Prepare for Graduate School

• Starting your first semester of college you can begin making choices that will make graduate school an option for you. Even if you aren't sure you want to go to graduate school, if you select a challenging degree and courses, earn excellent grades, and participate in activities outside the classroom, your undergraduate experience will be enhanced.
• When you've decided on a career goal that requires you to attend graduate school to earn a particular degree. You have to decide on a career before you can select a graduate program or know - for sure - what you need to do to prepare for admission to that program.

What should you do to prepare for graduate school?

• Gaining Admission Into the Graduate Program of Your Choice - A concise article that addresses preparing, selecting, and applying to graduate school.
• Seven Tips for Preparing a Successful Application to Graduate School in Psychology - Be planful throughout your college years, develop competencies, settle on a specialty area, involve yourself research.
• It Takes More Than Good Grades! Some Straight Talk About How to Get Strong Letters of Recommendation From Faculty addresses what you need to do throughout your college years to lay the foundation for good letters.

• Tips for Doing Well in Psychology Courses - The basics of scheduling courses, study skills, time management and more.
• GRE's and GPA's: The Numbers Game In Graduate Admissions Two very important factors in getting into many graduate school programs are GPA and GRE exam score. Keep that GPA up!

• Maximizing Undergraduate Opportunities: The Value of Research and Other Experiences - Research, teaching, field experiences & internships, and involvement in organizations.
• Finding Opportunities to Get Involved in Research: Some Advice From the Students' Perspective - How can you find a lab to join?
• Does Research Experience make a Significant Difference in Graduate School Admission? If you are applying to a research-oriented doctoral program - Absolutely, yes! If you are applying to a doctoral or master's applied program - Yes!

• Applicant Characteristics Valued by Graduate Programs in Psychology

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Four-Year Timeline to Optimize Your Education & Prepare For Grad School

Freshman year

• With your advisor: Develop an initial academic plan with your University Division Advisor and meet with a Psychology & Neuroscience Advisor during the Spring semester to discuss plans for your sophomore year and beyond!
• Coursework: Select courses that will fulfill the College of Arts & Sciences general education requirements - especially writing, language, math & science classes - and take Introductory Psychology and Research Methods (P211). Consult the sequence map for your degree!
• In Psychological & Brain Sciences: Go to your professors' office hours and talk with them about course material, how to make the most of your undergraduate experience and about your career plans and questions. Begin attending department functions including Psi Chi events and departmental colloquia.
• With regard to career development: Read about majors & careers online and visit the Career Development Center Resource Library to explore books and videos about careers. Consider enrolling in Q294: Career Development to explore your interests and skills and career options!
• On campus & in the community: Join a student organization and participate in volunteer activities.

Sophomore year

• With your advisor: Declare your major and begin meeting with a Psychology & Neuroscience Advisor once each semester. If you are considering a career in health or law you should meet with an advisor in the Health Professions & Pre-Law Information Center.
• Coursework: Consult the sequence map for your degree!
• In Psychological & Brain Sciences: Continue talking with your professors outside of class about course material and optimizing your undergraduate experience. Attend department functions including Psi Chi events and departmental colloquia. If you are considering a career as a psychological scientist then you must get involved in research!
• With regard to career development: Enroll in Planning Your Psychology Career (P199) or, if you are considering a career as a psychological scientist or neuroscientist, enroll in the Sophomore Honors Seminar (P299). Remember: Graduate school trains you for a specific career! You must know your career goal – counseling psychologist; research psychologist; lawyer; social worker, etcetera – before you can decide which graduate program you want to attend.
• On campus & in the community: Take on leadership roles within the student organizations and volunteer activities in which you are involved. If you are interested in graduate school in an applied area of psychology – clinical, counseling; industrial/organizational; forensic; school – conduct an informational interview or job shadow someone working in the career in which you are interested. This will enable you to network and learn more about the daily activities in this career. Look for part-time and/or summer employment that is relevant to your career interests and/or search for your first internship!

Junior year

• With your advisor: Meet with an advisor once each semester. Remember that you must pre-register for advanced lab classes and apply for graduation two semesters before your expected graduation date!
• Coursework: Consult the sequence map for your degree!
• In Psychological & Brain Sciences:
  • If you are interested in graduate school – any type of graduate school – you should participate in the department as a research assistant. Becoming a research assistant can help concepts that may seem vague in the classroom come alive. By working with a research team you can network with undergraduate and graduate students, and develop working relationships with faculty who can write letters of recommendation you will need for ANY graduate school. Click on the research opportunities link in the menu on the left to learn more!
  • If you are interested in graduate school in research/academic psychology then you MUST participate in research – ideally you will become sufficiently involved that you will get your name on a professional publication or to present your research at a professional conference. Discuss with faculty the possibility of your completing a Senior Honors Research Project so that you can graduate with an Honors Degree.
  • Talk with a faculty member about the possibility of becoming an Undergraduate Teaching Intern.
  • Strive to meet the requirements for membership in Psi Chi, the national honor society in psychology, in your junior year so that you can list this on your application materials for graduate school.
  • Selecting & applying to grad programs begins now! Click the links at the top of this page to learn more about select programs, applying, entrance exams and financial support. Start here: Applying to Graduate School -- Strategies and Time-line.
• With regard to career development:
• On campus & in the community:

• With your advisor: Meet with your psychology advisor during the first semester of your senior year to make certain that you are on track to graduate!
• Coursework: Consult the sequence map for your degree! Keep in mind that graduate schools will be evaluating your transcripts in January and February of your senior year so they won't know about courses you are taking during the final semester of your Senior year. If you want a course(s) to appear on your transcript -- take them during the first semester of your senior year. Also: Keep those grades up!
• In Psychological & Brain Sciences:
  The work of applying to graduate programs continues: Start here: Applying to Graduate School -- Strategies and Time-line.
• With regard to career development:
• On campus & in the community: