Can you only apply to programs that you have done research in?

[Diirez]

I was talking with some students in Clinical Psych PhD at my University and they advised me that you can only apply to programs with mentors doing research in an area you have experience in.

The problem is I have a lot of really quality research experience in learning psychology and sexual health, but I don't want to spend my whole life on those two topics.

Is this true or is it just bad advice? I assumed that you just needed to show that you have quality research experience and have strong LORs.

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[bmedclinic]

I dont want to call that bad advice, but perhaps its well intending advice.
IMO, the answer to this is maybe, and that maybe is largely dependent on 1) how strong of a candidate you are and 2)how well you as a person (not just research wise) line up with that department.

While I was in my doctoral program, I did research with 3 different professors. I was not a perfect fit for any of them, but largely had a decent overall fit with two of the three. If you're an excellent candidate, I think it will matter less and they'll want to have you in their program. If you're not as strong of an applicant, you'll need that fit to be more precise.

 

[Justanothergrad]

For what its worth, here is my philosophy as I consider students. Others will vary in how they see it.

Not all programs will have someone who is doing research in the area you are able to work on, particularly if you are an undergraduate. Expecting undergraduates to commit only to the specific area that they were able to be involved in seems a bit harsh (particularly if there is no gap research time between UG degree and grad application). Ideally, the research experience you obtain will directly relate to your interests but lets face it, this isn't always possible. Not every school has researchers on every topic. There are ways for you to 'work the system' so that your interests show up on paper (e.g., UG thesis/independent study, additional coursework) so that you can define your interests specifically and show how you have taken steps to develop your expertise while also learning about research processes. If you have experience with an area of research that a professor does then you will (obviously) be a stronger candidate to them. How much it matters will depend on your overall application strength, the school, the general fit of you as a study, LOR, etc. The farther your interest are from what you have had the chance to do then the more you will need to emphasize what skills you have learned as a result of your experiences, what additional steps you have taken to grow your knowledge of the area, and how those things will translate into research productivity.

 

[Prototype123]

You can apply for whatever you want if you're good enough.