I regret to inform you...

It's that time of year when grad school hopefuls check the mail every day to see if they are Accepted or Rejected. Let's address the bad news first.

Rejection can be tough, and if you got a rejection letter you don't need me to tell you about it. There are two things you need to consider when you are rejected to graduate school: Why did you get rejected, and what do you do now?

There are many reasons you might be rejected from a graduate program. Sometimes you have a good feel for your shortcomings (e.g. low GRE or GPA scores), other times you won't know why you were rejected. Your rejection may simply be a a poor fit. You might be a great candidate, with excellent letters of recommendation, high scores and a 4.0 GPA, but if your interests don't dovetail into the interests of the lab... then you might be passed over for a candidate with a better fit.

Sometimes it is a good idea to contact the department for more information about why you were rejected. You can get information about the weaknesses in your application and how you might be able to correct them for next year. But large schools generally have too many applicants to take the time and respond to each student that was rejected. It may be that your application was strong, but this year the school didn't have enough funding to take all of the otherwise qualified applicants.

Looking ahead, you should review the schools that you applied to, make sure you are a good fit. Also be sure you apply to no fewer than six schools next time. Target two or three 'safety' schools, two or three state schools and maybe one or two top-notch schools. Clean up your applications and apply early this time! In the mean time you can take summer classes to up your GPA. If possible you could take summer classes at one of the school to which you will apply. If possible find a psychology lab or clinic where you could get some experience.
Another possibility is an intermediate master's degree. Many schools offer a terminal master's degree is experimental psychology. Even though it may be an unfunded position (you have to pay your own way), showing that you can succeed in graduate school is a great way to improve your application. Often times schools which might not have had funding to admit you into the PhD program might be able to find a place for you in their master's program.

In short, be of good courage. Many aspiring graduate students fail to get into the program of their dreams the first time. Whatever the reason may be, there is no need to despair. Now that you are familiar with the process, have enough time to more thoroughly research schools, and can submit a better application there is no reason to think you won't be opening an acceptance letter this time next year.

And if you have opened an acceptance letter, then check back for my next post: Things to do when you are Accepted.

Rejection photo courtesy of Janet59