How can I become a star psychology undergraduate student to increase my chances of getting into grad school?

Answer 1

A common question I get from nt psychology students is, "How can I stand out as a psychology undergrad?" In this post, I detail some key ways that you can become a start psychology undergraduate student. These tips will help you stand out in your classes and will strengthen your chances of getting admitted to graduate school.

1. Visit instructors during their office hours

Students sometimes feel intimidated to approach their professors during office hours. I would encourage students to push past those fears and go see their instructors! Truly, I was always impressed by students who took the initiative to visit me during my office hours. This gave me a chance to put a face to a name and to develop individualized connections with my students. So go see your professors. They will be impressed that you took the initiative to visit them for extra help. They may even be willing to write you letters of recommendation to graduate school down the road.

2. Sit in front of the class and participate in class discussions

From my experience as an instructor, I always remembered students who sat in front of the class and who participated in class discussions. These students made a good impression on me because they demonstrated that they were enthusiastic about being in class and about learning the material.

3. Write excellent papers for your classes

Most psychology courses require a final paper. Take your time to make your paper outstanding. I could tell when students really tried, and that made a great impression on me. I also enjoyed writing letters of recommendation for students who had written great papers for my classes. Here are some tips for writing A-level papers for your undergraduate courses.

1. Do a through literature review on your topic so that you are clear on what is already known about your topic.
2. Take a stance in your paper and corroborate your point with citations from previously published works.
3. Start writing your paper early so that you have time to write several drafts.
4. Use clear and logical writing in the third person.
5. Make sure your paper uses correct APA style.
6. Get feedback and comments on your paper from a mentor.
7. Do a last minute spell and grammar check before you turn your paper into your instructor.

4. Get involved in a research lab

Getting involved in a research lab is a great way to stand out from the crowd. This experience will give you the opportunity to learn about how studies are conducted and to develop skills in research. To get involved in a research lab, send potential mentors professional and respectful emails of interest or visit them during their office hours. A genuine display of interest can often go a long way to impress professors and to potentially pave the way towards a research assistant position. Your work in a lab may even evolve into an awesome Honor's thesis.

5. Write an Honor's thesis

A great way to stand out is to write an Honor's thesis. You will get lots of training on how to conduct your own study. I definitely recommend conducting an Honor's thesis if you have plans of applying to graduate school. A well done Honor's thesis will how graduate admissions that you already have lots of valued research skills, including how to develop a study idea, how to collect and analyze data, and how to write up a formal academic paper. 

Getting into a psychology graduate program these days is competitive. I hope this post can help give you the edge to increase your chances of successfully getting into the program that you want!