Applying for Grad School

Graduate admissions committees do not consider laboratory-based courses in departments outside of psychology (e.g., natural or biological sciences) as helpful to your undergraduate training in psychological methods and theory.

false

If you are interested in academe, seeking teaching experience in graduate school will impress potential employers, whether you were the instructor of record or a teaching assistant.

false

Regarding the graduate programs to which you actually decide to apply, your text recommends that half of your applications should be to programs where you ____ the statistics of their recent admissions.

exceed

Quality of your graduate application materials counts. Fill out a practice application form and never hand-write your application.

true

The truth about letters of recommendation is that you should trust your letter writers or ask someone else.

true

To ensure you find a doctoral program that fits your interests, it is appropriate to ask programs the percentages of your training that will be devoted to practice versus research.

true

Financial assistance takes many forms in graduate programs. The typical forms of financial assistance include all of the following EXCEPT:

tuition reduction based on income

Your text recommends that, to prepare for the GRE, you should make a concerted weekly effort for __ months.

5

Students can be blinded by their desire to attend graduate school - at any cost. It is normal to have educational debt when you leave graduate school, but be aware of the potential amount and carefully consider if you want to afford it. For instance, 2011 data report that graduates in the practice-oriented subfields had a median debt of:

$80,000

As a rule of thumb, if your GPA is substantially lower (i.e., more than ___ points lower) than the mean or median listed for students actually admitted into the program, you probably will not be a viable candidate for admission

0,2

On average, most clinical PhD programs with equal emphasis on practice and research accept approximately ___ percent of their applicants.

14

Your reading suggests that in deciding to re-take tests, like the GRE, you should be consistently performing at least ___ percent higher on practice tests than you did on your last actual test day

15

According to 2014 data, the combined GRE General Test scores averaged ____ for doctoral programs and ____ for master's programs of students actually admitted into the programs.

312; 304

According to 2014 data, the minimum required combined Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning GRE scores averaged ____ for doctoral programs and ____ for master's programs.

312; 304

The example vita in your text, for an active undergraduate student who will likely include her vita in her graduate application materials, is ___ pages in length

4

Time to complete doctoral programs varies with an average of ____ years for research-oriented programs and ____ years for practice-oriented programs.

4 - 5; 5 - 6

In terms of organizing your letters of recommendation, you will want to allow your recommenders at least ________ to write the letters.

4-6 weeks

For clinical psychology PhD programs, the overall average GPA for those applicants actually admitted to the program is close to:

4.0

Your text recommends that, when considering graduate programs, you should review as many as ______ and plan on applying to ______ programs.

40 - 50; 10 - 15

Freestanding PsyD programs (i.e., those not affiliated with a university, although they - misleadingly - use university in their name) accept approximately ___ percent of their applicants, while university-based PsyD programs accept approximately ___ percent of their applicants.

50; 35

GRE Psychology Subject Test scores for incoming students actually admitted to graduate programs averaged ____ for doctoral programs and ____ for master's programs.

552; 496

The General Test of the GRE (which includes Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing) is required by ___ percent of doctoral programs and ___ percent of masters programs for admission.

60; 42

___ percent of clinical and counseling psychology graduate programs require some type of interview prior to an offer of admission.

93

Why are standardized admissions tests (e.g., the GRE) important considerations in evaluating graduate applications? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

A 3.8 GPA may not mean the same thing across different schools. Students with the same GPA at the same school may not be "equally good" candidates for graduate study because of different choices in courses. Standardized tests help to compare students across a wide variety of educational experiences.

It is the reality of our world that, although following all the advice we are giving you about applying to graduate school will increase the likelihood of your being accepted to programs, there are no guarantees for success. However, beyond the possibility of simply having "bad luck," you should review your applications to see if you made any of these common mistakes that often cost students an offer of admission: (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

ALL applying only to high-ranked programs having a low GPA/GRE relative to the means of those recently admitted to the programs having no research experience not applying widely enough (geographically or otherwise)

Which of the following are all "kisses of death" for your personal statement and can likely cause you to be rejected from graduate programs? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

ALL failing to mention which faculty you are interested in working with providing excessively self-revealing information having grammatical or spelling errors in your statement forgetting to explain why you want to attend graduate school in general including religious issues that are unrelated to the program to which you are applying using a canned, nonspecific, generic statement for all applications including references to your own mental health expressing a strong need to help others

Some students remain in a state of limbo for years regarding graduate school. This state, often referred to as ABD, is the abbreviation for:

All But Dissertation

Which of the following are good ways to prepare for the GRE test?

