In addition, summarized in the following pages is a timetable and tip sheet outlining what you need to do for applying to graduate school.

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1 You will need to check out different graduate programs for their requirements and how to apply. The Canadian Psychological Association has a lot of information for students including providing a link to Canadian Universities with Psychology departments where you can find the ones that interest you for their specific grad programs. In the following pages students will find information about applying to graduate school. In addition the undergraduate studies office has prepared a detailed applying to grad school FAQ's guide. The American Psychological Association also annually publishes a book entitled Graduate Study in Psychology that contains descriptions of graduate programs in Canada and the USA (including degree requirements application information etc). A copy is held on reserve in the Psychology resource center (Rm 160B BSB). In addition, summarized in the following pages is a timetable and tip sheet outlining what you need to do for applying to graduate school. There is a lot of reading and work to do but you will benefit if you put some effort into the process.

2 Applying to Graduate School Overview Should I apply? You do not have to apply immediately after your undergraduate work. Graduate school is a HUGE commitment (so is the application process); completion of a programme takes time (approximately 7 years for the PhD including the MA) and you will not have a luxurious life style. What types of programmes are available? 1. Psychology (MA & PhD): experimental versus clinical. 2. Psychology: professional schools (PsyD) less of a research focus. 2. Related fields: Social Work (MSW), Counselling Psychology (MEd, Ed.D), Psychiatry (MD), Family Studies, Criminology, Industrial Relations, Epidemiology Where do I get information on different programmes and the application process? The internet Each specific Graduate Program should have its own site. Start with my website which has all the links on it plus this handout. Where should I apply? Apply to as many places as possible (remember that grad school is temporary & most of your time is spent indoors); the probability of acceptance is not high and you want to maximise your chances of acceptance. On what basis is my application evaluated? 1. Grades (GPA) -- you must provide official university transcripts. 2. GRE scores (general & specific) required by most programmes. 3. Letters of reference most programmes require from 2 to 3 letters. 4. Your Curriculum Vitae (research experience, special skills, field work, other practical experiences) 5. Cover letter: this is your statement of interest (be brief, avoid platitudes, tailor a different letter for each programme, play up your experience, include some names of profs). How does selection work? Each department (and sometimes each division within a department) will have its own selection procedure. The usual first step is to make up a short list of acceptable students. The next step varies and may include interviews. Because the number of openings is limited, not all faculty members will want or will be entitled to taking a graduate student. How do I choose? Get as much first hand information as possible (try to get the inside story) and ask about funding. Useful book Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology: 2004/2005 Edition by Michael Sayette (Author) Useful links List of Psychology Departments in Canadian Universities: Waterloo has an excellent primer on applying to a Psychology Graduate Program 1

