Colorado State University

If you are applying to PhD programs, yes! However, this is not necessary when applying to Master’s programs.

If you’re opting for a master’s with a research based thesis, you can look through faculty before-hand to see if anyone does research relating to your interests.

An advisor is typically a tenured or tenure-track faculty member. They serve as your mentor throughout your time as a graduate student and are typically one of the main people who oversee your thesis and dissertation, as well as any other departmental requirements.

If you need a graduate degree for your desired career, you can often find out which degree is preferred by asking people in the field and looking at job listings on sites like LinkedIn.

Usually, becoming a practicing therapist does NOT require a PhD! Get your master’s first 🙂

If you want to be a professor, you’ll probably need a PhD.

• Location:
  • Think about where you want to live. Don’t apply to a school somewhere you would never want to live – the town is going to be your new home!
  • Are you tied to Colorado? Do you want to go back to your home state? Are you able to afford some places over others?
  • Once you’ve decided on places you would be willing to live, you can search for universities in those areas.
• Database from APA (costs money): https://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/gradstudy
  • Some individual APA divisions may have lists of universities with relevant programs
• I/O Psych: https://www.siop.org/Events-Education/Graduate-Training-Program
• All universities in the US: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_American_universities_and_colleges
• Carnegie classifications: https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/institutions/
• Look for accreditations –
  • I/O – is it SIOP accredited?
  • Clinical – is it APA accredited?
  • Counseling master’s – is it CACREP certified?
  • Is there a different accreditation that is relevant?
  • Most schools will list this information on their websites but you can usually also find this information through third party websites.
• Once you start looking at schools, check out any outcomes the school shares! Are people getting jobs you’re interested in?
• For PhD programs specifically,
  • Read the current literature. If you know what you want to study, do a Google Scholar search from the past 5 years with keywords related to your research interests.
  • Are there any schools that consistently appear in the search results?
  • Is there a faculty member whose name keeps showing up?
    • You’ll be applying to a specific professor, not really the general program

Be sure to email any potential advisors to ensure they are planning to take students before you go through the application process. Try to email them by the end of September. This practice also helps make you more than a name on an application. Your email should include your name, major, current university, and (brief) research interests. Keep it short and to the point. If they don’t respond, you could follow up, take it as a “no”, or apply anyways.

Things to consider when choosing an advisor:

• Their current research interests should align with yours
• Their mentoring style should align with yours (are they hands on or hands off? Which do you prefer?)
  • You may ask current grad students about their mentoring style
  • Consider finding your communication style to help you understand how you communicate and best receive instruction:
    https://colostate.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_esbgD65WdXAzJR4
• What have their students done after graduation? Is that a path you see yourself taking?

As many as you are interested in!

For PhD programs:

• Probably at least 4 that you really like
• Many people apply to 7 – 10 schools
• Maybe don’t go over 15 – it gets too expensive and hard to manage
• Remember: PhD programs are very competitive!

For Master’s

• Find at least 3 programs that really interest you
• Generally, people apply for 4 – 6 programs
• You don’t need to go over 10 – it will become expensive fast!

It depends on the program, but the range is typically $50-$100 per application.

• Flashcards for math formulas and vocab words
• Practice tests, practice questions, and practicing pacing
• GRE prep books: Kaplan GRE Prep Plus, Manhattan Prep 5lb Book of GRE Practice Problems
• Free apps: (search GRE prep and then the keyword) Magoosh, Varsity Tutors, Manhattan Prep GRE, Galvanize

The quant and reading sections are scored out of 170 points, totaling 340 points for the whole test. The writing section is out of 6 points.

You get your scores immediately except for writing – that takes about two weeks to grade.

The test is adaptive, which means it gets harder as you do better and gets easier as you do worse.

It’s $220 each time you take the General Test, and $40 per school you send it to (but you get to send it to four schools for free the day you take it)

Keep in mind that you may qualify for a waiver or financial aid, so investigate with ETS and your college to see if you can get assistance.

More info: https://www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general-test/register/fees.html

You should take it if:

1. a school you’re applying to requires it or
2. if you are not a psychology major (and applying for a psych program)

Check out more information here: https://www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/subject-tests/about/content-structure.html#accordion-792530b110-item-c2a51a1d4e

https://www.ets.org/gre.html

A standardized 3.5 hour timed test with six sections meant to assess your critical thinking skills:

• Verbal Reasoning
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Analytical Writing
• Test sections: these do not go towards your score, they are essentially testing questions for future exams

GRE = graduate record examination! Though, graduate readiness exam feels appropriate too.

Many psychology programs removed GRE requirements during the beginning of Covid. Several programs have since kept their applications that way while others have begun reinstating the requirement. Be sure to check whether your school requires the GRE before signing up. It is a costly test that incurs extra fees for sending to more than your allotted schools. Plan accordingly!

