Undergraduate Handbook
Table of Contents
Learning Goals
The Undergraduate Psychology Program
Declaring a Major or Minor in Psychology
Required Courses for Majors
Areas of Study
Seminar Courses
Elective Courses
Required Courses for Minors
Research Opportunities, Reading & Research Tutorials, REBL
Honors Program
Other Opportunities for Psychology Majors
Research Experience
Undergraduate Student Funding
Taking Courses at Other Universities in D.C. Metropolitan Area and United States
Applying to Other Professional Training Programs
Study Abroad
The Georgetown Chapter of Psi Chi
Careers in Psychology
Applying to Graduate School
Letters of Recommendation
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) FAQ
Statement of the Learning Goals of the Undergraduate Psychology Program
Goal 1: Foundational Knowledge
Fundamental Psychological Concepts
Four overarching themes, detailed below, characterize the study of contemporary Psychology:
- The conceptual development of the discipline;
- The development of the individual;
- The ecological context of human development;
- The relationships of thinking and understanding to brain function,
- and their expression in human and animal life.
Since these four themes imply different ways of knowing about individuals and their interactions, it is essential that students have a strong foundational understanding of each of these areas and of the theories, evidence, and mechanisms that have been offered as explanations of human and animal thought and action.
Development of the discipline
Our goal is to educate and encourage our students to:
- Understand the historical and philosophical roots of psychology and their development up to the present time;
- Be familiar with the “edges” of current knowledge within the field and thus be able to recognize promising directions for the future development of the discipline;
- Relate Psychology to other academic disciplines (e.g., biology, linguistics, philosophy, economics).
- Appreciate the global context in which Psychology has developed and continues to develop as a discipline.
Development of the individual
Our goal is to educate and encourage our students to:
- Understand broadly the theories and empirical findings that illuminate current thinking about human development from infancy through old age;
- Understand broadly current thinking about the interaction between heredity and environment as these dynamics affect the development of the individual;
- Understand broadly divergent expressions of thought, emotion, and behavior, sometimes characterized as being “abnormal,” and the theories and findings that explain them, as they affect variation in the course of individual development;
- Understand aspects of human development and behavior that are shared across or may differ according to cultural, ethnic, gender, geographic, or other boundaries.
The ecological context of human development
Our goal is to educate and encourage our students to:
- Understand the major theories and empirical findings that inform current thinking about the ways in which individuals function within and are affected by relationships with and among peers and groups;
- Understand broadly the theories and empirical findings that inform current thinking about the effects of family life on human development;
- Understand how culture affects the expression of thought, emotions, and behavior, and how norms of the expression of each can be culturally mediated;
- Understand broadly the theories and empirical findings that inform current thinking about the influences on human development and behavior that derive from institutions, social-cultural structures, social class, and religion, and legal/political systems;
- Understand the diversity of human thought, emotion, and behavior including what is termed “normal” and “abnormal” and the bases upon which they are considered to be divergent or similar.
The biological and physiological aspects of psychological life
Our goal is to educate and encourage our students to:
- Understand various theories that describe the relationship between the mind and the brain;
- Understand various theories and empirical findings that inform current knowledge about the relationship between the brain and behavior;
- Understand the major theories and empirical findings that inform current knowledge about the nature of thinking (cognition), memory, emotion, and behavior.
Goal 2: Epistemological Foundations
Understanding the foundational theories, concepts, and findings of Psychology requires a familiarity with and appreciation for the assets and limitations of different methods of knowing. That is, students must be exposed to epistemological inquiry so that they develop a firm grasp of the significance of research findings and their own creative use of knowledge.
Appreciating the use of different tools of inquiry
Our goal is to educate and encourage our students to understand the assets and limitations of:
- quantitative analysis;
- experimental design and inference;
- qualitative analysis;
- mixed research methods.
Use of different tools of inquiry
Our goal is to educate and encourage our students to:
- use probability and statistical analysis to evaluate and interpret data;
- create and interpret graphic representations of data;
- use qualitative analysis to evaluate and interpret data.