3 SOME HELPFUL ADVICE ABOUT APPLYING TO GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PSYCHOLOGY What is the purpose of this handout? This handout is an attempt to briefly orient you to all the factors you need to consider when applying to graduate school. It is not designed to be a substitute for the information you learn about specific graduate program from other reliable and valid sources but instead should lead you to seek further clarification of the points I raise. This is especially important when it comes to entrance requirements. I shall be making some general statements about these requirements, but you should always check the requirements of the individual graduate programs to see if they make exceptions to the general case that I shall be presenting. Where can I find information about applying to graduate school? The American Psychological Association annually publishes a handbook entitled Graduate Study in Psychology and Related Fields. A copy is held on Reserve in the Resource Centre of our Department in Room 162B, B.S.B. The handbook contains descriptions of graduate programs in the U.S.A. and Canada. The descriptions are organized according to the following headings: APA accreditation (if relevant); programs and degrees offered; application information; student information; degree requirements; admission requirements; minimum scores/gpas; tuition for full-time study; housing and day care; financial assistance; special group considerations; teaching opportunities; and additional comments. Since this is a standardized format, it gives the reader a good chance to compare the different programs. You can also go to this website ( for links to every graduate program in psychology across Canada. What undergraduate courses should I take? Admission committees in our Graduate Program (and other Programs in the province as well) use 8 full course equivalents as the criterion of eligibility for admission. In general, these include Introductory psychology, statistics, research methods, and a selection of courses from the more humanistic side of psychology (personality, social, developmental etc) and from what is referred to as the more basic science side of psychology (biological basis, cognition, motivation etc). These are capped off by an independent thesis project and another 4000 level seminar course. Therefore if you follow the honours program requirements you will qualify for graduate programs in psychology. But you should note that clinical graduate programs are much more specific in terms of what they want to see. For example they often look to see if students have two one term courses with a focus on understanding behavior from a variety of perspectives such as biological (eg sensation, health, neuropsychology, neural), cognitive-affective (eg learning, memory, motivation), social (eg social, group processes etc), and individual (eg personality, abnormal, individual differences, developmental). Do I have to complete a PSYC 4000 or PSYC 4001 thesis course to be competitive? Assessors of your graduate school application will look to see what your research experience and interests are and what type of research potential you have. Conducting an independent piece of research will provide research experience, help you to figure out your research interests, and how well you do that research, write your paper, present it, will speak to your potential. Successfully completing PSYC 4000 is one way of conducting an independent piece of research if you find a faculty member to supervise you. Students who do not obtain a supervisor enroll in PSYC 4170 where one faculty member supervises about 25 students at Updated

4 a time but you still are responsible for completing an independent research project. It is useful to note that your application will be composed of four main components: your transcript; your Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores; the letters of recommendation from your referees; and your own personal statement as to why you want to go to graduate school, in general, and to the particular graduate school to which the application form pertains. These four indicators form a sort of gestalt and whether or not you do a 4000 thesis as opposed to a 4170 may or may not be important depending on the overall look of your file. Sometimes when you complete the 4000 thesis you may find that there is more that you can say about your research experience and interests. However, you could manage to say something about the focus of your research interests in your statement even though you wind up taking You just need to actively think about the kind of research that you would like to do in graduate school and express that in a clear and concise manner in your application. The important point here is that assessors are alert to expressions of research interest and are impressed by applicants who give a detailed and informed presentation of their research experiences and interests. If you find you are lacking research experience then you should consider volunteering in a faculty members lab to obtain that experience. Another possible advantage of doing a 4000 thesis is that, by virtue of your opportunity to work closely with a faculty member while doing it, you might be able to win a more impressive letter of reference from that faculty member than you might from a 4170 course instructor. However, doing 4170 instead does not necessarily rule out the possibility of getting such a letter from the 4170 course instructor, depending on how you have conducted yourself in the course. Will it improve my chances if I get some fieldwork experience during my first degree? Not a great deal. Although you may quibble with the practice, the fact of the matter is that grades, aptitude test scores, letters of recommendation, and signs of research potential as conveyed through your personal statement are what really count. I think this is because most students who have research potential are also students who would likely be interested in practice, but the reverse is not necessarily as true. Why do I have to write the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)? The GRE is an attempt by graduate programs to get an index of academic prowess that is uncontaminated by the idiosyncratic grading practices of the institution awarding the undergraduate degree. It s an American test, with American norms. This fact has been a source of controversy among faculty members in Canadian institutions. Furthermore, the predictability of the test has from time to time come under the question. The fact of the matter, however, is that many graduate schools in Canada use it and you will have to live with that fact if you apply to them. There are two components to the GRE: one general test and the other a subject specific test. The general test has three main sections: A test of verbal reasoning; a test of quantitative ability; and a test of analytical writing. The subject specific test in Psychology assess factual information, and may ask questions that require analyzing relationships, applying principles, drawing conclusions from data, evaluating a research design, and/or identifying a psychologist who has made a theoretical or research contribution to the field. Although I have no hard evidence to support the notion, it has been my impression that assessors place more emphasis on the general test scores than on the subject specific (i.e., psychology knowledge) score. This makes intuitive sense if one thinks of the former as measuring aptitude and the latter as measuring achievement. Assessors tend to be more interested in learning Updated

