Martin Krugman, Dept. of Psychology. Photo by Ellen Hughes

 

By Martin Krugman
Department of Psychology

Each year, the Department of Psychology at Salem State College, in cooperation with Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology, offers a seminar on “applying to graduate school.” This 90-minute seminar provides psychology majors with critical information about graduate training in psychology and related fields, and practical information about the application process. Although the seminar is primarily intended for psychology majors, we welcome all students because much of the information provided is relevant to graduate applications in any discipline   This seminar provides both information and practical advice about the graduate school application process, with the intention of improving our students’ competitiveness in gaining admission to graduate programs. Many students do not have a specific, professional career goal but instead have general and vague ideas such as “I want to be a therapist” or “I’m interested in psychology.” Accordingly, we describe the different types of graduate training opportunities in psychology and related fields and refer students to useful websites such as www.apa.org/students for additional information. We discuss a variety of program alternatives including master’s versus doctoral degree programs; applied versus basic research programs; general versus programs specific to a professional license, university- or college-based academic programs versus professional schools versus distance-learning programs; and accredited programs versus provisional or non-accredited programs. We also discuss the benefits and drawbacks of obtaining a master’s degree before applying to a doctoral degree program. The seminar then focuses on the practical aspects of preparing applications.

For students who are early in their undergraduate career, we stress the idea that everything they do as an undergraduate is part of their application to graduate school, including their GPA, choice of major and minor, type of courses taken, participation in research, establishment of mentoring relationships with faculty, work and volunteer experience, and participation in campus organizations Applying to graduate school is a stressful, time consuming, and expensive undertaking. Too often, students underestimate the extent of the commitment required, as well as the critical importance of allocating sufficient time and material resources. Adequate planning is essential to ensure the timely submission of the application along with the supporting documents such as transcripts, Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores, and letters of recommendation.

The application itself is a work sample and must be well-organized, well-written, neatly composed, professional in its appearance, and submitted in a timely manner. We recommend organizing the application “project” with an Excel worksheet to ensure that all elements of each application are submitted by the required deadlines Because the odds of success of any qualified applicant getting into any highly competitive program are low, multiple applications improve one’s chances. Thus, students are encouraged to apply to as many programs as they can afford. One common error students make, however, is to limit applications to one school, one program type, or one geographic region.  Other mistakes include applying to programs for which one is objectively not qualified, or applying to programs (safe schools) that one would not actually want to go to if accepted.

The GRE scores are a critical component of graduate applications. By the time a student is submitting graduate applications, GRE scores are the only major admission variables that can be improved. We stress the importance of formally preparing for the GRE by enrolling in a GRE preparation course. Unfortunately, due to the high cost of these courses, many students attempt to prepare using a GRE preparation book or computer program. Best intentions notwithstanding, most students insufficiently prepare for the GRE and consequently are frustrated by the low scores they obtain. Low GRE scores often preclude entry into graduate programs for which a candidate might otherwise be qualified. Although many students will retake the exams, improved GRE scores are not as impressive as high scores achieved in the first round.

The personal statement is arguably the single most important element of a graduate school application because it allows the applicant to present his or her case, individuating one’s self from the larger pool of equally qualified candidates. The challenge of writing a strong personal statement is to emphasize one’s strengths without sounding grandiose or narcissistic, while at the same time, addressing one’s weaknesses without being overly apologetic or self-disclosing. Frequently, students will neglect to emphasize significant strengths while highlighting their weaknesses. We stress the importance of maintaining a positive attitude in the personal statement, of directly stating one’s goals and objectives, and of being sincere and straightforward. Personal statements that are poorly written or vague or that contain grammatical errors or unwarranted self-disclosures are self-defeating. A curriculum vitae that is well-organized, emphasizing academic training and accomplishments, is another important component of a graduate application. Students need to be encouraged to bring to bear all relevant experiences that they have had, including work and volunteer experiences, hobbies, skills, and other accomplishments. Personal accomplishments such as musicianship, demonstrable leadership, computer or research competencies, and fluency in a foreign language can bolster an application and individuate the applicant.

Letters of recommendation are critical components of graduate school applications. However, most students do not realize that the quality of the letter is largely determined by the quality of their relationship with the faculty referee. Not infrequently, I receive requests for letters of recommendation from students who took my classes several years ago, but with whom I have had no contact since. The seminar stresses the importance of building long-term mentoring relationships with faculty. Students are also encouraged to approach faculty in person early in the fall semester to request letters of recommendation and then follow up their requests by providing the faculty with a personal statement, curriculum vitae, and list of programs to which the student is applying.

Lastly, the seminar addresses the issue of what happens if a student does not get into any of graduate programs. We anticipate this outcome as it is not uncommon and suggest a number of strategies for becoming more competitive in the succeeding year, including re-evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the applications, reworking the personal statement, reconsidering the choice of programs, taking additional courses, working as a research assistant, and retaking the GRE.

In conclusion, the “Applying to Graduate School” seminar provides students with critical information needed to succeed in gaining admission to graduate school. It is a service the Department of Psychology offers its students and which I encourage other departments to actively pursue.

This article is part of ASpect’s May 2009 issue, Undergraduate Research.