Free-Form Friday Recap: Roadmap to Graduate School Part I (Getting Started with Your Applications)

Applying to graduate school can feel like a daunting task. Applications can require extensive time, effort, and even financial resources. In the first of a three-part series on applying to graduate school, Fernanda Andrade, a PhD student at Duke University, and Katie White Austin, a PhD student at the University of Texas at Dallas, explore the initial steps in getting started with graduate school applications as part of SPSP’s Free-Form Friday sessions.

• Present an overview of master’s, PhD, and PsyD graduate programs in psychology;
• Share information on how to apply to these programs;
• Explain the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE);
• Share tips on how to make use of the upcoming summer months to prepare for applications.

Types of programs: Master’s vs. PhDs vs. PsyDs

• Training focus can differ across types. PhD programs generally focus on academic research, whereas PsyD programs tend to focus on applied settings. A Master’s program can focus on either.
• Funding tends to differ too. PhD programs usually provide funding for students, while M.A./M.S. and PsyD programs generally do not.
• There is variability in terms of outcomes for students. Master’s degrees offer great training for working in research, industry, government, non-profit work, or education. PhD programs can also prepare for these fields, but there is special emphasis on training for remaining in academia as a researcher and/or professor.

The application process

What do prospective students typically need to submit?

• Letters of Recommendation (usually 3)
• Statement of Purpose/Personal Statement (this statement is tailored to each program)
• GRE (typically only the general)
• Unofficial transcripts
• Resume/CV
• A writing sample
• Application fee

How do prospective students apply to various programs?

• Each program will have a website with its own application portal. There is no common application portal that many undergraduate institutions use.
• Within each program’s application portal, there will be places to upload a personal statement, unofficial transcripts, a resume or CV, etc.
• Letters of recommendation are typically submitted directly by the letter writer. Applicants are usually asked to provide the email addresses of their letter writers in the application portal so that the school can contact the letter writers directly.
• Prospective students need to carefully examine each program’s website to understand their responsibilities in ensuring the application is reviewed by the program.

How and when do applicants typically hear back from schools?

• For PhD programs, applications are generally due on the 1^st of December (some schools may have earlier or later deadlines; applicants need to check the dates carefully for each program of interest). In PhD programs, students tend to apply to work with one or two advisors in particular. These potential advisors usually begin reviewing applications in the weeks following the application deadline. It will depend on the program, but sometimes potential advisors may contact prospective students in the weeks following the application deadline to set up an initial phone interview. Following this phone interview, prospective students may then receive a formal invitation for their interview weekend. Other schools will wait to contact students until they extend invitations for their formal interview weekend. Most formal interview weekends take place at the end of January or early to mid-February each year. Following the interview weekend, offers may be extended throughout February, March, or April depending on the school. Prospective students are asked to let schools know of their decision by the 15^th of April each year.
• For master’s programs, the deadlines can vary, but applications are usually due during the spring. Decisions tend to be rolling and are often based partially on how the PhD application cycle for that school is going. Students who apply to a school’s PhD program but are not admitted may be offered a position in that school’s master’s program. Because the application process for master’s programs can be tied to PhD programs, students may not hear back until April or even later.

The GRE

• What is the GRE? The GRE is a computer-based test administered at an official, ETS (Educational Testing Service) approved testing center. The GRE takes around four to five hours to complete. There are three parts to the GRE (a verbal section, a quantitative section, and a writing section). The GRE may be taken multiple times, but individuals are required to wait 21 days between testing attempts. For domestic test-takers, the GRE costs $205. Further, applicants have to pay an additional fee to send their scores to schools. Test takers receive instant feedback at the end of the testing period for their verbal and quantitative sections. Notably, the GRE is an adaptive test. The questions will get progressively easier or harder depending if a test taker is getting the questions right or wrong.
• How can someone prepare for the GRE? There are special GRE preparatory courses one can enroll in. Alternatively, many people choose to prepare for the tests on their own using practice books and other resources.

Considerations for summer: How to make the most of the upcoming months

• Think about and compile a list of what institutions are most appealing. The summer can be a great time to research programs and reflect on what matters most. Consider location, diversity of both the faculty members and the student body, funding opportunities, cost of living in the area, as well as how one’s personal goals and identity.
• Relatedly, research potential advisors. Reflect on one’s own research interests and how they may overlap with different advisors. It’s also worth researching who their current graduate students are and seeing if they publish with their advisor, if they have families of their own, and if they seem happy at that institution with that advisor.
• Prepare and potentially take the GRE. The GRE is not cheap. Devoting time and attention to prepare accordingly for the test is worthwhile.
• In forming a list, be strategic. The graduate application process can be expensive, so students should opt to maximize their odds of getting into a program by carefully examining the profile of admitted students (average GPA and GRE scores) as well as taking into account their own personal goals.

View the Presentation Slides

Stay tuned for announcements pertaining to the next Free-Form Friday session in the Roadmap to Graduate School series, “Personal Statements, Transcripts, and Your Resume/CV” which will be held in September 2021.