5 potential than in learning achievement when evaluating a candidate for graduate school. Check for details. When should I take the GRE? Note the General Test can be scheduled at any time but the Psychology specific test is held three times a year on specific days (check for details). Graduate School admission committees usually start going through the applications in February. It usually takes at least 6 weeks before the GRE scores get sent to the institutions to which the student is applying. Hence, those students who complete the GRE no later than December have the best chance of having their GRE s scores arrive on time to complete their files. However, depending on the graduate program, an admission committee may decide to evaluate the file even in the absence of the GRE scores with the understanding that any decisions would have to be held tentative until the receipt of the scores. It is obvious that, in the case of a file that would have been improved by high GRE scores, the applicant yielding such a file may miss out in the first decision-making round if such high GRE scores are missing. What kind of academic grades should I have? To a certain extent this will depend on the institution and the type of program within the institution you apply to. However, I think I would not be too far out of line if I ventured the opinion that if you are applying to a non-clinical graduate school in psychology, you should be thinking of an overall B+ average and above to be considered. To be competitive for an clinical program you should have an overall A average and above. Will it be OK if I only obtain a high average in my last two years? Although many graduate programs calculate your GPA form your final 10 full courses (last 60 credits), only obtaining high grades in those courses is risky for two reasons. In the first place, you have to keep in mind that when an admission committee evaluates your application, the committee members do not have access to most of your fourth-year grades. The situation here is quite different from what you experienced when you applied to first-year University, wherein your February grades were forwarded by your high school to the universities to which you applied. Universities do not provide the same service when it comes to graduate school applications. This being the case, the benefit you get from your fourth year performance resides in the quality of the letters of reference you can win from the professors from whom you are taking courses in fourthyear. The contents of these letters will be influenced by your fourth-year performance so that it will not be a waste, especially since the letters are important. But this is not the same as having the letters plus your fourth-year marks in your application file. The net result is that, if you rely primarily on your third and fourth-year marks, it really boils down to your third-year marks. The second reason is that the grades in upper level courses tend to be higher than those in lower level courses. I think that there is a paradox wrapped up in this matter. I sense that students like to rely more on their upper level courses grades because they think that, because they re upper level, they must be harder, whence high grades would be more impressive. On the other hand, the assessors are equally if not more impressed with high grades at the lower levels because of the fact that grades tend to be lower at this level. The net result is that your application is considerably strengthened if you can demonstrate high performance throughout your university career. When I start putting my application together, how important is the personal statement that I have to write? It is fairly important. It will be the assessor s only direct contact with you as a person in cases where a personal interview is not feasible. Furthermore, even in instances where a personal Updated

