If your school offers psychology courses, take them! That includes AP Psych, too. The earlier you feel out this topic, the better. Sociology and other like courses certainly won’t hurt, either.
This could be in the form of volunteering at your local hospital, women’s shelter, or with a business that has a large team. Not only will this make applying to colleges easier, but the more people you know now, the more people you can ask for favours later! Try to excel at 2 or 3 extracurricular activities rather than spreading yourself thin trying to do all of them. It will look better on an application if a school sees you take leadership roles in a few activities.
What’s more, they’ll be able to get you information on prospective study programs. They’ll know which schools have the best programs for the type of psychology you’re interested in. And they’ll get you started on scholarships and financial aid when the time comes.
Organizational and industrial psychology: the study of human psychology in industrial work environments and large organizations. Clinical psychology: the study of human psychology in clinical settings like hospitals and mental heath facilities, including psychotherapy. Cognitive psychology: the study of internal thought processes such as problem-solving, memory, perception, and speech. Neuropsychology: the study of the brain and larger nervous system and how they contribute to human psychology and behaviour.
It is technically possible to jump into a Master’s program, if your school offers it, too. However, this requires being super certain of what you’re getting into. Getting a BA in psychology allows you to tackle education 4 years at a time – a Master’s is all that work and more, with a couple more years tacked on.
Human development. This studies the path from infancy to adulthood. Sociology. This field studies how the human subject behaves in social groups. Anatomy/physiology. This is a good bachelor’s degree to get if you are interested primarily in cognitive psychology and how the brain functions. Chemistry. This kind of study is more appropriate for cognitive psychology than clinical psychology, as it focuses on the science behind human behaviour and not the behaviour itself.
This step is more for your junior or senior year in college. In your courses, it won’t be uncommon for your TA or professor to announce that so-and-so is looking for a research assistant. If you have a 3. 5 or higher and blah blah blah, you can apply with Professor Zimbardo during her office hours at. . . you get it. When the time rolls around, jump on it. You’ll need it later.
With a focus or minor you can start thinking about the rest of your career. A minor in gender studies could lead to a research project on women, solidifying your experiences and making the application process for grad school that much easier. A double major is a great idea – especially if it’s a bit more. . . practical than psychology. The cruelties of the liberal arts world are many and you may find that having a second major in business or marketing will better serve your wallet in the future!
That’s what summers are for, folks. When that three months of nothing to do rolls around, stay on campus. Talk to a couple of your TAs or professors, show them how eager you are, and see what they can come up with. Odds are they’ll love seeing a new kid as thrilled about psychology as you.
Let’s get even more real: to be a straight up, legit psychologist like the one you probably have in your head, that means a PhD. While a master’s is all well and good and will open a few doors, a PhD will open the doors down the entire hallway. A master’s may entitle you to use the adjective (“psychological assistant”), while a PhD lets you use the noun (“group psychologist”).
If this is the path you want to take, instead of the GRE, you’ll need to take the MCAT. Going to med school is a completely different path than going to grad school. Which speaks to you?
Your GRE scores may help you determine between an MA and a PhD. If you don’t get stellar GRE scores, try again. Most PhD programs are looking for a good score (master’s programs may be less intense). Your GRE scores are good for up to 5 years. If you’re not sure what life will throw at you next year, you can still take it and apply to schools in the coming years.
I/O stands for Industrial/Organizational. This involves working with corporations or organizations; in the end, you’ll work for a business and focus on morale and HR-like activities. Clinical is what most people picture when they hear “psychologist. " Your therapist/shrink studied clinical psychology. Counselling is similar to clinical, but you’ll probably end up working in a school or government setting (like prison!). This is not the way to go if you want to end up with a private practice. Experimental psychology is more research-based and focuses on – you guessed it – experiments. Though it can involve different branches, it concentrates on applying theories and methods, working out kinks and discovering new ideas.
