Advice for undergrads preparing for grad school in psychology?

[futureapppsy2]

What would you recommend for, say, a freshman or sophomore who's interested in pursuing a PhD in psychology? I'm thinking mainly of clinical/counseling/school psych but ideas for those interested in experimental branches, like developmental, social, etc., are also welcome.

Some thoughts:
-Take research methods and stats classes early. Some faculty look for undergrad RAs to have had these.
-Don't get discouraged by hearing "no" when looking for research experience. The more experience you have, the more attractive you are to labs, so things get easier once you get your foot in the door.
-State your interest in potentially being involved in posters, presentations, and even manuscripts upfront. Although you'll have to do a fair amount of "grunt work" early on (data entry, etc), there are RAs who aren't interested in being involved in products, so indicating that you are upfront givs the PI a better sense of what you're looking for in your experience.
-Do your grunt work well and without complaining. Everyone does this, and you may still be doing some of it as a grad student or PI. It's actually a vital part of research.
-Be aware if a lab publishes or involves students in publishing upfront. Very few labs at my undergrad published much at all and only a couple of those involved students in publications. This doesn't mean that they couldn't give you great research experience, just that you shouldn't be expecting a publication out of it.
-Look at university-affiliated research institutes for RA positions as well as faculty labs. These can be great research experience, and many of them pay RAs to boot.
-Don't get involved in too many labs. Focus on the lab or two that seems like the best fit and a put in a lot of time there.

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[soccercat]

I think finding a mentor who can help with applications, writing, CV formatting, etc. is also important. Someone who knows how to play the game and help you make decisions about schools will help not only with the application process, but possibly with making some good financial decisions to boot.

 

[bmedclinic]

-Don't get involved in too many labs. Focus on the lab or two that seems like the best fit and a put in a lot of time there.

I like the above list, but from my experience as a grad student watching undergrads attempt to gain entry to various dept labs, this is a big deal. When I was an undergrad, I worked for 1 person for two years and sought out two other research opportunities. I didn't get the politics behind it. But there certainly is that, in a variety of formats.

 

[EmotRegulation]

This is a well-timed question! I just bought the below book for use in my lab, and a lot of it is suggestions for people EARLY in college. There are some good suggestions on writing personal statements, writing CVs, etc., but great stuff for the earlier student to "stay on track" toward graduate school. The advice for freshman is great too (talk to professors! Be a respectful student--with advice on HOW to do this, in terms of email/office/classroom etiquette).

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In addition to what has been said above, I'd suggest (and the book says at least something about this, if I recall) to think early about who is going to write you letters and to cultivate relationships so that those letters can be good. I've had people work in my lab who I hardly know, because they never talk at lab meetings and don't get involved beyond their assigned work. Don't get me wrong, I like these students, but writing a letter is hard because I don't know much about them at all. Same goes for the student who does well in a class but never speaks. I can't say much beyond "did well in class, came on time and didn't make a fuss." That does not make a good letter.

Go to a conference. Ideally a national conference, and ideally present at it. But even if you don't present, just going and seeing what kind of work is presented (and attending talks, student focused events, etc.) can be really valuable in networking and just seeing what graduate students are doing.

If you have the CV for it, try to do a paid summer research internship. It's a great way to travel, get experience with another mentor and often some great advice on applying for grad schools. These internships are competitive, though, so you'll need research experience before you can apply for these. I've had several students do these with great success.

This is a bit of an off-the-wall suggestion, but if you have the opportunity to get some computer programming experience, do it. It'll help in statistical syntax, it'll make you valuable to labs because you'll have the know-how to make tasks work....my grad school advisor thought about actively searching for someone with programming experience after an older labmate graduated and we were stuck trying to do psychophys stuff without her. It's come in handy for me, too, and I don't know a lot, but I know more than most people.

 

[FLpsychstudent]

This is kind of related to what everyone else is saying, but just wanted to say specifically as well. Take every opportunity to ask questions, get help from other people (grad student or PI advisors), etc. I tell all of my undergrad RAs to ask me qs about grad school, offer to talk with them about their goals, etc., and only 1 or 2 have taken me up on it. When they do it makes me want to forward them/get them involved in more opportunities because I know they care. It can be hard for us to know if people actually are interested in research or if they are just doing this for credits if you don't make it known you want to get involved in as much as you can, meet with us to ask questions, etc. I think most people supervising undergrads would be more than willing to set up a meeting if you just email them and politely ask for a meeting time to talk about getting into grad school/professional development and just come with a few questions...most of us love to ramble on and on about it and make specific suggestions for your goals. Lol.

Also, like people said, starting in and staying in one lab for as long as possible is key, esp to set you up for doing an honors thesis. I think it's also good to make it known you want to do this early and ask for readings to help. Even if they won't say yes or no until you've been involved for a while, it's good to open the door and also good to read so you have a better idea for research interests. When I was an undergrad I was in the same lab for 2 yrs and that still wasn't enough time to do an honor's thesis there!