Communicating scientific understanding in oral and written form
Our goal is to educate and encourage our students to:
- present ideas that are grounded in evidence in a logical and coherent manner, in writing and in formal and informal presentations;
- communicate with academic as well as more general audiences.
Engagement with psychological inquiry
Our goal is to educate and encourage our students to:
- evaluate the significance of an area of study;
- use primary literature to develop in-depth understanding and critical analysis capacity as well as to develop independent hypotheses;
- design and conduct studies to test specific hypotheses;
- interpret data and evaluate hypotheses and place findings into the larger context of the scientific area in question.
Goal 3: Application of Psychology
It is necessary not only to understand facts, theories, and epistemological aspects of Psychology, but also to have the skills and perspectives necessary to apply this knowledge to and have it reciprocally informed by everyday life. Therefore, our goal is to educate and encourage our students to:
- Apply diverse facts and theories over a wide range of contexts from the laboratory to social institutions to everyday life;
- Make connections between diverse facts and theories;
- Apply narrative and normative analysis, as well as causal and correlation-based analysis, to answer specific questions;
- Develop an understanding of limits and possibilities regarding how psychological principles and evidence can contribute to informing, and can be informed by, social and policy issues;
- Develop an understanding of limits and possibilities regarding what psychological science can contribute to a range of civic, social, and global responsibilities in both the developed and developing nations;
- Understand the limits of applicability (e.g., generalizability, cross-cultural translation) and the hazards of premature or uncritical application of psychological principles and evidence.
Goal 4: Values in Psychology
The preservation and production of knowledge in Psychology entails the ability to weigh evidence critically, to embrace, understand, work with and learn from ambiguity, and to recognize and apply ethical practices that include respect for human and other forms of life. Specifically, our goal is to educate and encourage our students to:
- Appreciate and assimilate the positive roles of curiosity, healthy skepticism and doubt in scientific inquiry;
- Evaluate psychological explanations and recognize that such explanations are inherently complex and must take into account variability along the continuum of human and animal life;
- Recognize the evolving and cumulative nature of psychological explanations;
- Understand and articulate the tentative nature (i.e., available evidence continuously modified by new evidence) of psychological knowledge and limits of its methods;
- Recognize and respect the numerous manifestations of diversity, as well as the common universals in thought and action, that characterize human development;
- Understand that the methods that guide psychological science, must reflect, in Bronowski’s words, independence of mind, originality, and dissent in the search for truth. They likewise must eliminate the untoward influence of personal gain and related desires, because the values of science are “…the inescapable conditions for it’s practice;”
- Follow the APA Ethics Code in the treatment of human and nonhuman participants in the design, data collection, interpretation and reporting of psychological research;
- Recognize that ethically complex situations can develop in the application of psychological principles;
- Recognize the necessity of ethical behavior in all aspects of the science and practice of Psychology.
The Undergraduate Psychology Program
The Undergraduate Psychology Program encompasses psychology as both a social and a natural science. The general learning goals of the program may be found in the Learning Goals section above. Please read these for a full understanding of the major before you declare a major or minor. Students are encouraged to select courses from a broader array of core groupings.
Declaring a Major or Minor in Psychology
Obtain the Major-Minor Declaration Form
The Major-Minor Declaration form is located in the College Dean’s Office – Room 108 White-Gravenor Hall. Students in other schools who wish to declare a minor in psychology must obtain the proper form from his or her own Dean’s office.
Choose an Advisor
Next, students should think of potential advisors. Think of professor from whom you have taken a class or whose field of interest corresponds to your own. Advisors can serve many roles including helping students plan their curriculum, provide research and teaching assistant opportunities, or career advice. Although a particular faculty member will act as an official advisor, the department strongly encourages students to meet and seek advice from several different faculty members.
Students declaring a major should take their forms to the faculty member* they would like to have as their advisor. Students declaring a minor need to take their forms to the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Professor Deborah Stearns.
