XXXX University is my first choice for graduate study toward a Ph.D. Degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology for several reasons outlined in what follows. I think the big-city environment of Houston, complete with all the significant resources of one of America’s larger cities, is especially appropriate for studying I/O Psychology.
I have nurtured a particular interest in the psychology of the workplace both as an undergraduate student in Psychology in my native New Delhi, India, and as a graduate student at the XXXX School of Professional Psychology, finishing my MA Degree this year in Industrial/Organizational Psychology with a 3.7 GPA. My GPA is a much better reflection of my capacity to excel at XXXX University than my mediocre scores on the GRE examination.
I look forward to a long and productive professional life researching employee motivation, selection, job performance models, and workforce team development. I have had only limited opportunity to engage in intensive research because I chose the internship track during my master's program in Chicago. I hope to make up for this by earning my Ph.D. in a research-intensive program at XXXX. Your program at XXXX provides research opportunities in topics related to my interests and solid training for careers in both academic and applied settings. I have communicated with current students and received positive feedback about the program. It would be a great honor to study under Drs. XXXX and XXXX because they have similar research interests as my own in various areas related to the psychology of the workplace. I also appreciate how your I/O Program at XXXX promotes a collegial working style and how students receive the close support of their advisor for doctoral research. I especially hope that Dr. XXXX finds time to serve as my advisor.
Your I/O Psychology program is ideal since I enjoy learning in a large metropolitan area and a collaborative, positive environment. I hope to be selected for your competitive program based on my leadership experience since I was the Founder/President of the International Student Association at The XXXX School of Professional Psychology. This experience helped me grow not only professionally but also personally. I learned to view things from different perspectives, more fully embracing and celebrating multiculturalism in increasingly creative ways. I created this student body to help international students voice their opinions, which was an enormous success.
I also served as a mentor to a first-year student in my second year of graduate school. Our I/O psychology department had a peer mentor program where every newly admitted student was assigned a mentor to provide support, feedback, and friendship and set a professional example for first-year students. Participation in this program also helped me develop greater leadership competency. I made the Dean’s List for my outstanding GPA as an undergraduate student. I have had a chance to work in many subfields of I/O psychology during my master's program and have gained versatile experience outside of the classroom.
I hope to teach I/O Psychology and devote my professional life to research in our field. My professional engagement has been primarily in healthcare, but I do not see my professional interests as limited to this area, at least for the future. I recently became employed by the VHA in XXXX, Texas, a national healthcare network of not-for-profit hospitals providing members with a broad range of healthcare services. Previously, I spent six months (July 2015- November 2015) with XXXX Healthcare, also in Irving, providing healthcare workforce solutions and staffing services.
I want to focus on becoming an inspiring teacher after earning my Ph.D. at XXXX and start my own business, a company that focuses on leadership training and helps budding leaders reach their maximum potential. There is a shortage of such consulting firms in India, and the demand is high. Indian companies rely on foreign trainers. Many Indian companies do not even have a training and development component to their business. After finishing my Ph.D., I want to return to India and contribute to this sector of our economy.
You will undoubtedly have applicants with higher GRE scores than mine. But I ask you to consider my excellent grades and extracurricular activities as an indicator of my ability to excel in your program at XXXX University.
Thank you for considering my application.
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