Advice Needed! Grad School w/ No Formal Background...

[heath07]

Hello All,

I am currently working on my PhD in Economics (first year) but I know that I want to get my PhD in Psychology (and always have somewhere). Besides the obvious problem this presents, I have taken no classes in Psychology. However, I have read SO many psychology books that I have I good idea of all of the basics.

That said, I recognize the importance of psychology classes for admission. On a positive note, I do have a pretty extensive statistics background...though I know I am at a severe disadvantage w/out psych classes.

Why did I not realize before? Well, I was discouraged (not explicitly) from going into the field. Then I thought that my interest lie more in figuring out my own psyche than in actually getting an advanced degree in the field. But as my knowledge of myself and the field have grown, so too has my desire.

Professionally, I would like to do research with patients suffering from severe mental illness and also be a clinical psychologist. I am a believer in Freud, but want a more heterodox approach than psychoanalysis.

Academically, I went to a top private liberal arts college in the US where I had a GPA of 3.6. I scored very well on the quantitative section of my GRE and also quite well on the other sections. I've taken practice Psychology GRE tests and have done well with no studying.

Can anyone offer advice on how to proceed? Is there any chance I could be accepted without the formal background? Any advice is much appreciated.

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[erg923]

You will need some prereq courses and some research experience. Really no way around it.

 

[heath07]

Thanks for the reply, though I must say I am not looking for a "way around" it so much as a realistic plan. I don't think its realistic for me to try and take semesters worth of undergraduate psychology classes, nor is it possible financially. I do have research experience, though not lab experience. I know SAS and other statistic software and have done data collection and analysis.

I guess I am looking for tips and opinions--which courses to take since I cannot take all, would the experience I have (both statistic wise and knowledge wise) be of any use.

Any replies much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[irish80122]

Some of this would depend on what type of psychology you are hoping to go into. Certainly you would want to take intro and then perhaps a couple classes (at least) geared toward the type of program (e.g. developmental classes for developmental psych, abnormal for clinical or counseling). While the stats will help you a lot, I agree that getting some research is important.

I see two ways you can go about this, since you are asking for possible solutions. If you can get a good score on the Psych GRE, you could try applying as you are and see what happens. This won't give you the best shot, but it at least is taking a shot. Another option is taking about a year and getting as many pre-reqs as you can. I say a year because a lot of classes will require Psych 101. In your first semester I would take 101 and try to get some research experience if possible. Then in your second semester load up (18 credits) and get as much in as possible. If you do this and keep doing research, you will have a much better shot.

 

[psychmama]

I was in a somewhat similar position. I decided to get a PsyD after working in the legal field for over a decade. I had little to no psychology background. What I did was take about 18 credits as a non-degree student at my local university -- intro, stats, social, biological, abnormal, developmental, research methods, etc. Then I took the GRE (having never taken it before) and the Psych GRE (using a couple of study guides like Princeton Review and Barrons). I managed to do about a semester of research at the university (admittedly not a lot of research but okay for my goal of a practic-oriented program). Then I got a couple of reccs from profs in those psych classes and applied. It took me about 2 yrs to do all of this, but I couldn't do it full-time because I had young chldren. Also, it sounds like you wouldn't need to take the GREs and would be able to do well on the Psych GRE with little preparation. So I guess you could do all of this in about a year. If you do want a PhD, I'd get some research experience -- preferably more than I had.

Good luck.

 

[psychmama]

I was in a somewhat similar position. I decided to get a PsyD after working in the legal field for over a decade. I had little to no psychology background. What I did was take about 18 credits as a non-degree student at my local university -- intro, stats, social, biological, abnormal, developmental, research methods, etc. Then I took the GRE (having never taken it before) and the Psych GRE (using a couple of study guides like Princeton Review and Barrons). I managed to do about a semester of research at the university (admittedly not a lot of research but okay for my goal of a practice-oriented program). Then I got a couple of recs from profs in those psych classes and applied. It took me about 2 yrs to do all of this, but I couldn't do it full-time because I had young children. Also, it sounds like you wouldn't need to take the GREs and would be able to do well on the Psych GRE with little preparation. So I guess you could do all of this in about a year. If you do want a PhD, I'd get some research experience -- preferably more than I had.

Good luck.

 

[psychmama]

oops, sorry for the double post. Something went wrong when I tried to edit.

 

[Wildcat06]

If you can find an RA job with a university, you would also most likely be able to take classes at the university at a discount staff rate. Might help you kill two birds.

 

[JeffDOC]

Agreed. Being an RA is definitely a good option. Being a teaching assistant might help cover living expenses and tuition, but might be more trouble than its worth.

Here's a link that might help you decide.

 

[krisrox]

Is there some way you could combine your interest in econ and psych? I know there's an area of econ- behavioral economics- that is basically the psychology of the consumer. Maybe you could do a thesis on this. If combining the two areas sounds appealing, that is.

 

[numbereight]

when you apply, I would advise you to apply to a lot of schools (15-20+ as long as it doesn't impact the quality of your app, although some will say fewer is better). I think that while most admissions folks will not give your app the consideration it's due because it doesnt scream out "wanted to study psychology since i was twelve" , someone somewhere will view your background as a strength and be hot on your trail

p.s. if you want a strong psychoanalytic background as part of your education than before you apply find out how psychodnamic the department is/how many people in the department practice analytic work. also, someone please correct me if i'm wrong but i dont think that freudian work or psychoanalysis is appropriate with severe mental illness. just making sure you have this perspective.

 

[GiantSteps]

If you want a mainstream school (Ohio State, USC, Miami, Texas, etc.) you will basically have to do what everyone is telling you. Howver, you definitely do not need to complete an equivalent to an entire psychology major. You should check actual admission requirement for any school to which you would like to apply since you do not want to take more courses than you need for the sake of financial reasons and time (no problem with taking them for the sake of learning Psychology).

However, since you state that you are interested in psychoanalysis and Freud (although you want a more heterodox approach), you may be more interested in a less main stream program which may also mean less rigid standards in terms of admission requirements. For example, Duquesne's program, which is fully funded, has students who not only did not major in psychology but hardly took any psychology courses before being admitted. Adelphi and Clark may be also be more flexible.

 

[cara susanna]

The Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis is always emailing me. Dunno if they're any good or not, though.