Students are not limited – the department strongly encourages students to meet and seek advice from several different faculty members during their time at Georgetown. Not only are these relationships fulfilling, but they become especially important when the need arises for graduate school recommendations. All faculty have scheduled office hours but are willing to see students by appointment as well. Office hours for the current semester are posted online.
Plan a Well-Balanced Program
With the assistance of a faculty advisor, students are expected to plan a program of electives and cognate courses in other disciplines to provide the course sequences most appropriate to their specific goals. In planning lecture classes and tutorials, it may be useful for students to know who is likely to be on sabbatical or on leave in coming semesters. Plans for sabbaticals and leaves of absence are subject to change, so confirm with the Department’s main office (306 White-Gravenor), or check the Faculty page. If a faculty member is on leave, it will state so here.
A well-balanced program refers to more than just psychology courses. One important consideration is the selection of an appropriate minor or a second major. Students are not required to have a minor, but many psychology majors have found that minors such as biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, philosophy, English, sociology, government, cognitive science, or computer science very helpful. A minor broadens one’s perspective of his or her own discipline.
Students may consider taking a double major, which often means having fewer elective courses but a more structured degree program. A number of well-known psychologists have strong backgrounds in other disciplines. One should begin to look for cognate fields in one’s first or second year. A student’s choice of a minor depends heavily upon their professional goals and general interests.
For suggestions of cognate areas appropriate to a particular specialty area consult one of the faculty members with interests in that area. Consult the Faculty and Research Topics pages for information about Faculty research and professional interests. Advisors may have further suggestions.
If interested in applying to graduate school in psychology, it is important to follow a broad course of study. Of particular importance is a strong background in research methods and statistics.
Plan for Graduate School
If interested in applying to graduate school in psychology it is important to follow a broad course of study. Of particular importance is a strong background in research methods and statistics. Please see the section on applying to graduate school for more information.
Additional Information
There are two little-known rules in the College which should be kept in mind when planning your undergraduate program.
- No first or second-year student may take two courses in a single department in a given semester.
- Majors are not allowed to count more than 14 courses in Psychology toward graduation.
If too many psychology courses are taken in the first three years, students may not be able to take any in their senior year. Count carefully; the deans seldom grant exceptions to this rule.
Please Note: Students are responsible for knowing the requirements for the Major or Minor in Psychology. It is also the student’s responsibility to meet those requirements.
Required Courses for Majors
Majors are required to take no fewer than ten and no more than fourteen courses in Psychology to fulfill the requirements that are specified below.
I. Majors are required to take the following three courses:
Majors are required to take two core courses from Area A and one from Area B.
Majors are required to take two courses at the Seminar Level.
Majors are required to take two additional courses from the combined offerings of Core, Seminar, and Elective courses.
Required Courses for Minors
Minors are required to take six courses to fulfill the requirements that are specified below. See above for course descriptions.
- Minors are required to take PSYC 1000 General Psychology.
- Minors are required to take two core courses from Area A and one from Area B.
- Area A. Developmental and Social Foundations
- Area B. Cognitive and Biological Foundations
- Minors are required to elect two additional courses from the combined offerings of Core, Seminar, and Elective courses.
Research Opportunities, Reading and Research Tutorials, REBL
The Department of Psychology offers a variety of research opportunities including Reading and Research Tutorials. Reading tutorials ordinarily involve a review of professional literature on a subject agreed upon by the student and faculty member. Research tutorials involve either empirical or theoretical research of a more original nature. Students are also strongly encouraged to seek involvement in the Georgetown Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. The latter offers support for student research and has a competitive summer fellowship program.
