Clinical PhD reapply or MA in General Psych

[hopefulphdstudent]

Hello All,

I wanted to seek some advice. During undergrad, I have worked with in various labs, have a great GPA, and a decent amount of clinical experience. I originally applied to 8 clinical PhD programs this year. I was denied admissions to all, but most of the schools have offered their MA programs in psych (General, Counseling, Experimental etc.). I have been deliberating over the past few months and speaking with professors from my school to seek some input and received mixed responses. Of the 6 professors I asked, 4 said to accept the MA if I'm passionate about pursuing a PhD because it is a "safe route." The other 2 professors told me to seek more experience in my research interests and find a faculty that closely aligns with what I want to study in grad school (they also mentioned MA's are ridiculously overpriced and aren't picky with choosing students because all they want is money).

Another thing, I heard by word of mouth if you have a MA, it hinders funding when you apply to a PhD program. Is this really true?

If you have been accepted to a PhD program and did not choose to pursue a MA, what alternatives did you have before reapplying to a doctoral level program? Did you continue to work in your undergrad lab, seek lab experience elsewhere, or.. etc.? Please leave a lot of suggestions, advice, and input.

If I do not pursue the MA, I'm trying to consider ways to strengthen my application.

Thank you!

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[deleted343839]

Hello All,

I wanted to seek some advice. During undergrad, I have worked with in various labs, have a great GPA, and a decent amount of clinical experience. I originally applied to 8 clinical PhD programs this year. I was denied admissions to all, but most of the schools have offered their MA programs in psych (General, Counseling, Experimental etc.). I have been deliberating over the past few months and speaking with professors from my school to seek some input and received mixed responses. Of the 6 professors I asked, 4 said to accept the MA if I'm passionate about pursuing a PhD because it is a "safe route." The other 2 professors told me to seek more experience in my research interests and find a faculty that closely aligns with what I want to study in grad school (they also mentioned MA's are ridiculously overpriced and aren't picky with choosing students because all they want is money).

Another thing, I heard by word of mouth if you have a MA, it hinders funding when you apply to a PhD program. Is this really true?

If you have been accepted to a PhD program and did not choose to pursue a MA, what alternatives did you have before reapplying to a doctoral level program? Did you continue to work in your undergrad lab, seek lab experience elsewhere, or.. etc.? Please leave a lot of suggestions, advice, and input.

If I do not pursue the MA, I'm trying to consider ways to strengthen my application.

Thank you!

Funded PhD programs typically offer a tuition waiver and guarantee some cost-of-living funds from TA, RA, or predoctoral fellowships for a certain number of years. I've never heard of this being denied to someone because they enter with a master's degree.

Whether getting a master's is the "safe route" depends on what you need to become more competitive. A master's degree can strengthen your application academically, but if that's not your weak point then it may not be what you need. Reading between the lines, it sounds maybe like a couple of professors thought you needed more relevant research experience. If your academics are in good shape, I think it's often a better idea to work in a lab, since you will just be re-doing all your master's coursework in a doctoral program anyway and may not get the same quality of experience that you would get as a full-time RA, etc.

 

[smalltownpsych]

I would suggest applying more broadly next year. An MA can be good for some situations, but the key criteria for admission to a funded PhD are research, GPA, GRE, and research. If your GRE and GPA are in range, then it is a matter of more research and then matching your research interests to a PhD program somewhere in the country. Presenting posters of your research would be good and getting published would be an even bigger plus. Sounds like you need to really focus in on one lab that is intersting and productive so you can be more involved in the research process.

 

[PsychPhDone]

I agree with MamaPhD. If your academics are good, I recommend a full-time RA job for a couple of years, then re-apply (and apply to more than 8 programs). That is the path that many of us (myself included) have taken with success. The MA is most appropriate when you lack something academically (GPA, coursework).

 

[Wendi22]

Yeah- I went the Masters route because I went to a small, undistinguished University for undergrad. I ended up on the right path but the thing is the probability is high that you will repeat a good portion of the coursework. Trust me it's not fun.

Now I did interview at some schools that had a masters program and PhD program and these programs accepted some of their students into the PhD program. Some applicants that had done the Masters program at the school seemed to be very confident on interview day. But I would bet they also feel free to reject students who went to their masters program if stronger applicants happen to apply ....so not a guarantee by any means




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[hopefulphdstudent]

First off, thanks to everyone who commented and provided input. After reading these suggestions, it seems like I need to find one lab to work in where I can be involved in the WHOLE research process, especially in terms of presenting and getting published.

I was deliberating whether to attend the Masters program because it is at a prestigious university. I think in terms of pursing the Masters, I will put myself through repeating the psychology coursework that I already learned in undergrad. I guess having a MA will not do much to my resume if my grades in undergrad as a psych major were decent.

Wendi mentioned a great insight. I am familiar with seeing A LOT of schools admitting students from their masters program to their PhD programs, as long as their grades are competitive just as other applicants. That's one of the reasons I wanted to enroll myself to the Masters program.

I still have a week to decide before committing myself to the enrollment deadline. I will be taking everyone's advice into consideration. Please feel free to leave any other suggestions, advice, insights, or experiences.

 

[deleted343839]

I am familiar with seeing A LOT of schools admitting students from their masters program to their PhD programs, as long as their grades are competitive just as other applicants. That's one of the reasons I wanted to enroll myself to the Masters program.

But does that happen frequently at the specific master's program that you're considering? And if so, is that a regular occurrence or just every now and then for really exceptional MA students?

 

[hopefulphdstudent]

But does that happen frequently at the specific master's program that you're considering? And if so, is that a regular occurrence or just every now and then for really exceptional MA students?

I have been hearing this by word of mouth regarding a lot of the PhD schools choosing their MA students... Im not sure if this even applies to most schools, but I contacted a graduate student at one university who is completing his MA degree this year and he responded that the acceptance to transfer from a MA to PhD within the same school is pretty high. On average, 2 to 4 MA students are admitted every year and this excludes being accepting to other PhD programs.

 

[Kadhir]

Unless I missed something, you're just out of undergrad, correct?

Get a full-time RA job. Aside from the academic reasons above, remember that for the MA, you'd be spending money, while as an RA, you'd be making it. It won't be an investment banking salary (might seem like it once you see your doctoral stipend), but it'll help to start paying off loans, if applicable, and hopefully get you saving a bit. Also, I learned a lot of hard but good things from being a full-time office employee; the professional skills you'll pick up will be invaluable.

Re the 2 profs who discouraged you from pursuing the MA, see if they know anyone who needs an RA in your chosen area.