— Cover letter:
• Indicating that this is your application to their graduate school
• Indicating to which program you are applying (since most departments have multiple programs) Note: Even if a department has more than one program in which you are interested, you should only apply to one program. Applying to more than one makes you look indecisive.
• Indicating the contents of your application
• Requesting that they mail the enclosed postcard when your application is complete
— Vita
— Copy of your GRE General Test and Psychology Subject Test Scores (Original is sent by ETS)
— Official copy of your transcripts in a sealed envelope (and signed/stamped over the seal) – If the program requires transcripts to be sent by the school, include a photocopy of your transcripts in the packet.
Interviewing
Most graduate programs in the applied psychology subfields (i.e., clinical, counseling, school, and industrial-organizational) require an interview. In fact, 93% of clinical psychology and counseling psychology programs require some type of interview prior to an offer of admission (Oliver, Norcross, Sayette, Griffin, & Mayne, 2005). Research-oriented subfields (e.g., social, developmental, experimental) generally do not require interviews. Interviews can take place on the phone, in person, or both. In terms of clinical and counseling psychology programs, Oliver et al. indicate that 27% require an in-person interview, 62% prefer an in-person interview, 4% require a telephone interview, and 7% do not require an interview. Because interviews are costly (airfare, hotel, car rentals, food), you will want to keep this in your mind as you make your budget for the interview season. Some programs acknowledge this expense and assist with housing (e.g., current students volunteer to let applicants sleep on their couches).
Although you may request a telephone interview if you are unable to travel for an interview, you will want to understand that this puts you at a disadvantage relative to others who interview in-person. As a result, we strongly encourage attending an in-person interview when invited.
Suggestions Specific to In-Person Interviews
Before beginning these suggestions and to eliminate redundancy, we encourage you to review information about attire (e.g., wearing a business suit) and preparation (e.g., doing a mock interview and reviewing program materials and your application) provided earlier in the book. That information applies here too. Keeping these sugges-tions in mind, you can focus yourself during the course of the interview day (or days)
— Writing samples – maximum of two – Possible examples include:
• Copy of a publication you authored or co-authored
• Copy of your senior thesis
• Copy of a research article you authored and submitted for publication
• Copy of a poster you presented
• Copy of a research article you presented at a conference
— Copies of publications and conference presentation handouts
— Personal statement (Remember: Times New Roman 12 font; Proofread)
— Application forms
— Additional essays required by the program
— Self-addressed stamped postcard for them to mail when your application is complete
— Letters of recommendation in sealed envelopes (signed over seal), unless required to send them separately
on that information most important to you (i.e., Is this program right for me?). During the course of the interview day(s), you will likely meet with faculty and students in both formal and informal settings. Regardless of the setting, you are being evaluated continually, including by the current students. As a result, you will want to be aware of your behavior in all of these settings (e.g., limiting alcohol use at a dinner or social event).
Some applicants are blessed with multiple interview offers. However, multiple inter-view offers have their own downside. Because interinter-views are generally conducted on Fridays in later January, February, and early March, overlap may occur in interview dates. Although some programs provide alternative interview dates for students with scheduling conflicts, others do not. As a result, you may be in the position of needing to rank the two or three programs with conflicting interview dates and request phone interviews with the ones coming in second and third. Regardless of the stress, count yourself lucky to have such a situation arise!
Suggestions Specific to Telephone Interviews
For telephone interviews, you will still want to prepare, including ensuring a distraction-free environment for the interview. For the interview, you will want to make sure you are dressed as you would be in an in-person interview (helps remind you of the importance of the call) and have your materials (e.g., application, program information, biographies of those who are calling if known) laid out in front of you (to reduce paper shuffling while on the phone). Norcross et al. (2008) suggests preparing a telephone card (i.e., a single sheet of paper that notes specifics of the program). These specifics should include:
• name of the university and program
• faculty research interests
• faculty you would like to work with and why
• questions you have for the program (see Box 7.7 for possibilities)
• why you are interested in the program
Having this information readily available on each program to which you applied is not a bad idea. This will help you in case a program calls you without warning and wants to talk with you at that moment.
For both phone and in-person interviews, you will want to convey a sense of enthusiasm about the program. This excitement can be displayed via your knowledge of the program and the program’s faculty members (including their research pro-grams and publications). Enthusiasm is communicated not only by your answers to their questions but also the questions that you ask. Box 7.7 provides some examples of potential questions you may be asked and that you might ask as well. In general, your preparation for the interview should include a list of questions for the indi-viduals you will meet, including the current students. Furthermore, engaging your interviewer in a discussion of his or her research interests and how those interests match your interests is an excellent goal for the interaction.
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Thank You Notes
Once all interviews with a particular program are complete (whether the interview was in person or via telephone), we encourage you to send a thank you note to those involved in your interview. Send the note immediately as programs tend to make decisions about offers relatively soon after the interview days conclude. Both thank