Academics

 
 

Ideal Timetable for Undergraduates

 

The following is to be considered an ideal (perhaps not real) timetable. It is not expected that all persons fulfill each step in order to be eligible for graduate school or be equipped to be successful in the field. It contains the recommended steps for graduation and preparation for graduate school in a timetable format.

 

Note: No two students are alike, therefore no two schedules are alike. Some of you may be reading this and thinking, "I'm too far along. I haven't done any of this stuff. I can't catch up!" The fact is, this is an ideal developed hypothetically. In your life, some of these will be done earlier, some later, and some not at all. Some of these things are suggestions, not necessities. Others are so important to getting into top graduate schools that they are almost necessities. It is recommended that you attempt to follow this schedule if you are early in your undergraduate career. If you are late into your undergraduate years at NCU, you might consider taking a year off before graduate school to gain some practical experience, choose the right program for you, and have time to do the application process right. If you have other questions, please see one of the professors in the department.

Freshman Year through First Semester of Sophomore Year

  1. Concentrate on taking your required General Courses. Don't shy away from math, science, or critical thought courses.
  2. Take any required lower level psychology courses. Don't use up all your lower level psychology electives.
  3. Work hard to start off with a good GPA. It's hard to raise it later!
  4. Look over the required course sequence and class offerings sheet. Map out a tentative plan for taking the correct classes in the proper order. Look through the course catalogue to find the prerequisites of each class. (Plan to load up on major requirements during your junior year.)
  5. Learn to use all of the library resources here at North Central and at the University of Minnesota. See if you can ride along with an upperclassman to the University libraries so that you know how to get there and use their resources. It will save you time and stress later.
  6. Take MATH 125 College Math and Algebra.
  7. Take PSYC 177 Career Seminar in Psychology.

Second Semester of Sophomore Year

  1. Take a required upper division psychology course or two. Get as close as possible to finishing up any required General and Bible courses.
  2. Continue to get to know one or more of the faculty in your department. Find out what their interests are, what courses they teach, and so on. These close connections will come in very handy when a letter of recommendation is needed.
  3. Start a file box in which you put notes of activities or accomplishments that you might be able to use on your resume, items about graduate school or volunteer opportunities that you run across, and so on. Basically, keep an open, active file box of any and all writings by you and/or professionals in the field. Keep it organized by subject or class taken. Keep your syllabi and course catalog (for course descriptions). This info comes in handy for future writing, studying for the GRE, completing applications, resumes, etc. It's much easier to organize now than later.
  4. Find out about and attend any special professional meetings that you might be able to attend. The University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Psychological Association, and the Christian Association for Psychological Studies hold many events open to the students/professionals from the area.
  5. Begin to independently do some outside reading about professions associated with psychology and related fields. (See Careers in Psychology and Other Resources.)
  6. Take MATH 260 Statistics.

Summer Between Sophomore and Junior Years

  1. If you have any General Education requirements left to take, consider taking a summer course or two.
  2. If possible, try to find a job that relates in some way to your chosen area within the field or that puts you in direct contact with a population with which you might wish to work later (e.g., children, developmentally disabled, etc.)
  3. Begin looking for research opportunities. The U of M Extension Course catalog has a section of research opportunities available to public volunteers. Look these over as well as speaking with psychology faculty at NCU.
  4. If you aspire to a career in human services, consider a volunteer placement for a few hours each week in a community agency, church outreach program, Teen Challenge, etc.

First Semester of Junior Year

  1. Take two or more, upper division courses required in your major and /or consider at least one "impressive" course in an area in which you think you can do well in another department, such as an Honors English or Ethics course.
  2. Continue looking for research opportunities that might arise during the school year.
  3. Begin familiarizing yourself with the APA's Graduate Study in Psychology and other resources describing graduate programs and their requirements. (See Graduate School.) Review the graduate school information available in the Psychology Department.
  4. Begin thinking about your plans for an internship. Talk with other students who have completed an internship as well as seeing the section Internship and Volunteer Opportunities. Review the internship possibilities file in the Psychology Department.

Second Semester of Junior Year

  1. Continue with the required upper division courses in the major. Consider another "impressive" elective in another department.
  2. Begin to try to focus your interests in a particular program area (e.g., developmental, clinical, social, etc.)
  3. Plan to take a course next fall with those professors most aligned with your interests, and who you would want to ask for a letter of recommendation.
  4. Look for research experiences for the summer or next fall.
  5. If an opportunity arises, visit any campuses with graduate programs that interest you.
  6. Explore financial aid opportunities for graduate students, or if you will require outside support in order to attend graduate school.
  7. Check with your academic advisor to make sure you are on the right path to graduate the next spring.
  8. Create a first draft of a resume if you haven't done so already.
  9. Finalize your plans for your internship. Consider taking care of it during the summer. It'll cut down on the stress of your senior year.

Summer Between Junior and Senior Years

  1. Visit any campuses with graduate programs of interest to you, if possible. Just before the fall semester starts is usually the best time. Or, under certain circumstances, you may wish to communicate with specific faculty members in graduate programs of particular interest to you. (They are usually happy to return your e-mail especially, and they may extend a phone number for further questioning).
  2. Study consistently for the GRE by reading over several recent basic subject psychology textbooks (there are several in the Psychology Department) and practicing with other study guides.
  3. Research graduate programs in depth (See Graduate School).
  4. Request information from programs that interest you to receive information and applications.
  5. Sign up for GRE exams in the late summer.
  6. Finish your internship, if possible.

First Semester of Senior Year: September-November

  1. Complete any tasks from summer the list that you haven't finished.
  2. Learn all you can about the application process from faculty and other resources.
  3. Apply for any independent financial awards or assistance, if you qualify. Also check the due dates of financial assistance forms. They are often due before the application due date.
  4. Continue to study for and the GRE exams, ideally in October or earlier (and December at the latest unless all of the programs that interest you have deadlines of March 15 or later).
  5. Sign up for the Miller Analogies Test if it is required by any programs of interest to you (contact the graduate school for dates and contact numbers).
  6. Negotiate for three letters of reference.
  7. Organize all applications and program materials received.
  8. Make final decisions about where you will actually apply.
  9. Order transcripts at least six weeks before each application deadline. Get a copy of transcripts of all college level work to include, as an unofficial exhibit, senior project, etc. in your application packet.
  10. Order test score reports at least six weeks before each application deadline date. Make copies of your own copies of test scores to include as unofficial exhibits, if the scores come back in time to include with your applications.

End of First Semester of Senior Year: December-Christmas Break

  1. If possible, visit any campuses you have not already seen, but do so before the application deadline.
  2. Fill out any applications due in December, January, and early February. Complete those due later, if possible.
  3. Mail out applications, two to four weeks before the deadline, if possible.
  4. Order transcripts for courses you have just now completed (if the grades were not available in time to be sent in with your earlier transcripts).

Immediate Post Winter Break and Early Spring Semester

  1. Fill out any remaining applications with end-of-February or later due dates. It is okay now to take more elective courses that are mostly for interest, although, of course, you must finish up any outstanding requirements or any courses that you assured graduate school selection committees you would be taking prior to graduation.
  2. Follow up to see that each application has arrived and is complete.
  3. You will begin hearing news about your application in late March through April for doctoral level programs, perhaps a little later for master's programs (because they tend to have later deadline dates). You may also have to apply for loans at this point, depending on your financial situation and the outcomes of your applications.
  4. Plan to send transcripts for Spring semester classes to the programs you will be attending if these are requested or required.
  5. Graduate and celebrate!

Adapted from Keith-Spiegel, P. (1991). The Complete Guide to Graduate School Admission. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.