Allow many hours over several weeks or months to study. Consider obtaining at least one of the study guides available for the GREs. Review the test taking tips on the ETS (Educational Testing Service) website.

Which of the following are TRUE of specialist degrees? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

Degree requirements generally include a "project" - a thesis research study. The degree includes coursework, practica, and an internship. The most common specialist degree (EdS) is almost exclusively for school psychology.

An important component to a graduate school application is the statement of purpose. Which of the following is true of your statement of purpose? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

Its theme is your reasons for choosing that particular program. Its theme is your areas of interest in psychology. It reveals your values and priorities. It should make you seem confident in your abilities, even if you're not.

The doctoral degrees in psychology include:

PhD, PsyD, and EdD

______ for a graduate school interview can significantly reduce your anxiety during the actual interview.

Preparing

There are primarily three different training models for the health service provider subfields of psychology (i.e., clinical, counseling, and school). Which of the following are TRUE of the Vail model? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

Students trained in the Vail model are consumers of research more than producers of research. This model is often referred to as the practitioner-scholar model. The PsyD degree developed from this model.

Which of the following are all TRUE pieces of advice provided by your text regarding how you should handle the GRE? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

Taking the GRE can be costly; currently $200 for the General Test, $150 for the Psychology Subject Test, $30 for each report you send to graduate programs. Regarding evaluating the scores published by graduate programs, ignore the required minimums; instead, focus on the actual scores of those admitted.

Which of the following are TRUE regarding master's degrees? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

Terminal master's programs have lower entrance requirements than nonterminal/doctoral programs. Doing well in a terminal master's program can improve your chances of getting accepted into a doctoral program.

Which of the following are TRUE of the Psychology Subject Test of the GRE?

The Social content area covers approximately 17% of the questions. The exam consists of approximately 205 questions with five answer options. The Experimental content area of the exam covers approximately 40% of the questions. Total scores on the Subject Test range from 200 to 1200.

Which of the following is true of the new GRE test format?

There are real-life and data interpretation questions.

For students interested in clinical and counseling graduate programs, you might want to seek out opportunities for gaining part-time paid experience in human services fields while you are still an undergraduate. Begin your search for meaningful experience by deciding on what kinds of ______ and _______ interest you. (CHECK TWO BELOW)

Work setting and populations

Which of the following are TRUE regarding graduate certificates? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

You gain additional knowledge in a specified area. Graduate certificates are graduate degrees. In terms of hiring, you will be more attractive than someone without the certificate.

Which of the following should be your primary goal regarding the information contained in your letters of recommendation for graduate school applications?

You should ensure that all information requested by the program from recommenders is covered across the combination of your letters.

Your should provide a packet for those writing your letters of recommendation that includes which of the following materials? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

a checklist of all programs with information on due dates a preaddressed, stamped envelope for each letter that must be mailed any required recommendation forms (FYI: with the top section filled out by you!) a copy of your personal statement and your vita web addresses (and passwords) for any recommendations submitted online unofficial copies of your transcript(s) and GRE scores

Letters of recommendation are one of the MOST important criteria used by graduate school admissions committees to evaluate candidates. Part of your success with letters of recommendation is your responsibility to ask the right people for letters. Of the following, the best choice for letters of recommendation is:

a psychology professor with whom you have taken multiple upper-division courses and done well, and who knows your academic work

Regarding letters of recommendation for graduate applications, it is preferred to have:

all three from psychology professors, at least two with whom you've done research

Vitae (academic resumes) are unique and different from typical work resumes in many ways. Unlike resumes, vitae: (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

almost never use the "Career Objective" heading can be 20, 30, or more pages in length do not include relevant work experience present all of your presentations and publications in correct APA format

Extracurricular activities are most important as _____________ that will enable you to enhance your attractiveness as a graduate school applicant.

an avenue for acquiring information and contacts

Which of the following provides you with the best overview for preparing for the Psychology GRE exam?

an introductory psychology textbook

Most graduate programs in psychology want you to have already demonstrated your promise as a scientist before you apply for admission. The most common way to do this as an undergraduate is to:

assist a psychology professor with his or her own research

In most research subfields, once you complete your dissertation, your final hurdle before obtaining your doctorate is a successful ______ in front of a faculty committee.

