Before You Apply to Graduate Programs in Psychology: Knowing When You’re Ready and Gaining Postbaccalaureate Experiences

Abstract

Do you want to go to graduate school to study psychology? If so, when? These extremely important decisions can be very difficult to consider for undergraduate students who are interested in psychology as a potential focus for their career. Unfortunately, little information is available to guide students through this difficult decision, and even less seems to be available to help students navigate the time between the receipt of their undergraduate degree and the time they decide to apply (i.e., “the postbaccalaureate years”). This chapter focuses on the process of assessing one’s personal interests while maximizing postbaccalaureate learning experiences. First, it is important to think about whether to take “time off” from school before applying. Next, how does one get a “postbacc” research job? Last, how can one use these years most effectively to help inform an application decision? Note: this chapter is likely biased towards research-oriented options; however, most of the information may be relevant to students with more applied interests as well.