Timeline

Learn about graduate programs and begin considering programs to which to apply.

Summer Before Your Senior Year

Examine graduate programs online. Request bulletins, brochures, financial aid forms, and departmental application forms from the schools to which you may eventually apply. Many schools place these materials on-line or have online request forms.
Prepare and register for the GRE Psychology Test. Check the registration deadlines and be sure not to miss them.
Begin drafting your resume.

Check with your advisor and the registrar to determine that you have fulfilled all graduation and departmental requirements.
Ask professors for their opinions on what courses you should take beyond the requirements to help you prepare for graduate school.
Take a list of your graduate school choices to your professors and ask them to recommend the schools they feel would be most appropriate for you. Take copies of your résumé and transcript with you and ask them if they will write letters of recommendation for you when the time comes.
If you haven’t already taken the GRE General Test and the GRE Psychology test, do so.
If you are applying for financial aid, pick up the necessary forms now. The same goes for fellowships and scholarships. The deadlines may be earlier than the actual applications for admission.

Narrow down your list of graduate schools to which to apply (seek faculty assistance)
List each school, noting the application deadline and what each school requires for a complete application.
Ask your professors for letters of recommendation. Some prefer a deadline to work by, so be prepared to offer a firm date by which they should have the recommendation finished and sent. If they are writing directly to the school (i.e., the letter is not returned in a sealed envelope to you in order for it to be included with your application materials), be sure to offer to pay for the postage. Provide them with a copy of your résumé and with a list of the activities, clubs, or organizations you’ve been involved in, and talk to them about your future goals. Give them a clear sense of where you are headed and what you intend to do in graduate school and afterward.
Begin working on your personal statement. Always show it to at least one other person before you type it on the application and send it. Show it to someone who knows you and who is a good judge of writing skills. Be sure to write the statement carefully, answering the questions each graduate school wants you to comment on.
Request that GRE and MAT scores be sent to all the schools to which your are applying.

Finish application materials and mail them at least 2 weeks in advance of the deadline. Be sure to include letters of recommendation (if the school requests they be sent with your application) and the necessary application fees.
If you are submitting the applications online, do so several days in advance (do not wait for the last minute, as computer problems often arise!).
Keep photocopies of each application.
Check back with the professors who are providing letters of recommendation to make sure they have finished them and sent them out.
Request that the registrar’s office and the financial aid office send out official transcripts to all the schools to which you are applying. Do this early, as it often requires 10 working days to send a transcript request.
Be sure that GRE and MAT scores have been sent to all the schools to which you are applying.

Follow up to confirm that your completed applications and all letters of recommendation have been received.
Most schools send a postcard on receipt of each application. Keep track of these. If you don’t receive a postcard or letter, contact the admissions office by e-mail or phone to ensure that your application has been received before the deadline.
Thank those who wrote letters of recommendation.
Attend any interviews to which you are invited.

Last reviewed 8/27/2009 9:50:53 AM

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