Annual Admissions Webinar

The Department of Psychology holds an annual webinar for prospective graduate students in the Winter of each year.  This webinar provides information on constructing a competitive application for doctoral programs in Psychology, and includes faculty and student panels as well as time for participants to ask questions.  

Preparing for Graduate School in Psychology
Monday, January 22, 2024, 4:30pm - 6:30pm, Central Time

What is the goal of this webinar?

The goal of this webinar is to enhance the strength of the applications prospective PhD students can construct. It can be difficult for applicants to know how to best demonstrate their readiness and fit for a particular PhD program. This may be exacerbated for applicants who don’t have access to “insider” information about what constitutes a strong application. We believe that innovative and meaningful research requires a diverse set of ideas, and this webinar is one attempt to democratize the dispersal of information about the PhD application process.

What topics will be covered?

We aim to provide structured guidance for students who are considering applying to Psychology PhD programs in general and our Psychology PhD program in particular. We will offer insights into attributes of competitive applications, including advice on how to research and craft a successful candidate statement and communicate your valuable “hard” and “soft” skills. We will also discuss how to apply for research assistant positions.  Finally, the webinar will include a panel discussion with current PhD students, who can provide some first-person thoughts on transitioning to a PhD program. There will also be time set aside for Q&A. (See below for information about how to submit your questions before the webinar!)

Note that the UChicago Department of Psychology does not have a clinical program. If you are interested in counseling or clinical social work, see the programs at UChicago in the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice.

Who can attend?

All undergraduates and postgraduates considering applying for a PhD in Psychology are welcome to attend this webinar. We particularly encourage students from historically marginalized groups, including but not limited to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), non-cis-gendered individuals, members of the queer community, individuals who are differently-abled or who experience disability, first-generation college students, and those from low-income / low-resource backgrounds to attend.

How do I sign up?

Please register for the webinar in advance.  At registration, you will be asked to provide your name, e-mail address, undergraduate institution, anticipated application year, area of interest, and your primary reason for wanting to attend the webinar. You will also have the option to submit questions on the webinar form. We hope that everyone who registers will be able to attend.  However, we may have to cap enrollment, so please register early.

How do I submit questions?

We will do our best to cover questions that attendees have – the goal of this webinar to is to help you! Please feel free to submit questions in advance, in your registration. We will also take questions during the webinar.

Important dates:

Webinar: Monday, January 22, 2024, 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm, Central Time

Register by Sunday, January 21.

If you have any additional questions about the webinar, please feel free to reach out to us at  UChicagoPsychGrad@gmail.com.