Is Your University Choice Among the Top Ranked in Psychology?

By Sheridan Salter

Every year U.S. News and World Report publishes rankings of top graduate programs. A variety of disciplines are ranked, and luckily, there is information published specifically on psychology grad programs. The 2009 edition saw several universities tying for spots. Currently rounding out the top five (note that several programs were tied in their rankings):

1. Stanford University and University of California-Berkeley

2. Harvard University, University of California-Los Angeles, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and Yale University

How are the ranking determinations made? According to U.S. News and World Report, data is collected regarding expert opinions about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school's faculty, research, and students. Over 1,200 programs are included in the assessment and over 11,000 academics and professionals took part in the study.

As you begin to research programs and course offerings, these rankings can help you compare programs' reputations for academic excellence. Of course, this is just one measure of comparing programs among many others, and you may want to take rankings with a grain of salt. This is not saying these aren't excellent graduate programs. I whole-heartedly believe they are, especially after finishing my Ph.D. from one of the above-listed institutions. However, you also want to note rankings of your specific program area. Do some investigation - Is the Clinical area as highly regarded as the Social Psych program?

Should you attend a particular university just because it is top ranked? It is important to determine one's own criteria for a top graduate program. Are you interested in living in a particular geographical area? Do you have access to a burgeoning social life (for those days when you are not hitting the books)? What about faculty placement rates upon graduation? These are all factors to consider. And most certainly if your area of research interest is not represented among the faculty members, then whatever program you're looking at is probably not the best one for you.

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Visit the definitive source for information on applying to Ph.D. programs in psychology: Applying to graduate school

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Is it Realistic to Apply to XYZ University For Grad School?

By Sheridan Salter

Q: "I'm interested in going onto grad school. I want to get into a Top Ten graduate program, but how do I determine if I actually have a chance of getting in or if I'm wasting my time? Am I being realistic in thinking I can actually get into a top ranked program?"

A: Hmmm.... I've definitely heard this question a time or two. So you want to get into a top ranked graduate program? Why? That might seem like an odd question to ask, but is it just because it's a "good" program? Is it a "good" program for you based on your own career goals?

How are you basing your likelihood of getting into a graduate program? Average GRE scores? Average GPA? Number of admitted applicants? Top ranked graduate programs get lots and lots and lots of applications every year from students who apply just because they are "good" programs according to some ranking list. These students may have perfect GPAs and GRE scores. And yes, they may still get a rejection letter.

Let me be very clear here: GPAs and GRE scores aren't sole determinants of what gets someone into graduate school. They are probably not even the most important factor. Fretting over a B instead of an A on your transcript or retaking the GRE to gain an additional 20 points is likely not your biggest hurdle to overcome.

What does matter most in the graduate admissions process is fit. Essentially, "fit" is an approximation of how closely your interests align with an identified faculty member. If you want to study bilingual language development, make sure there is a faculty member that studies the same (or similar) topic. Develop a compelling case for how your interest complements Professor X's (your future faculty mentor) established body of work. (Hint: This "compelling case" is also an essential piece of the statement of purpose!).

It is not uncommon for graduate programs to receive 500 applicants per yearly cycle. Of these applicants, 4 or 5 may be admitted to the program. These may seem like dismal statistics from the outside looking in. As a matter of fact, a lot of students freak out when reading these numbers, and automatically psych themselves out that they won't get admitted to a graduate program. However, students who beat the odds possess the know-how on leveraging fit into an acceptance letter.

Whether or not it is realistic to get into XYZ Prestigious University has everything to do with experience and fit rather than objective criteria, such as published GPAs, GRE scores, or program rankings.

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Research Interests - Key to Graduate School Admissions

By Sheridan Salter

Psychology is an incredibly diverse field of study. It is extremely versatile with lots of potential for cross-collaboration among a number of fields. As an undergraduate, you've likely been exposed to a wide range of topics through your classes. Which ones did you find most interesting? Was it the class lecture on autism? How children acquire language? Or the fact that women suffer from depression more than men - and identifying the reasons why?

