Top Psychology Graduate Schools - University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign

By Sheridan Salter

If you are looking to be matriculated into one of the nation's best graduate schools in psychology, then make sure that you add the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign to the top of your application stack. Currently, Illinois holds the #7 ranking for top psychology graduate programs according to U.S. News and World Reports. At Urbana-Campaign, doctoral programs are offered in the following areas of research:

* Biological

* Brain and Cognition

* Clinical/Community Psychology

* Cognitive Psychology

* Developmental Psychology

* Quantitative Psychology

* Social-Personality Psychology

* Industrial-Organizational Psychology

* Visual Cognition and Human Performance

As an added plus, there are also interdisciplinary training programs in Psycholinguistics and Human Factors Psychology.

In order to be considered for acceptance to this school, a student must fill out the Institutional application as well as the Department of Psychology Information Form. Expect the Departmental form to repeat a lot of the same questions as the Institutional application, but it delves deeper into your educational background and future goals. Admissions committees will use these responses to determine whether or not you are a good candidate for doctoral study. They must also have two letters of recommendation, graduate admissions essay, fully complete, sealed transcripts, and a GPA that puts you at the top of your class. Like most other research-oriented Ph.D. programs, it will be a plus to have prior research experience to discuss within your personal statement. As with most other graduate programs, you can expect to submit almost all of your materials online.

While Urbana-Champaign offers a wide variety of areas of specialization, you can also expect that as a top graduate program, the competition may be fierce to get in. It pays off in the form of an acceptance letter to study hard for the GRE exam, identify potential faculty mentors, and write an effective statement of purpose. Once all of these factors are in place, you can rest assured that your application package is among the top of the applicant pool.

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Is Your University Choice Among the Top Ranked in Psychology?

By Sheridan Salter

Every year U.S. News and World Report publishes rankings of top graduate programs. A variety of disciplines are ranked, and luckily, there is information published specifically on psychology grad programs. The 2009 edition saw several universities tying for spots. Currently rounding out the top five (note that several programs were tied in their rankings):

1. Stanford University and University of California-Berkeley

2. Harvard University, University of California-Los Angeles, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and Yale University

How are the ranking determinations made? According to U.S. News and World Report, data is collected regarding expert opinions about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school's faculty, research, and students. Over 1,200 programs are included in the assessment and over 11,000 academics and professionals took part in the study.

As you begin to research programs and course offerings, these rankings can help you compare programs' reputations for academic excellence. Of course, this is just one measure of comparing programs among many others, and you may want to take rankings with a grain of salt. This is not saying these aren't excellent graduate programs. I whole-heartedly believe they are, especially after finishing my Ph.D. from one of the above-listed institutions. However, you also want to note rankings of your specific program area. Do some investigation - Is the Clinical area as highly regarded as the Social Psych program?

Should you attend a particular university just because it is top ranked? It is important to determine one's own criteria for a top graduate program. Are you interested in living in a particular geographical area? Do you have access to a burgeoning social life (for those days when you are not hitting the books)? What about faculty placement rates upon graduation? These are all factors to consider. And most certainly if your area of research interest is not represented among the faculty members, then whatever program you're looking at is probably not the best one for you.

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Research Interests - Key to Graduate School Admissions

By Sheridan Salter

Psychology is an incredibly diverse field of study. It is extremely versatile with lots of potential for cross-collaboration among a number of fields. As an undergraduate, you've likely been exposed to a wide range of topics through your classes. Which ones did you find most interesting? Was it the class lecture on autism? How children acquire language? Or the fact that women suffer from depression more than men - and identifying the reasons why?

Articulating clearly defined research interests will be paramount to gaining entry to graduate school in psychology, especially research-based programs. In my opinion, the most important quality you will need is passion for the subject matter at hand. What do I mean by passion? What topics do you frequently engage in discussion? What particular topics catch your eye as you browse news or magazines? What topics can you (almost) literally discuss all day long and never get tired of discussing the ins and outs of?

There are a number of ways that you can identify your research interests. The first one I mentioned is through material you've been exposed to in class. The second is just good ol' life experience. I had always been interested in the media, but it was an internship experience that piqued my interest even more. At the time, I was working as the "behavior specialist" with teenagers at an alternative school. One of the interesting observations I made was how much influence music artists hold over their beliefs. The students would spend all day talking about them and quoting lyrics from songs (which I guess isn't all that surprising knowing how fanatic teenagers are about their favorite music artists!).

