Getting Into Graduate School

Gregory J. Privitera is a professor of psychology at St. Bonaventure University where he is a recipient of its highest teaching honor, The Award for Professional Excellence in Teaching, and its highest honor for scholarship, The Award for Professional Excellence in Research and Publication. Dr. Privitera received his PhD in behavioral neuroscience in the field of psychology at the State University of New York at Buffalo and continued with his postdoctoral research at Arizona State University. He is a nationally award-winning author and research scholar. His textbooks span across diverse topics in psychology and the behavioral sciences, including an introductory psychology text, four statistics texts, two research methods texts, and multiple other texts bridging knowledge creation across health, health care, and analytics. In addition, Dr. Privitera has authored more than three dozen peer-reviewed papers aimed at advancing our understanding of health and informing policy in health care. His research has earned recognition by the American Psychological Association, and in media to include Oprah's Magazine, Time Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. He mentors a variety of undergraduate research projects at St. Bonaventure University, where dozens of students, many of whom have gone on to earn graduate and doctoral degrees at various institutions, have coauthored and presented research work. In addition to his teaching, research, and advisement, Dr. Privitera is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, is an identical twin, and is married with two daughters, Grace Ann and Charlotte Jane, and two sons, Aiden Andrew and Luca James.

Section I: What Are Graduate Schools Looking For? Chapter 1: Making The "Grade" in College Chapter 2: The Big Three: Academics, Scholarship, and Activities Section II: What Should You Be Doing From Freshman To Senior Year? Chapter 3: Freshman Year: Find a Direction Chapter 4: Sophomore and Junior Years: Pursue Opportunities Chapter 5: Senior Year: Select Schools and Complete Applications Section III: Completing Parts of the Graduate School Application and More Chapter 6: Writing a "Letter of Intent" Chapter 7: Writing a Resume and Curriculum Vitae Chapter 8: Submitting, Interviewing, and Waiting Section IV: The Decision Letters and Next Steps Chapter 9: Acceptance and Rejection: Realizing Opportunity In Both Cases Chapter 10: Reflecting on the Process and Graduation

"Privitera helps students to keep their eye on a goal and a prize from day one of college, and he helps them to understand that long-term thinking can enhance all areas of life." -- Ramani Durvasula, California State University, Los Angeles "The single most impressive aspect...is the concrete plan outlined for how students can plan for applying to graduate school, as early as their freshman year." -- Stacy Bender, Alfred University