Articulating clearly defined research interests will be paramount to gaining entry to graduate school in psychology, especially research-based programs. In my opinion, the most important quality you will need is passion for the subject matter at hand. What do I mean by passion? What topics do you frequently engage in discussion? What particular topics catch your eye as you browse news or magazines? What topics can you (almost) literally discuss all day long and never get tired of discussing the ins and outs of?

There are a number of ways that you can identify your research interests. The first one I mentioned is through material you've been exposed to in class. The second is just good ol' life experience. I had always been interested in the media, but it was an internship experience that piqued my interest even more. At the time, I was working as the "behavior specialist" with teenagers at an alternative school. One of the interesting observations I made was how much influence music artists hold over their beliefs. The students would spend all day talking about them and quoting lyrics from songs (which I guess isn't all that surprising knowing how fanatic teenagers are about their favorite music artists!).

I started to wonder about how song lyrics and music video images influenced their views of what it means to be a man or woman. I skimmed through studies in scholarly journals and realized how much we still don't know about the real-life impact of media images. What worked in my favor was that there was a serious lack of information about how media images and consumption affects youth (and I was just the person to solve this problem, I said in my personal statement!).

Follow a similar process and you may have just uncovered a research interest for yourself!

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College Professor and Clinical Psychologist Among List of Top Careers in America

By Sheridan Salter

There is more good news for grad school applicants - and this time its related to employment prospects! According to Money and Payscale's recently published list of "Best Jobs in America 2009," earning a Ph.D. degree in psychology may lead you directly down a career path towards one of the best jobs in America! Among the top jobs in America, ranking at #3 and #16 respectively are college professor and clinical psychologist. This should be great news for those who remain undecided about going back to grad school to earn a doctoral degree in psychology.

College professor ranks at #3 on the Money and Payscale rankings. Many college professors, especially those on the tenure track in research positions, split their job responsibilities between teaching, grading papers, conducting research and publishing peer-reviewed journal articles. Many college professors in psychology have also gone on to author best-selling books offering new insights to how we understand the human brain and behavior. Among the reasons cited about why the quality of life is tops for college professors, these include flexibility in scheduling, time off for holidays, and reduced workload during summer months. While most people tend to think first about using a Ph.D. in psychology towards counseling and private practice, there are a number of specializations that offer the ability to become a college professor instead.

Let's shift gears and talk about the #23 ranked best job in America: Clinical Psychologists. In comparison to college professors, many clinical psychologists do indeed specialize in counseling, private practice, and psychotherapy. Their job responsibilities including diagnosis and evaluation of mental and emotional disorders. This is accomplished through clinical observation, interviews, and psychological tests. Clinical psychologists work hard with clients to help their experience relief through treatment of psychological disorders.

Each of these jobs appearing on the list were ranked for a combination of high pay, job growth, quality of life. One of the standouts on the list for great quality of life is the college professor career track where 59.2% of respondents rated their job as low stress. Additionally 76% of Clinical Psychologists rated their job as contributing a great deal in benefits to society, believing that their jobs help make the world a better place. These are all great reasons to start getting your application together to go back to grad school and gain a career that is satisfying and offers a high quality of life.

Visit Get into grad school for tips and strategies to get into top ranked doctoral programs in psychology, including drafting personal statements to stand out from the competition and scoring in the 95th percentile on the GRE!

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Top Psychology Graduate Schools - Princeton University

By Sheridan Salter

When you are choosing which graduate school you will attend to obtain your doctoral degree in the field of psychology, you are most certainly searching for the schools that only accept the best of the best. Professors should be award winning in their specific areas of study, and students should be excited about receiving top quality training that they will later use for careers in academia, government, private practice, and research institutions. If these are the specifications you're looking for to earn your Ph.D. in psychology, then Princeton University is a great place for doctoral study.

