“So you want to go to grad
school, huh?”
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO AS AN UNDERGRADUATE
TO GET INTO GRADUATE SCHOOL
Getting into Graduate School
 Graduate programs are VERY competitive.
 <10% of all psych majors enter Ph.D. programs
 Master’s programs are a little less competitive
 In order to achieve your goals, you need to be well
prepared and set yourself apart from other
applicants.
 This presentation focuses on 3 issues:
1.
2.
3.
What are graduate programs looking for?
How can you best meet those expectations?
What timeline should you follow to prepare for graduate
school?
What are graduate programs looking for?
 Evidence of Ability


GPA
Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
 Fit with their program


Previous research &/or professional experiences
Personal statement
 Evidence of motivation to succeed



Previous research &/or professional experiences
Choice of undergraduate electives
Extracurricular involvement
 Good letters of recommendation hit on all three

More on this in Dr. Stephens’ presentation tomorrow!
What are graduate programs looking for?
 Evidence of Ability
 GPA
Check with the program to determine which GPA they are
interested in
 Cumulative, upper-division courses (e.g., last 90 credits), or
Psychology major courses
 Typical requirements
 Minimum requirement of 3.5 for most Ph.D. programs
 3.0 or higher for M.A. programs
 What to do if your GPA is low?
 Stress your stronger GPA in upper-level & psychology major
courses
 Take advantage of FIU’s “forgiveness” policy

What are graduate programs looking for?
 Evidence of Ability
 Graduate Record Examination (GRE) – www.ets.org

General test
 Three sections
• Verbal Reasoning
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Analytical Writing
Competitive students have scores of 600+ on each section
 Psychology subject test
 Required by some programs
 ~2 hours long – consists of ~205 multiple choice questions
 Only offered a three times/year

What are graduate programs looking for?
 Fit with their program
 Programs prefer students whose past experiences & interests complement their
focus
 Personal statements serve to indicate how well the student’s future interests
coincide with the program’s goals

More on writing your personal statement in Dr. Stephens’ presentation tomorrow!
 Evidence of motivation to succeed
 Extracurricular research/professional experiences shows an intrinsic motivation
to learn more
 Involvement in extracurricular clubs (e.g., Psi Chi, PRIME, etc.) shows further
interest in pursuing psychological goals



Psi Chi (National Honor Society in Psychology)
 http://www.fiu.edu/~psichi/
Psychology Research Initiative Mentorship Program (PRIME)
 http://psych.fiu.edu/PRIME/
Look for students who take challenging undergraduate electives


“Easy” electives (e.g., Spanish 101) do not enhance your application
In contrast, more difficult electives in Psychology, Math, & Science make your
application stronger
How do you meet these expectations?
 Keep your GPA high
 Focus on your GPA early. Once it’s low, it is difficult to raise
your GPA.
 Prepare for the GRE
 Take the time to prepare for the GRE. Many students begin
studying months in advance. Don’t cram!!
 Choose your electives wisely
 Don’t take the easy way out. Take some challenging electives
that complement your grad school interests.
 Get experience!!
Getting experience as an undergraduate
 Identify the area(s) that you’re most interested in
 Determine what type of experience is right for you.
 Are you interested in pursuing experimental or professional psychology?


Experimental: Social, Cognitive, Developmental, Clinical Science (PhD),
Neuropsychology, etc.
Professional: Counseling, Social Work, Clinical (PsyD), School, etc.
 Get to know your professors
 Talk to them before/after class. Go to office hours.
 Don’t just show up to “shoot the breeze” though. Go in prepared to discuss
psychology and the material you’re covering in class. Professors are busy
people….make sure you use the time wisely.
 Find out information about all FIU faculty members
 E.g., What do they research? What training do they have? Where do they do their
research? Do they typically have undergraduates involved in their labs? etc.
 Identify those that you may be interested in working with.
 Can find some of this information on the FIU Psychology Department website

http://psych.fiu.edu
Getting involved in research
 Approach a faculty member whose research interests
complement yours


You should try to work with a faculty member who conducts research
in the area you’re interested in pursuing in grad school.
E.g., if interested in clinical psychology, approach a faculty member
who conducts clinical research.
 What if your interests are different than all of the faculty
members’?


