1. Careers and Graduate Schools in Psychology
Psych 183A
Dr. Robert Levine
Fall, 2005

2. Jobs with a Psych B.A. Community & Social Services Human Resources
Human services worker
Social worker
Program director
Volunteer coordinator
Human Resources
Employee development
Training coordinator
Recruiter
Education
Child care worker
Peace corps
Teacher’s aide
Scientific Research
Opinion survey researcher

3. Student Affairs/Services
Residential Care
For developmentally delayed
For delinquents
For the elderly
Management & Business
Banking
Sales
Public relations
Restaurant & hotel
Student Affairs/Services
Admissions
Career services
Residential life
Student activities
Alumni/development
Probation/Parole/Law enforcement
Parole officer
Correction officer
Juvenile intake worker

4. Money! (B.A.)—very roughly. .
Overall Average: $26-$27
Human Services - $19K
Management - $26K
Sales - $26K
Student Affairs - $22K
Corrections/probation/parole/law enforcement - $23K
Customer Service - $25K
Child & Youth Care - $13-$19K
Human Resources - $24-$26K

5. What’s the competition?
EVERY YEAR:
70,000 psychology bachelor’s degrees
10,000 new master’s degree graduates
3,000 new doctoral degree graduates

6. Graduate Degrees M.A./M.S. Doctorates School psych MFT MSW I/O psych
rehab counseling, guidance counseling, others
Doctorates
Ph.D.
PsyD
EdD: Doctorate in Education

7. Clinical Degrees
Master’s of Social Work (MSW), M.A. in counseling,MFT,M.A. in School Psychology
PsyD: practitioners – much less research.
MD: psychiatry
Counseling & Clinical: 46% of psych doctorates
PhD: Counseling Psychology
PhD: Clinical Psychology

8. Getting Into Graduate School: Qualitative Data (in order of importance)
Grades and GREs
Letters of recommendation
Research experience
Work experience
Clinically related public service
Extracurricular activity
Interview (if applicable)
Personal statements

9. After Graduation
50% of research psychologists work at universities or colleges

10. Want More Money? Become an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist
1999: $90K (median) with 13 yrs experience
Consulting firms (42%), business/industrial settings (31%), self-employed in business (14%)

11. Other high-paying doctoral positions
Research administration/educational administraction
Research: $83.5K (16yrs)
Education: $82.5 (22 yrs)

12. Psych Degrees & Salaries
School psychologists - $71K (20 yrs experience)
Clinical psychologists - $65K (16 yrs)
Counseling psychologists - $60K (15 yrs)
Doctorate in Social Work - $40K
Psychologists – Research positions - $60k (10 yrs)
Faculty: $52K (15 yrs)

13. Cal State University Professors
Starting: $45K
Ending: $93K

14. Steps to Begin Your Quest for Acceptance
At the beginning of your junior year, investigate programs that interest you. Talk with faculty, students, and advisors about programs.
Request that the schools or the departments send brochures, catalogs, applications, and other available materials to you. For each school, compile a list of all required course work, test scores, GPAs, and any recommended activities. It is recommended that required course work be finished and the grade reported on your transcript prior to your application to a program.
Take the Graduate Record Examination-GRE-(or any other required test) and any required specialty tests (such as the GRE Psychology Subject Test). The scores must be available when you need them. Remember that General Test scores take three weeks to be sent to schools; Subject Test scores require six weeks.
Make sure you know the deadlines for submitting your application and other materials. These deadlines will vary from year to year.
Write your vita (resumé). Have it reviewed by a faculty member or advisor.
Write your statement of purpose. Have it reviewed by a faculty member or advisor.
Contact potential referees. Ask if they can give you a good, strong, supportive reference. Do not leave this to the last minute! Some faculty will allow you to review the reference letter they have written; others will not.
Obtain extra copies of ALL transcripts or arrange to have them sent to the appropriate schools.
Plan to spend around $200 in application, mailing, and transcript fees. Many programs charge an application fee which can range from $15 to $50 or more depending on the school. At OSU, transcripts are available from the transcript office. (Some schools will want two copies of each transcript.)