Princeton is a well-known university - the fourth oldest in the nation. Upon logging onto the Department of Psychology website, you will see a logo that says "Stretch your mind." And obviously, this is exactly what the doctoral programs in psychology are intended to do. As a result of excellence in student training, Princeton currently holds the #8 spot on U.S. News and World Reports rankings of best doctoral programs in psychology. There are several broad areas of concentration in which you can earn your Ph.D. in psychology:

* Neuroscience

* Cognitive psychology

* Personality and social psychology

Like many other top ranked psychology doctoral programs, there are joint programs in dual areas of specialization. Princeton's joint program is in Psychology and Social Policy featuring interdisciplinary training in causes, consequences, and remedies for inequality in the United States and abroad.

Although an undergraduate degree in psychology is a plus, it is not a requirement for admission to the graduate program in psychology at Princeton. Some students come to this program with a background in science or math, which may be really beneficial background to bring to certain areas, such as Neuroscience or Cognitive Psychology. Submitting GRE exam scores is a requirement, although the GRE Psychology Subject Test is not.

There are well-over 30 full-time faculty members across each of the areas of psychology. For prospective students, it is a good idea to determine whether faculty research interests mirror your own, as this will certainly figure prominently in the admissions process. Also be prepared to submit excellent graduate letters of recommendation and academic transcripts from your undergraduate college or university. Universities with top doctoral program such as Princeton are focused primarily on the amount of research experience an incoming grad student has done in their field of interest, their leadership ability, and clear demonstration of unique ideas and fresh thinking. The ability to think critically is also a necessary quality for success at Princeton. It pays off to communicate these ideas in your graduate personal statement.

Undoubtedly, graduating with a Ph.D. from Princeton University is highly desirable if your plans are to establish a career as a college professor or top research in your area of interest. There are many other highly-rewarding careers that can be started by earning the distinction of a doctorate from Princeton. However, the very first step in your journey is presenting a compelling graduate school application package to get into the Ph.D. program in psychology in the first place!

Visit Get into grad school for key information, tips, and strategies on how to get into top ranked doctoral programs in psychology, including how to write a personal statement that stands out from the competition and score in the 95th percentile on the GRE!

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Top Psychology Graduate Schools - Stanford University

By Sheridan Salter

A great school for obtaining your Ph.D. in Psychology is the renowned Stanford University. Located in California, Stanford has repeatedly been ranked among the top psychology doctoral programs. Among its unique points, Stanford University operates 17 different research labs that are solely dedicated to the study of psychology. With award winning faculty members, and state of the art facilities, this school is justifiably sitting at the top of the list. Doctoral programs in psychology are offered in the following areas of study:

* Cognitive

* Developmental psychology

* Neuroscience

* Personality

* Social psychology

How much does it cost to attend top psychology graduate programs?

As a private research institution of higher learning, the price tag to earn your Ph.D. from Stanford can be quite costly. Recent figures estimate that tuition runs approximately $37,000 per year! However, have some solace in the fact that many top research-oriented universities offer fellowships to support graduate students through their course of study. Before we get to how to pay for grad school, let's focus on the admissions process.

Because Stanford does sit right on top of the proverbial food chain, getting admitted is not an easy process. Don't worry though. It's hard, but not impossible. You will need an incredible graduate personal statement, laudatory recommendation letters from professors and advisors, and excellent grades. Stanford also has a reputation for looking specifically for students who have done well in their undergraduate programs, having chosen from the most challenging courses available to them.

With an average acceptance rate at only about 13 percent (and for certain areas, such as Clinical Psychology, you can expect even more competitive acceptance rates!), you have to be on top of your game for your entire undergraduate career to have the best chances of getting your coveted acceptance letter in the mail. If you have already struggled in college, you still have a chance. Colleges like this typically focus more on just the last two or three semesters of your undergraduate grades and overall academic progress.

It sounds like a lot, and it may seems impossible, but if you wish to go to Stanford, tighten your boot straps and pick up that textbook. You can still make it to the number one ranked Psychology program in the nation.

