PNB Mental Health
How to apply to Graduate School
There are various graduate schools students can apply to. These include: clinical psychology, experimental psychology, counselling psychology, psychotherapy, and social work. Additionally, students can apply to professional schools like medicine and law school. This page will focus on how to apply to graduate studies.
Below is a PDF provided by the Student Success Centre on how to get into graduate school! This guide is super helpful since getting started on this process can be really stressful. Use this document as a starting point!! :)
Click on the image to access the
document.
Ask people for help / advice
When figuring out which program you want to apply to, it is really helpful if you ask people who have already done it. Ask 4th year students when you are in 3rd year. Ask your TAs or PIs if they are doing things you are also interested in. Go to graduate school info nights.
Take the initiative to ask.
This can be really helpful since many upper year students are happy to help out. Go to the Alumni page and shoot an email out to someone that is on a career path you aspire to do! Make sure you're ready with questions to ask!!
Breathe... you got this
Graduate school applications can be so stressful... sometimes too overwhelming. With class work to prioritize, emailing professors, writing many personal statements, etc. sometimes you may not have enough energy to actually do it. Additionally, academic stress during this time (especially as you are doing your thesis) can amplify mental health conditions.
Breathe... You are not alone. Take this day by day and try to work on applications together with friends to help with motivation. If the stress gets too high, take a breather. Come back to it when you feel a bit better.
Use available resources. Student Wellness Centre has many resources and avenues of aid such as counsellors or doctors. If you feel like your mental health is amplifying preexisting mental health conditions please book an appointment with SWC. Trust me, you will appreciate the support. Also, talk to your friends, let them know. Sometimes having a break with a friend is all you need to reduce the stress of writing applications.
https://wellness.mcmaster.ca/contact-us/
You got this! It may not seem like it but in a couple of months it will be all over with. Regardless of the outcome be proud of yourself. No one knows how hard you worked other than yourself. Don't dismiss that hard work, your skills, and achievements. You are doing great.
If you are confused with the application cycle or need advice, feel free to talk to Alumni and reach out to people who have already gone through the application cycle once. :)
1
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
A CV is a bit different than a resume. A CV is more academic and contains your education, relevant courses, certifications and awards, publications, research, work experiences, volunteer experiences, extracurriculars etc. It is much longer than a resume but maybe max it out at 5 pages.
When writing about what you have done, make sure you write: action terms or skills developed, what you have done, and the outcome (not necessary for all points).
Example:
Demonstrated strong oral scientific presentation skills and problem-solving skills when presenting original research to a panel of graduate student judges and answering their panel questions, winning first place in the competition.
CV Resources:
CV vs Resume: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/cv-vs-resume-2058495
How to write a CV: https://studentsuccess.mcmaster.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Writing-a-CV.pdf
Resume editing / Career Advising:
https://app.brazenconnect.com/a/mcmaster-u/s/XYz04/next
2
Researching Schools and Professors
It is important to start research early on—the summer of the year you apply. When researching, try keeping everything organized in a google document or excel spreadsheet.
First, look at the program you want to apply to and research into what it is. Why exactly do you want to apply to this program? What will you get out of it? Can other programs give similar or the same outcomes that you want? What do you need to apply to this program overall (references, written work etc.).
Second, research each school you are interested in. Make a list and write down all of the requirements per school. Look into the professors you are interested in per school (keep a list).
Third, research into the professors you are interested in. Look into their publications, their lab websites etc. Keep an interesting article of theirs in your list.
Fourth, construct an email. Introduce yourself, what program you are applying to, why you are interested in their lab, something cool you learned from a publication of theirs, and that you would like to speak about their research with them. You can of course add more to the email or less, but these are some things that most people include. Make sure to include your CV and unofficial transcript in the email.
Send these emails out end of summer to October.
3
Personal Statement or Statement of Intent
This can be the most difficult part of the application process and the most tiring. Make sure you take it one day at a time.
(1) Know the difference between a personal statement and statement of intent. A personal statement ---- while a statement of intent ----.
(2) Make a list for each university on the requirements for each statement. Some universities require maximum of 1 page while others have a maximum of 2000 words.
Once you know what you must write for which university, it is time to start writing.
(3) Make people edit your statement of intent/personal statement. You should have multiple revisions and have perfected it by the time you submit. USE STUDENT SUCCESS CENTRE RESOURCES. Have your statement edited by them!
Resources:
How to write one: https://studentsuccess.mcmaster.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Letter-of-Intent-Personal-Statement.pdf
Personal Statement Editing on OSCARplus: https://oscarplusmcmaster.ca/home.htm
Go to OscarPlus->Student Success Centre->Appointments->Careers (main page)->Book by Type->Personal
4
Applying to schools
Now that you have everything organized, get all of the required material for applications. Look at each deadline and act accordingly. Make sure you enter reference names early. This way references get the emails sent to them well in advance.
Make sure you double check which file you select when submitting the application. Some schools only allow you to submit one document per category or one application. Thus, if you accidentally submit with something missing, they will not allow you to reapply that cycle.
Remember to apply for NSERC, OGS, SSHRC, CIHR or other scholarships while applying for your masters. Many schools take this into consideration (for your application). The Application for OGS is different per university. Some universities like McMaster only require you to submit a NSERC/SSHRC and through this submission you are considered for OGS as well. Some universities like uOttawa requires you to submit an OGS seperately.