6 interview is possible, your personal statement, in being part of your file, will play a role in determining whether or not you are selected for a personal interview. There is no fixed formula for the format of a personal statement. However, it makes sense to organize it with the following content areas in mind. a) A general statement about your educational and career interests, and why you want to pursue them in graduate school. In making this general statement, try not to be too naïve or gushy (e.g., I have always had a deep interest in helping people, or All my life I have wanted to study attribution theory ). b) A statement about your research interests. If you can manage it, this should be the largest section of the personal statement. Start out by describing in concise detail the research you did during your undergraduate program. Following that, move into an outline of the kind of research you would like to do in graduate school. Here the challenge is to be authentic, and specific without being too narrow. You want to be authentic so that the statement rings true. You want to be specific so that you will capture the attention of potential supervisors who share similar interests. You want to avoid undue narrowness in order to capture the interest of as many potential supervisors as possible. c) A statement about why you like to attend the particular graduate school. In many ways, this is the toughest part of the assignment, depending on how detailed you want to be. Some students take the following pains. They obtain the brochures published by the graduate programs they re interested in. They scan the statement of research interest made by each faculty member, as published in a given brochure, and match those statements against their own research interests. They then create a short list of faculty members with whom they would like to work. If they want to be thorough, they can proceed to read one or two publications of the faculty members on the short list (this is a good idea, but I don t think that many applicants actually do this). In any event, having created a short list, they indicate in their personal statement that they would be quite happy working with X, Y or Z (the members of the faculty on the applicant s short list). This approach flatters those faculty members mentioned in the application. More importantly, it gives them (and others reading the personal statement) a sense that the applicant knows the details of the graduate program and wants to attend it in the light of that knowledge. This gives the reader a sort of intimate connection with the applicant, even though they haven t met. d) It is important to emphasize that this personal statement should be rigorously edited and letter-perfect. The kind of editing required can seldom be successfully done alone. Have someone else, who is good at this sort of thing, read it carefully, out loud, to make sure that there are no spelling or grammatical mistakes, etc. How many graduate programs should I apply to? Lots. Depending on where you apply to, the acceptance rate may be as low as 5% However, it is important to keep in mind that essentially the same pool of applicants is applying to the pool of graduate schools. This means that if you think of the pool of graduate schools as a system then the rate of acceptance in the whole is much greater than 5%. However, unless you address the system as a whole, you will decrease your chances. Another good strategy is to try to figure out what you would like to do in your life, as opposed to what kind of professional affiliation you would like to have, and then figure out the kinds of graduate programs that would provide a route to your doing what you would like to do. Hence, for example, if you feel like you would like to do social service work with people (as a therapist, say), then pay attention to the fact that there are several types of professionals, other than psychologists, doing this kind of work, Updated

7 such as social workers, school counselors, and pastoral counselors. Furthermore, pay attention to the fact that there are several different ways to become an applied psychologist. You can, of course, get training in a psychology graduate program based on a Faculty of Arts or Science, but you can also go to one attached to a Faculty of Education (such as exist, for example, at many of the Western Canadian Universities, at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), U. of T., and at the University of Western Ontario). These various types of programs may have different entrance standards. A final factor that s worthy of attention is that different area specific programs (such as Social Psychology, Neuroscience, Clinical etc) within psychology graduate programs have different entrance standards. It may be more difficult to get into social psych at University A than it would be at University B, and so on. Apply to many different programs in order to maximize your chances of getting accepted somewhere. How can I feel comfortable burdening my professors with the task of writing a host of letters of recommendation? It s not as much of a burden as you might think, and besides, it s part of the professor s job. Keep in mind that a lot of referees write one letter that is reproduced and tailored, where necessary, to the particular graduate program. This letter is in turn typically inserted as an attachment to the particular reference form provided by the given program. At this point the only individual work the referee has to do is to check off the various ratings on each application form. Typically this takes only a few minutes per form. Furthermore, the professor s secretary will take care of the extra aspects like typing up the envelopes and so on. The net result is that the overall work is not that great. How can I approach professors for letters of recommendation when I don t know any of them very well? In a way this does pose a problem. It is easier for a professor to support a student about whom the professor has a clear and articulated image. The implication here is that it is ultimately to the student s advantage to conduct himself or herself as an undergraduate in such a way as to make an impact on professors. Most professors respond best to students who actively, creatively and diplomatically participate in class and who turn in excellent work and respond less favorably to students who tend to nag for higher grades without doing any work for them. However, if you have not been able to make a sharp impact on your professors, all is not lost. Go to those professors for whom you have done your best work. Have in hand a resume and in this resume include some brief notes on the nature of the work you did for the professors and the grades you got for it. Write out some indication of how well you have done in other courses, and include some statement of your current interest and plans (this part of the resume will overlap with the material you include in your personal statement on your applications to the graduate programs). Be prepared to have a brief discussion with the professor that would parallel the information on the resume. Also, be prepared to provide an unofficial copy of your transcript. Given that he or she has had a chance to renew acquaintance with you, the professor winds up with a considerable amount of information and likely enough to write a letter of recommendation. On the other hand, should the professor feel that he or she would need additional information in order to write a good letter, don t get discouraged: just go to another professor. It is important to emphasize that letters of recommendation tend to be excessively praiseworthy, and there are implicit standards for what constitutes a strong letter. Students tend to be damned by faint praise. Hence, it is important for you to establish with a potential referee whether or not he or she feels in a position to write a strong letter of reference. This is tough to do: It can make one feel Updated

