English Major seeking admissions

[bouboule]

I am a second-year undergraduate working on my English Literature B.A. with a concentration in creative writing. Although I enjoy literature, my experience as a mental health peer counselor has made me realize that I love counseling. Therefore, I am considering becoming a psychologist/counselor, but I don't know what steps I should take towards gaining admissions into a Ph.D program for Psychology. I had previously been planning to apply to MFA writing programs, so I know next to nothing about psychology research or psychology graduate programs. I am, however, fascinated by psychology (have taken a few psychology upper divs) and am willing to work extra hard to catch up with my peers.

-What are the "basics" I should know about gaining admission into a program?

-Are most Psychology Ph.D programs fully funded?

-Will doing a double major in Literature/Psychology increase my chances of admission? (as opposed to a Psychology minor... I am not planning to drop Literature)

-What kind of "research experience" should I be looking for? (my university is among the top 20 schools for research in psychology, but I don't have any experience with research)

I will appreciate any additional information/advice that you have to offer. Thank you!

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[WisNeuro]

*DOCTORAL APPLICANTS READ FIRST* Helpful Threads

 

[wtfook]

This is a great guide that will help answer any questions you may have, INCLUDING whether or not a PhD is right for what you want to do.

http://mitch.web.unc.edu/files/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf

 

[ela]

I am a second-year undergraduate working on my English Literature B.A. with a concentration in creative writing. Although I enjoy literature, my experience as a mental health peer counselor has made me realize that I love counseling. Therefore, I am considering becoming a psychologist/counselor, but I don't know what steps I should take towards gaining admissions into a Ph.D program for Psychology. I had previously been planning to apply to MFA writing programs, so I know next to nothing about psychology research or psychology graduate programs. I am, however, fascinated by psychology (have taken a few psychology upper divs) and am willing to work extra hard to catch up with my peers.

-What are the "basics" I should know about gaining admission into a program?

-Are most Psychology Ph.D programs fully funded?

-Will doing a double major in Literature/Psychology increase my chances of admission? (as opposed to a Psychology minor... I am not planning to drop Literature)

-What kind of "research experience" should I be looking for? (my university is among the top 20 schools for research in psychology, but I don't have any experience with research)

I will appreciate any additional information/advice that you have to offer. Thank you!

I just wanted to chime in to say this CAN be done. I was an English/creative writing major as undergrad. I took a few (many) years off after undergrad to pursue writing, music, art, working odd jobs along the way, and studying psychology on my own. I also considered MFA programs before switching gears.... I now have a PhD from a fully funded program, and am licensed. All that is to say...there are many paths, and I think a solid foundation in the humanities can prepare you for the rigorous being-with and meaning making that the work of therapy can involve.

 

[bouboule]

*DOCTORAL APPLICANTS READ FIRST* Helpful Threads

This is a great guide that will help answer any questions you may have, INCLUDING whether or not a PhD is right for what you want to do.

http://mitch.web.unc.edu/files/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf

Thanks for these links! I've been reading up and all of this information is extremely useful

 

[bouboule]

I just wanted to chime in to say this CAN be done. I was an English/creative writing major as undergrad. I took a few (many) years off after undergrad to pursue writing, music, art, working odd jobs along the way, and studying psychology on my own. I also considered MFA programs before switching gears.... I now have a PhD from a fully funded program, and am licensed. All that is to say...there are many paths, and I think a solid foundation in the humanities can prepare you for the rigorous being-with and meaning making that the work of therapy can involve.

Thank you. Your response made me feel a lot better about majoring in a humanities and pursuing the PhD in psych. I was just wondering, how did you study psychology on your own? Did you enroll in classes at a university while working these odd jobs?

 

[SmallTownPSY]

The comments and guides posted here are by far the best for info. I'll put in my $.02 though. I don't know if the fact you majored in literature alone will increase your chances of admission, but it is my understanding if you don't major in psychology or a related field it can make it more difficult IF you don't show you know the field another way (PSYCH GRE, extensive research in psychology). But, if you learn how to be a better writer from your literature major, I think that is a plus. I know my soon-to-be POI put a decent amount of emphasis on wanting applicants that are strong writers (n=1 though). If your time and finances can afford it, I would do the double major if you truly can't give up the literature side.


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[lightwater]

I know quite a few people who were English majors in undergrad and were able to segue into psychology PhD programs. I can see how the writing experience prepared them for shooting out manuscripts! ALL the individuals had experience as a Research Assistant post-bachelors, either as a volunteer or paid. Having psych as a double major or even a minor would probably make things easier for you, but if for whatever reason you can't, then at the very least you should find a psych research lab on campus and volunteer. Having the hands-on experience is the best way to learn about the research side essential for pursuing a psychology PhD. Also, it's becoming increasingly common for applicants to have authorship on posters/publications, so you'll need to be part of a lab to have that opportunity.

 

[Sendtrees]

I was in a very similar situation, except way behind the OP--already three years out of undergrad when I decided to switch fields. Look at PhD requirements for psychology classes and take them along with your English major--you don't actually need to be a psych major or minor. You just need the classes.

The English major has never been a negative in my experience. People see it and know I can think and write.

Spend at least 2 years working in a research lab, on a volunteer basis if necessary. You do not have to complete this by the end of your undergrad. You can take a year or two out of school to make sure you have the background necessary to make yourself a competitive applicant. Might as well put in the work on the front end and save yourself 100s of 1000s in loans.

It took me several years in which I returned to school for psych classes, studied and took the GRE, found a research lab to work in, winnowed a list of 50 programs down to 15 to apply to, applied, etc. etc.

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[singasongofjoy]

As others have mentioned, it's doable and an English major does go a long way towards saying you know how to read critically and write well, and that's a huge bonus. But since you're still in school and thus conceivably in the position to do so, I would add a psychology double major even if it meant adding an extra semester, just because I do think that would make it easier w/ the grad school apps. Regardless try to get some lab experience.