5 tips to get into graduate school

“How do I get into grad school?!”

I’ve been a TA for an intro statistics course in psychology for more than three years now, and this is one of the most common question I get asked. Making the choice to attend graduate school is a big decision that can often seem quite scary and impossible. Indeed, navigating all the requirements to successfully apply can be overwhelming, but I’m here to help!

I’ve decided to compile some of my best tips to help make the process a little less intimidating. While this list is specific to those interested in pursuing a master’s/PhD in psychology which includes a significant research component, much of the advice can easily apply to other fields.

Tip #1: get involved in research early!

Besides having a strong GPA, getting involved in research early is one the best things you can do. Not only will it increase your odds of getting in, it can also help you decide if graduate school is actually right for you.

What does it mean to 'get involved in research' as an undergraduate? This usually means getting a position as a Research Assistant (RA) in a lab. Most likely you will start off volunteering, but it is possible to apply for paid RA positions once you have gained experience.

The work you will end up doing will vary widely based on the laboratory you choose. You may start off doing some basic data entry, or you may be collecting data from participants. The work may not start off incredibly exciting, but all graduate students started here!

Finding RA positions. There is no one way to find a RA position. The most obvious way is to keep an eye out for RA postings. Departments often advertise these opportunities, as well as online job websites like Concordia’s student job website.

If there is a professor’s course that you are really enjoying, it could be worth approaching this professor to ask about potential opportunities in their lab. Another lesser-known way to obtain an RA position is by emailing specific labs that interest you and inquiring about potential volunteer and job opportunities.

Stand out from other applicants. When you’re applying for an RA job that was advertised to the public or contacting labs to inquire about potential opportunities, you’ll want to stand out! Always make sure to include a carefully proofread CV and transcripts. Most importantly, make sure that you personalize your cover letter or email to each lab that you contact.

Read some of the latest research that lab has published and incorporate that into either your cover letter or the email you send to the lab. For example, if you were looking at the Personality Aging, and Health Lab at Concordia, maybe you have an interest in understanding the mechanisms linking stress and health, and you find the personality trait of optimism interesting.

You’re more likely to stand out among other applicants if you show that you took the time to research the lab and what they study than those generic RA applications that could have easily been sent to more than 10 other labs.

Tip #2: go above and beyond in your involvement in a lab

I’m working as an RA in a lab, now what? Congrats! Once you’ve secured the opportunity to get involved in a lab — you’ll want to take advantage of this. Do your best to get to know the graduate students in the lab, find out about what their life is like in grad school and use this to help you decide whether grad school is something you want to pursue.

Does the idea of research excite you? Or does it absolutely bore you? Remember doing research is a big component of most psychology graduate programs, and if you really hate doing research then it might be worth reconsidering whether you want to commit to five to seven years of your life to this.

What if the lab I’m working in doesn’t interest me? One important caveat of the previous suggestion is that you shouldn’t let one lab ruin your perception of research in psychology. It’s possible the first lab you get experience in just doesn’t research something that interests you or has a poor lab environment.

Having said that, it’s still worth trying to stick it out with this lab for a good amount of time — six months to a year — so that you can put the experience on your CV and hopefully obtain a strong letter of reference.

But don’t feel like you need to stick around forever, I always recommend that everyone try to work in at least two different research labs — I worked in four different labs. No two research labs will be the same!

Go above and beyond. If you’re seriously considering graduate school in psychology, I would recommend that you do a specialization or honours thesis during your undergraduate degree. This gives you the opportunity to conduct a mini-research project of your own which will give you a better idea of what it can be like conducting research as a graduate student.

Beyond that, try talking to the graduate students in the lab to see if you can present some of the research at a conference, or maybe even getting deeply involved in a research publication that you could potentially co-author. All these experiences look fantastic on a CV and show that you went above and beyond the basic duties assigned to you as an RA.

Tip #3: begin preparing your application for graduate school well in advance

Start early! While there is no hard rule about when to begin, all I can suggest is that the earlier the better! Most applications are due around December or January, some can be due as early as November. Don’t expect to prepare your best application two weeks before the due date. There are many components of applications that often require months to prepare.

For example, you may need to write the GRE, which might make most sense to write in the summer months when you have more time. It is also helpful to contact potential graduate supervisors well in advance — late summer or early fall — to express your interest in their lab and confirm that they are accepting new graduate students.