8 awkward. However, keep your long term interests in mind. Try to frankly discuss this point with each professor whom you approach, and try to locate referees who can assure you that they can write a strong letter. How can I get over this terrible feeling of apprehension every time I think about applying for graduate school? In some ways, you can t. It s not an easy passage in your life. You re placed in the position of laying your ego on the line. I have only two pieces of advice. In the first place, try not to take the whole thing quite so personally. Remember that there are factors influencing whether or not an applicant gets accepted into a graduate program other than grades and GREs and letters of reference. There is often the matter of the degree of fit between the applicant s expressed interests and those of the faculty members in the institution being applied to. You can control this to a certain extent by researching the interests of the faculty members in each institution you apply to and trying to match, without compromising yourself, your interests against their s. Beyond that, there s not much that you can do. Students often ask me whether it would help them to meet individually with professors. I always answer that it may, to a certain extent, but that the final decisions typically rest with what s in the file to a much larger extent than on impressions gained through an interview. (If you do decide to seek an interview with a potential supervisor, make sure that you have familiarized yourself with his or her research). So, in a real sense, you make a case for yourself, and then you have done as much as you can do. My other bit of advice relates to this last point. It can be summed up in the adage nothing ventured, nothing gained. If you don t apply, you will of course spare yourself the pain of getting rejected. But you will also deny yourself the chance of getting accepted. Looking at it in this light, the only rational thing to do, as Albert Ellis would say, is to apply if, in your heart, that is what you want to do. Good luck! Updated

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10 A Typical Timetable and Tip Sheet of Things To Do for Applying to Graduate School The information outlined below was taken from two sources, one created by the APA and the other by Princeton Review (see bottom for references). This tip sheet outlining a typical timetable of things to do for applying to grad school by no means replaces detailed reading of these or similar resources for clarification and details. It has been created just to make you aware of what you need to be doing before if not in the fall term of the year you apply to graduate school. Note many students begin before September but you can do it beginning in September as long as you set goals and keep yourself on a schedule. SEPTEMBER Apply to take your Graduate Record Exams (GRE s). Begin studying regularly. Take practice tests, use multiple resources, find out your weak points and work on them. Order your transcripts for your scholarship applications and your graduate school applications. Start talking to professionals in your field to learn more about what it will be like to go to grad school and to do the type of work you think you want to do. Start investigating graduate programs through online web sites or look at the book Graduate Study in Psychology and Related Fields published by APA. A copy is held on Reserve in the Resource Centre of our department in Room 162B, B.S.B. Compile a preliminary list of programs that offer the degree and training you seek. Summarize a list of your training requirements for a grad program and preferences for a grad program and qualification that you bring to the grad program. 1. Training requirements e.g., Degree desired, Area of concentration, (if you don t know what you want then speak to someone in the field and see what they did to get to where they are) Training model preferred (research scientist, scientist-practitioner, or Practitioner- Scholar). List important aspects of the Grad Programs reputation to you (e.g., research opportunities, facilities, amount of clinical supervision, emotional atmosphere of a program). 2. Graduate Program preferences Faculty interests, Specific populations investigated, Accreditation, Geographical location, Financial consideration, sources of financial support, types of financial aid to consider, Mentors, Other (factors that are important but not essential for choosing a particular program) 3. Qualifications Objective criteria List Course work (Psychology specific, Other science courses, etc) Grades: GPA overall/psyc specific/last 2 years (60 credits) GRE Test scores (General and subject specific) Non-objective criteria Candidates for Letters of Reference Experience (paid or volunteer): Research, Applied/Human services Extracurricular activities Personal Characteristics