I started to wonder about how song lyrics and music video images influenced their views of what it means to be a man or woman. I skimmed through studies in scholarly journals and realized how much we still don't know about the real-life impact of media images. What worked in my favor was that there was a serious lack of information about how media images and consumption affects youth (and I was just the person to solve this problem, I said in my personal statement!).

Follow a similar process and you may have just uncovered a research interest for yourself!

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Top Psychology Graduate Schools - Harvard University

By Sheridan Salter

Have you ever dreamed of attending Harvard University for your Ph.D. in Psychology? If you have, then read on, as this article will give you some information about the types of programs offered in the Psychology field, the academic requirements for admission, and quality education you can expect to experience from the university itself.

Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has a whopping student body of nearly twenty thousand. Considered the oldest university in the United States, Harvard ranks at number three in the nation for universities to obtain your Ph.D. in the field of Psychology. Harvard offers doctoral study in psychology in the following areas:

* Cognition, brain, and behavior
* Developmental Psychology
* Clinical Science
* Social Psychology
* Organizational Behavior

Each of these areas in psychology represent prominent faculty members who jointly administer graduate admissions and provide training in some subfield of psychology. As with other graduate programs, it is not uncommon for individual faculty to have research interests that span more than one area, and thus, provide a breadth of necessary graduate training in research.

If Harvard University is your dream school to obtain your Ph.D., you have to be the best of the best to even have a shot at getting in. Harvard expects its applicants to have stellar GPA and academic resumes. Additionally, graduate admissions committees want you to demonstrate strong leadership skills through your extracurricular activities. Consider those extras on top of writing the perfect graduate personal statement and turning in glowing letters of recommendation that speak to your prior research experience.

In terms of prerequisites, current information on the Harvard University website indicates that you do not have to be a psychology major to gain acceptance to their doctoral programs. However, ALL entering students share a commonality of an undergraduate degree with an academic record of distinction. As is the case with most research-oriented Ph.D. programs in psychology, undergraduate work in statistics is strongly advised.

If paying for graduate education is one of your primary concerns, please be aware that Harvard University (like many Ph.D. programs) provides fellowships to support graduate students. Currently, admitted students receive five years of tuition support, along with a stipend and research fellowship for the first two years of doctoral study. During the third and fourth years, students are guaranteed teaching fellowships, and the final year includes a stipend that includes funds for living expenses during the final year, which you will be expected to produce a dissertation.

Much like other doctoral programs in psychology, it is not easy to get into Harvard University. However, you probably knew that before you read this article, so let this be your motivation, rather than discouragement. Do your best to create a winning graduate school application package and study hard for your GRE exam (which great news - the GRE Psychology Subject Test isn't a requirement for admission), and you've already light years ahead of most of your competition to get into grad school in psychology.

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Top Psychology Graduate Schools - Yale University

By Sheridan Salter

Yale University is represented among the nation's Ivy League universities and this university also represents one of the top psychology graduate schools to receive your Ph.D. Yale University is located in New Haven, Connecticut, and is currently listed at the #3 spot for top Ph.D. programs in psychology according to U.S. News and World Reports. There are a number of areas of specialization offered at the doctoral level including:

* Behavioral Neuroscience

* Clinical Psychology

* Cognitive Psychology

* Developmental Psychology

* Social/Personality Psychology

What requirements are necessary to get into Yale University's doctoral program in psychology?

You can expect to submit the standard requirements, including transcripts, GRE exam scores, graduate personal statement, and letters of recommendation. One of the pluses for admissions is that the GRE Psychology Subject Test is not required. Please be aware the kind of work that earning a Ph.D. entails. Make absolutely no mistake - this is an intense research-intensive program where you are expected to conduct original studies, present at academic conferences, and publish your work in scholarly journals. This means that it is a good idea to have prior research experience before applying to the program.

Also, because of its emphasis on student collaboration in small groups within the classroom and one-on-one mentorship with a faculty member, only a small number of applicants are admitted per admissions cycle. The Yale University Department of Psychology website reports that only about fifteen students are admitted out of an average of 500 applicants! While this may seem like insurmountable odds, there are tips that you can use to develop an effective graduate application package to place you leaps and bounds over and above the competition.

