Getting into a psychology graduate program can be difficult.
Getting into a psychology graduate program can be a time-consuming and difficult process. Those who get into such programs spend years preparing for graduate school by studying psychology or a psychology-related subject in college, participating in psychology internships, attaining high grade-point averages and doing well on the the General Record Examination (GRE). There are many different graduate degrees in psychology that people can pursue. You should spend a lot of time determining what type of psychology program you are interested in attending.
Instructions
1. Apply to, attend and graduate from a college or university with a four-year degree. If you plan to go to graduate school in psychology, major or minor in psychology in college. Start researching the type of psychology graduate degree that you wish to apply for early in your college career. Specific psychology graduate programs may require applicants to have completed particular coursework prior to admission. Earn a high grade point average overall and in your psychology coursework.
2. Participate in psychology-related internships. Try to do independent study projects that focus on psychology and require you to do a lot of research. Offer to assist professors with their research. Graduate programs will want to see that you have shown initiative in pursuing your own research and studying psychology outside the classroom.
3. Take the GRE. Check with the graduate program to which you plan to apply to determine what the average GRE scores of its successful applicants are. You may want to take several practice GRE tests before you sit for the actual test. After you have taken the test and are satisfied with your score, arrange to have your GRE score report sent to the graduate program of your choice.
4. Make a final list of psychology graduate programs to which you plan to apply. Contact each school individually to get an application for its program. Each school's application is different and requires different things. Make sure that you are aware of each school's deadlines. Review and complete each application.
5. Write any essays that are required for your applications. Many psychology graduate programs request that applicants submit a personal statement, which is often meant to be an introduction to yourself and your academic endeavors, and should explain why you wish to attend the specific program to which you are applying.
6. Ask professors who know you well to write letters of recommendation for you. Every graduate program requires a different number of letters. Make sure that your professors are aware of the dates by which their letter are due to each school. Give them the addresses and contact information of the schools where they should send the letters.
7. Include any other required information or documents with your application. Some universities may request that you send a resume or writing sample along with your application.
8. Arrange to have your academic transcript sent to your graduate programs of choice. Pay any application fees associated with your applications. Submit your applications.
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