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ADVICE ON GRADUATE SCHOOL ADMISSIONS PROCEDURES
Reprinted from the Psi Chi Newsletter, 1975, 1, 3-4.
Since this is geared toward September admissions, students seeking January
placement should make the appropriate adjustments in sequencing.
June-September (junior year)
- The student should read the bulletins and catalogues of the various
graduate schools to ascertain which ones are of interest based on his
qualifications and needs. These publications may be found in the library or
psychology department office.
- One should then send for the bulletins and catalogues from the graduate
schools. It is best to have personal copies for reference. The graduate
psychology department may also have additional brochures which would be
helpful.
- The summer months are a good time to prepare for the Graduate Record
Examination (GRE) and the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). There are any number
of review books and texts which will be helpful.
September (senior year)
- The student should consult with psychology department counselors and
faculty members for information about graduate programs, application
procedures, qualifying examinations, and fulfillment of undergraduate
requirements, if this has not been done previously.
- The student should request admission applications early and also check the
deadlines for submitting each one.
- At the same time, it is advisable to request applications for financial
assistance, especially if these are not routinely sent with the admission
forms.
- If one's undergraduate school has an office in charge of fellowships,
scholarships, and/or loans, this is the time to pick up all the necessary
forms. Deadlines for fellowship applications are even earlier than for
admissions. If the appropriate material is not available through the school,
the student may consult the A.P.A. manual, Graduate Study in Psychology.
- The Graduate Record Examination applications may be obtained either from
the school or at the following address:
Educational Testing Service
P.O. Box 6000
Princeton, New Jersey 08541-0001
Phone: 609-921-9052
The fee is $60 for the general aptitude test and $30 for each advanced test.
The examinations are given in October, December, January, February, April and June.
The October administration of the examinations will be preferred for two reasons. First,
it meets the deadline requirements for fellowships and other financial aid programs, and
second, there is sufficient time to retake the tests if the results do not fulfill expectations.
In this case, both sets of scores will be sent out to the graduate schools by testing
services. Registration for the October administration is usually during the first week of
September.
- Miller Analogies Test (MAT) applications may be requested from the
following address:
The Psychological Corporations
304 East 45 Street
New York, New York 10017
Phone: 212-754-3215
The fee is locally determined.
- It is important to request a student copy of one's owntranscript from each
undergraduate institution in order to check for errors and omissions. We
cannot emphasize this step too strongly.
October
The student should take the GRE this month especially if applying for financial
aid or a fellowship, etc. November
- Graduate schools generally require from three to five letters of
recommendation, primarily from faculty members, and then from employers.
There may or may not be forms for such letters included in the application
packet. The student should request permission of the people who will be
asked to serve as references before their names are submitted. Once this has
been one, it is advisable to prepare a short biography giving the most up to
date information including grade point averages (comprehensive and
psychology) and other salient facts in order to familiarize professors with
your record. A stamped, addressed envelope for each letter requested should
be provided.
- Most admissions committees require a personal statement of background and
interest relevant to a graduate career in psychology. It should be prepared
in advance so that it can be reviewed by a knowledgeable person prior to
submission. The best approach is to be objective, sincere, honest, and brief
as possible. Two or three typewritten pages are more than sufficient.
December
- If the student has not taken the GRE, it should be taken now for September
admissions.
- If applications are due in January, it is time to prepare final copies.
They should be mailed at least two weeks before the deadline. One should
keep a Xeroxed copy of each application.
- The following items should be sent out at this time:
- applications for admission
- requests for financial aid and proof of need, if requested
- personal statement, if required
- fees (check or money order)
- undergraduate transcripts from all institutions attended and graduate
transcripts for M.A. students
- stamped, self-addressed postcards for verification of application
materials (usually requested by school anyway)
The student should be careful to ascertain that each part of the application
packet is sent to the correct address. Sometimes financial aid forms, for
example, are sent to a different office.
- MAT and GRE scores will be sent by the testing services to schools
requested on the application forms. Requests for additional copies may be
made in writing to the previously listed address accompanied by appropriate
fees for each additional institution.
- Letters of recommendation are to be sent out directly by faculty members.
Students should check to see that this has been done.
December-April
If the student has not received acknowledgement of the receipt of application
material within a reasonable amount of time, then a telephone call for
verification may be necessary.
April
Depending upon their application deadlines, graduate schools begin to send out
letters of acceptance around April 15. The student is usually given a period of
two weeks in which to make his 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. Once the student has been accepted
at a school of his choice, he (she) should inform other schools of that decision
so that his place may be offered as soon as possible to students on the
alternate list.
While we hope that the limited suggestions we have supplied here will be of
assistance to psychology students, we must emphasize that there is no substitute
for the advice of a knowledgeable faculty member. |