There are so many options (educational psychology, rehabilitation psychology, environmental psychology, psychology and the law, trauma psychology, forensic psychology, criminal psychology, cross-cultural psychology, etc. ) that if we listed them all, you’d be here all day. Hopefully your undergrad program exposed you to a bunch of them – which one fascinated you most?
Master’s programs take two-three years to complete, with the last year being an internship where you accumulate hours in the field. A Master’s program generally will prepare you to work as a marriage and family counsellor, as an industrial psychologist or as a school psychologist. [1] X Trustworthy Source US Bureau of Labor Statistics U. S. government agency that collects and reports labor-related information Go to source Doctoral programs take six to seven years (depending on how you do it, it could also take much longer), including a year-long internship. A doctoral program prepares you for working as a psychologist in a hospital, clinic, or some other kind of institutional setting. Realize that there are several different doctoral degrees, including the PsyD program (less common, less research-based; 5 years to complete)[2] X Research source . Also realize that many doctoral programs provide financial support to students, who, typically, do work for the university as teaching assistants and research assistants. Master’s programs typically do not provide this kind of financial support. Let your interests determine this. If you want to have a private practice, go the PhD route. If you want to be a school psychologist, get your Master’s.
Most schools will have a focus themselves – one will be a good clinical school while another will be a good experimental school. Make sure this matches with your aspirations! It’s also very important that your school matches your philosophical orientation. If you are a fierce proponent of Psychoanalysis, you may not be happy attending a school that’s highly Humanistic. What school of thought do you fall into?
Hopefully your school will offer you some type of reduced tuition assistance either in the form of being a TA or working at an associated hospital or other organization. This will lessen your budgeting woes, but also makes it hard to keep down another job while studying. It’s best to have all your financial ducks in a row before you get in too deep.
Basically, the more people you know, the better you’ll be off. Odds are the Psi Chi club is in good with a handful of professors and right now that’s your bread and butter.
Generally this will be the last year of your academic work. It’s really a job – you’ll be doing it full-time and getting paid (or at least getting tuition free!). You’re almost there! For PsyD candidates, this is pretty much the end of the line![3] X Research source
If you complete all the coursework but have yet to do your dissertation, you are what they call ABD – “all but dissertation. " Clearly if there’s an acronym for it, it’s a common thing.
Some grads won’t need a post-doc. However, if you do one, it can count as credit for your licensure. [4] X Trustworthy Source American Psychological Association Leading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologists Go to source Just know your state requirements so you can structure it around them!
Luckily, the past few years have set you up for this moment. You should be familiar with an organization or two that has a role you can fill – or utilize one of the many professors you’ve worked with to get your foot in the door somewhere!
You’re probably looking at $1,000 or so in fees when it comes to getting licensed. You’ll be buying study books, applying, and covering exam fees. Some states have an oral test, too, while others only have a jurisprudence exam. [6] X Trustworthy Source American Psychological Association Leading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologists Go to source Many countries have their own licensing protocols that you might not have learned about in graduate school. More information can be found on websites like The American Psychological Association for more on how to acquire a license.
Many psychologists end up opening their own private practice, at least once they’ve established a niche in their chosen community. This means you’ll become self-employed. If this is a dream of yours, start the networking now!
The APA boasts over 15,000 early-career psychologists. [7] X Trustworthy Source American Psychological Association Leading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologists Go to source They’re all networking and learning with and through each other. If you need your next job, you know who to ask!
Make sure your license is good for the state you’re moving to! Lord knows you don’t want to take the EPPP again! The amount psychologists get paid varies greatly by area. If you live in a small town full of blue collar workers you won’t be able to charge as much as you would if you lived in an upper-class suburb. Though the living expense should also be taken into account, where you set yourself up may be a large factor in your overall income.
It’s also important to stay on the cutting edge of the field. You don’t want to be telling everyone and their brother about hypotheses that have been recently outdated. Keep reading, attending lectures, and educating yourself!
