How do I get into graduate school | What do graduate schools want? | Application process | Undergraduate timeline

The following timetable contains recommendations of what you should, ideally, be doing each quarter of your undergraduate career at La Sierra. Check this list periodically to see if you are on target, and remember that it's never too late to start.

First Year | Sophomore Year | Junior Year | Senior Year

First Year--Fall Quarter

	Take required University Studies courses, including math and science courses.
	Take PSYC 219 (Colloquium).
	Catch up on any remedial classes that you may have to take.
	Keep your GPA high; it’s hard to pull it up once it is low.
	Be sure your advisor knows what you want to do with your life. If you don’t know, be sure he or she knows that.
	Are you eligible for the honors program? Consider it. Are you ineligible for the honors program? Try to be eligible soon.
	Explore the library. Spend a few hours and examine what journals the library subscribes to, and browse. Figure out how to access PsycINFO.
	Begin to get connected to the Psych department. You may not feel like you are a part of what’s going on, but given time, you will.
	Get in the habit of checking the departmental bulletin boards regularly.
	Become aware of the Learning Support Center.
	If you aren't subscribed to the Psychology Department email list, send an email message to psychology@lasierra.edu with the message "subscribe" as the subject.  This will get you lots of information about what's happening in the department.

First Year--Winter Quarter

	Take required University Studies courses, including math and science courses.
	Keep your GPA high; it’s hard to pull it up once it is low.
	Be sure your advisor knows what you want to do with your life. If you don’t know, be sure he or she knows that.
	Are you eligible for the honors program? Consider it. Try to be eligible soon.
	Begin to get connected to the Psych department.
	Get in the habit of checking the departmental bulletin boards regularly.
	Become aware of the Learning Support Center.
	Take College Algebra this quarter or next quarter, if at all possible.

First Year--Spring Quarter

	Take required University Studies courses, including math and science courses.
	Take required lower division Psychology courses (not to many lower division electives)
	Keep your GPA high; it’s hard to pull it up once you’ve started with it down
	Map out (tentatively) every class that you are going to take for all four years of your undergraduate career. Work with the bulletin to do this.  Pay attention to what prerequisites you will have to take before what courses. Plan to take a lot of major requirements during your junior year.
	Take College Algebra, if you haven't already done so.

Sophomore--Fall Quarter

	Try to take an upper division (300+ number) Psychology course.
	Take PSYC 219 (Colloquium)
	Try to finish up as many University Studies courses as possible.
	Consider taking literature classes, and writing classes.
	Find out about the faculty, by taking classes from them and taking advantage of office hours.
	Start a file or keep a box containing anything that you have done or been involved in that might be good for a resume. Also, keep any information that you come across about graduate schools. If you read any articles that you find particularly interesting, save them as well (you might end up being their student in a couple of years).
	Save all course syllabi and textbooks from Psychology classes.
	Take Statistics (MATH 251) if possible.

Sophomore--Winter Quarter

	Try to take an upper division (300+ number) Psychology course.
	Try to finish up as many University Studies breath and competency courses as possible.
	Consider taking literature classes, and writing classes.
	Find out about the faculty, by taking classes from them and taking advantage of office hours.
	Save all course syllabi and textbooks from Psychology classes.
	Get to know some upper division students who are serious about their studies. They can tell you a lot more than we can about what courses are like, and what the faculty are like.
	Start keeping track of when and where professional meetings are being held. If any are local (or, in the summer, near where you live), try to attend them. They are great places to get a feel for the profession, as well as to hear "famous" researchers talk. Major meetings to keep track of include APA, APS, and WPA. Try to attend at least one meeting as an undergraduate.
	Begin to do outside reading about your field, or particular specialties that you think you might find interesting. Textbooks are good at informing you of the content of a field, but not very good at informing you of what it’s really like to be in the profession.
	If you are interested in research, try to find a directed study opportunity (or just volunteer) helping a faculty member with her or his research.
	Take Quantitative Psychology.

Sophomore--Spring Quarter

	Take an upper division (300+ number) Psychology course.
	Try to finish up as many University Studies courses as possible.
	Save all of your term papers, textbooks, and course syllabi.
	Consider taking literature classes, and writing classes.
	Find out about the faculty, by taking classes from them and taking advantage of office hours.
	Request and evaluation from the Registrar's Office.
	Take Methods of Research.

Summer before Junior year

	If you still have University Studies courses to take, think about getting them out of the way now.
	Try to find a job that is either within your chosen field, or else that puts you in close contact with a population that you are interested in working with.
	If you learn of any opportunities to do research-related work, seriously consider them.
	Carefully re-read your Introductory Psychology textbook(s)
	If you want to go into human services, try to start volunteering a few hours a week in a community agency.

Junior--Fall Quarter

	Try to take at least one core or concentration upper division Psych requirement, like Physiological Psychology or Cognition and Memory.
	Take PSYC 419 (Colloquium).
	Try to take an "impressive" course in another department (e.g. Computer Science).
	If you haven’t chosen a concentration by now, do so.
	Be sure you are getting to know the faculty.
	Start looking for research opportunities.
	If you have any friends who are Seniors applying for graduate schools, ask them about the application process. If they don’t mind, look over their forms so you can see what you’ll be doing next Fall.
	Consider presenting a paper at WPA: It’s not as hard as you think. If you are particularly happy with something you’ve done for one of your classes, ask your professor if it might be presentable, or what it would take to make it presentable.
	If you haven’t taken statistics yet, you should take it this quarter at the very latest.

