Top 10 Reasons Why You Might Want to Go to Graduate School
Differences Between Undergraduate and Graduate School
Thinking Ahead - Helpful Steps During Your Undergraduate Years
Financing Your Graduate Education
How to Write a Personal Statement
Good grades in undergraduate programs are essential. Particular
attention is paid to grades in related courses, but the overall GPA
and individual course grades are also considered.
Many graduate programs also require GRE (Graduate Records Exam) scores. A few have additional requirements. If you are considering a master's or doctoral degree in MFT contact a few schools early for admissions information. This will give you a chance to meet or prepare for many of the requirements during your undergraduate studies.
Demonstrated ability to write at the level necessary for successful completion of a thesis is required. Learn the APA format for scholarly papers and practice this format when papers are assigned in your undergraduate program. Your application will also be enhanced if you participate as a volunteer assistant in on-going research. Participation in publishing scholarly articles (with any degree of involvement in the process) would be an additional bonus.
Successful candidates are helped a great deal if they are able to show previous experience working with people. This need not be direct experience as a therapist or counselor, but should show the ability of the candidate to work with a variety of people in a number of settings and under varying degrees of stress or crisis. Some ideas might include paid or volunteer experience on telephone crisis lines, hospice centers, hospital settings (e.g., candy striper), receptionist at a mental health facility, nurses aid, or university-credited field experience in a related field.