Not only that, but take some solace in the fact that some applicants are not aware of the importance of faculty-student fit in the admissions process. It is a good idea to establish contact with an identified faculty mentor before you apply if you're intent on attending a certain Ph.D. program. And if you cannot identify a potential mentor, perhaps it is worthwhile to do more research and direct your time and effort towards applying to the right Ph.D. program for you.

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Top Psychology Graduate Schools - Princeton University

By Sheridan Salter

When you are choosing which graduate school you will attend to obtain your doctoral degree in the field of psychology, you are most certainly searching for the schools that only accept the best of the best. Professors should be award winning in their specific areas of study, and students should be excited about receiving top quality training that they will later use for careers in academia, government, private practice, and research institutions. If these are the specifications you're looking for to earn your Ph.D. in psychology, then Princeton University is a great place for doctoral study.

Princeton is a well-known university - the fourth oldest in the nation. Upon logging onto the Department of Psychology website, you will see a logo that says "Stretch your mind." And obviously, this is exactly what the doctoral programs in psychology are intended to do. As a result of excellence in student training, Princeton currently holds the #8 spot on U.S. News and World Reports rankings of best doctoral programs in psychology. There are several broad areas of concentration in which you can earn your Ph.D. in psychology:

* Neuroscience

* Cognitive psychology

* Personality and social psychology

Like many other top ranked psychology doctoral programs, there are joint programs in dual areas of specialization. Princeton's joint program is in Psychology and Social Policy featuring interdisciplinary training in causes, consequences, and remedies for inequality in the United States and abroad.

Although an undergraduate degree in psychology is a plus, it is not a requirement for admission to the graduate program in psychology at Princeton. Some students come to this program with a background in science or math, which may be really beneficial background to bring to certain areas, such as Neuroscience or Cognitive Psychology. Submitting GRE exam scores is a requirement, although the GRE Psychology Subject Test is not.

There are well-over 30 full-time faculty members across each of the areas of psychology. For prospective students, it is a good idea to determine whether faculty research interests mirror your own, as this will certainly figure prominently in the admissions process. Also be prepared to submit excellent graduate letters of recommendation and academic transcripts from your undergraduate college or university. Universities with top doctoral program such as Princeton are focused primarily on the amount of research experience an incoming grad student has done in their field of interest, their leadership ability, and clear demonstration of unique ideas and fresh thinking. The ability to think critically is also a necessary quality for success at Princeton. It pays off to communicate these ideas in your graduate personal statement.

Undoubtedly, graduating with a Ph.D. from Princeton University is highly desirable if your plans are to establish a career as a college professor or top research in your area of interest. There are many other highly-rewarding careers that can be started by earning the distinction of a doctorate from Princeton. However, the very first step in your journey is presenting a compelling graduate school application package to get into the Ph.D. program in psychology in the first place!

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Top Psychology Graduate Schools - Stanford University

By Sheridan Salter

A great school for obtaining your Ph.D. in Psychology is the renowned Stanford University. Located in California, Stanford has repeatedly been ranked among the top psychology doctoral programs. Among its unique points, Stanford University operates 17 different research labs that are solely dedicated to the study of psychology. With award winning faculty members, and state of the art facilities, this school is justifiably sitting at the top of the list. Doctoral programs in psychology are offered in the following areas of study:

* Cognitive

* Developmental psychology

* Neuroscience

* Personality

* Social psychology

How much does it cost to attend top psychology graduate programs?

As a private research institution of higher learning, the price tag to earn your Ph.D. from Stanford can be quite costly. Recent figures estimate that tuition runs approximately $37,000 per year! However, have some solace in the fact that many top research-oriented universities offer fellowships to support graduate students through their course of study. Before we get to how to pay for grad school, let's focus on the admissions process.

Because Stanford does sit right on top of the proverbial food chain, getting admitted is not an easy process. Don't worry though. It's hard, but not impossible. You will need an incredible graduate personal statement, laudatory recommendation letters from professors and advisors, and excellent grades. Stanford also has a reputation for looking specifically for students who have done well in their undergraduate programs, having chosen from the most challenging courses available to them.

