Getting In: A Step-By-Step Plan for Gaining Admission to Graduate School in Psychology, 2nd Edition

by American Psychological Association

Getting In, Second Edition  is an update of the American Psychological Association's essential resource for anyone considering graduate study in psychology. This handy, readable book simplifies the process for applicants and increases their chances of being accepted. Useful timelines, tips, and tools break the tasks into manageable steps and help readers define their goals, select programs, and navigate the application process. A monthly timetable and detailed worksheets for selecting the best program matches are included, and a resource section provides a list of publications and organizations that are useful in the various phases of applying. Readers will learn what criteria admissions committees use to evaluate applicants, how to improve their qualifications, and how to showcase their talents in personal essays, letters of recommendations, and preselection interviews. The costs of a graduate education and financial aid information specific to graduate students are also discussed. Members of special populations, such as women, ethnic minorities, gay and lesbian applicants, and applicants with disabilities will find resources and guidance particular to their needs. While applying to graduate school can be challenging, this book demystifies the process and allays students' concerns about how to tackle it.

Genres: Psychology, Self Help, Nonfiction, Education, Academia, Grad School

230 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Samuel Massicotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Getting In is the APA’s most comprehensive guide to admissions to graduate school in psychology. I was a bit underwhelmed with the book. It did not really teach me anything more than what I already knew about graduate school admissions. By far the most relevant content came from the actual data about graduate school admissions. It a redundant part of the guide was the repeating of what was going to be discussed and what was discussed: paragraphs of introduction about where to go to get more information, what will be talked about and what was just talked about. It was an extremely short read. What I also found a bit disappointing was how difficult it was to apply the information to the Canadian system, despite the APA also accrediting Canadian schools. What I learned the most from this book is the sheer diversity of admissions programs and values by different universities. Indeed, there is not ONE sure-way to get in. It all depends on what the university considers important. All universities have their own admissions systems, which is not hampered by some centralized regulation committee. This is best reflected by all the different financial support systems each university has. Nevertheless, there are some similarities shared by all of them, despite there being significant differences when it comes to the weighing of each attribute. Most universities prioritize the following aspect when it comes to considering applicants: GPA, Recommendation letters, Research experience, Clinical experience, Letters of purpose and Interviews. Some universities put most of their weight on GPA, others on Letters of recommendation, still more on the letters of purpose and interviews. But there seems to be filtering systems, which starts with the GPA. A GPA below a certain threshold does not let you go through the first filter. Some universities that praise GPAs a lot have their filter very narrow, while other universities that are more holistic have their filters much broader. Then, letters of recommendation and securing a supervisor seems to be most important. Then you have your letter of purpose, then your research experience, and finally your clinical experience. The most interesting graph I found was one looking at the weight given for each part of the application. What I found disappointing is that I learned this information by myself, not really through this guide. Hence, I wish that there was more information regarding how universities actually process applicants. It really gives the information that the admissions process is a black box. You put everything in and you have no idea of the actual probability of getting accepted into the program or not. You also have no information on why you were rejected. You don’t know how many students applied, how many got accepted, what differentiated you from those students. There’s this arbitrariness to it that makes it seem genuinely unfair. Still, no process is perfect - a process that is more fair for one student may become unfair for another student. Another flaw of this book is that it is pretty outdated. It still talks about sending application forms through fax and mail. These processes aren’t really used anymore. This consideration affects others - the guide recommends to contact universities 6 weeks after mailing if there is no response. 6 weeks is a huge amount of time. I’d ask the university at the latest 2 weeks later. This guide is of high quality, definitely, but I suspect that other guides might be of greater use to prepare undergraduate psychology students interested in getting a PhD.

[Haley Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a lifesaver.

[Joie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic resource for anyone beginning (or in the middle of) the the process of applying to graduate school in psychology. Its greatest strengths are its thorough breakdown of everything the process entails; its explanation of proper etiquette throughout the application process (e.g. "In what situations is it acceptable to contact a program directly?" "What sort of questions are advisable to ask in an interview?"); and its clarification of aspects of both the academic world of psychology (e.g., "What does it mean if a program is the 'scientist-practitioner model'?") and the professional world ("What does an industrial-organizational psychologist do?" "Where might a health psychologist work?"). It offers complete, detailed timetable for those beginning the process early, on-time, and late. For the price, it would be difficult to find a better guide than this APA-published work.

That said, I did have a few issues with the book. Published in early 2007, some aspects of it are due for an update--for example, the book fails to recognize that with most schools, all elements of the application are now conducted online, and that much of the information it suggests you ask about during an interview is available through the department's websites as well. Furthermore, it of course cannot account for changes the standardized tests have undergone since the book's publication, and so its advice for those is dated. And its "step-by-step plan," while useful, is also obsessively detailed and of course, might not be the best strategy for everyone. I wasn't particularly interested in using the forms they provided for planning, but they still contained good information on what to be thinking about during the process.

Lastly, while being APA-published is a strength in that this is about as official a guide as you can get, it also means regular promotion of other APA materials, including their annually-published Graduate Study in Psychology--which, if you intend to follow this book's detailed steps to the letter, you may as well go ahead and buy also.

For anyone planning or even just considering applying to graduate school, I would highly recommend this book.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

gave me a good understanding, in detail, of what the application process will look like if i do a psych grad degree. i didn't finish the book - the last half felt like i'd just want to pick it back up if i'm in the app process, and i'm not there so i returned it to the library.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good for the first couple of chapters. The rest of the book is redundant if you already have a copy of "Getting What You Came For" which you should probably buy.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, something which took the immense convoluted project and broke it into manageable steps.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

[Aloysius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great guide book should you be considering graduate school.

[Qasim Zafar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a relatively quick read. There is some solid advice in this book!

[Patrice]

Very informative.