“Psychology is easy. It’s just common sense.” How many psychology students have uttered those words only to find out that they had underestimated the field of psychology? Earning a doctorate degree in psychology is certainly not about repeating “common sense,” but actually creating new knowledge by extensive use of your critical thinking skills. Not only are these skills engaged in research, but also in writing. While the college experience is supposed to engage these analytical skills, many students leave the university without them.
Solid critical thinking skills is one of the underlying factors that separates those who get into graduate school in psychology from those who do not. Rather than memorizing facts in preparation for an exam, getting a doctorate degree in psychology relies upon creating new knowledge. That is, designing your own research to extend scientific knowledge about human behavior as we know it today.
Whether you realize it or not, critical thinking skills are important to convey in your personal statement. As a matter of fact, your letters of recommendation that accompany your graduate school application package should speak to your ability to think critically. Graduate admissions committees want to know that not only do you have an interest in your area of specialization, but that you have knowledge of the field and specific ideas about where the field needs to go from here. And, yes, all of this is reliant not upon regurgitating facts, but have critical thinking skills. These are one of the factors that many applicants lack that essentially keeps them out of graduate school.
Critical Thinking In Psychology: Separating Sense From Nonsense is one of recommended books you should read if you’re interested in bolstering your critical thinking skills before you apply to graduate school. It is technically a textbook that some schools actually require that students purchase for their classes. If you haven’t taken many courses that require you to analyze passages, create original research studies, or analyze actual data, then you may benefit from reading this book before you go onto graduate school.
Other recommended titles on the subject of critical thinking:
Asking the Right Questions: A Guide To Critical Thinking
Learning To Think Things Through: A Guide To Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum
