Applying to graduate school can be super confusing and stressful. I wanted to try and give some insight into what you can do along the way to maximize your potential for admission into a psychology doctoral program, and how I (and many others) view applications and the process in general. There is a lot more that I could say, but I wanted to give some sense of my perspective about applicants and their “fit” with me as a mentor.
A few take-aways
- Consider funding – being debt free is important
- Make sure the program has good training outcomes
- Make sure your mentor is someone you want to be in a professional relationship with for several years (how you are treated matters)
- Be flexible in your pathways to career goals, and in your geographic openness
- Be proactive in your planning – being a lab self-starter is a HUGE thing
- This is an extremely competitive process, so it is possible that you are a good candidate and that you don’t get accepted.
Dr. Paul Ingram, Ph.D 