajor'sHandbook
DepartmentofPsychology&SocialWork
2014‐15
______
26