<p>Would I put down that I’m a member of the American Psychological Association on my app? I intend to major/do research/eventually get my PhD in psychology, and I plan on making that a major point in my essay. And would putting that down be a plus for me?</p>
<p>Can you give us an idea about how prestigious that is? If all it takes is an application and a membership fee, you’ll probably be well advised to leave it out.</p>
<p>Well, it’s not necessarily prestigious. (Probably most famous for APA Style documention)</p>
<p>It is a fee and an application (ranging from $300 for those with doctorates to $27 for high school students). I don’t know how else to describe it so I’ll quote the website </p>
<p>“APA membership provides you with valuable resources and benefits that enhance your career and connects you to the world’s largest network of psychologists.”</p>
<p>It helps people get grants, gives out awards, has a giant convention, and all kinds of other good stuff. Basically it’s mission is to advance psychology and it’s basically been around since psychology came about (founded right before the beginning of the 20th century).</p>
<p>yeah… don’t put it on.</p>
<p>Why? It’s not like I’m sending a dollar into a charity and claiming I’m a humanitarian; it’s something I’m generally interested in and plan to make a career out of. Why wouldn’t I put that on there?</p>
<p>The issue is not that you’re only putting in a dollar, but unless you play your cards and present it PERFECTLY, it will look like application padding, so i’d leave it out unless you have significantly contributed to this association.</p>
<p>I don’t really think I’d have to play my cards right at all. If the adcoms are logical then they shouldn’t see me being a member of an organization that my research would be published in, (I intend to do psychological research in college, that will be made clear in my essay), assuming my research yields results, as application padding. If anything it’s being a member of the greater community that I’m interested in.</p>
<p>Plus, one couldn’t look at my application and think I’m a serial club joiner or that I’m trying to pad my app. I hold leadership positions in the 3 organizations I’m involved with.</p>
<p>Have you done anything with this membership? Have you used it to conduct research? Have you used it to connect with mentors who are currently professional psychologists? Have you received a grant or won an award? Have you attended the convention? Only include it if you’ve done something productive or useful as a result of joining the APA.</p>