Letters of reference. You will also need a few letters of reference from professors who have worked closely with you. The earlier the notice you can give to these professors the better letter they can write for you!

When asking a professor to write these letters it can be helpful to send them an updated CV, transcripts, any thesis work you did in their lab, as well as a draft of your statement of purpose for each school. Give them a list of all the schools you’re applying to and clearly list deadlines. Don’t be shy about sending a couple of reminder emails when the deadlines are approaching!

Statement of purpose. Just like when you’re emailing labs about RA positions, you need to personalize each statement to the school and supervisor you are interested in working with. Read some of the latest research that supervisor has done and try to write some critical thoughts related to their research. Maybe you’re curious about how it links to an understudied phenomenon, you really like the methodology they use or have a suggestion for future research.

The more you can show that you really are interested in their lab and can think critically about the research they conduct the more you will stand out from other generic applications. If you can, get some example statements from current graduate students who successfully got into graduate school. It can also be helpful to get a professor or graduate student to look over at least one of your statements.

Tip # 4: research and supervisor fit are the most important factors to consider when choosing a program

Research. Research. Research. Most people tend to think that the school location or reputation is the most important factor when choosing potential programs. Of course, for some moving across the country may be a no-go for personal or family reasons, but if you want to increase your chances of both getting into graduate school and finding the right program for you it’s best to be open to location.

Instead the two most important factors are research and supervisor fit. Try to remain somewhat open when looking at the research conducted in potential labs, but it is important to broadly stick to your interests. For example, if you are only interested in child psychology research, it’s probably not worth compromising and doing your graduate studies in a lab that exclusively studies older adults.

Supervisor fit is key! Finding out whether there’s a good fit with your potential supervisor can be tough unless you’ve worked in that lab previously. It’s often not until interview time that you’ll get a chance to determine this. It can be helpful to ask them questions about their supervisory style. Are they very involved with their students? Are they the type of supervisor that you’ll be lucky to see once every month or two?

It’s important to consider what you value most. Do you want a supervisor that is heavily involved or are you looking for a more independent relationship? How does your supervisor feel about work-life balance? Are you allowed to work from home sometimes or does this supervisor expect you to be in the lab during regular working hours? Is the supervisor open to new research projects? Or are you expected to work on specific pre-determined projects only?

It can also be helpful to talk to current students in the lab to get a sense of the supervisor. If you choose to go to graduate school, you are committing to five to seven years working with your supervisor. Having a good supervisor fit can make the difference between a productive and pleasant graduate experience, versus a challenging and stressful one!

Tip #5: don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get in!

If you only remember one of the tips I’ve listed today, I hope it’s this one! These days, we can place so much emphasis on our academic achievement. But it’s important to remember our self-worth extends beyond what we achieve in school.

Being critical and judgmental of ourselves when we don’t get accepted into a program we want is only going to make us feel worse. What would you say to a friend who didn’t get accepted into law school? Our worth is so much more than getting into a certain program or institution!

There is a lot of luck involved in getting accepted. Two students can both put together very strong applications, but a multitude of factors could determine which one gets in. Maybe the first student has previously worked for this professor, so they are more likely to get in, despite having the same academic qualifications as the other student.

Sometimes a professor may want to accept a new graduate student, but unexpected circumstances arise, and they are no longer able to accept a student due to department limitations or lack of student funding. The more schools you apply to the less likely you are to have all these unfortunate circumstances occur.

It can be worth applying the following year. I know your self-esteem can take a hit when you don’t get accepted into graduate school on your first round of applications. But it can be worth taking that extra year to gain more experience in a lab, or present some research at a conference to boost your CV.

Maybe you rushed your applications the first time and taking the extra time to craft a better statement of purpose could help you stand out from other similarly qualified applicants. If you only applied to your top choice school the first round, it can be worth opening to other schools you didn’t consider previously.

Is it time to shift goals? If your grades aren’t up to par with the average acceptance GPA for most graduate schools, it might be time to adjust your goals. As I talked about in my previous blog, sometimes it can be worth re-evaluating ours goals and consider other possibilities.

You may have your heart set on becoming a clinical psychologist, but you can still help people in similar ways in other paths such as social work. Making the decision to give up pursuing your graduate school goal may be difficult — the process of applying can bring out self-criticism and doubt.

Try your best to remain kind and caring towards yourself and look for positives in pursuing a slightly different path. I promise that you will still be able to find success and fulfilment in another career!

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