Junior--Winter Quarter

	Try to take at least one core or concentration upper division Psych requirement.
	Try to take an "impressive" course in another department (e.g. Computer Science).
	If you haven’t chosen a concentration by now, do so.
	Take the Psyc 319 (Career Colloquium).
	Get familiar with the resources describing graduate programs (e.g. Graduate Study in Psychology).
	Try to get involved in volunteer activities, inside or outside the department.
	Try to get involved in a research project that may lead to authorship credit on a presentation or publication. Talk openly with the faculty you are working with (or are interested in working with) about this possibility.
	Write a first draft of your rŽsumŽ.

Junior--Spring Quarter

	Try to take at least one core or concentration upper division Psych requirement; consider taking History and Systems (as a great GRE review class)
	Try to take an "impressive" course in another department (e.g. Computer Science)
	Be sure that you know at least three faculty members (preferably at least two in the Psych department) well, so that they can write you letters of recommendation next Fall. Be sure they will be available Fall quarter; if not, see if they can leave a letter in a placement file.
	Join one or two professional organizations as a student affiliate.
	If possible, visit any campuses with graduate programs that interest you.
	Begin to learn about financial aid opportunities for graduate students if you need outside support in order to attend graduate school.
	Be sure to check with the Registrar’s Office about graduation requirements to be sure you are going to graduate.
	Take one or two practice tests for the GRE (including the Psychology subject test) so that you can get a good idea of how much you need to study over the summer.

Summer before Senior Year

	Visit campuses of graduate programs that interest you, if possible.
	You may want to communicate with specific faculty members that you are interested in working with.
	Study for the GRE. Study guides are sometimes useful, especially for the quantitative and analytical sections of the GRE. Courses are sometimes useful, if you don’t test well. The Psychology test is best studied for by knowing and understanding everything covered in basic introductory psychology textbooks; if your books are more than a few years old, you should definitely study from a newer edition.
	Research graduate programs.
	In late August, mail notes to any graduate programs that interest you (probably about 30), asking for information and applications.
	Sign up for the GRE’s.
	Start thinking and taking notes about what you are planning on including in your Statement of Purpose or Personal Essay.
	Start to budget enough money to apply to graduate schools.
	Update your resume.
	Work on your Senior contract.

Senior--Fall Quarter

September to November

	If a new edition of Graduate Study in Psychology is available, examine it for any updated news.
	Register for PSYC 419 (Colloquium).
	Apply for independent financial awards or assistance, if you qualify.
	See if financial aid forms are due early for any of the programs you are interested in applying to.
	Take the GRE in October, if possible. If not, register to take it in December.
	Take the Miller Analogies Test if any of your applications require it.
	Prepare a vitae and short personal statement, as well as obtaining an unofficial copy of your transcript, for your references.
	Get three faculty members to commit to writing you letters of reference. See what they want from you to help them write the letters.
	Decide where you are going to apply.
	Order transcripts six weeks (at least) before application deadlines.
	Make unofficial copies of transcripts to include in your application packet.
	Order GRE (and MAT if needed) scores to be sent to the graduate schools where you are applying at least six weeks before the application date.
	Make unofficial copies of your test scores to send with your application packet, if you have them in time.
	Draft your Statement of Purpose.

December and Christmas Break

	Take the GRE if you haven’t already.
	Get reviews of your Statement of Purpose (from classmates and faculty), and revise it. Revise it again.
	Fill out applications due in December (some are due as early as December 1), January, and February. If possible, fill out applications for programs due in March, too.
	Mail out applications, preferably at least two weeks before the program’s deadline.
	Order transcripts to be sent for courses you have just completed.

Senior--Winter Quarter

	Take any remaining requirements, as well as electives that interest you.
	Fill out remaining applications.
	Confirm with your references that they have, indeed, mailed your letters.
	Call graduate programs to confirm that your applications arrived and are complete.
	If you are in clinical or counseling areas, you will need to travel to interviews. Arrange with your professors for this time that you will be missing class.
	You will be hearing about your acceptances/rejections in late March through April (perhaps a little later for Masters programs).
	If you are sure that you aren’t going to go to a program that you have been accepted in, let them know right away. In any case, be sure to pay attention to the deadlines for accepting their offers.
	Apply for loans or other financial assistance, if necessary.

Senior--Spring Quarter

	Take any remaining requirements, as well as electives that interest you.
	You will be hearing about your acceptances/rejections in late March through April (perhaps a little later for Masters programs).
	If you are sure that you aren’t going to go to a program that you have been accepted in, let them know right away. In any case, be sure to pay attention to the deadlines for accepting their offers.
	Apply for loans or other financial assistance, if necessary.
	Send transcripts to any programs you applied to for Winter and Spring classes, if they requested them.

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