Working as a psychometrist to prepare for another shot at the Psy.D.

[CogNeuroGuy]

As many of you saw from this past application cycle I was rejected for the Psy.D. program at Nova. Months later I was actually able to speak with the director over the phone and she had told me it was my GRE. I was relieved to hear that knowing that I worked very hard to take some very rigorous coursework in my neuroscience master's. Since graduating this past May, my husband and I will be moving to Ft. Lauderdale in July so he can start pharmacy school at Nova while I will be working in a private neurology practice conducting neuropsychological testing. My aim is to gain more experience testing patients and to study for the GRE over this next year for a hopeful re-application to Nova's Psy.D. program.

Will I be at a disadvantage for reapplying? Is this a good plan that I have draw out?

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[erg923]

As many of you saw from this past application cycle I was rejected for the Psy.D. program at Nova. Months later I was actually able to speak with the director over the phone and she had told me it was my GRE. I was relieved to hear that knowing that I worked very hard to take some very rigorous coursework in my neuroscience master's. Since graduating this past May, my husband and I will be moving to Ft. Lauderdale in July so he can start pharmacy school at Nova while I will be working in a private neurology practice conducting neuropsychological testing. My aim is to gain more experience testing patients and to study for the GRE over this next year for a hopeful re-application to Nova's Psy.D. program.

Will I be at a disadvantage for reapplying? Is this a good plan that I have draw out?

Yes, but probably not because of the fact that you know how to administer and score a bunch of tests (that they will reteach/retrain you on anyway), and it will only be helpful as you can sell and spin it.

People with solid (clinical) experiences such this as are usually able to talk more realistically and more intelligently about the field and the general practice of psychology. I think that’s where I can pay off for you. It also shows dedciation to the field, which probably eases attrition concerns in a large program like Nova.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Agree with erg. The experience itself will be valuable (assuming they do a good job of training you on the measures) for you personally, as it'll save you time in having to become acquainted with the measures while in grad school. But regarding your applications, it may set you apart from someone with nearly identical qualifications otherwise, the real bonus will be in allowing you to be more informed when discussing your clinical and research interests, possible training and career goals, etc. And, also like erg said, it shows commitment to the field (as does just the re-application process in general).

 

[CogNeuroGuy]

Awesome. I am pretty excited, I actually had a bad first experience a year ago when I was a research assistant and they added doing the testing part at the end of my internship. Since it was paid via a grant, they were looking for someone who knew testing but maybe needed a month to adjust to how they go about administering their battery. Needless to say, prior to that, I had zero experience, only book knowledge of each test, not the practial experience. After that, I was pretty set in thinking I was doomed, if I couldn't hack it that one time, I would be destined to fail as a doctoral student.