With an average acceptance rate at only about 13 percent (and for certain areas, such as Clinical Psychology, you can expect even more competitive acceptance rates!), you have to be on top of your game for your entire undergraduate career to have the best chances of getting your coveted acceptance letter in the mail. If you have already struggled in college, you still have a chance. Colleges like this typically focus more on just the last two or three semesters of your undergraduate grades and overall academic progress.

It sounds like a lot, and it may seems impossible, but if you wish to go to Stanford, tighten your boot straps and pick up that textbook. You can still make it to the number one ranked Psychology program in the nation.

Sheridan Salter is an expert author writing on how to get into top psychology graduate schools. Please visit her website for tips and strategies you can use to get into psychology doctorate programs !

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Top Psychology Graduate Schools - University of California-Berkeley

By Sheridan Salter

When seeking a graduate school, most students are searching for programs with great reputation that directly corresponds to the student's academic major or concentration. Across the nation, the best schools are competing for the best students, and students are competing for the best schools.

Where can you find the best graduate psychology programs in the country?

One of the top Ph.D. programs in the field of Psychology is University of California at Berkeley, located in California, approximately 45 minutes from San Francisco. According to World News Reports, their program is currently listed at number one in the nation. Berkeley has a long standing history of being ranked in the nation's top ten schools for Ph.D. programs in Psychology, offering the doctorate in the following areas:

* Behavioral Neuroscience

* Change, Plasticity, and Development

* Clinical Science

* Cognition, Brain, & Behavior

* Social-Personality

Why Choose A Top Graduate School in Psychology?

One of the things that makes a top ten school so unique is the fact that they usually hire faculty members who have had time to become prominent in their own major area of study, making them more capable of offering their students a more practical and applicable education. Another element that sets the best schools in our country apart from the rest are the opportunities for the students to network on higher and more powerful levels. This gives the students better chances at getting internships in their field, and increases the possibility of getting a job upon graduation.

Because of all of the perks associated with going to a top school like UC-Berkeley, the application process is rigorous, and usually highly competitive. If you are hoping to attend this school or one like it, make sure your application is immaculate and that your grades are the absolute best they can be. The average GPA of students who get accepted to UC-Berkeley is a 3.8, and their doctoral program in Clinical Science (their answer to Clinical Psychology) is among the country's most competitive programs, so reach high, gather excellent letters of recommendation and write an effective graduate personal statement, and you may be among the number pursuing their Ph.D. in psychology at Berkeley.

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College Professor and Clinical Psychologist Among List of Top Careers in America

By Sheridan Salter

There is more good news for grad school applicants - and this time its related to employment prospects! According to Money and Payscale's recently published list of "Best Jobs in America 2009," earning a Ph.D. degree in psychology may lead you directly down a career path towards one of the best jobs in America! Among the top jobs in America, ranking at #3 and #16 respectively are college professor and clinical psychologist. This should be great news for those who remain undecided about going back to grad school to earn a doctoral degree in psychology.

College professor ranks at #3 on the Money and Payscale rankings. Many college professors, especially those on the tenure track in research positions, split their job responsibilities between teaching, grading papers, conducting research and publishing peer-reviewed journal articles. Many college professors in psychology have also gone on to author best-selling books offering new insights to how we understand the human brain and behavior. Among the reasons cited about why the quality of life is tops for college professors, these include flexibility in scheduling, time off for holidays, and reduced workload during summer months. While most people tend to think first about using a Ph.D. in psychology towards counseling and private practice, there are a number of specializations that offer the ability to become a college professor instead.

Let's shift gears and talk about the #23 ranked best job in America: Clinical Psychologists. In comparison to college professors, many clinical psychologists do indeed specialize in counseling, private practice, and psychotherapy. Their job responsibilities including diagnosis and evaluation of mental and emotional disorders. This is accomplished through clinical observation, interviews, and psychological tests. Clinical psychologists work hard with clients to help their experience relief through treatment of psychological disorders.

Each of these jobs appearing on the list were ranked for a combination of high pay, job growth, quality of life. One of the standouts on the list for great quality of life is the college professor career track where 59.2% of respondents rated their job as low stress. Additionally 76% of Clinical Psychologists rated their job as contributing a great deal in benefits to society, believing that their jobs help make the world a better place. These are all great reasons to start getting your application together to go back to grad school and gain a career that is satisfying and offers a high quality of life.

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