How To Get In

Recruitment/Diversity Programs

Recruitment programs are amazing if you want to hear from faculty themselves. Most programs let you interact with faculty directly in breakout rooms, and some even have faculty provide feedback on your materials (e.g., Harvard PPREP). Definitely attend if you’re interested in these particular programs! Also check out their websites for tips.

Harvard: Prospective Ph.D. & RA Event in Psychology (PPREP)
University of North Carolina: Diversifying Psychology Weekend (DPW)
Rutgers: Diversifying Psychology Program
University of Minnesota: Diversity in Psychology Program
University of Michigan: STAR Scholars Program
Stanford: Paths to PhD
University of Washington: A Sneak Peek for Graduate School
Stony Brook: Weekly Psychology Graduate School Application Cafe
Colorado Boulder usually holds Q&A Sessions for Prospective Students over zoom
Texas Tech usually holds an open house over zoom in the fall - check out faculty’s Twitter
UC San Diego: 2 day virtual Diversifying Psychology Event
University of Washington: Diversifying Psychology: A Sneak Peek for Graduate School

Non-Profits/Student-Led Programs

Many of these programs offer one-to-one mentorship and/or have phenomenal resources pages. Personally I received TONS of help from my project SHORT mentor.

Project SHORT matches applicants with mentors in a related field to provide one-to-one mentoring. “One of the goals of Project SHORT is to offer pro-bono mentoring for individuals from diverse and underrepresented populations in STEM.”
Application Statement Feedback Program (ASFP): “Our goal is to provide fast, constructive feedback and editing support for the research/personal statements of PhD applicants in psychology, with an emphasis on underrepresented minorities and/or those who are not ‘in the know.’”
Psychin’Out has a resource hub of application materials and slack channels for people with different background and are at different stages of their careers.
NextGen Psych Scholars Program (NPSP) is a virtual graduate student-led mentorship program for underrepresented (e.g., BIPOC, low-income, first-gen, LGBTQIA+) undergraduates and post-baccalaureates interested in applying to psychology PhD programs.
Getting into Grad School is a program for applicants who plan to apply for Clinical Psychology programs in the current cycle. They provide monthly meetings, feedback on application materials and interview practice.

Is Clin Psych The Right Choice?

The classic Dr. Mitch Prinstein’s Uncensored Advice for Applying to Graduate School in Clinical Psychology
A beautiful visual guide on Careers in Clinical Psychology
REACH for Graduate School in Psychology has resources to help students applying to masters and doctoral programs in psychology, including things to consider before applying, how to apply, etc.

Planning My Path to Clin Psych

What is the Path to a Clinical Psychology PhD? by the Hamilton Lab at Rutgers University is a great guide for undergrads preparing for a future in clinical psychology.

Preparing Application Materials

I personally found the top listed ones very helpful. Note that some are very comprehensive and can be overwhelming, but you can always just extract what you need.

Perspectives from faculty

So You’re Applying to Clinical Psychology Graduate Programs by Dr. Jasmine Mote
Harvard’s Psychology’s PhD Resources and Online Tips Page (PRO-TiP) lets you hear from Harvard faculty about what they look for in applicants
How Applying to Graduate School Works by the Sokol-Hessner Lab

Perspectives from grad students

Statement of Purpose

Many of the guides above describe how to write a good statement of purpose (SOP). Here are some more!

The PhD App SOP Resources by Psychin’Out has sample SOPs and instructions.
Clinical Psychology Graduate School Personal Statement Examples by Dr. Craig Rodriguez-Seijas and Dr. Jessica Schleider
Mitch Prinstein & ASFP’s video
Dr. Andrew Kiselica’s Tweets
Dr. Sarah Victor’s Tweets

Diversity Statement

Dr. Aisha Dickerson’s Tweets
A YouTube video by a current grad student, JoJo Douglas: Ask yourself these 5 questions before writing your diversity statement! | Clinical Psychology
Developing and Writing a Diversity Statement by Vanderbilt University.
GRAD Guide to Diversity Statements by University of Chicago
Diversity Statement Examples by UCSD

Email Faculty

Instead of emailing faculty, I actually reached out the their current grad students. ~90% responded and shared valuable first-hand experience on what it’s like to work with the PI. 100% recommend!

Finding a faculty advisor describes why and how to email faculty
How to email faculty

Interview

Fellowships

Graduate & Undergraduate Student Fellowship List maintained by Dr. June Gruber
The Illinois Database of Grants and Fellowships for Graduate Students
Psychology and Education Fellowships for Graduate Students (including those for international students)
Dartmouth College’s Database on Fellowships for International Students
Scholarships & Financial Aid For LGBTQ Students

Post-bacc Opportunities

For Minority Applicants

Black In Neuro aims to diversify the neurosciences by building a community that celebrates and empowers Black scholars and professionals in neuroscience-related fields
Resources for International Applicants in Clinical Psychology
Community for Queer Academics in Psychology & Neuroscience
How to Become a Scientist While Poor
“The Safe Faculty Project serves as an anonymous and safe space to empower individuals interested in sharing their experiences and supporting others. Individuals are also encouraged to report and review reports of harassment, abuse, or misconduct using our anonymous reporting form and public database.”
Dr. Laura Germine’s deep digging on factors that impact admissions for international applicants to US doctorate programs

Suicide Researchers

If you are looking for researchers in the field of suicide and self-injury, check out this page!

Last updated: January 2025 | Contact Irene: mxu226@wisc.edu