Our Students
"Despite my intention to pursue graduate studies in social psychology, my academic and work experience did not reflect this. I had spent my entire post-graduate life in a different career and lacked the research experience to be a competitive PhD candidate. At UC Berkeley I had the opportunity to take courses of interest from faculty at the top of their respective fields, gain firsthand exposure to research methods at a preeminent research institution, and get a glimpse of graduate student life. The post-baccalaureate program provided the resources and guidance necessary to navigate the rigors of psychological research while simultaneously nurturing the development of my own curiosities, all within a community of like-minded individuals. "

Jiyoung Kwak

Dylan Benkley

"Coming from a vastly different background to a completely new field I needed a program that not only would allow me to get the materials required for applying to graduate school, but the tools and confidence to begin my career as a researcher. The aspect of the post bacc program that I appreciated the most was the mentorship. From the Program Director, Melissa Bayne, the PI of my lab placement, to graduate students and other wonderful professors, there was always someone I could go to for advice or to learn from. I consistently felt supported in my progress. This program definitely presents its challenges and requires one's full commitment, but I couldn't have asked for something to better help me make that career transition."
"The post-bac program was a wonderful opportunity for me to acquire the coursework and research experience I needed to prepare for graduate school in psychology after completing my undergraduate degree in another field. I appreciated being fully immersed in my research lab and receiving extensive guidance and support from my faculty mentor. I am excited to be starting a clinical psychology PhD program at Michigan State University, where I hope to continue the research I conducted at Berkeley on emotions and interpersonal interactions with a specific focus on eating disorders."

Megan Mikhail

William Ryan

"I found the Post-Baccalaureate program incredibly helpful for helping determine my academic interests and preparing me to successfully apply to PhD programs. Having guidance on what classes to take, the grad school application process, and a community who were all in the same place as my was invaluable."
"The post-baccalaureate program provided everything I needed to make the transition from working in corporate HR with a non-psych undergrad degree to becoming a competitive candidate for social psychology PhD programs at top universities. The program gave me the tools for success by delivering a necessary foundational education in psychology, both generally and in my specific sub-field track, and more importantly, by presenting plenty of opportunities to immerse myself in the day-to-day work of labs run by world-class faculty. We were also given structured and personalized help with navigating the program and the grad school application process, and along with the sense of community fostered through the program, the whole experience was made more manageable and a lot more gratifying. The Post Bac program gave us a leg up without having the legwork done for us, which I really valued in honing my interests and determining whether or not academic psychology was the right fit. I highly recommend applying for anyone considering a transition from working in their current field to doing PhD-level psychology research."

Yuji Winet

Patricia Andrews Fearon

"For me, the short career I had in media was an invaluable opportunity to sharpen my curiosity and focus my interests in research. However, it can be very difficult to jump back into academia when you've been away, especially if, like me, you'd like to enter a science that is completely different from my earlier degrees. The post-baccalaureate program was exactly what I needed to help bridge that gap. In addition to the pragmatic training and support, the people in the psychology department at Berkeley really set the program apart with their unwavering kindness and intellectual rigor. I am so grateful to the mentors and colleagues that made my experience at Berkeley so rich."
"My experience with the Post Bac program at Berkeley was exactly what I needed to facilitate a daunting change in profession and to lay the groundwork for a research career in psychology. As someone who did not have any background in psychology prior to entering the program, I not only benefited greatly from the excellent courses available to UC Berkeley students but also from an impressive degree of personalized attention and support from the psychology department’s faculty, graduate students, and the Post Bac Program Director. My experience in the Post Bac program was essential to helping me develop my research interests and skills and to gain admission to a PhD program in clinical health psychology. I would strongly recommend Berkeley’s Post Bac program to anyone new to psychology who is serious about pursuing graduate work in the field."

Satyanand Satyanarayana

Ezra Mauer

"My work exploring culture's relationship to development will help us better understand the richness of this country's increasingly diverse population."
"The post bac program was a great introduction for me to the world of psychology. I always knew I wanted to go into psych but I did not have the experience or vocabulary to specify what I wanted to do within the field. Taking psychology classes exposed me to the necessary background that I could build on in the future. Being placed in a research lab helped me define my research interests and allowed me to see what graduate school life is like."

Jordan Varney

Ian Richardson

"One of the best things about the U.C. Berkeley Post-baccalaureate program has been the opportunity to work with wonderful faculty who are at the very apex of the field. Working in Dr. Allison Harvey’s clinic I’ve gotten to learn the ropes of working in a world-class research laboratory, and it has been immensely exciting to work on studies that will address important questions in the literature even as they help real live participants in the present and patients in the future. Aside from that, the coursework and lectures as taught by professors like Dr. Stephen Hinshaw and Dr. Robert Levinson feel like vital opportunities to interact with the important issues that currently confront the field of psychology rather than just a steady working through of text-book chapters. Moreover, I’ve found these and other faculty members to be approachable and happy to help, whether it be with a question about a research conundrum, how best to approach material for a test, or even just how to manage the rigors of trying to get intro grad school. The same can be said of post bac program supporting faculty like Program Director Melissa Bayne, Psychology Department Chair Ann Kring, and Professor Lance Kriegsfeld, who have been warm, welcoming, and eager to help me achieve my goals. Overall I’ve had a very positive experience in the program, and getting to work with these awesome faculty has been a major part of that."