At least two months before the application deadline because your scores can take three business weeks to process.

We recommend studying over the summer and taking them in August, before fall of senior year begins. 

The choice is yours, but above all else you must make sure your scores will get to your schools in time (which is why we recommend about two months before the earliest deadline).

here: https://www.ets.org/gre.html

CVs are generally required for PhD programs.

Master’s programs can go either way. If they ask for a resume, stick to a traditional resume format (i.e., not elongated like a CV). As you gain more experience (i.e., post-master’s), your resume may take up 2 pages instead of 1.

As long as it needs to be to include everything! They’re almost always longer than one page. As an undergraduate, it’s totally okay for them to seem short. After all, if you had a ton of experience doing things grad students do, why would you apply to graduate school?

A CV is a list of all of your accomplishments in your undergraduate career.

A resume is more tailored to the specific institution or role you are applying for.

CVs tend to be longer because they include information such as publications, courses you took, and presentations you accumulated over your career.

Any relevant information and accomplishments! The order is up to your discretion; check out your any grad students you know or professor’s CVs for examples.

Most common sections are:

• Your details
  • Your name
  • An email
  • A general location (no more than “Fort Collins” for example — don’t put your address)
  • Optional: a short (2-sentence) blurb about your current goals
• Education
  • You can include high school, but not necessary
  • If you haven’t graduated with your Bachelor’s yet, you can say “Expected [month of graduation]” or “Anticipated [month of graduation]”
  • You can list your GPA but don’t do that if it’s not so good
    • If your GPA is low but your Psych-specific GPA is higher, list that in addition
  • List any academic accomplishments here
    • Dean’s list
    • Graduating distinctions (cum laude, etc.)
• Research Experience
  • RA experience: list your PI and the semesters you were an RA
    • List your responsibilities in bullet points
    • Include certifications (like CITI) in here too (sometimes you can create a separate certifications and skills section if you want)
  • Independent project experience
  • If you served as lab manager or another upper-level position for your lab, list that here too
• Presentations (& publications but you probably won’t have any yet and that’s okay!)
  • Not your in-class presentations
  • Professional presentations at places like CURC, MURALS, RMPA, etc.
• Teaching Experience
  • Classes you’ve TA’d for, the professor, the semester
  • List the responsibilities you handled
  • Include whether you collaborated with other TAs
• Professional or Academic Affiliations
  • Psi Chi
  • PSA
  • Any research conference or society (e.g., APA) you’re a member of
• Awards, grants, and funding
  • If you have special scholarships based on academic achievement or something else, you can list that here
  • Any special awards can go here (e.g., “best presentation”)
• Additional Experience
  • Jobs you’ve worked
  • Any other leadership you’ve had
  • Any volunteer experience (though if you have a lot, you might consider a separate “Service” section and list it as community service)
  • List your extra-curricular activities here too if you want (e.g., club tennis)
    • Definitely include leadership experience here
    • Don’t feel the need to expand beyond “member” if that’s all you did, it’s okay

A CV is still similar to a resume – only list what you did in various positions in the C.V., and use the personal statement to elaborate on what you learned and how it helped prepare you for graduate school.

It can be helpful to use tables to format your CV or you can format it like a long list. Generally within each section, the most recent accomplishment goes at the top.

Check out some examples here

Every program is different, so you need to keep track of each program you apply to.

Plan for at least 3 for PhD programs. Some more competitive or highly research based programs require 4 recommendations.

Most Master’s programs require 2-3 letters.

If you aren’t sure whether a potential recommender will agree, ask sooner rather than later – like 4 months in advance.

Give your recommender at least 2 months to write the letter – they may not need all the time, but people (especially professors) get very busy and tend to say no more frequently to last-minute requests.

Be sure to give them the due date! There’s no harm in reminding them a couple weeks before the due date, but try not to be mean and angry about it.

• Anyone who can reputably speak to your ability to perform as a graduate student
  • Good options: faculty, internship bosses, long-term volunteer coordinators
    • This is where TA and RA positions come in handy!
  • Try to avoid asking: your boss from the coffee shop, friends or family, current graduate students
• They should be able to discuss your relevant traits such as intelligence, resilience, independence, leadership, drive/motivation, etc.

A personal statement (or statement of purpose) is a 500 to 1,000 word essay that explains why you want to go to graduate school, why you want to attend a specific program, and why you are qualified to go. The purpose is to demonstrate that you are ready for graduate school and that your interests align with the specific program you are applying to. 