defense

When applying to graduate school programs, you should not apply to a program unless you meet all admissions criteria, because graduate admission committees do not consider your strengths as compensation for your weaknesses (e.g., having strong research experience will not offset low GRE scores).

false

Perhaps the best advice regarding graduate school interviews is to:

go, if you're invited

One of the early steps to selecting a graduate program that is right for you is to do a comprehensive search of available programs. Your reading recommends all of the following as excellent resources EXCEPT:

gradschools.com

Letters from non-psychology professors and psychologists outside of academe may be more (unintentionally) ____.

harmful

If you have mediocre grades, having excellent qualifications in other areas may compensate to make you competitive for admission to graduate programs. The best compensations are to have all of which of the following? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

having solid letters of recommendation doing well on the interview doing psychology-related public service obtaining high GRE scores carefully writing and revising your personal statement

Regarding clinical, counseling, and school graduate programs, you will only be able to get licensed in many states if you graduate from an APA-accredited program. Information on how long a program has been accredited can be found:

in every December issue of APA's publication, American Psychologist

Although this should not be the deciding factor on selecting graduate programs, a better chance at admission to graduate school can be found with a school that:

is in a less desirable location

Practice-oriented (e.g., clinical) PhD programs have a ____ number of applications and ____ acceptance rates.

large; lower

Which of the following is NOT recommended as a means of finding out what kinds of research are being conducted at a graduate program?

look in the APA's Graduate Study in Psychology

In a doctoral program, you are primarily associated with one specific professor. This is the professor who accepted you into the doctoral program, with whom you will establish a mentoring relationship and for whom you will contribute actively to their research program, and who will supervise your dissertation (your doctoral research). Your text refers to this professor as your:

major professor

psychology graduate admissions committees look favorably upon a variety of courses like those in ______, because these kinds of courses signal your willingness and ability to engage in scientific pursuits.

math

In reality, many graduate programs prefer that undergraduates complete coursework that is:

more generalist in nature than specialized in specific areas

Although ______ training is common (especially in the applied areas), the doctoral degree is the final step possible in the formal education process in psychology.

postdoctoral

Sometimes, graduate admissions interviews take place by telephone. For telephone interviews, you should: (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

prepare a "telephone card" for each program dress as you would for an in-person interview be aware that some programs call without warning you have your application materials laid out in front of you

Experts warn students developing graduate application materials to not misinterpret the "personal" nature of required statements of purpose. They recommend that personal should not in any way be construed as ____, rather it should instead be defined as your ____ statement of purpose.

private; professional

If you choose to seek experience that is relevant to your career goals, you are expected to conduct yourself as a ______, whether you are being paid or not, which means being reliable, enthusiastic, and assuming responsibility appropriately

professional

Table 4.1 shows the importance of various criteria in admissions decisions for master's and doctoral programs. Which of the following criteria was most clearly rated as having medium importance?

research experience for master's candidates

Students completing clinical, counseling and school doctoral programs will need to pass the national exam (the EPPP) to be licensed. To evaluate graduate programs based on their students' success for licensure, it is best to:

see where students tend to pass the EPPP on the first try

Professional preparation of your graduate application packet is important. It is wise to: (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

send all application materials all at once include a cover letter itemizing the contents of your application submit all your materials in a neutral folder with your name/contact info typed on it

It is difficult to _____ raise the overall numerical value of a GPA.

significantly

For those of you interested in clinical, counseling, or school psychology, you need to get licensed after completing a doctorate. The data show that students from PsyD programs with higher acceptance rates have _______ scores on the tests necessary for licensure compared with PhD graduates.

significantly lower

Currently (as of 2014), the Psychology Subject Test of the GRE is offered:

three times per year (Apr, Sep, Oct)

Many graduate programs give more weight to your academic performance in the second half of your undergraduate career, rather than just your overall GPA.

true

Most graduate programs readily provide information on where their students go on internships and postdoctoral training as well as where they are employed.

true

Although specific admission requirements vary across programs, in general, doctoral programs look for applicants who show strength in: (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

work experience GRE scores letters of recommendation research experience personal statement GPA interview

Although specific admission requirements vary across programs, in general, master's programs look for applicants who show strength in: (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

work experience GRE scores letters of recommendation research experience extracurricular activities personal statement GPA