11 Summarize strengths and weaknesses. Compare your qualifications with admissions requirements. Contact programs that seem a good match to obtain more information about the program and financial aid. Begin contacting professors asking them if they would be willing to write you a supportive letter of recommendation. Let them know how serious you are about wanting to attend grad school. Note: if you are applying for scholarships, internal deadlines are often beginning at the end of September and you will need letters of reference for these applications. You may need to put together your packet of information (see details outlined under November) earlier then you thought to get it to your referees so they can write you a supporting letter for your scholarship application package. OCTOBER Make a final list of the programs you wish to apply to. Visit the campuses of the programs that interest you the most or that raise the most questions for you if you can afford it. Contact any financial aid offices for forms, information packages. Take the GRE s, request scores to be sent to schools you apply to. Pay attention to financial and scholarship deadlines (they often occur before admissions deadlines). Calculate application fees, make sure you have enough money to cover them Begin planning how you will obtain the money to travel to any preselection interviews you may be required to attend. NOVEMBER Request that your transcripts be sent to all of the schools to which you are applying. Make sure that your transcripts will be sent by your earliest application deadline. Prepare a resumé to be given to those writing you a letter of recommendation. Finalize list of professors to contact for reference letters and contact them. Some applications require responses to various essay questions. Allow time for your ideas to germinate. Prepare a personal statement which includes: o A general statement about your educational and career interests, and why you want to pursue them in graduate school, try not to use gushy or superlative words (all, every, always, and never, unless it is unequivocally true). E.g., I have always wanted to help people. o A statement about your research interests Describe the type of research you did in the undergraduate program Describe the type of research would you like to do in grad school. Try to be authentic and specific without being to narrow as you want to capture the attention of as many potential supervisors as possible who share similar interests. o A statement about why you want to attend that particular graduate school. Demonstrate that you have taken the time to familiarize yourself with the program. Emphasize the match between your goals and strengths and those of the program. Write first drafts, edit and re-edit. Begin filling out your financial aid and application forms. Supply your recommenders with your packet of information that includes your resumé, an unofficial copy of your transcripts, a draft of your research interests, and make sure that it is

12 quite clear which reference letters go to what university and by what date. Supply appropriately addressed envelopes if the letter is to be sent on ahead. Fill out financial aid and grad school application forms. DECEMBER Get feedback on drafts of personal statement and research interests from someone knowledgeable in the field. Finalize and rigorously edit them for spelling and grammatical mistakes. Finalize each application form and carefully prepare each for mailing. Make copies for your files. JANUARY - FEBRUARY Prepare for preselection interviews Contact professors who you have asked to write letters of recommendation. Confirm that they were sent, and thank those who sent them. Follow up to confirm that your applications are complete (e.g.,make sure GRE scores and transcripts have arrived for your files). MARCH If you receive a favorable response to your first choice accept and notify immediately any programs from which offers are pending. This is a courtesy to applicants who may be next in line for an offer. If it is not your first choice, but you have two offers in hand you may want to choose the one you prefer. You need not formally accept yet, you can still wait for another offer to come in. But you should decline the one you don t prefer. Whether you accept or decline, call first and then follow up with a brief and polite letter. When declining a program it is courteous to thank the program for taking the time to consider you. APRIL Finalize your financial arrangements Inform the people who wrote your letters of recommendation of the outcome Celebrate (or regroup) Resources: APA (2007) Getting in: A step by step plan for gaining admission to graduate school in Psychology (2 nd edition). Washington: American Psychological Association. A Pocket guide to Graduate School Admissions developed by the Princeton Review, see for further details.