Advice @ Ways To Improve For Next Year

[helga]

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hi all. I need some advice. I'm finishing a honors psyc undergrad degree and applied to clinical psyc phd programs. This year I applied to 5 really competitive programs, got 2 interviews and 0 offers.

I have lots of research experince and 2 independent research projects. I'm now applying to RA positions and planning on retaking the gre. I got really high verbal and quant gres (1410) but my analytical writing was bad- how much does the analytical writing count? I applied to really competitive programs. Is this the right approach to getting in a 2nd time round?

How important is post undergrad research experience? At my interviews, I was the youngest person there. Do schools want you to have more experience or just take time off?

If you guys have any thoughts or advice I would really appreciate it!!

 

[psy19]

hi all. I need some advice. I'm finishing a honors psyc undergrad degree and applied to clinical psyc phd programs. This year I applied to 5 really competitive programs, got 2 interviews and 0 offers.

I have lots of research experince and 2 independent research projects. I'm now applying to RA positions and planning on retaking the gre. I got really high verbal and quant gres (1410) but my analytical writing was bad- how much does the analytical writing count? I applied to really competitive programs. Is this the right approach to getting in a 2nd time round?

How important is post undergrad research experience? At my interviews, I was the youngest person there. Do schools want you to have more experience or just take time off?

If you guys have any thoughts or advice I would really appreciate it!!

For the analytical writing section, how bad was it? Unless it was a 1 or 2, I don't think it really matters that much. And post-undergrad research experience is definitely valuable, but it sounds like you have a lot of good experience already. I was also the youngest person at my interviews (20 years old), but if you have the credentials, I don't think many professors would hold your age against you. Plus, they knew your age when they invited you for the interview.

As for ways to improve, I really think the best thing would be to apply to a lot more programs. I'd say the average is around 10. Do you think there were any weaknesses with your personal statement or LOR's?

 

[islandgirl1]

How about getting some clinical experience to supplement your research experience?

 

[PsychappA]

I had pretty similar stats as you going in to applying this year (very good grades, good GRE, but one bad section, and very good research experience). However, I applied to 15 ver strong programs, got 3 interviews, & ultimately got into 1 (although I withdrew my app from the other places I applied to, so who knows what would have happened). My point being, it is really tough out there. I happen to think that I was a very strong applicant, but I applied to pretty much the most competitive programs and only ended up getting into 1 place. I am very impressed that you got 2 interviews out of 5 apps! I think that speaks to your strength as an applicant. My advice is, it is fine to apply to competitive programs, frankly, I didn't want to go to a less competitive school, however you need to then apply broadly. I would recommend applying to at least 10 schools (that is pretty standard). You may also want to throw a couple in that are slightly less competitive. Also, make sure your research match is solid and really make sure to use that as a selling point.

As far as taking time off, I did it because I wanted to have extra time to get publications and further experience. I am actually really glad that I did because I learned a lot in the past 3 years. However, this is certainly not a requirement to get in. I know people who have applied right out of school and gotten accepted and I know people that have applied right out of school and gotten denied. If you have a strong research background, it doesn't really matter how old you are or how far out of undergrad. However, time off may help to strengthen your research experience further.

Here is my advice for the next year:
1) Apply to more schools. Include a few schools that you feel quite confident you can get into.
2) Continue to gather research experience. Publish if you can.
3) I agree with the comment above that clinical experience is helpful, too, if you are lacking in that area.
4) Retake the GREs only if you are VERY confident that your writing score would go up. You already have good verbal and quant scores. If you are not sure that writing will go up, don't put yourself through the misery of that test again, rather strengthen other parts of your app. Honestly, I know someone who got into one of the most elite clinical psych PhD programs with a quant score in the 400s!
5) Make sure that the schools you are applying to are a very good research fit and then make sure you are conveying that as clearly as possible in your personal statement.
6) Try to relax for a little bit before gearing up again. Stressing yourself out too much will hurt you in the end. But make sure to get moving again when it's time!

Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[helga]

Thank you guys for your input! Its nice to have feedback from people who have gone through the same experience.

How about getting some clinical experience to supplement your research experience?

I've been working with the population I'm interested in for the past 5 years (at first doing behavioural therapy and respite care and now in a research setting where I am doing cognitive and diagnostic assessments for my projects). I feel that my SOP and application may have been too clinically oriented since I have more experience (and enjoy) the clinical aspect of my research more than the nitty gritty research parts. I really love working with the population I want to do my grad research with but really enjoy doing research- how can I make myself seem more research oriented?

I got a 4.5 (54% percentile) on the analytical writing section. I’m trying to figure out why I didn’t get any response from the school I thought was the best research interest match. Do some schools have cutoff analytical GRE scores for an application to be considered?

I wish this process was more transparent!! Guesswork is not my forte!

 

[psy19]

Thank you guys for your input! Its nice to have feedback from people who have gone through the same experience.




I've been working with the population I'm interested in for the past 5 years (at first doing behavioural therapy and respite care and now in a research setting where I am doing cognitive and diagnostic assessments for my projects). I feel that my SOP and application may have been too clinically oriented since I have more experience (and enjoy) the clinical aspect of my research more than the nitty gritty research parts. I really love working with the population I want to do my grad research with but really enjoy doing research- how can I make myself seem more research oriented?

I got a 4.5 (54% percentile) on the analytical writing section. I'm trying to figure out why I didn't get any response from the school I thought was the best research interest match. Do some schools have cutoff analytical GRE scores for an application to be considered?

I wish this process was more transparent!! Guesswork is not my forte!

I don't think a 4.5 would hold you back, and I personally would not retake the GRE's just because of that. I'm pretty sure that schools don't have a cutoff for the analytical section. And I have given up trying to figure out why I didn't get interviews at places I thought were great research matches 😛 This whole process is just so random...

And having your SOP/application be too clinically oriented might turn off some professors, especially at these very competitive/top-tier programs. To make yourself seem more research oriented, I would just focus the vast majority of your SOP on your research experience and interests. You should still mention your clinical experiences and perhaps how those have influenced your research interests, but I would not write more than 1 paragraph on this. This is just my opinion, so other people may not agree. Good luck though!

 

[cara susanna]

Honestly, I know someone who got into one of the most elite clinical psych PhD programs with a quant score in the 400s!

Really?? Oh, that gives me a little hope then! Though mine's better than 400's, at least.

Wait, what was the person's verbal score, though? 800?

 

[PsychappA]

Really?? Oh, that gives me a little hope then! Though mine's better than 400's, at least.

Wait, what was the person's verbal score, though? 800?

I know her verbal score was on the higher end, but in the end I think it was her hard work, publications, and great letters of rec which directly addressed the low score and how it didn't match with her actual abilities (& also maybe her undergrad diploma from an Ivy League didn't hurt) which got her in.