What's the process?

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Hello , Well I'm starting my Bachelors in Psychology now , from there I'm getting my MA in Mental Health Counseling and licensed in the same college ( I live in NYC) . I'm 20 years old at the moment I know i might be getting ahead of myself but I want to make sure I get well prepared, Psychology has always been my dream job I find it absolutely fascinating & love it! . My question is , What is the process of becoming a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. Am i better off just staying as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor or should I continue into my PhD in Clinical Psychology which is what my college offers ? How much work is it ? How many years . Sorry for all the question I'm just looking for a clear breakdown of what I'm heading into. Thank you !

If you check the sticky at the top of the forums titled "DOCTORAL APPLICANTS READ THIS FIRST,"(available here) you should be able to find quite a few very helpful threads that will give you much of the information you're looking for, or can at least give you a good place to start.

Quick and dirty answers: obtaining admission to a reputable program is tough (~5-10% acceptance rates), the program itself is challenging, and the average amount of time required from entrance to graduation is 5-6 years (possibly plus an additional year or two of post-doc work). To be competitive for admission, you'll generally need a solid GPA (3.5+ would be fine), strong GRE (preferrably 1200+ on the old scale), solid research experience (usually ~2 years with a poster presentation or three to show for it), good letters of recommendation, and an adequate research match with the programs to which you apply.

There are of course exceptions to all of the above statements, but that should hopefully help provide you with a general idea.

Originally Posted by AcronymAllergy

If you check the sticky at the top of the forums titled "DOCTORAL APPLICANTS READ THIS FIRST,"(available here) you should be able to find quite a few very helpful threads that will give you much of the information you're looking for, or can at least give you a good place to start.

Quick and dirty answers: obtaining admission to a reputable program is tough (~5-10% acceptance rates), the program itself is challenging, and the average amount of time required from entrance to graduation is 5-6 years (possibly plus an additional year or two of post-doc work). To be competitive for admission, you'll generally need a solid GPA (3.5+ would be fine), strong GRE (preferrably 1200+ on the old scale), solid research experience (usually ~2 years with a poster presentation or three to show for it), good letters of recommendation, and an adequate research match with the programs to which you apply.

There are of course exceptions to all of the above statements, but that should hopefully help provide you with a general idea.

First Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post , The program I'm trying to enter doesn't require me to take a GRE to get into the MA program , So I'm going to start focusing on making sure my GPA stays at 3.5 and above .

Originally Posted by LEM04

First Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post , The program I'm trying to enter doesn't require me to take a GRE to get into the MA program , So I'm going to start focusing on making sure my GPA stays at 3.5 and above .

I was actually referring to the Ph.D. route, although at least a few of the statement I made above apply to the MA/MS process as well (with the requirements generally being somewhat to significantly reduced, depending on the program).

As for whether you should stop after the MA or continue on to a Ph.D., there are definitely threads available discussing that very topic, although the first question will almost invariably be: what do you want to do professionally?

Hope it helps.

I want to be a licensed psychologist but I do want to get married by 25 ( hopefully with the man ive been with for almost 3 years now ) I'm scared if I go into a PhD I wont have time for anything but school

It will be really difficult to stay at your current school for a clinical PhD, they may not be a good research or training match and applying to only one school is very, very risky given the low acceptance rates.

Don't worry about having time to get married--there's a thread about that very subject right now, and everyone in it agrees that it's possible.

So about how many schools should I apply to when its time to Apply for my MA and Phd? & Thank you i will check out that thread right now!

Most people apply to 10-15. I applied to 8 and got in my first try, but people thought even that was a low number.

Originally Posted by cara susanna

It will be really difficult to stay at your current school for a clinical PhD, they may not be a good research or training match and applying to only one school is very, very risky given the low acceptance rates.

Don't worry about having time to get married--there's a thread about that very subject right now, and everyone in it agrees that it's possible.

This. Plus, some programs are edgy about taking internal applicants (while other programs love them).