Getting Into Graduate School

Gregory J. Privitera is a three-time national-award-winning author and 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. His texts span diverse topics in psychology and the behavioral sciences and include an introductory psychology text, three 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, health literacy, 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.

"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."

• Section I: What Are Graduate Schools Looking For?Chapter 1: Making The “Grade” in CollegeChapter 2: The Big Three: Academics, Scholarship, and ActivitiesSection II: What Should You Be Doing From Freshman To Senior Year?Chapter 3: Freshman Year: Find a DirectionChapter 4: Sophomore and Junior Years: Pursue OpportunitiesChapter 5: Senior Year: Select Schools and Complete ApplicationsSection III: Completing Parts of the Graduate School Application and MoreChapter 6: Writing a “Letter of Intent”Chapter 7: Writing a Résumé and Curriculum VitaeChapter 8: Submitting, Interviewing, and WaitingSection IV: The Decision Letters and Next StepsChapter 9: Acceptance and Rejection: Realizing Opportunity In Both CasesChapter 10: Reflecting on the Process and Graduation