Resources for Students Applying to Graduate School
Applying to graduate programs in psychology is a major turning point in your academic journey, and it can also be a stressful and confusing process. Below are some resources I created over the years for my previous students. I hope that they are helpful to you, and please share them with anyone else who might benefit from them. Good luck!
"Should I apply for a PhD, PsyD, or Masters program?" "Do I even need a degree in XXX in order to do YYY job?" "This job description sounds amazing, but what is it actually like to do it full-time?" "Where do I even start to figure out what I want to do after graduating?" Questions like these are common when figuring out a career path, and they can be challenging to figure out on your own. Informational interviews are one of the most useful (and often under utilized) resources for learning more about a career path or type of graduate program. They can fill in missing pieces and help guide decision making at any stage of your career. Click on the link above for a quick guide to the process for those who aren't sure where to start.
Click on this link to download a sample timeline for applying to graduate school (geared towards students applying for research-oriented clinical psychology PhD programs). Use this as one resource, but it's always important to double-check official timelines and requirements, which can differ each year and across programs.
Click on the link above for a list of commonly asked interview questions as well as sample questions to ask during the interview. If you are applying to other types of psych programs (e.g., developmental, social, cognitive psych), a group of doctoral students at UCLA have written a number of useful blog posts here: https://www.psychologyinaction.org/grad-interviews