15. Senior Year Monthly Check List
May
Decide which schools/programs interest you, and be sure you have ordered application packets from each program.
June
Take the GRE (if required), especially if applying for financial aid or fellowships, etc.
August
Register for the GRE (if you did not take it in June).
Register for the GRE Psychology Subject Test (if required).
September
Begin narrowing down your graduate program choices.
Update or start writing your vita.
Write the first draft of your statement of purpose.
October
Verify with your instructor/professional referee(s) that they are willing to act as a reference for you. Talk to them about schools to which you will be applying and deadlines for the letters.
Arrange to receive copies of your official transcripts.

16. November
Take the Psychology Subject Test.
Prepare a short description of your qualifications, including grade point averages (overall GPA and psychology GPA) in order to familiarize the referee(s) with your record. Providing your vita may be very helpful to the referee. Provide all relevant forms to your referrees. A stamped, addressed envelope for each letter requested should be provided.
Write the final version of your vita.
Prepare the final version(s) of your personal statement of purpose so that it can be reviewed by a knowledgeable person prior to submission.
Narrow your program choices.
Make sure that you will have the money in December to pay for any necessary application fees. This amount could exceed $200, depending on the number of programs to which you apply.

17. The following items should be sent out at this time:
December
If applications are due in January, it is time to prepare the final copies. They should be mailed at least two weeks before the deadline. Keep a copy of each application. Send important materials by certified mail and request a return receipt.
The following items should be sent out at this time:
typed application for admission
requests for financial aid information and proof of need, if requested
personal statement, if required
vita
fees (check or money order)
undergraduate transcripts from all institutions attended and graduate transcripts where relevant
writing sample if required
stamped, self-addressed postcard for verification of arrival of application materials (requested by most schools anyway). You could include a second postcard to be returned when all application materials have arrived (this could be very helpful when letters of reference are sent separately from the application materials).
The student should be careful to ascertain that each part of the application packet is sent to the correct address. Sometimes financial aid forms and application forms are sent to a different office than admission materials. Materials might need to be sent to the department, graduate college/school, or financial aid office.
MAT and GRE scores will be sent by the testing services to schools requested on the application forms. Requests for copies to be sent to additional schools may be made in writing (see addresses previously listed) accompanied by appropriate fees.
If letters of recommendation are to be sent out directly by faculty members, students should check to see if this has been done.
You may want to call the school and see if a site visit or interview would be encouraged. Some schools set up an interview process for the applicants who remain in the applicant pool after initial selection procedures have been implemented.

18. December-January
If the student has not received acknowledgment of the receipt of application materials within a reasonable amount of time, then a telephone call for verification may be necessary.
February - March
Some programs will require (or strongly encourage) interviews of candidates. Interviews will be conducted in person or over the telephone. Sometimes interviews are required prior to final acceptance letters being sent. If possible, participate in the interview. If, due to cost of travel or loss of school/work time, you are unable to participate in a face-to-face interview, ask if a telephone interview would be acceptable.
April
Depending upon the application deadlines, graduate schools begin to send out letters of acceptance in March and early April. Many schools attempt to reach successful applicants by telephone as well as send letters. The student is usually given a set period of time in which to make his/her decision. Graduate departments of psychology must give the student until April 15 to make his/her decision. It is sometimes difficult to make an intelligent choice since you may be on the waiting list of a more preferred school and on the acceptance list of a less-preferred institution. To complicate matters further, some schools do not inform students on the waiting list of their status until the primary candidates have either accepted or rejected their offers of admission. A telephone call to the graduate programs may, at least, confirm that one is still being considered. If you do make your decision prior to the deadline set on April 15, it is very helpful to immediately advise your chosen school as well as other schools so that your place may be offered to students on the alternate list.

19. A few tips Round and round she goes, where she stops nobody knows
Be ready for rejection, lots of it
Don’t be overly seduced by money
Think about form as well as content; lifestyle
Reach for a career you have a passion for