My name is Mia Johnson and I am a PsyD Clinical Psychology student. After applying to graduate school, I can tell you that it is a stressful, exhausting process, even before the interviews start. Here are a few things I learned during my application process:
1. Prepping for Required Tests/Exams
Depending on the type of program you are planning on applying to, you may have to take a standardized test as part of the application process. The most popular of these tests are the GRE, MCAT, and LSAT. These tests are NOT like the SAT or ACT you took in high school. These tests are significantly more difficult, and can take a lot of time to prepare for. If you’re like me, and you take the GRE, for example, you should begin prepping for the GRE during the summer before you senior year. This gives you approximately four months to study. The GRE contains a lot of content that you may not have even studied in the last four years, like geometry, so give yourself more time to study for things that you have a difficult time with (for me, the math section). Consider using study tools like Magoosh, Kaplan, or textbooks to help you on this journey. Depending on the program you are applying to, you will need to have taken this test at least a month before your application deadline to ensure that your scores will be sent in time. You should also plan on taking one early in case you don’t receive adequate scores for your program so you can take it again. Be prepared for how expensive these tests are. There are some fee waivers available, but they are difficult to obtain. You may need to reach out to family members or get extra hours at work in order to pay for these tests. Trust me, this is an expensive process, so be prepared.
2. Finding the Right Program
You should begin to look for potential programs at the same time (or even before) you begin preparations for your required tests. I say this because it takes so much time to sift through the thousands of programs in your area of interest, so plan ahead. There also may be databases that make it easier for you to find programs that are accredited by your field. For example, I was applying to doctoral and masters level clinical psychology programs, so I look through the American Psychological Association and CACREP to find accredited programs.
What should I look for?
The first thing I recommend doing when looking for programs is to limit your search by geographic location, if that is something that is important to you. If you need to be able to travel home easily for holidays or just to visit family, you may consider limiting your location to just your state or surrounding states. This wasn’t necessarily the case for me, but as a native Ohioan, I did find myself looking for more schools in the Midwestern region. If you have a goal of eventually moving out west, you may consider looking at schools in Oregon or California. If you don’t want to stay in your home town, you may consider expanding your search for areas outside of the place you grew up in.
I also recommend looking at the program’s website for information about how many students they take and how many apply. This way you know the likelihood of you being invited to an interview. You should also take a look at the requirements of the application to be sure that you prepare each document to send to them. Finally, take a look at the average test scores of admitted students to see where their cut-off is. Many programs won’t explicitly say this on their website, but they do have a cut-off for scores and it often depends on the average from the year before. You can gauge what this score is in order to determine if your scores could match up and if it is worth applying to this program with the scores that you have.
3. Organization
Organization is key when applying to graduate school. You should create a folder in your computer specifically for your personal statement, CV, cover letter, and transcripts. You should also create separate folders for each program you are applying to so that when it comes to actually applying, everything is in one place.
I also recommend creating an excel sheet that contains all of the programs you are applying to, along with due dates, required materials, average test scores, program type (you may be applying to more than one type of program), and location.
4. Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation should come from people who know you, preferably faculty from your current undergraduate program. These people could include professors, lab directors, department chairs, or bosses. Depending on the program, you may even be able to ask a graduate student in your lab to write a recommendation (I did), but this depends on how closely you worked together and how well they knew you. Typically you will need three recommenders.
If possible, always ask for letters of recommendation in person. Schedule a meeting with the person you intend to ask. Ask them if they would consider “writing a positive letter of recommendation” for your graduate school applications. It’s likely if you have made it to this point in the application process, you are a good student/employee/research assistant and they would be glad to write you a letter of recommendation. If they decline, it may be that you received less-than-stellar grades in their class or you may not have been performing to their standards in their lab. If this is the case, simply thank them for their time and move on. Don’t take this personally, you don’t want someone who will write a mediocre letter of recommendation for you. Simply move on to the next person on your list.
Once you have your three recommenders. You should send them the final list of programs you are applying to at least two months before your application deadline (this usually falls around October). You should include the program, address, and how to send your recommendation. For most programs, it is looked down upon to have the applicant view their letters of recommendation. These letters should be confidential and should be sent directly by the letter writer. For online applications, you may have the option to enter the name and email of your letter writers and they will be sent a link to upload their letters to, or they will have an email that your letter writers need to send the letter to. Be sure to include these instructions for each program and the application deadline so that your letter writers are prepared. If the letter needs to be sent by snail-mail, provide your letter writer with a pre-stamped and addressed envelope to make the process easier for them.
Once the application deadline is a few weeks away, send a gentle reminder via email to your letter writers about the deadlines for your applications.
