Graduate School: What You Really Need to Know

This session organized for students, by students, seeks to provide an opportunity for undergraduates, post-baccalaureates, and early-career graduate students to learn about what graduate school is really like from the perspective of a diverse group of graduate students. Our panel consists of a group of graduate students diverse in identities, program areas, and geographic locations. Their unique research, clinical, teaching, and service activity represents a broad array of experiences graduate students may engage in during their training. This session will be moderated by students rather than faculty to encourage honest conversation among panelists and foster active engagement from the audience.

Back for its second year after an excellent turnout last November, our goal is for this session to become a cornerstone of the student experience at the annual ABCT convention going forward.

Following a moderated discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to ask panelists questions about their experiences. Some topics that will be covered in this session include: a) How did you pick graduate programs and what program qualities did you prioritize? b) How did you identify and secure funding opportunities? c) What do you find most challenging and rewarding about being a graduate student? and more!

Discussion has abounded in recent years about the “hidden curriculum” of academia and how lack of transparency in the field presents barriers to applicants of historically underrepresented identities. This session is an important step in improving the accessibility of graduate school in clinical psychology and related fields by providing an opportunity for current graduate students to share their unique lived experiences with people at earlier academic and career stages. Panelists will have an opportunity to speak about how their identities intersect with their graduate school experiences and offer insights on how future students can navigate this aspect of their emerging careers.

Resources offered by ABCT, including those from the Student Membership Committee and Student Special Interest Group will be promoted, in addition to those from the Technology and Behavior Change Special Interest Group and the Sexual and Gender Minority Special Interest Group as some panelists are also members of those SIGs. Students often wonder how membership in a professional organization can benefit them at their early career stage. Sessions such as this one help illuminate the benefits of membership and establish a community of early career scholars at ABCT to promote peer mentorship and facilitate future collaborations.

This session does not offer continuing education credit.