Students are encouraged to join research labs and/or enroll in reading tutorials and independent research tutorials. Both reading and research tutorials taken under the guidance of a member of the Georgetown University Psychology Department faculty or under the collaborative guidance of a faculty member at another institution and a member of the Georgetown University Psychology Department faculty can be counted as elective courses toward the major or minor. In order to count as elective credits toward the Psychology major or minor (Research Tutorial or REBL), student research activities must be under the direct supervision of a faculty member in the Georgetown University Psychology Department. No more than six (6) credits of Tutorials or REBL can be counted toward the Psychology major or minor. However, neither reading nor research tutorials can be used to satisfy the distribution requirements of the major. Research tutorials and/or participation in research are particularly recommended for any student wishing to pursue graduate study in psychology. Research Tutorials typically involve a student conducting a small project as part of the larger, ongoing research program of a faculty member. In most cases, a faculty member is not able to accept more than a few students for tutorials each semester.
Students also have the option to enroll in PSYC 4950/4951/4952 (formerly PSYC 401/402/403) Research Experience-Based Learning (REBL) and conduct research for course credit, including course credit in the major/minor. The learning goals for the REBL course draw on all of the learning goals of the undergraduate psychology program. Much of the work will target Goal 2 – Epistemological Foundations – because students will learn firsthand about the methods psychologists use for generating knowledge. Each specific research experience will also impart Foundational Knowledge (Goal 1) about the area of scientific inquiry in which you are participating, the skills and perspectives necessary to apply the knowledge to everyday life (Goal 3), and the Values in Psychology (Goal 4) involved in the ethical practice of research. REBL is available in the Fall and Spring semesters as well as the Full Term Summer Session. For more detailed information on REBL and how to enroll, please read the syllabus.
In planning an undergraduate program, majors should keep in mind that no more than fourteen (14) courses in psychology may be counted towards graduation. All courses are three (3) credits unless arrangements are made with the professor prior to registration. Permission of the instructor is required for all tutorials. Specific requirements are agreed upon between the student and faculty member, but typically, tutorials involve regular weekly meetings and require a paper due at the end of the semester. Tutorial registration forms may be obtained from the College Dean’s Office (108 White-Gravenor) and must be completed prior to registration.
Majors are advised to consult with faculty members early if they wish to do a tutorial. Students who are unsure which faculty members to approach for a tutorial on a given subject should consult with their advisor. Information about individual faculty is located on our Faculty page.
Important: Tutorial Forms are to be signed by:
- Professor with whom you are taking the tutorial
- The Director of Undergraduate Studies
Honors Program
PSYC 4999 Honors Symposium (3 credits): This course recognizes the Department’s Honors Program.
The Department of Psychology’s Honors Program provides enriched research training for a small group of the most motivated and accomplished psychology majors. The Honors Program provides students with the opportunity to be immersed in the research process under the mentorship of a faculty member. In close interaction with their mentor, students will complete a research project that will constitute a novel contribution to the psychological sciences. At the end of their senior year, students are expected to submit an honors thesis and present a poster at the Honors Symposium.
The Honors Program Director is Professor Anna Johnson.
Criteria for Acceptance
- The willingness of a full-time psychology faculty member to mentor a student is the most important criterion for acceptance into the Honors Program.
- Students should have an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher. In exceptional circumstances, an exemption to this rule may be issued by the faculty mentor.
- Students should have completed or be currently completing Research Methods and Statistics (PSYC-002) when they apply. In exceptional circumstances, an exemption to this rule may be issued by the faculty mentor.
Application Procedure
***Please note: students must identify a mentor and obtain that mentor’s agreement to support honors thesis work before completing the application to join the Psychology Honors program.***
All interested students should submit the Honors Application Form to the director. Download the application form.
- Applicants can apply in March, April, or May of their Junior year to conduct honors research during their Senior year only; they may also apply in March, April, or May of their Sophomore year to conduct honors research during both their Junior and Senior years.
- The Honors thesis must be turned in to the director after it has been approved by the student’s mentor.
