stats course to boost chances?

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I am seeking some advice about how important Stats are as a prerequisite for clinical psych PhD program.

I'm a non-traditional applicant. Last year, I applied to 4 schools out of curiosity and got 1 interview, no acceptances. This year, I am planning to reapply to a wider range of places-- mix of research focused and clinical focused, possibly just right down the middle.

In addition to shadowing and getting publications, I want to take a course that will boost my non-psych B.A. having self's chances of getting in somewhere. :) I guess my question is partly whether if I plan to apply for more clinically oriented programs, the class will make any difference.

Long story short: Would Applied Stats help with my application? I would be working full time and taking a class. I have also looked at Experimental Psych. I took neither of these classes as an undergrad.

Thanks so much for any replies.

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If you haven't taken at least psych stats or an equivalent or research design/ experimental psych you may have a hard time getting into phd programs as these courses are prerequisites for almost all programs. I also think the grad level stats classes and research design classes would be really hard if you didn't have the basic ground work laid out from those classes. I'm not sure for a psyD as I haven't really paid much attention to them.

If you mean you want to take an extra stats class on top of psych stats then I'm not sure. Others probably know more than me, but from what I'm gleaning from this board the admissions people don't really scrutinize what you took besides the fundamentals for psych. They mainly just care about GPA and GRE scores.
 
Thanks! I realize it's next to impossible to go in with my background, so I've looked at schools that would be able to capitalize on my job experience out of school, and especially schools that don't require a lot of research from students starting out.

But ironically, I really do enjoy research at my present academic job, so I'm curious if taking Stats would help.

Thanks again for the reply!!!!
 
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Thanks! I realize it's next to impossible to go in with my background, so I've looked at schools that would be able to capitalize on my job experience out of school, and especially schools that don't require a lot of research from students starting out.

Be wary of programs that advertise (figuratively and literally) that they value, "job experience", as that can be a red flag. It is one thing if you used to do wet lab work or you ran survey studies for a consulting company, but if you worked in CS or similar...be warned.
 
If you really like research and want to go to more research oriented schools you should definitely take those classes, especially stats. I think if your other credentials (i.e., GRE, GPA, LORs) are strong and you were enrolled in one of the classes they want during fall (when you'd be applying) they'd still consider you. If you want to go to the types of programs you are talking about I am sure it wouldn't hurt (unless you do badly, of course)! However, you do not necessarily have to have a psych degree to get into research oriented schools. Some programs want you to have a certain number of hours in psych, but some are okay with the basics only. At least this is what I've discovered while looking at schools. They aren't top-tier, but they definitely are reputable schools.

Whatever you choose to do, good luck!
 
You said you are looking for programs which do not require a lot of research from students starting out. Now do you mean you aren't interested in research, or simply do not have experience in that yet? The top programs are very research-intensive, so they would want someone with a background in research as an undergraduate (and/or experience postgrad). If you have decently good GPA, GRE, letters of recommendation, personal statement, etc. I don't doubt that you can get into a program. But whether you will receive the funding, education, connections, experience you want is another story. To answer your question though, a couple courses in stats would definitely help.
 
I am currently an RA. I have experience in research; 3 publications, 1 co-author of a chapter. I like research, I just don't have experience in psychology research. Or rather I volunteered in a psych lab for 6 months but totally hated it to the point that I'm not planning to discuss it in my personal statement (but it was the PI). I like the actual research process.

So stats courses are needed then... how many? 2- 3? Or will 1 do?
 
So stats courses are needed then... how many? 2- 3? Or will 1 do?

One should do, just the basics. I really don't think they look to see if you've taken more than the requirements.
 
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