Play the Psychology Grad Schools Admissions Game to Win!

I stumbled on this really great blog post written from the “been there, done that” perspective of a current graduate student in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. What are their qualifications? For one, experience sitting on a graduate admissions committee and secondly, successfully gaining admittance (and finishing) a challenging I/O doctoral program. There are some gems here so let me allow you to read on:

I don’t consider myself to an expert on this subject but there are two things that certainly make me qualified:

1. I got into an I/O Ph.D. program (and finished!)
2. I am part of an I/O Master’s degree program’s selection committee

There are lots of reasons why I call this a “game.” First of all, because it is such a stressful, sometimes tedious, process it helps to keep if fun (just like you should “play with” your data, not analyze it). Second, there is a bit of strategy involved in the whole process. You want to do EVERYTHING you can to increase your chances of getting in. I’d like to go beyond the basics in this post, but let’s get the basics out of the way first:

1. Have GRE scores that meet (or better yet exceed) the program’s standards
2. Have a GPA that meets (or exceeds) the program’s standards
3. Write a personal statement that is well-written, introspective, specific, and explains why you would fit into the program to which you are applying
4. Have stellar letters of recommendation written by professors (or other professionals) that think you are the best thing since sliced bread

But what about the non-basics? You might think, “I satisfy all of those criteria, I’ll be a shoe-in at all the programs, right?” WRONG! The most competitive programs get hundreds of applications and can only accept a handful of students. Here are other things you can do to play the game well:

1. Have plenty of research experience
2. Apply to several programs, both Master’s. and Ph.D. programs (don’t be tied down by geography; now’s the time to spread your wings)
3. Visit the programs you are applying to and talk to the faculty (especially those on the admissions committee)
4. Research the I/O faculty like you would research any company that you want to work for. Show evidence of this research in your personal statement.
5. Speaking of your personal statement the writing process should look something like: Write, revise, revise, revise, get feedback, revise, revise, revise, get feedback (you get the idea).
6. Don’t get a letter of recommendation from a professor that says “Oh, okay, I guess I can do that for you.” You want the one that says, “Absolutely, it would be my pleasure.”
7. Explain all of your “red flags” in your personal statement. If there’s an elephant in the room (e.g. a C- in organic chemistry), address it.

One last message to the students: I only mean to prepare you, not scare you. Yes, it’s a stressful process but the rewards more than outweigh the costs.

These tips are written from the perspective of applying to I/O programs, but the process is the same for admissions to other areas of psychology at the graduate level. Successfully playing the psychology grad school admissions game can be challenging, especially if you’re working against factors like figuring out how to get into Ph.D. programs with a 2.0 or 2.5 GPA or low GRE scores. Challenging, yes, but not insurmountable – if all other “success” factors are in place, try for a masters degree program instead. Either way, a well-rounded application for graduate school will get you farther than you may think in playing to win the psychology grad school admissions game!

For more tips on how to get into grad school in psychology: Applying to Graduate School in Psychology: Advice from Successful Students and Prominent Psychologists