My GRE scores are low. What is your minimum? We do not have minimum scores because we know that some students who do poorly on the GRE are in fact excellent students who excel in graduate school. However, the lower your scores, the less likely it is that you will be accepted. If you have low scores you should have excellent grades, relevant research experience, and very strong letters of recommendation to make the case that you are capable of graduate work despite your poor scores on the GRE. My grades are not very good. What is your minimum? We look for students who have primarily earned As and Bs in college. GPAs lower than about 3.3 give us concern. If you have been unable to achieve high grades in undergraduate courses, we have no basis to conclude that you can succeed in demanding graduate courses. However, occasionally an applicant has a good explanation for a low GPA. If you do decide to apply but have a low GPA, you should address it in your statement of purpose. On the departmental application you ask us to name one or more faculty with whom we would like to study if accepted. Why is this important? Our program specializes in training students how to do research in psychology. We require that you do an empirical thesis that takes at least two years to plan, carry out, and write. Therefore, you need the supervision of a research advisor right from the start. Also, we need to be sure that you are aware of the kind of research our faculty is able and willing to supervise. By asking you to carefully review the research programs of our faculty and then choose one or more whose interests match your own, you are more likely to be satisfied with us, and we are more likely to be satisfied with you! What are you looking for in the applicants? We look for evidence that an applicant has the motivation, skills, and talent to become a scientist in the field of psychology. Very good grades and strong letters of recommendation are particularly important; research experience under the supervision of a faculty member is also important. We are looking for students who present themselves well by writing articulate personal statements in which they are able to identify their interests in psychology and convince us that they are serious about graduate study. We also look for a good “match” with our faculty, as explained above.
My GRE scores are low. What is your minimum? We do not have minimum scores because we know that some students who do poorly on the GRE are in fact excellent students who excel in graduate school. However, the lower your scores, the less likely it is that you will be accepted. If you have low scores you should have excellent grades, relevant research experience, and very strong letters of recommendation to make the case that you are capable of graduate work despite your poor scores on the GRE. My grades are not very good. What is your minimum? We look for students who have primarily earned As and Bs in college. GPAs lower than about 3.3 give us concern. If you have been unable to achieve high grades in undergraduate courses, we have no basis to conclude that you can succeed in demanding graduate courses. However, occasionally an applicant has a good explanation for a low GPA. If you do decide to apply but have a low GPA, you should address it in your statement of purpose. On the departmental application you ask us to name one or more faculty with whom we would like to study if accepted. Why is this important? Our program specializes in training students how to do research in psychology. We require that you do an empirical thesis that takes at least two years to plan, carry out, and write. Therefore, you need the supervision of a research advisor right from the start. Also, we need to be sure that you are aware of the kind of research our faculty is able and willing to supervise. By asking you to carefully review the research programs of our faculty and then choose one or more whose interests match your own, you are more likely to be satisfied with us, and we are more likely to be satisfied with you! What are you looking for in the applicants? We look for evidence that an applicant has the motivation, skills, and talent to become a scientist in the field of psychology. Very good grades and strong letters of recommendation are particularly important; research experience under the supervision of a faculty member is also important. We are looking for students who present themselves well by writing articulate personal statements in which they are able to identify their interests in psychology and convince us that they are serious about graduate study. We also look for a good “match” with our faculty, as explained above.