It is critical to do well in your courses.

• The military will look at your GPA with regard to your placement within a particular area of the military (e.g., Officer Candidate School).

• If you do not get an A or B in a course you should probably repeat the course.

Get involved in research

• Get even more involved in research by doing a Senior Honors thesis or some other research where you can get your name on a conference presentation or journal publication. This kind of recognition is rare for an undergraduate and will really boost your standing when you apply to the military..

• You can get involved in research as part of Independent study course and thus earn credit hours and possibly increase your GPA if it counts as a graded course or volunteer.

• An advantage to working in a lab is that you get to know a faculty member who can write you a strong letter of recommendation if you need it. Given you need more than one letter of recommendation it is probably best to work in two different labs as an undergraduate.

Complete an internship

• By doing an internship you show your high level of motivation.

• This internship can be with an on-campus organization or off-campus organization.

Develop critical skills

• There are a number of skills you can develop in addition to what you learn in classes and by conducting research--computers, writing, foreign language and oral communication skills.

 Get involved in extracurricular activities where you are working with others

• You can volunteer at an organization demonstrating a high level of motivation. Any involvement just adds to your overall record and makes you a more competitive applicant.

Be active in organizations related to the military

• This can include a Neuroscience club on campus. Once again, this involvement demonstrates a high level of motivation and interest in neuroscience. Any involvement just adds to your overall record and makes you a more competitive applicant.

Get in shape

• A career in the military typically will require you to be in excellent shape.

 Be active in organizations related to the military

• This involvement demonstrates a high level of motivation and interest in the military. Any involvement just adds to your overall record and makes you a more competitive applicant.

Interact with your Professors

• It is very important that you start to interact with Professors right away. This can occur by making contributions in class or just going up to your Professors and having a conversation about issues in the field.
• These interactions can lead to being able to work in a Professor's research lab, hearing about job opening that may be available in the Psychology department, and a letter of recommendation.
• Remember, if a faculty member does not really know you or had you in one class, there is a lower likelihood that the Professor will agree to write a letter for you or knows you well enough to write a letter.
• There are two important things to keep in mind with regard to letters of recommendation. First, a short letter of recommendation from a faculty member who does not know you well can sometimes be worse than no letter at all. Second, It is almost always better to have a letter of recommendation from a full-time Professor than an Instructor. For better or worse, the former simply has higher status than the latter.

Other scoutiescareersinpsychology.org links:

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Click on the links below to read about other Military careers that require a graduate degree:

PhD Psychologist - Military

MA/MS Psychologist - Military