|
Applying
to Graduate School
This is page is intended to give students general knowledge
about any graduate school. For information specific to the
M.A. Program in Psychology at California State University San
Marcos, CLICK HERE.
You should plan early if you think graduate school is a possibility
for you. Look for workshops hosted by the Psychology Student
Organization (PSO) and Psi Chi (Psychology's Honor Society) on
"How to get into graduate school." Faculty members will
present information on graduate admissions procedures, on the Graduate
Record Exam (GRE), and tips for improving your chances at acceptance.
An excellent source of information on graduate school options of
many types can be found in the American Psychological Association's
book, Graduate Study in Psychology and Related Fields. A copy of this
important resource is available in the CSUSM Library. Psychology
faculty also have access to important sources of information about
specialized graduate programs, including, for example, the APA's
directory of graduate programs that include a focus on gay and lesbian
studies.
A few general suggestions for graduate school aspirants include the
following:
- Graduate schools like to see breadth in the undergraduate
preparation.
- Psychology 424 (Advanced Psychological Statistics) is highly
recommended for the grad-school bound student. Most quality grad
programs will require that you have had it.
- Graduate schools usually favor applicants with research
experience. Good performance in lab classes and collaborative
research with faculty members are highly desirable.
- Contrary to what you may have heard, it is not necessary to
achieve a 4.0 GPA in order to gain entrance to graduate school. A
high GPA is important, but straight As are not essential! A
composite of good grades, good GRE scores, good letters of
recommendation, and research experience is most likely to get you
into graduate school.
Applying to graduate school can be a stressful thing. Here
are some helpful tips, links, and information relevant to the
preparation for graduate school:
Coursework: The best way to make a case for
your qualifications for graduate study is to do a good job in your
undergraduate courses. Graduate programs want to see evidence
that you will be successful in a rigorous program.
Additionally, they like to see that students have gone the "extra
mile" by doing more than taking the minimum requirements in the
major. Additional courses (not required by the psychology
major) that graduate school-bound students should take include:
- Psyc 424: Advanced Statistics
- Psyc 498: Independent Study
- Psyc 499: Independent Research
- See Course list for more information on these courses
Discuss your plans with a faculty member: If you plan
on attending graduate school, it is advisable that you build strong
connections with the CSUSM faculty member(s) who share your
interests. Faculty have insights on the graduate school
experience that can really help you to find your own way. If
you'd like to talk with a faculty member about a particular field
and your plans, make an appointment to meet with that faculty member
during office hours. It is best to meet earlier in your
undergraduate career rather than later, so don't wait until you are
a graduating senior to do so!
Work in a faculty member's lab: Students gain
invaluable experiences working in faculty members' labs. Doing
so
provides the opportunity to put some of the skills that they are
learning in the classroom into practice. It helps students to
determine whether pursuing a research-related career is something
they would like to do. Additionally, it allows faculty members
to get to know students better. This makes a difference when
faculty members are asked to write letters of recommendation:
they can comment more specifically on students' strengths and
abilities. If you are interested in working in a lab, contact
the faculty member who is working in your area of interest.
Make an appointment to talk with the faculty member about working in
his/her lab. Although some faculty only take students into
their labs if they are enrolled in an independent research course (Psyc
499), others allow students to volunteer their time. These
experiences are some of the most meaningful that students experience
as undergraduates and some of the most valuable that they can bring
to graduate programs.
Submit your work for the research fair: Students
who want to be competitive for graduate programs should have some
experience presenting their work while they are undergraduates.
The
CSUSM Psychology Student Research Fair provides a wonderful
opportunity to showcase your work.
Submit your work for conferences: Some students
find that the work they have completed through independent studies
or through working in a faculty member's lab is suitable for
presentation at regional or national professional conferences.
Graduate schools look for students who have some experience in the
presentation of data to academic audiences. Faculty members
who are supervising undergraduate students through Independent
Study/Research or in their labs can provide direction to students
who want to present their work at academic conferences.
Travel support: Students may apply for funds to
travel to professional conferences to present their work.
Click here for guidelines regarding Travel
Funds for Students. Students should contact the Dean of Students Office for more
information. Additionally, Psychology students may apply for
travel support through the
Verne Walter Fund. Dr. Verne Walter, a psychologist
from Vista who died in 2005, devoted his life to helping people
choose career and life paths that are fulfilling and successful. He
developed a personal career planning report, the PCDP (Personal
Career Development Profile), which is based on a widely used measure
of personality, the 16 PF. This tool has been used for many years
by career counselors and human resource personnel to help people
define their strengths, interests, and hidden talents. Dr. Walter
established this undergraduate research scholarship in 1998 to aid
psychology undergraduates in their research endeavors. Monies from
this fund can be used to help defray students’ costs for travel to
research conferences where they will present a paper or poster.
Currently scholarships range from $75 to $100 each.
Once you know that you'd like to go to graduate school, you'll need to
begin the search for programs. This will involve time and energy --
don't expect to find programs quickly! A well thought-out search for
programs will be more likely to result in a good match between a potential
graduate student and the program. Give yourself time to look around.
CSUSM's Career
Center also has valuable information that will be helpful in your search
for a graduate school. The psychology's Liaison from the Career Center
may also be able to assist you in your search:
Monica
Demcho
Many programs require that students take the Graduate
Record Exam (GRE) in order to be considered for their program.
Relevant information regarding the GRE can be found at www.gre.org.
Please note that there is a charge for taking the GRE. More
information is available at the website.
CSUSM's Career Center can also provide information about the GRE.
Click here to visit
the testing area of the Career Center.
Below are links to GRE study/practice materials. Other useful tools
available for study/practice for the GRE include workbooks (Kaplan,
ETS),
practice GRE's and seminars (The
Psychology Clubs
usually offer a practice GRE biannually for a small fee, Kaplan
), and GRE prep courses (ETS,
Kaplan).
Whom Should I Ask?
Another important component to applying for graduate school is obtaining
good letters of recommendation. Students often wonder, Who should I
ask? You should follow these guidelines:
- Ask a faculty member from a class in which you did well
- Ask a faculty member who knows you (this is where lab or independent
study experience really helps)
- Ask a faculty member who teaches courses that offer good preparation
for the type of program that you are applying to (e.g., if you are
applying for a Social Psychology program, it would be beneficial to
include a letter from a Social Psychologist).
Timing of letters
Due dates for letters of recommendation generally fall between November
and March; however, you need to check the specific schools you are applying
to for their due dates. Faculty are asked to write dozens of letters
each year; consequently, in timing you request for letters, you should give the
faculty member at least a month to prepare the letter. Contact the
faculty member early, and provide him or her with info about the earliest due date
for the letters. In general, faculty members will need the following
from you in order to write a good letter:
- transcripts (check with the faculty member; not all of them require
this)
- a table listing the program, school, degree and due date for each
school you are applying to
- stamped, addressed envelopes (you should address the envelopes to
the schools you are applying to)
- your statement of purpose (check with the faculty member; not all of
them require this)
To help you organize this information, you may find this Recommendation
Questionnaire helpful.
(1) Ask the faculty members writing letters for you if they'd like you to
fill it out. (2) If so, Fill it out, change the name of the file
(from "recommendation questionnaire" to "your name recommendation
questionnaire") and print it or send it electronically to the faculty members who
want it and have agreed to
write letters for you.
|
