Fielding Offers and Making a Final Decision—Amanda C. Kracen, Essay 8—Making Decisions: My Reflections on Graduate School and Career Choices—Roy F. Baumeister, 9. Applying to Graduate School in Psychology: Advice from Successful Students and Prominent Psychologists (2008-05-01) Paperback – 1781 by Unknown (Author) The American Psychological Association has set April 15 as the universal acceptance deadline for all accredited programs. You may be able to eliminate some programs from your original list. 4201 Wilson Blvd. Getting your name on such resource listings helps you stand out in the applicant pool. One of the most prestigious is the Ford Foundation program. Introduction—Amanda C. Kracen and Ian J. Wallace, 1. Your faculty advisor can also be helpful in giving an honest appraisal of your credentials prior to your applying for a program. It may be done on a voluntary basis, undertaken for academic credit or completed as part of paid employment. Another alternative is to apply first to a master's level program which would give you additional training, experience and some marketable skills. On the other hand, if you are more interested in human services delivery careers, such as may be found in Clinical, Counseling or School Psychology, then you should seek relevant practical and clinical research experiences. Dept. The CEMRRAT workgroup also gratefully acknowledges valuable input in the preparation of this guide from Don Operario and Debra Shapiro Gill, APA Science Student Council. CEMRRAT also acknowledges the valuable feedback on earlier drafts of this guide from several boards and committees at APA, including the Board of Professional Affairs (BPA) and the Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns (CLGBC). While they may make glowing statements about you, their assessments will not carry much weight with most admissions committees. Box 1764 Examine or adopt this book for teaching a course, © 2020 American Psychological Association. If, on the other hand, your career goal is to become a service professional in psychology (i.e., a practitioner), then you may want to consider applying to one of the professional schools of psychology or to a graduate program with a clear commitment to practitioner training. Will they support your research or professional interests? This guide was originally developed between 1989 and 1991 by the members of the Committee of Students Concerned with Ethnic Issues (CSCEI) at UCLA and is distributed to all prospective applicants to the graduate program in psychology at UCLA. Do the faculty members' research and/or clinical interests closely match your own? You will need to obtain: Most institutions will automatically forward all of this information. We suggest that you select graduate or professional programs based on the quality of the specific psychology program of interest to you, rather than on the general reputation of the institution. Please note that once you are admitted, that program has made a commitment to you and expects a similar commitment from you. Graduate and professional programs in psychology require letters of recommendation from faculty in support of your application. Unfortunately, this delay in decisionmaking may adversely affect a student's chances for admission into the graduate or professional program of his or her choice. As a rule of thumb, you may want to apply to 10-12 programs (maximum). KK As of December 1996, all GREs may be taken by computer. A less expensive alternative is to purchase a GRE preparation book. Psychology education and careers: Guidebook for college students of color, Ford Foundation Doctoral Fellowships for Minorities, National Research Council - Fellowship Office 750 First St., NE If you are an ethnic minority student or have a strong interest in racial/ethnic issues in psychology, make a special effort to seek out those faculty who share similar interests. Advice From Successful Students and Prominent Psychologists, Advancing psychology to benefit society and improve lives. Be assertive (but not pushy) and seek them out. Washington, D.C. 20002-4242 Once you have selected a number of schools that are of interest to you, you must contact them directly to request additional information. What is life on campus like for graduate students? Doctoral programs in psychology are usually full-time programs with day instruction. Washington, D.C. 20002 Submit transcript requests as soon as possible. Helpful hint: An invitation for an interview is often an indication that you have successfully advanced through a number of preliminary cuts. Regardless of your position on these issues, it is important to recognize that graduate admissions committees in most universities give weight to these scores in making their decisions. Take the time you need. Contacting an institution's local alumni association may also be helpful to you. You still have a chance, but you must be prepared to make a decision about accepting or rejecting an offer with very short notice. This is a waste of your time, money and effort. An Overview of the Field of Psychology—Héctor Y. Adamés, Essay 1—A Snapshot of Psychology: The Personal and Professional Benefits I've Enjoyed—Gerald P. Koocher, 2. As we noted earlier, you may need to obtain additional research or practical experience or correct deficiencies in your academic background. Availability of ethnic populations ISBN-13: 978-1433803451. Overview. Throughout, suggestions are made in the form of "helpful hints" that will give you ideas about how to approach and successfully deal with many of the important issues you may face in the application process. In turn, each program will require that you respond in writing, indicating whether you are accepting or declining the offer of admission. When you receive your first letter of acceptance, wait to hear from other programs. If you register with the service, graduate or professional programs will contact you directly to offer information about their programs. Be selective. by Amanda C Kracen (Editor), Ian J Wallace (Editor) 4.2 out of 5 stars 6 ratings. Phone: 202-336-6027, National Science Foundation Once you have obtained this information from each institution, review it carefully. What are your qualifications, knowledge of, and interest in your chosen field of study (i.e., research, community, counseling, clinical, volunteer and work experiences)? 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