Sheridan Salter is an expert author writing on how to get into top psychology graduate schools. Please visit her website for tips and strategies you can use to get into psychology doctorate programs !

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Top Psychology Graduate Schools - Harvard University

By Sheridan Salter

Have you ever dreamed of attending Harvard University for your Ph.D. in Psychology? If you have, then read on, as this article will give you some information about the types of programs offered in the Psychology field, the academic requirements for admission, and quality education you can expect to experience from the university itself.

Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has a whopping student body of nearly twenty thousand. Considered the oldest university in the United States, Harvard ranks at number three in the nation for universities to obtain your Ph.D. in the field of Psychology. Harvard offers doctoral study in psychology in the following areas:

* Cognition, brain, and behavior
* Developmental Psychology
* Clinical Science
* Social Psychology
* Organizational Behavior

Each of these areas in psychology represent prominent faculty members who jointly administer graduate admissions and provide training in some subfield of psychology. As with other graduate programs, it is not uncommon for individual faculty to have research interests that span more than one area, and thus, provide a breadth of necessary graduate training in research.

If Harvard University is your dream school to obtain your Ph.D., you have to be the best of the best to even have a shot at getting in. Harvard expects its applicants to have stellar GPA and academic resumes. Additionally, graduate admissions committees want you to demonstrate strong leadership skills through your extracurricular activities. Consider those extras on top of writing the perfect graduate personal statement and turning in glowing letters of recommendation that speak to your prior research experience.

In terms of prerequisites, current information on the Harvard University website indicates that you do not have to be a psychology major to gain acceptance to their doctoral programs. However, ALL entering students share a commonality of an undergraduate degree with an academic record of distinction. As is the case with most research-oriented Ph.D. programs in psychology, undergraduate work in statistics is strongly advised.

If paying for graduate education is one of your primary concerns, please be aware that Harvard University (like many Ph.D. programs) provides fellowships to support graduate students. Currently, admitted students receive five years of tuition support, along with a stipend and research fellowship for the first two years of doctoral study. During the third and fourth years, students are guaranteed teaching fellowships, and the final year includes a stipend that includes funds for living expenses during the final year, which you will be expected to produce a dissertation.

Much like other doctoral programs in psychology, it is not easy to get into Harvard University. However, you probably knew that before you read this article, so let this be your motivation, rather than discouragement. Do your best to create a winning graduate school application package and study hard for your GRE exam (which great news - the GRE Psychology Subject Test isn't a requirement for admission), and you've already light years ahead of most of your competition to get into grad school in psychology.

Visit http://acceptedtogradschool.com for everything you need to know about how to get accepted to top ranked psychology doctoral programs. We have free tips and information on everything from getting great letters of recommendation to scoring in the 95th percentile on the GRE!

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Top Psychology Graduate Schools - University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign

By Sheridan Salter

If you are looking to be matriculated into one of the nation's best graduate schools in psychology, then make sure that you add the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign to the top of your application stack. Currently, Illinois holds the #7 ranking for top psychology graduate programs according to U.S. News and World Reports. At Urbana-Campaign, doctoral programs are offered in the following areas of research:

* Biological

* Brain and Cognition

* Clinical/Community Psychology

* Cognitive Psychology

* Developmental Psychology

* Quantitative Psychology

* Social-Personality Psychology

* Industrial-Organizational Psychology

* Visual Cognition and Human Performance

As an added plus, there are also interdisciplinary training programs in Psycholinguistics and Human Factors Psychology.

In order to be considered for acceptance to this school, a student must fill out the Institutional application as well as the Department of Psychology Information Form. Expect the Departmental form to repeat a lot of the same questions as the Institutional application, but it delves deeper into your educational background and future goals. Admissions committees will use these responses to determine whether or not you are a good candidate for doctoral study. They must also have two letters of recommendation, graduate admissions essay, fully complete, sealed transcripts, and a GPA that puts you at the top of your class. Like most other research-oriented Ph.D. programs, it will be a plus to have prior research experience to discuss within your personal statement. As with most other graduate programs, you can expect to submit almost all of your materials online.

