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Pursuing a graduate education can be a good option to gain additional specialize skills, expand your personal growth, and to increase job prospects and earning potential. Preparing for graduate school requires time and effort by the prospective student in researching schools and programs and determining their own interests and career goals.
This website and its content was developed to help students become competitive graduate school applicants by making the most of that time and effort by providing them with valuable resources, useful information, and real world advice.
Note: The resources and information found on this page are targeted towards prospective Psychology graduate students. However, the content is not singular to psychology and can apply to a spectrum of other social science graduate programs. We encourage you to meet with a Psychology Advisor, Opportunity Hub Coach, or Career Center Advisor to discuss your options.
It’s never too early to start preparing for graduate school! If you are planning to apply for a psychology PhD program, research experience is expected. Graduate programs will also look for a depth of experience that may include service learning, internships, and leadership and participation in student organizations. It's also important to start networking and build meaningful relationships, such as with faculty members who are in or related to the field of your graduate program.
What you'll find here: timeline, characteristics of a competitive applicant, research experience, assess interests, research experience, post-baccalaureate job, internships, gap year, mentorship, professional development, career outcomes
Resources:
Find Your Path: Careers in Mental Health - LSA Psychology
- Answer a series of yes/no questions to help you identify which grad school pathway might be best for you
How to Get Involved in Research (and what to do if you can't get a position) - LSA Psychology
- An informative video from the Psychology STAR Scholars graduate students
Flipped Science Fair and Outreach video - presented by graduate students, post-docs, and faculty of the Psychology Department at the University of Michigan
- Includes a research panel discussing how to get involved, and a presentation on creating a successful graduate school application
Getting Into Graduate School: Your Roadmap For Success! - APA
- A roadmap about getting into graduate school, and how to break the process down into clear, logical, and manageable steps
Mitch’s Uncensored Advice for Applying to Graduate School in Clinical Psychology
- PDF of advice, tips, and tricks from UNC professor and former Director of Clinical Psychology, Mitch Prinstein
Mitch Prinstein’s “Getting Into Psych Grad School During the Time of COVID”
- YouTube video of different careers in psychology, degree options, the application process for doctoral programs in psychology, and tips for getting admitted
Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology: 2024/2025 Edition
- A guide book for prospective graduate students in psychology, updated annually with all-new data on more than 300 doctoral programs
Mentoring
- Cientifico Latino - offers a free mentorship program for students from underrepresented backgrounds. Graduate student mentors provide help on graduate program applications, specifically for students applying to STEM or STEM Education programs. They also provide resources on applying to NSF and other fellowships on their website.
- Project SHORT - A student-led organization committed to working to shrink the socioeconomic gap in graduate school with over 800 mentors for application help and networking
The Postbaccalaureate Work Experience
- YouTube webinar that provides a comprehensive overview of the postbaccalaureate experience including what it is and why you might want to do it
To make sure that you’re applying to programs that are the “good fit”, you'll want to explore different programs and their qualifications and attributes. This includes a long list of subjective criteria such as your academic interests, research opportunities, location, cost and financial aid, and career outcomes. Not all programs are created equal, and not all programs will fit what each student is looking for, so it’s important for prospective students to consider all their options.
What you'll find here: program comparison, program search spreadsheet template, school considerations, information sessions, diversity recruitment, open houses, alumni networking, acceptance rates
Resources:
Exploring Careers in Mental Health - LSA Psychology
- A video of UM Psychology Professor, Dr. Ashley Gearhardt, discussing the various careers within the field of mental health and the pathways to get there
Clinical Psych Grad School: Your Guide to Getting In - Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology
- Website resource with information to help you discover whether this is the right path, explore programs, find post-bac research jobs and more!
Life of a doctor - but not that kind! - LSA Psychology
- A video from the Psychology STAR Scholars program discussing what kinds of careers you can find with research experience in psychology, besides being a professor – and what is being a professor really like, anyways?
APA’s Finding Fit: A roadmap to graduate school
- A webinar series that breaks down the graduate program application process into clear, logical and manageable steps
APA Graduate Study Tool: Find Psych Grad Programs
- A database with detailed information on programs offered, application details and deadlines, tuition, etc.
*requires log-in, contact psych.saa@umich.edu
Criteria for Choosing Graduate Programs of Interest - UC San Diego
- An outline of different ways to find programs and different types of considerations that may be a factor when applying
College Search Spreadsheet template - CollegeExpress.com
- Downloadable Google Sheets template to help stay organized when researching programs
Info sessions & opens houses for Psychology programs - Yale Psychology Dept.
- A living document updated frequently with Psychology info sessions and open houses
- An online mentoring and networking platform exclusively for LSA students and alums
2019 APA Application & Acceptance Rates
- See how each subfield of Psychology breaks down in terms of amount of applications and acceptance rates
MI Mental Health Helping Professions
- Website created by UM alumni and clinical psychologist Dr. Travis Pashak to help students explore various degrees and career options within the field
First Gen Guide - Enrica Bridgewater
- A collection of blog posts and resources designed for help First Gen applicants
You've compared programs, weighed your options, and identified a few schools which you'd like to attend. Now, it’s time to apply! Let’s look at the materials you’ll need to submit to apply to graduate school and ways to keep you organized, as well as what might happen after you press the submit button.
What you'll find here: timeline, process, required materials, organization spreadseet, CV, personal essay, statement of purpose, research statement, letters of recommendation, interviews
Resources:
The Graduate School Application Process: Start Now! - LSA Psychology
- A video from the Psychology STAR Scholars program. Topics include: how to find the right programs, how to structure your personal statement and get strong recommendation letters, do you have to take the GRE – and what if you don’t score as well as you’d like? This video also includes Q&A from a panel of graduate students, including those who have recently served on admissions committees.
Applying to Grad School - Dr. Madison Adkins
- This slideshow provides an overview of all aspects of the Psychology grad school application process, from narrowing down your list of schools to submitting your materials
Essential Grad School Application Timeline - CollegeExpress.com
- A blog entry about how to prepare for an application cycle for up to 12 months before the final deadline
Application Organizers
- Psych PhD Application Manager - created by UM Psych doctoral student Leslie Vernon-Dunnigan
- Grad School Application Tracker - Opportunity Hub - A generica grad school application organizational tool
- Check out this free GRE resource through the UM Library.
How to Make a CV - Dr. Madison Adkins
- Learn how to make a CV, even if you don't have research experience yet!
How to Write a Personal Statement
- A document that outlines the basics of writing a personal statement. Additionally, here are several examples of personal statements by area of psychology.
How to Stay Organized and Set Timelines
- Video presentation and panel from Project SHORT for prospective grad school applicants on setting timelines and how to stay organized in the process
Tips for PhD Applications from a Clincal PhD Student
- An extensive collection of tips for applying to research-focused PhD programs in psychology from a clinical psychology PhD student
Kisses of Death: What NOT to do when applying
- A survey of psychology graduate admissions committee chairs who revealed five categories of mistakes applicants make that diminish their probability of acceptance
Reaching out to potential PhD advisors - PsychologyToday.com
- A blog post covering why emailing a potential advisor is important and how best to do it
How to ask for Letters of Recommendation
- A blog exploring some of the best tips for requesting a graduate school recommendation letter
Application Statement Feedback Program
- A volunteer-driven initiative to help PhD applicants get closer to writing a strong application statement by providing fast, constructive feedback and editing support
Questions to ask during program interviews
- Downloadable Google Document listing questions an applicant might want to ask during their interview for or visit to a potential graduate program
Ace your Ph.D program interview
- A list of questions that you might be asked during program interviews.
