• Begin your freshman year by taking course work very seriously. Avoid taking courses just to get them out of the way - make a commitment to learning. Take rigorous courses in math, liberal arts, and science. Do well in writing courses.
• Practice building strong study habits early. Graduate school requires quite a bit of reading, writing, research, and presentations.
• Keep your GPA above a 3.5. It is VERY difficult to raise a GPA. Your grades, especially in psychology and science courses, are important to graduate school admissions committees.
• Prepare throughout your undergraduate education for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) by reading widely, looking up words when you do not know their meaning, building your logic and mathematical skills, and taking practice tests the year before you take the exam. You may want to consider paying for a GRE prep course. Admissions committees are looking for above-average scores, so be prepared.
• Get to know faculty in the Psychology Department during your freshman and sophomore year. Talk to them after class or during their office hours, be visible in the department, and show an interest in your academics and in their scholarship. Volunteer to work with them on projects. Not only will you learn a tremendous amount about psychology, but you may also gain a mentor.
• Work during your junior and senior year with a faculty mentor on an independent research project. Getting to know the faculty and allowing them to get to know you will be essential to acquiring three strong letters of recommendation for graduate school.

It is important to note that Ph.D. programs in psychology are very competitive especially in the area of clinical psychology. The American Psychological Association reports that less than 10% of all psychology majors enter Ph.D. programs. Master's programs are somewhat less competitive.

Most graduate programs have many more applicants than there are openings in their programs. Consequently, you must be well prepared and stand out from other applicants by going above and beyond in areas where you have strengths. It is difficult to rank order the admissions criteria listed here because graduate admissions committees typically look at applicant qualifications as a whole package. That is, strengths in some areas may compensate for weaknesses in other areas. However, quantitative measures such as your GPA and GRE scores are often reviewers first measure and first impression of you.

Here are the basic admissions requirements for fairly competitive graduate programs:

• Minimum GPA of 3.5 (slightly lower for master's)
• Strong Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores (600 or more on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical exams for the Ph.D. - slightly lower for master's)
• Three strong letters of recommendation (preferably from faculty - and if applying for Ph.D. programs, faculty with whom you have worked on research)
• Miller Analogies Test (required by some programs)
• Research experience (Ph.D. especially)
• Clinically-related experience (master's especially)
• Application essay, Personal Statement, or Statement of Intent.
• Interview performance (required by some programs)
• Extracurricular involvement (Psi Chi, Psychology Club)
• Rigorous course work