Ordinarily, students interested in joining the Psychology Honors Program should be fully engaged in the Program for at least the Fall and Spring semesters of their 4th year. However, the particular research approach and teaching schedules of some faculty may result in different timing for students interested in working with them. Further, in the case of students who plan to study abroad during the junior year, the student and mentor must come to an agreement about how study abroad will affect the student’s work as part of the Honors Program, prior to the student entering the Program.
Nature of Psychology Honors Program Activity and Product
To qualify to graduate with Honors in Psychology, students must:
- Complete an Honors thesis that meets the set requirements by the specified deadline and agree to it being posted on the Honors Program’s webpage.
- Attend at least 5 Honors research meetings, and make a presentation about their Honors thesis in one such meeting.
- Maintain satisfactory progress during the Honors year; if the mentor indicates that progress is unsatisfactory by the end of the first semester of the Honors program, the student will be terminated from continuing in the Honors program in the second semester.
- Present a poster in the Annual Psychology Honors Research Conference to be held in the Spring semester of each year.
- Submit a written thesis to their faculty mentor, with a copy shared with the director of the Honors Program.
Honors Thesis
Ordinarily students will participate in an ongoing research program directed by a professor. The particular form and method of the project will be decided by the mentor and the student. However, the Honors thesis must ‘stand alone’, make a novel theoretical, empirical, or integrative contribution to a branch of psychology, and be of high enough quality to be submitted for publication or for presentation at a scientific professional conference. Not all conferences are scientific, but all are professional. The faculty mentor will determine if the thesis meets these requirements and, in some cases, the mentor may invite a second reader to evaluate and contribute to the thesis.
‘Brown-Bag’ Honors Meetings
Meeting Schedule
The Honors Seminar meets monthly throughout the entire academic year. Students are expected to attend each class meeting. Students must also meet with the Honors Program Director for two 1-hour sessions per month. The goal of these meetings is to review individual student progress and address student-specific questions regarding the research project.
Assignments
Assignments are due at each monthly seminar meeting. These assignments can be thought of as “deliverables” that accumulate to inform the final thesis product; the final product, a poster presentation to the entire Psychology department and affiliates and invited guests is traditionally at the end of April. The specific assignments are listed below.
- Answer five questions about your project.
- IRB approval.
- Sample article from your sub-field.
- Draft outline of methods section.
- Draft outline of results section.
- Draft outline of introduction.
- Poster for honors symposium
- Honors thesis.
Credit Hours
Students will register for ‘Honors Symposium’ PSYC 4999 (3 credit hours) in the first semester of entrance to the Honors Program. This will count as fulfilling one of the two Seminar requirements for the Psychology Major.
Graduation with Honors
All students who successfully complete Honors requirements will have ‘Honors Psychology Major Complete’ recorded on their transcripts.
Other Opportunities for Psychology Majors
Research Experiences
If you are interested in pursuing a career in psychology, it is vital to gain research experience. Most graduate schools are interested in students who have more than an average amount of research experience. There are a number of ways for you to obtain this type of experience. Please review the Research Opportunities section of our website which details such opportunities. Also, information on independent tutorials and research-based credit is given above. In addition, from time to time the Department sends out over its Majors and Minors ListServ information about outside opportunities; if you find that you are missing from this listserv, please e-mail Bonnie Ginsberg. Please be sure to give your full name and the e-mail address that you wish messages to be sent. The Department also posts outside opportunities on our blog.
Undergraduate Student Funding
Psychology majors can apply for small amounts of need-based funding to support research or other professional development activities. Typically, such funding requests will not exceed $250 and will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. If interested in applying for funding, students should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Professor Deborah C. Stearns, with a specific description of the funding need.
Taking Courses at Other Universities in the D.C. Metropolitan area and United States
Taking Courses at Other Universities in the D.C. Metropolitan area and United States
A large number of courses are available through other universities in the area, otherwise known as the Washington Metropolitan Area Consortium of Universities; a listing of schools in the Consortium as well as information about registering for such classes are available here. Psychology courses taken in the Consortium (or on other campuses around the country) must be approved in advance by your advisor and by your Dean. Of note: General Psychology (PSYC 1000) and Research Methods and Statistics (PSYC 2000) must be taken at Georgetown.