• Everything they ask for in the prompt!!
• You should speak to your ability to be a good graduate student, including your motivation to apply, resilience, previous experience in research, teaching, volunteering, or internships, among other topics.
• Focus on specific examples.
  • Are you resilient? Write about a time that shows that – focus on the outcomes.
  • Are you capable of working independently? Write about the project you did all by yourself.
  • Are you organized and time-efficient? Discuss times you’ve specifically exhibited those traits!

See the tab on our website for more resources (here)

See the paper: Kisses of Death: (Appleby, D. C., & Appleby, K. M. (2006). Kisses of death in the graduate school application process. Teaching of Psychology, 33(1), 19-24.)

• Personal mental health:
  • Avoid “I have severe depression and anxiety so I want to help people who also have that!”
  • Mental health struggles are valid and an understandable reason to pursue a psychology degree
  • However, discussing any struggles at length takes away your opportunity to showcase your skills that make you a good applicant.
  • You may highlight your resilience in handling and overcoming mental health struggles, but do not fill up your paper with your life story – focus on your applicable skills and goals!
• Excessive altruism
  • Statements like “I want to help everyone” or “everyone comes to me for help”.
  • Focus on your unique strengths as a graduate student instead.
  • Anyone can say that everyone comes to them for help!
  • It’s important to discuss your strengths with attached examples to showcase those skills in action.
• Excessive personal disclosure
  • This depends on the manner in which it is written.
  • No need to focus three pages on how you finished school against all odds when you could allude to it.
  • Understand and respect professional and personal boundaries.
• Professionally inappropriate
  • Avoid anything you wouldn’t want to tell a stranger or your boss.
  • Stay away from politics, religion, personal finances, family and relationship issues, etc.

Check here for resources from the psych dept!

Here’s a google drive link with fun fliers and a living doc with more info

• Where else can I get research experience?
  • Government Internships such as:
    • NREIP
    • ORAU
• Many industry organizations offer internship programs. Browsing LinkedIn and reaching out to any contacts in your field are great places to start looking!
• If you have ideas on research projects, reach out to a professor about starting an independent project through PSY 498!
  • You need to have an idea first!

Academics:

• Try to keep your GPA up
  • Master’s programs will have differing GPA requirements, but generally look for 3.3 or higher
  • PhD programs will have higher GPA requirements, usually no lower than 3.5
• Prioritize major classes
  • If your GPA is not great, you can list your Psych-specific GPA next to it (assuming it’s higher)

Experience

Research

• If you’re interested in a PhD, you should get some research experience
• Join a lab in the psych department or search for CSU research labs outside of psych that interest you
• At a minimum, running participants will give you some experience
• Ask for more experience where you can:
  • Extra tasks, data analysis, etc.
• You can also pursue independent research:
  • Come up with an idea and reach out to a psych faculty about it
  • You can complete an independent project in PSY 498 — don’t wait until your final semester!!
  • You should look into MURALS or CURC
    • You can present a research proposal there
    • Presentations will be much easier than getting a publication, focus on these opportunities!
• Read in your spare time to keep up with current research

Teaching

• Reach out to professors whose courses you did well in
• Ask to be a TA
• Even just grading and classroom management will give you valuable experience and make your application stand out

Internships

• Internships can be hard to find
• If you find one, go for it!
• Sometimes these will be unpaid, but the experience will help your applications

Jobs

• Working during undergrad is no small feat!
• While you shouldn’t necessarily highlight this at the top of your CV or personal statement, you can add a small section or short sentence showcasing your skills
• Being able to manage your time as a student and as a working professional is very difficult and can bode well for your future skills as a graduate student
• It’s all about how you spin it

Volunteer

• Volunteer opportunities are everywhere but you will have to look for them
• Try finding places that do work related to what you’re interested in and asking if you can volunteer with them, the worst they can say is no!
  • Counseling/clinical?
    • Some Fort Collins places to look into are: ASP, NAMI Larimer, Yarrow Collective, etc.
    • National places include: crisis text line, NAMI, NIMH, etc.
    • On campus you could look into Active Minds or NAMI on campus!
    • Check out Campus Connections!! Many of our mentees have found this program very helpful and rewarding
  • Research?
    • Ask your PI from your RAship if you can volunteer after graduating!
    • Look around Handshake for remote options
  • Teaching?
    • You could volunteer your time tutoring – through the tutoring center (?) or you can promote yourself elsewhere
• Opportunity is out there

Knowing what you want!

It makes sense if you’re not totally sure what the rest of your life will look like, but a competitive applicant can speak clearly about their goals and how the program they’re applying to will help them reach that goal. If you’re feeling unsure, first maybe consider whether you want to apply to graduate school. And second, don’t let that come across in your materials.

You also need to come across as knowledgeable about the program or professor you’re applying to. Specific examples of coursework or opportunities or research going on at the university to which you’re applying will make it clear that you know what the program offers and how it fits into your future.

Apply to be a mentee! You can do that here.