 

[PsychMajorUndergrad18]

If I so may, I'd like to rejuvenate this thread by offering my advice.

For all that do not know, I am currently a undergraduate sophomore who will be starting my first semester of research experience in my department's Cognition, Memory and Development (CMD) lab (just a little background on me)

Some important things to consider as undergrads (especially first and second-years):

• Make as much opportunity to meet with Professors during their assigned office hours. This is important because not only will you get to have the opportunity to meet with different professors and learn about what they do but also you will show professors you are actually genuinely interested in their research and put in the extra time to meet with them in person.
• Pay Important Attention to Your Statistics and Research Method Classes. Like the others mentioned above, take these two classes as early as possible but also try your best as much as you can and show the professor you are actually interested in the course content. Stats and Research Methods are important classes to take because these serve as the foundation to what you would be doing in a research lab and also what you would be doing if you pursue a research-oriented MS (Masters of Science) or any PhD (Doctorate of Philosophy) programs (even Clinical PhD programs require some amount of research and statistics).
• Try Not to Narrow own Your Future Goals So Early On In Undergrad. I say this because I hear so many of my fellow psych students say their want to become Clinical/Counseling Psychologists but then at the end of either their first second or even fourth year their may decide to change to a different field in psychology. Try to diversify your electives and courses so you could get a wide variety of psych courses (for example, instead of taking 3 clinical psych related electives maybe take a I/O psych elective or a cross-cultural psychology elective. To me, one of the ideas of undergrad education (other than to graduate, earn research experience and be a excellent student) is to be aware of the different subfields of psychology and to immerse yourself in the different ideas and theories in the different subfields.

 

[ClinicalABA]

All good suggestions. I'd add that you need to be sure to focus on the "foot in the door" things related to getting your app looked at or thrown in the trash. Research and other experience, good letters, etc. are great and most likely necessary to be competitive for top programs. However, a lot of that stuff wont matter if you have a poor GPA or other "black mark" on your app. In addition to the above mentioned suggestion, focus on the following:

• Study and work hard in all your classes. You'll be competing against students with GPAs much higher than the minimums published by graduate programs.
• Prepare for the GREs. You should know what they are about, and address any weaknesses in your skill-set as you mover through undergrad. For example, if you struggle to remember math concepts, you might want to take a math course towards the end of you undergrad training.
• Avoid problematic behaviors that you will have to explain away. Keep out of trouble, avoid dropping out of classes, don't get arrested. Should go without saying, but my experience doing a practicum in the university drug/alcohol counseling program was that students really didn't understand the potential negative impacts of their illegal behaviors. Even if it is a just a "youthful indiscretion" that in no way is predictive of how you'll do in graduate school, you'll be competing with applicants who avoided such indiscretions.

Some of these seem like obvious, no-brainer types of things. However, recognize that hard work, preparation, and discretion now will give you much more opportunities in the future. It could be the difference between a fully-funded program and one you have to pay for- a financial difference measured in the tens of thousands (and maybe even hundreds of thousands of dollars, if you get stupid with it).

 

[WisNeuro]

http://www.apa.org/education/grad/applying.aspx

http://www.unc.edu/~mjp1970/Mitch's Grad School Advice.pdf

 

[empathiosis]

From that first page, there's an excellent video series I just discovered recently:

http://www.apa.org/education/grad/application-video-series.aspx

http://www.apa.org/education/grad/graduate-school-handouts.pdf

 

[CheetahGirl]

If the person is mature (they should decide on this him-/herself), volunteer!!!!!! I am a huge advocate for volunteering to your community. I have been an active volunteer of my group for almost 10 yrs now! Something like this: http://www.mountsinai.org/patient-c...ssault-and-violence-intervention-program-savi

Or Samaritans, or something comparable. You usually have to be 18- or 21- years of age (for my organization it is 21), but you get excellent training after the vetting process (which then is a judgement from others about your maturity level), and the actual experience is intense (there is something to say about arriving in an Emergency Dept at 2:50am on random night to hold the hand of someone who has just been attacked by a stranger/family member/whomever, as medical staff explain HIV prophylaxis and the steps for the NYPD to take next...I am always glad I am there for that person. You figure out pretty quickly, if that level of intensity and that environment is some place you'd like to devote your career training.) Also, you often get certifications. I've said this before but I've been an official rape crisis counselor for the Dept of Health and Human Services in New York City, long before I entered graduate school.

IMO...it says something intrinsic about your passion for your profession (or intended profession) if you volunteer your time. Plus some faiths suggest it is a path to righteous, so you're killing two birds with one stone. (You know I had to slide a wisecrack in my post...somewhere. 100% serious about volunteering though.)

This is your public service announcement.