A total of 15 credits received for Psychology courses taken at other universities may be transferred and used for completion of the B.A. degree in Psychology at Georgetown University. Students should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies (Professor Deborah Stearns) regarding the details of transfer and equivalence of courses across universities.
Applying to Other Professional Training Programs
Many Psychology Majors and Minors wish to pursue professional training in areas other than psychology. These often include medicine, law, education, business, and many others. For detailed information on Graduate Programs in Psychology and how to go about pursuing a graduate degree in Psychology, please see the Applying to Graduate School section.
In addition to the normal degree requirements of a psychology major, some students wish to enroll in the Pre-Med program. This includes: Introductory Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Calculus, and Elementary Physics. If you wish to apply to medical school, it is important that you consult with a Dean of the College.
Study Abroad
Each year, students can take advantage of study abroad programs by spending a semester or year abroad. There are a great many educational opportunities connected with these programs. Study abroad provides a valuable and unforgettable educational experience. Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad. One-semester programs are preferred over full-year programs. Speak with your advisor, with the Director of Undergraduate Studies (Professor Deborah Stearns), or with the Dean of the College, as soon as you begin to think about study abroad. Remember that before you go abroad, your program must have the written approval of the Dean of the College and your advisor and/or the Directors. You will need to bring in course descriptions and syllabi, if you have them, in order to pre-approve your transfer courses. Final approval requires syllabi and (if needed) readings lists for the semester when you took the class. If a course is a close match with one of the Area A or B courses, we can evaluate it and provide Area credit should the course be deemed a close substitute. Individual research projects may be transferable as electives provided that such projects are credited as being courses at the host university. Please refer to Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences’ Study Abroad section on their website
The Georgetown Chapter of Psi Chi
Psi Chi is an organization dedicated to the advancement of the science of psychology. Membership is open to graduate and undergraduate psychology students who meet eligibility criteria.
The Georgetown Chapter of Psi Chi, directed by Professor Ian Lyons, is focused on engaging students with the faculty, with research, with other students, and with their community. Each year Psi Chi sponsors several events such as the Georgetown Undergraduate Research Opportunities Fair. Students also have book drives, movie nights, trips, speakers, and other events. Many of the students in Psi Chi also pursue Honors and develop an Honors Thesis with a Psychology faculty member. There are a variety of fellowships and awards available to Psi Chi members that support their research and attendance at conferences. Not all Psi Chi members continue to pursue Psychology in graduate school, but all look upon the experience as formative in their undergraduate career.
Students and faculty are elected to membership by the chapter at the institution, according to the provisions in the national Psi Chi Constitution. Any chapter, at its discretion, may establish higher academic standards for eligibility, but may not require service standards for eligibility. Membership in Psi Chi is open to qualified candidates of any age, sex, sexual orientation, race, handicap or disability, color, religion, and national and ethnic origin.
Eligibility Requirements
- Completion of 3 semesters or 5 quarters of the college course
- Completion of 9 semester hours or 14 quarter hours of psychology courses
- Declared Psychology Major
- A minimum GPA of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) in both Psychology classes and in cumulative grades
Applying to Psi Chi
Applications to become a member of Psi Chi are accepted beginning in May and continuing through the summer, each year. To apply, please visit Psi Chi’s “Become a Member” page, click on the “Apply Now” button at the bottom of the page, and enter “Georgetown University” as your chapter. We will then process your information via the Registrar’s Office and approve your membership if you meet the requirements. If accepted to Psi Chi, there is a one-time $80 membership fee.
Psychology Colloquium Series
Every year the Department of Psychology sponsors lectures by outstanding scholars on matters of interest to psychologists. You are encouraged to attend these lectures as often as possible. Announcements are made in classes, sent via e-mail, and available on our Home page.
