Getting into Graduate School and Life After Presented By: Dr. Carlee Beth Hawkins Dr. Sheryl Reminger Dr. Frances Shen

Overview What criteria do graduate schools use to make decisions? What is the difference between Master’s and Ph.D. programs? What are personal statements? How to get good recommendation letters? How to prep for the GREs? How to research schools?

Which criteria is most important? Rank DimensionMastersDoctoral Letters of recommendation GPA Personal statement GRE scores Research experience Interview Work experience Clinically related service Extracurricular/Psi Chi

Which criteria is most important? Rank DimensionMastersDoctoral Letters of recommendation21 GPA12 Personal statement33 GRE scores44 Research experience65 Interview56 Work experience87 Clinically related service78 Extracurricular/Psi Chi99 Norcross et al., 2005 & Landrum et al., 1994

Why Pursue a Master’s Degree? Advantages: – Provides multiple training and career opportunities – Less time to earn (2 to 4 years, vs. 4 to 7 for doctoral) – Good option for those who are uncertain about pursuing doctoral degree, or don’t feel as prepared or competitive for doctoral degree (less stringent admission requirements) Disadvantages: – Career options may be somewhat limited by state licensing and certification regulation – Lower salary ceiling – Master’s students are less likely to receive financial support compared to doctoral students

Applying to Doctoral Programs Determine what is the most appropriate degree for the field that you hope to pursue To increase your attractiveness as a doctoral applicant: – Obtain broad training and good foundation in core subjects – Maintain good grades – Establish good relationships with professors – Obtain research experience – Obtain internship experiences in concentration areas

Percentage of Students Who Apply & Are Accepted Source: Norcross, Kohout, & Wicherski (2005)

Questions?

Why Do You Need to Write a Personal Statement? Assessment of communication & writing skills Get to know you beyond your “stats” – Interest – Enthusiasm – Why this particular program Assessment of the fit between their program and you!

How Do You Write an Impressive Personal Statement? Get their attention! Focus on specifics and examples, not generalizations. Typical themes: – Career goals, Why graduate school?, Why this program? Tailor each statement to the school/program Follow any instructions Edit, edit, edit! Edit, edit, edit!

Letters of recommendation How many do you need? Who should you ask? How should you ask? – Give plenty of notice (2 weeks +) – Be clear about addresses, instructions, and deadlines – Provide statement, GRE scores – If asking professors in the Psychology Department, fill out the “Letter of Recommendation Form” at:

Letters of recommendation The strongest letters of recommendation: Include personal knowledge of you Academic skills Clinical skills Research skills Any honors or awards you have received Your career interests and qualifications for that career Are of good quality Have an established, positive relationship with the writer

Questions?

GRE: The Graduate Record Exam GRE website: General Test and Subject Test (Psychology) Information about the GRE computer-based General Test – Test revised in August 2011 – 3 hour, 45 minute exam Two 30-minute Verbal Reasoning sections Two 35-minute Quantitative Reasoning sections Two 30-minute Analytical Writing sections “Research” questions are also included – Scoring system has changed with the new revision Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores fall on a point scale (average is about 150) Analytical Writing scores fall on a 0-6 point scale Check the ETS website for most recent percentile information:

Taking the GRE Where do I take it? – Testing centers in Decatur, Peoria, St. Louis, Chicago How much does it cost to take? – $205 for the General Test, $150 for the Subject Test How do I study for it? – GRE practice test books – GRE classes – Sample questions can be found at the ETS website: – ETS HAS SOFTWARE YOU CAN DOWNLOAD FOR FREE

How to research schools? Which programs should I apply to? – Explore your career options – Look up information on the web Be careful to use only “reputable” sources! See “Resources for Lists of Graduate Schools” handout – Talk to professors or professionals in the community – Consider both master’s and doctoral programs – Consider a mix of desirable and back-up programs

Does this all sound intimidating? The UIS Career Development Center can help! – The Career Development Center can… – Help you create a grad school application timeline with all of the schools you are interested in – Help you research schools and programs – Help with resumes, applications, and personal statements – Offer mock interviews for job and school interviews – Help you find valuable experience opportunities that may help you get into grad school

Additional Resources Graduate study in psychology (published by APA every year) Insider's guide to graduate programs in clinical and counseling psychology (Norcross & Sayette, 2016) The psychology major: Career options and strategies for success (Landrum & Davis, 2013) Applying to graduate school in psychology (Kracen & Wallace, 2008) Getting in: A step-by-step plan for gaining admission to graduate school in psychology (APA, 2007) The complete guide to graduate school admission: Psychology, counseling and related fields (Keith-Spiegel & Wiederman, 2000) How are admissions decisions made for clinical psychology graduate programs? (Pashak, Handal, & Ubinger, 2012)

Questions?