While Urbana-Champaign offers a wide variety of areas of specialization, you can also expect that as a top graduate program, the competition may be fierce to get in. It pays off in the form of an acceptance letter to study hard for the GRE exam, identify potential faculty mentors, and write an effective statement of purpose. Once all of these factors are in place, you can rest assured that your application package is among the top of the applicant pool.

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Top Psychology Graduate Schools - University of California, Los Angeles

By Sheridan Salter

If you have ever hoped to one day get into grad school (or more specifically, gain admission to the doctoral program in psychology) at UCLA in Los Angeles, California, then you've come to the right place! Currently ranked at number 3 by U.S. News and World Reports for best overall graduate program in psychology, University of California at Los Angeles has applications pouring in from students all over the country. These students represent the academic elite, contending for a spot on the next class of graduate students in their particular area of interest in psychology. Ph.D. programs are offered at UCLA in the following areas:

* Behavioral Neuroscience

* Clinical Psychology

* Cognitive Psychology

* Developmental Psychology

* Health Psychology

* Learning & Behavior

* Quantitative

* Social Psychology

Lastly for those interested in studying Education and Psychology, there is a related program for Psychological Studies in Education.

As is the case for all Ph.D. programs (and certainly for prestigious Research One institutions of higher learning), UCLA boasts its reputation for preparing psychologists to work as researchers, college and university instructors, and professional research psychologists. After graduation, typical careers around found in both academic and applied settings, research and government agencies, business and industry, and clinics and hospitals.

At UCLA you will also find several research institutes on campus. Graduate students are especially encouraged to get involved in research projects at the Brain Research Institute, the interdisciplinary Neuroscience and Cognitive programs, the Institute for Social Science Research, the Neuropsychiatric Institute, and the Fernald Child Study Center. For clinical psychology students, there is a Psychology Clinic on campus where you will spend hours in practicums learning how to treat patients under supervision.

How competitive is it to get into Ph.D. program in psychology at UCLA?

The UCLA Psychology Department website states that for the Fall admissions cycle of 2009, approximately 690 applications were received. Although precise numbers vary each year, only 30 students were admitted into the Ph.D. program. A quick look at the numbers might suggest that it is extremely difficult to get into UCLA. The matter of fact is that lots of applicants likely failed to do their research before applying. There are several keys to admissions to Ph.D. programs - and the first rule of thumb is to apply to programs with good faculty-student fit. This means that if you are only interested in becoming a psychotherapist, the research-oriented nature of the program is not a good fit. Secondly, if you're interested in studying the development of autism, but there is no faculty member whose research interests mirror yours, you are better of saving your application fee to apply to another university where you can find appropriate mentorship.

Do I have to take the GRE to get into UCLA?

The short answer is yes. GRE General Exam scores are a requirement for admission. You're in good luck though that there are no minimum GRE cutoff scores to be considered for admission. If you still feel like your GRE scores might not be competitive, be aware that UCLA's policy is only to take into consideration your last reported GRE score. No averaging, no taking your best score. However, please be aware that certain programs at UCLA require the GRE Psychology Subject Test: These include Clinical Psychology. For the Health, Developmental, and Cognitive Psychology areas, the GRE Psychology is highly recommended but not a strict requirement. For other areas, you are in the free and clear.

Although getting into a great school can seem really tough, getting into UCLA is not all that difficult, as long as you take the time to prepare yourself and pull together a completed application package (yes, I'm sure many of those 609 applications got trashed for being incomplete). Get your academic resume together to submit for letters of recommendation, work diligently on your graduate personal statement, and get to applying!

Visit http://www.acceptedtogradschool.com for information and need-to-know tips on how to get into top ranked psychology doctoral programs. Everything is here at your fingertips from writing an effective personal statement to scoring in the 95th percentile on the GRE.

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