At the end of my last year as an undergraduate I was still not sure what graduate program I wanted to attend. So I decided to apply to masters programs in psychology while taking some time to figure out what I wanted to do and to study for the GRE.
Since then, I have decided the program that I want to study, have found opportunities to do research in areas that I am interested in and am on my way to earn my masters. So now I am on in process of choosing which programs that I will be applying for next year.
I thought that I would share some of the techniques I have found to be helpful during this process:
1) Decide what program you interested in. I decided that I want to study clinical psychology; it follows then that I will be applying only to clinical psychology programs.
2) Decide what the specific area you want to study. Clinical psychology is a big umbrella; the next step would be to decide the specific areas that you are interested in. I chose neuropsychology and I have been able to narrow down the schools that offer programs in clinical neuropsychology.
3) Make a record of the schools that have your program. This eliminates thousands of schools and program and helps to narrow down our search.
4) Insider’s Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical Psychology and Counseling. This book contains all the information that is critical when choosing a program (if you are applying to clinical programs).
5) Think about lifestyle. Where do you want to live? How far are you willing to move? These and more are important questions to ask when considering a program because the next few years of your life will be spent there.
I will be sure to keep you posted on my continued experience applying to graduate programs.
Good Mental Health,
Psych Tutor,
Shaina J.