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Department of Psychology |
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Psychology Students at WSU
Contents Psychology Student Journal |
WSU Student Psychology Journal Welcome to the WSU Psychology student page. Its purpose is to provide an online meeting place for people active in, or curious about WSU's Psychology Club and the Psi Chi Honor Society and to provide other information that may be helpful to WSU Psychology Students. Psi Chi is the National Honor Society in Psychology. Our Psi Chi chapter provides you with the opportunity to join Psi chi if you meet certain standards required by Psi Chi and the Association of college Honor societies (a governing body for college honor societies). Membership in Psi chi is an earned honor which is for life. A permanent record of your membership is preserved at the Psi Chi National Office and may be used for reference purposes such as applications for graduate school and jobs. The Psi Chi national membership fee is $25. This one-time fee is for lifetime membership, a certificate suitable for framing, and a membership card. there are no annual national dues, but each chapter may have chapter dues. When you are inducted into Psi Chi, you become eligible to wear the Psi Chi honor cord, medallion, jewelry, emblems, etc. Copies of Psi Chi's magazine, Eye on Psi Chi, are sent to each chapter for distribution to the members. Psi Chi members are eligible to present research papers/posters at Psi Chi programs held at national and regional conventions. In addition, members may participate in Psi Chi's undergraduate and graduate research award completions, and undergraduate members may submit their research for publication in the Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research. The names of new members and activities of chapters are published in Eye on Psi Chi and are preserved for historical purposes. Membership Requirements: 1. Completion of at least 3 semesters or 5 quarters of the college course. Dr. John Johanson is the current advisor for the WSU chapter of Psi Chi. Keep in mind, there is more than one way to get to your desired destination in Psychology. For instance, many students will go straight from their B.A. in to a Ph.D. program, whereas other will need to stop off and get their M.A. first. Others will not be accepted to any program, and may need to take a year or two off to gain experience in the world of Psychology, often by volunteering their time with research, or getting a job within the field of Psychology. First, we'll take a look at what most graduate schools are looking for specifically, then, we'll move in to a general layout of when each step should be accomplished in order to effectively achieve all of your goals. At the end, we'll conclude with a few suggestions to make yourself more marketable. Note, there is no one perfect way to accomplish all of these requirements, this is to serve merely as a guide to get in to graduate school and can be adjusted to meet your personal preferences and circumstances and in no way will guarantee acceptance in to a program. What Graduate Schools Require GPA. Graduate schools will most likely have a minimum GPA that is required to enter their program. This can vary greatly depending on the program you wish to enter. Most programs would like to see GPAs of no less than a 3.0, and a 3.5 and above is required if you wish to try for competitive schools. Also, pay attention to what aspect of your GPA the school will look at, some will require a 3.0 overall, and a 3.5 in your Psychology courses. GRE. Think of the GRE as college's answer to the ACT or the SAT. The GRE is split in to two tests, the General, and the Subject Specific. Many colleges do not require the Subject Specific test, which is designed for people wishing to enter fields such as Psychology, Mathematics, and Physics to name a few. So look closely and make sure they don't. If, however, one of your schools you're interested in requires it, do take it. If you get a good score on it, it doesn't hurt to send it those schools that don't require it. The General test is split up in to three sections; Analytical Writing, Verbal, and Quantitative. It is important to familiarize yourself with all three areas before attempting to take this test. Please see the GRE page for further help with this. Do Not Take This Test Without Practice!!!! Most schools set cutoff scores that you must get if you wish to attend their school. Letters of Recommendation. Letters of recommendation are vital to getting in to graduate school. There are a couple of huge advantages that letters of recommendation have that the other requirements lack. First, they allow the school to get an understanding of who you are as a Psychologist through the eyes of a professional. Secondly, if properly written, letters of recommendation can actually make up for low GPA or GRE scores. Because of this, you need to think very carefully of who you choose to write your letters of recommendation. Typically, you need three letters of recommendation, at least two from professors, and maybe one from an outside source who knows you well and is not a family member. Research Experience. Research experience can come from many sources. One way to gain research experience is to volunteer to help professors with current research projects. Try looking through the faculty pages and seeing if any faculty research interests match up with yours. This will be a great way to gain experience, and it could also help round out a letter of recommendation if you really connect with this professor. Another way to gain research experience is to contact psychologists around the area who are looking for research assistants. Clinics are a great place to find this resource. If you have a research idea of your own, try to conduct your study through an independent study course. If at all possible, try to get your research published, or try to present a poster at a conference. Both of these would look outstanding on an application to graduate school. If you are interested in or are currently conducting research here at WSU, be sure to look at the WSU Grants Page which can help with the expenses of conducting research and even pay for you to travel to conferences to present your research. Be sure to read all materials carefully and note that these are not to serve as stipends for research, but only to assist in the costs. Work Experience. The importance of work experience can vary greatly from school to school, but the basic idea remains: Work experience is an asset to you, if you can, try to get it. The best idea is to get in to something closely related to your interests, such as research experience for experimental psychology hopefuls, or aiding with developmentally challenged children for future clinicians. Personal Statement. The personal statement is your chance to really connect with the school of your choice. This is your chance to let them know your interests match up with theirs. Be sure to mention specific faculty members you would like to work with, or current research being done that you would like to hopefully partake in. On top of this, you can really show your interest in their programs by stating why you chose their school and why you would become an asset to them. Be specific in your examples, try to avoid general statements. Let them know specifically who you are and why you want to pursue a career in psychology. Interview. If you are invited to partake in an interview, you will be required to travel to the school. If travel is not possible, many schools will allow phone interviews to take place, although a personal interview is preferred. Interviews can be either one on one with several professors and graduate students, or in a group interview setting. This is a great opportunity to show everyone at your school of choice that you are a confident, eager, knowledgeable candidate for their program. Approximate Timeline Freshman & Sophomore Years
Junior Year
Summer Before Senior Year
Early Senior Year
Late Senior Year
Requesting a Letter of Reference from a Professor WHEN YOU ARE ASKING FOR A REFERENCE For ALL reference requests:
An example of an item included in this list would look like this: |