Lesson 1 Overview Wrap Up
Many of you may be taking this class because you are interested in working in the field of applied psychology (i.e. clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, etc.). You may be fascinated by psychological research and the experimental method, or you may feel that you have the skills and interest to help people who may be suffering. If you are interested in becoming a psychologist, it is likely that you will need to attend graduate school. I am including the following article to give you an idea of what this may entail. An article in American Psychologist (Purdy, J. E., Reinehr, R. C., & Swarx, J. D.,1989, 44, 960-961) reported on results of a survey of 106 graduate programs in experimental, clinical, and counseling psychology regarding their admissions criteria.
The following is a summary of those conclusions:
“The ideal graduate school applicant has a high GRE combined score, strong letters of recommendation, some research experience, and a high overall GPA, with particularly high grades for the final two years. For applicants for a clinical or counseling program, previous clinical experience is desirable. Undergraduate coursework would include statistics, experimental methods, and at least some laboratory experience” (p. 961).
This concludes the Lesson 1 Overview. At this time please continue with the Lesson 1 Instructor Commentary.