5. Other Required Application Materials
You will most likely be required to submit a CV, personal statement, official transcripts, and letters of recommendation. We have already covered how your letters are sent. Your official transcripts can be sent directly to the program through the university, so contact the Registrar’s Office if you need help getting to that site. You can also access it through RU Access.
Your CV is basically a really long resume. Except instead of your work history being the most important piece, your academic, research, and field experience is the most important. Look up mock CV’s or ask a professor or friend for their CV to use as a template. Be sure that your up-to-date contact information is at the very top of your CV. Include your current address (not your permanent, or parent’s address) on the top as well, as some schools still send paper acceptance letters.
A personal statement is essentially a cover letter, but longer. Much like your CV, it contains your academic history. However, a personal statement reads much more like the story of how you got to where you are, and how you became interested in the program you are applying to. Try to walk the fine line between a good story and over-disclosing personal information (for example, refrain from discussing your personal history with mental illness when applying to a psychology program). Your ending paragraph should contain information on why you would be a good fit for the program.
Some programs will require a diversity essay. This is an essay in which you describe what diversity means to you, and how it is important in your field.
6. How Many Schools Should I Apply To?
This all depends on your program and how competitive it is. For example, clinical psychology doctoral programs are extremely competitive and only take a small sample of the people that apply (e.g. 8 out of 300). In this case, I applied to 12 schools, two of which were masters programs in clinical mental health counseling.
7. Interviews
Find a list of common interview questions for your type of program and have your roommate practice with you!
Be sure to bring a portfolio with a pad of paper, pen, and copies of your CV.
I took notes in my portfolio about program specifics and prepared questions. ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS. Never leave an interview without any questions. You will look prepared and concerned for your placement with the program if you ask a lot of questions (plus there are fewer questions for you to answer if you ask more questions).
Stay off your phone and put it on do not disturb for the duration of your interview, even if you are just sitting in the hallway with a current student.
Get a good night’s sleep and travel with a parents or a friend if you don’t travel well. Be prepared to stand and talk for up to 5 hours. There is not a time during that day that you are not interviewing, so stay alert and professional throughout the whole day, even at lunch. Your interviewers will ask the current students that interacted with you that day for their impression of you, so be polite to each person you meet!
Finally, remember that not only are you being interviewed by the program, you are also interviewing the program yourself. You should pay attention to the overview of the program, and ask questions that are important to you. If you find yourself not enjoying the program as much as you thought you would, take that into consideration if they offer you a spot in the program. This day is also about finding the best fit for you.
8. Receiving Offers
After interview season is over, you will start receiving offers from programs. It is customary to only hold one offer at a time, so that you are not wasting the time of the program, your time, or the person that be next on the waiting list’s time. My advice is to hold onto the first offer you get, and if you receive a second offer, to rank the two programs and decline the offer that is lower on your hierarchy. Continue to do this until you receive no more offers or until you receive and offer from your top choice. Email the director of your program to accept your offer and to receive further instruction on enrollment and financial aid.
9. What if I Don’t Get In?
While it’s great to have a list of all the top programs in the country, applying to some “lower-level” programs can be a nice safety blanket, especially if you feel that continuing your education is the only option. If that isn’t an option for you, consider also applying to the United Nations or Teach for America as a back-up-plan. You may also consider taking a small job in your home town for some time after graduation to figure out what your next step is going to be.
10. Timeline
This depends greatly on the programs you’re applying to (for example my law school friends had early due dates than I did), but here was the timeline I had when applying to doctoral and masters level psychology programs:
May – August:
Study for the GRE/Compile a list of programs
Mid-August:
First attempt at GRE
August – September:
Retake GRE
Refine list of programs to less than 15
Create drafts of CV and personal statement
Request letters of recommendation
September – October:
Finalize list of programs
Send list of programs with due dates to letter writers
Finalize generic CV and personal statements
Begin creating specific personal statements for each program
November:
Send due date reminders to recommenders
Begin sending out applications (end of November)
Specific personal statements for each program!
December 1st:
Application deadline for majority of programs
December – January:
Application deadlines for other programs
February:
Interviews
March:
Offers of admittance made
Accept an offer !
11. It’s all worth it in the end
This may be a very stressful process, but it will be worth it in the end when you can decide what your next step post-undergrad will be. Be sure to pay attention to your self-care, make time for yourself to step back from the process. It will be a long few months, so make sure you’re allowing yourself to have time outside of graduate school applications and deadlines. In the end, whether you found a new home in a program or not, you have accomplished something big, and for that, you should applaud yourself.
By: Mia Johnson