Identify faculty members whose interests are most closely related to
your interests.
The basic methods of doing research are quite similar regardless of
subspecialty, so it is OK to work with a professor in a different field
than your primary interest.

Who knows…maybe you’ll find that you’re actually most interested in
that area anyway.
Getting involved in research
 Research requirements differ across faculty members
 Some general points:

You should begin working in a lab in your Sophomore or Junior
years


Students volunteer their time for the first semester or two


Some faculty won’t accept students in their Senior year due to the
limited time the students would be involved in the lab.
Assist with ongoing laboratory research projects.
 E.g., create materials, administer sessions, collect/enter data,
conduct statistical analyses
Later opportunity to earn course credit for Independent Research
(PSY 4916) or Honors Thesis (PSY 4914)

May be able to design & administer own project with faculty guidance.
Getting professional experience
 If pursuing professional psychology, identify clinical
opportunities


Typically will involve volunteering your time for community
organizations that assist with mental health services
Speak with clinical & counseling faculty members for more
information regarding these opportunities
Dr. Lisa Lewis Arango (Director – Counseling Psych M.A. program)
 Other faculty:
 Dr. Jacob Gerwitz
 Dr. Mary Levitt
 Dr. William Lickliter
 Dr. Marilyn Montgomery
 Dr. Wendy Silverman
 Dr. Jonathan Tubman


May be able to earn course credit (PSY 4941)
Timeline for preparing for graduate school*
 Freshman
 Develop strong learning habits
Take your coursework seriously. Prepare for every class and be
active in discussions.
 Build strong study habits.


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Make notes of psychology topics that interest you
Get to know your instructors
Talk “shop” with them before/after class and during office hours.
 Building a good relationship with faculty is important for
obtaining strong recommendations later on.

*Detailed timeline is available in the Psychology Major’s Handbook
Timeline for preparing for graduate school*
 Sophomore
 Start planning/taking electives in Math & Science



Discuss available options with your academic advisor
Focus on keeping your GPA high
Find out more about the psychology topics that interest you
Identify graduate programs that train in these areas.
 Contact these programs to learn more about their requirements.


Identify FIU faculty members that do work in areas you’re
interested in

Contact them to learn about opportunities to work in their labs.
*Detailed timeline is available in the Psychology Major’s Handbook
Timeline for preparing for graduate school*
 Junior
 Keep your GPA high
 Start getting extracurricular experience if you haven’t already
Contact a faculty member about joining his/her lab.
 If interested in professional psych (e.g., clinical, counseling, etc.),
set up professional experiences/internships.

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
Continue preparing for the GRE & other required tests
Register for and take the GRE in the spring semester
*Detailed timeline is available in the Psychology Major’s Handbook
Timeline for preparing for graduate school*
 Summer between Junior & Senior year

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Complete professional experience/internship (if necessary)
Continue gaining research experience

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Contact graduate programs for more detailed information

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E.g., application packets, financial aid forms, etc.
Research faculty members in potential graduate programs to identify
complementary interests

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Discuss opportunity to develop independent research project with
your faculty mentor.
Make contact with faculty you may be interested in working with.
Begin preparing your curriculum vita/resume
Identify who you will ask to write your reference letters
Plan visits to programs you are interested in (if possible)
*Detailed timeline is available in the Psychology Major’s Handbook
Timeline for preparing for graduate school*
 Senior

Continue research/professional experiences



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Narrow down list of schools to apply to
Take the GRE if you haven’t done so already
Ask faculty members to write your letters of reference
Request official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions


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Conduct independent research if possible.
Do this early as registrar offices typically get overloaded with requests
late in the Fall semester.
Write your personal statement
Complete & submit applications
Most deadlines are between December 15 and January 15, so start
preparing early!!
 More on this in Dr. Stephens’ presentation tomorrow!

*Detailed timeline is available in the Psychology Major’s Handbook
Additional Resources
 More information on preparing for graduate school
can be found on the following sites:

FIU’s Applied Social Cognition Laboratory undergraduate
page


Psych Web's Graduate School Options for Psychology Majors


http://www.fiu.edu/~ascl/gettinginvolved.html
http://www.psywww.com/careers/options.htm
University of Northern Iowa's Pursuing Psychology Graduate
School

http://www.uni.edu/walsh/linda2.html