Careers in Psychology
Many students are concerned about the career opportunities available in psychology. Advisors can be very helpful in selecting realistic career goals. Students should also plan to do some reading on their own. Job and internship information and notices of other opportunities are sent via email from the Psychology Listserv. In addition, the libraries, career center, and the internet provide further reference on graduate programs and careers in psychology.
Applying To Graduate School: General Considerations
For detailed information on Graduate Programs in Psychology and how to go about pursuing a graduate degree in Psychology, please read this document, authored by Professor Abigail Marsh. Some general information, also included in the document, may be found below.
Applying to graduate or professional school in any discipline can be a time consuming experience. Start very early. It is suggested to ask a faculty member to serve as a mentor at every step of the process. Don’t apply without help. An application prepared with the consultation of a faculty member is almost certain to be better than one without any advice. In addition, professors from the Department have collaborated on a booklet about different graduate programs and tips for getting into them. The booklet Advice for Applying to Graduate School for Psychology Majors is available at the Main Office (306 WGR and online). As a general rule, when applying to graduate school, seek advice from faculty members who teach and/or research in the particular specialty you wish to pursue. Write for catalogs and application forms no later than October of your senior year. Consult the web page for each program in which you are interested. Ask for all relevant information about the program of interest, including applications, financial aid, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships. Most applications are due by February 1st or shortly thereafter, but some are due as early as late December. It will take many hours to fill out the forms. Each application requires a carefully prepared essay. Every September or October the Department offers a Graduate School Information Session. Please be sure to attend.
Many programs are specialized; students should choose a program based on their interests. Speak with all of the faculty members who know you well and get their advice. Once you consider applying to a particular program, check (in this handbook) to see if any of the faculty members have ever attended that school. If they have, ask them to share their knowledge of the program and chances of being accepted. Most students apply to eight or ten different programs. Some programs are harder to get into than others.
It is not recommended to apply to schools where acceptance is considered relatively easy. As Georgetown graduates have demonstrated, many majors can compete successfully for admission to the very best graduate schools in the country. Faculty in the Department can help set sights at a realistic level. Prior research experience is usually a pre-requisite for admission to a graduate program. Be sure to work with your research mentor or advisor at Georgetown on the best match for you. If you need letters of recommendation, ask faculty members weeks or even months in advance [one month minimum is recommended], and be prepared to send your transcript, CV, statement of purpose, and list of schools if they agree to write for you. Many faculty will want to meet with you to discuss your application and reasons for applying to graduate school.
Arrange to take the GRE (both the General and the Psychology Subject Tests) as early as possible. Most graduate schools require these tests. Information and application forms are available online. Most graduate schools require at least three letters of recommendation from faculty members (usually in psychology) who know you well. A letter from a professor whom you met last week at the departmental picnic is not what graduate schools have in mind. Graduate schools want a detailed analysis of all of your strengths and weaknesses. Although there are exceptions, as a rule it is hard for a faculty member to write a very strong recommendation if your work in his/her class was lower than a B.
Standard Procedure for Asking for Letters of Recommendation
- Inquire whether the professor is willing to write a strong letter. If so, provide the forms used by each graduate school, an addressed, stamped envelope for each letter (if letters are mailed), and copies of your transcript, curriculum vitae, and essay describing professional goals. With each request, include a brief note explaining why the program is of interest, the date on which the letter is due, and specify any faculty members at the graduate school with whom you would like to work. Also specify whether you are interested in a teaching or research assistantship.
- A week before the application and letter of recommendation are due, call each school to which you have applied to be certain that your file is complete, i.e., all letters, scores and forms have been received.
- If possible, arrange a visit to the graduate school. Talking to faculty members and current graduate students can provide you with valuable first-hand information about the program. Since psychology professors can give you advice on questions to ask and things to consider during your visits, consult one or two before you go. It is extremely useful to talk to the graduate students currently in the department. Although the field of psychology is highly competitive, there are still many excellent opportunities for highly-motivated, qualified students. When your applications have been acted on, please let us know the results.