Research Experience
Research experience is very important for anyone considering graduate work in psychology. In many graduate programs, much of your time will be spent doing research. Admissions committees for such programs want to know that research is something you have already done, something you are good at – and also something you enjoy and want to do more of. Remember, the people who decide which applicants to admit are the faculty members in the specific area to which you are applying. When they make admissions decisions, they are choosing people who will be not only their students, but also their research associates, for the next few years.
One plus of doing research as an undergraduate is that you can ask the faculty member for whom you work to write a letter of recommendation for you. A letter from someone who already views you as a valued member of his or her research team can be an important component of your application package.
Another plus of doing research as an undergraduate is that it lets you learn if this is something on which you would like to spend a lot of your time -- a good thing to find out before you choose a particular graduate school program. Some graduate psychology programs, especially in more applied fields such as industrial/organizational psychology and clinical psychology, are less research-oriented. If you want to pursue graduate studies in psychology, but you would prefer not to spend a large proportion of your time on research, then you should consider these types of programs. Even for these programs, however, research experience as an undergraduate is likely to still be an important credential.
Northwestern’s psychology department offers many research opportunities for undergraduate students. Each quarter, many of our students earn course credit through 399-Independent Study or the two-quarter sequence 397-Advanced Supervised Research. You can learn more about 399 and 397, including their requirements and the differences between them, by reading our webpage on research for course credit. This page also includes tips on choosing a professor with whom to do research. Other students obtain paid positions in the department, typically through the federal work study program.
Some psychology students hope to do research that is outside the specific projects for which their faculty supervisors have funding. In addition, students who want to do research on campus during the summer may need to earn money for living expenses. Northwestern University, Weinberg College, and the psychology department all have funds available on a competitive basis to support student research. Guidelines for applying for the psychology department’s Benton J. Underwood Summer Fellowship are always included in the winter edition of our undergraduate newsletter, Swift Thinking. See the Weinberg College webpage on funds for undergraduate research and the university page on Research Opportunities for Undergraduates for additional funding options.
