Entering a clinical PhD program straight out of undergrad

[Comealongpond]

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I have been accepted into an amazing clinical psychology program in a top school. My main concern is that I am coming straight out of undergrad (I will be graduating this spring). While I have a lot of undergrad experience, a few publications and presentations and an honors thesis, I still feel that I am nowhere near being qualified enough for this program. I see everyone has so much post-graduation experience, and I feel like I will miserably fail the second I get to this program because of my lack of experience.

If anyone has any advice they can give me it will be greatly appreciated.

 

[NotaRealDoc]

I did it right out of undergrad. Of my cohort, only 3 had masters, the other 4 of us only had undergrad degrees. My qualifications were similar to yours, 3 posters, an honor's thesis, but not a lot else. Experience was not an issue. Those with masters were able to get better practica then I could initially. Upon completion of my masters better practica were available to me also. It hasn't slowed me down. Take every opportunity to learn, complete your masters in a timely fashion and gain all the experience you can as you work towards your PhD.

 

[O Gurl]

My advice is for you to relax. Yes, many people take time off between UG and grad school. Some do it for personal reasons and others for professional exploration or to build a CV in order to get accepted into their program of choice. Quite a few others (myself included) go straight from UG. Trust that the admissions committee and POI at your program considered the relevant factors from their end. They wouldn't admit you if they expected you to come in fully cooked, so-to-speak. Besides grad school typically takes between 5-7 years (including internship). That is plenty of time to develop skills to become a competent psychologist.

Congrats on your acceptance! 🙂

 

[Doctor Eliza]

I was in a very similar situation. First the good news: you will be fine academically. They had lots and lots of choices and they chose YOU! They wouldn't have picked you if you weren't qualified.

The bad news: you will be challenged by your youth and lack of "real world experience." It is not an insurmountable problem, but it will create some difficulties from time to time. I was 22 when I started my program and was not as emotionally equipped or (for lack of a better word) business savvy enough to negotiate all of the challenges associated with surviving in an academic dept. Students who were older were able to set better boundaries and not be as taken advantage of. They knew when to keep their mouths shut and when to speak up.

But before I scare you too badly, I should say that my program was on the far end of the spectrum for being dysfunctional. We had a number of professors with severe personal psychopathology and they took it out on us. I am pretty sure that there is a picture of my first advisor in the DSM under "Borderline Personality Disorder."

I hope this is helpful in some way. I hesitated to respond because I didn't want to worry you, but at the same time I feel like knowledge is power. If you know what is likely to challenge you, you are better able to act proactively. In this situation, I would specifically encourage you to seek out mentors that are not affiliated with your program. I knew a few psychologists outside of the university that gave me invaluable advice throughout my degree.

Best of luck. Congrats on your acceptance.

Dr. E

 

[neuronic]

"I have been accepted into an amazing clinical psychology program in a top school."

Congratulations! That is great to hear! Also, have you been provided information regarding funding security?

"My main concern is that I am coming straight out of undergrad (I will be graduating this spring). While I have a lot of undergrad experience, a few publications and presentations and an honors thesis, I still feel that I am nowhere near being qualified enough for this program."

It may seem hard to believe, but for INTERNSHIP applicants, the average number of publications (with any author order) is ZERO. As such, you are likely way ahead of the boat in that department, and likely what made you appear as a great candidate.

"I see everyone has so much post-graduation experience,"
See how? Did they tell you, or are you making assumptions? Clinical or research experience? Again, two completely different things.

"I feel like I will miserably fail the second I get to this program because of my lack of experience."

One thing you will be trained at very quickly is to challenge automatic negative thoughts, which you have a perfect example of with the statement you made. It sounds like you feel anxious and concerned about failing miserably (outcome not feeling) because of your lack of experience. With what you said about your research background, I don't think you need to feel that way with regard to research. Clinical experience is difference, and other individuals in your program may appear to be able to more quickly display empathy/rapport building skills. However, as long as you have basic social skills, are motivated, caring, and willing to listen and communicate, they will develop with time. Everyone will be evaluated and receive critiques, which is normal and should provide guidance for developing skills as a clinician. Together, your program would not have given you an offer if they did not think you had the research or social skills needed to be an effective clinician.

Also, the feelings and thoughts you have are completely normal, but with time you'll come to see them dissipate. I also entered my program out of undergrad (5th year now), and have had similar worries be struck down🙂

 

[Comealongpond]

Thank you so much neuronic. I think self doubt it just part of any graduate student. I really do hope it goes away and that I am able to come to terms with all these doubts I have about "not being good enough".

Regarding funding, I received a fellowship and have 5 years fully covered. In those terms I am set, and couldnt be happier.

 

[DrivenDoctoress]

Congratulations on your acceptance (and funding!) to a great program. 🙂
I also started just out of undergrad and I never once felt unqualified compared to peers. Now don't get me wrong, I felt unqualified by my own standards all the time... but I really think we all suffer from that. I also think it's a GOOD sign to be concerned and a little anxious... it's the sign of a good student/clinician to really desire to do a great job. It's half the battle! You will pick up all of the clinical and research skills you need in graduate school, just have a good attitude and a constant willingness to learn. Take all of the opportunities you can to get some life experience on the side too... in other words, make sure you work at being a 'person' outside of graduate school, hard as it may be. Work at being as well rounded as possible, and if you even come close you'll be doing a great job. 🙂

 

[sydb1367]

I have nothing to add regarding the OP's question, but I love the screen name 😀

 

[Kappadocia]

It may seem hard to believe, but for INTERNSHIP applicants, the average number of publications (with any author order) is ZERO. As such, you are likely way ahead of the boat in that department, and likely what made you appear as a great candidate.

Wait, seriously?

 

[cara susanna]

Yes, it is true.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Yes, it is true.

Numbers:

52. On your AAPI, how many articles did you indicate having
published in refereed journals? (Please estimate if you
don't know the exact number) (This information is located
in the "Certifications / Publications / Presentations"
section of the AAPI Online, under "Publications.")

Mean = 1.3 Median = 0 N = 2228
SD = 2.3 Mode = 0

None 1272 57 %
1 365 16 %
2 203 9 %
3 126 6 %
4 86 4 %
5 to 9 147 7 %
10 to 14 16 1 %
15 to 19 8 0 %
20 or more 5 0 %


53. On your AAPI, how many books or book chapters did you specify?
(Please estimate if you don't know the exact number) (This
information is located in the "Certifications / Publications /
Presentations" section of the AAPI Online, under "Publications.")

Mean = 0.4 Median = 0 N = 2214
SD = 0.9 Mode = 0

None 1771 80 %
1 266 12 %
2 94 4 %
3 45 2 %
4 17 1 %
5 to 9 21 1 %
10 to 14 0 0 %
15 to 19 0 0 %
20 or more 0 0 %


53. On your AAPI, how many professional presentations did you
indicate at regional, state, national, or international
meetings/conferences? (Please estimate if you don't know the
exact number) (This information is located in the
"Certifications / Publications / Presentations" section of
the AAPI Online, under "Presentations.")

Mean = 5.4 Median = 3 N = 2218
SD = 6.4 Mode = 0

None 553 25 %
1 245 11 %
2 203 9 %
3 151 7 %
4 119 5 %
5 to 9 484 22 %
10 to 14 256 12 %
15 to 19 108 5 %
20 or more 99 4 %

Source: http://www.appic.org/Match/MatchStatistics/ApplicantSurvey2011Part1.aspx

 

[NotTheHoff]

It is quite common for incoming doctoral students to feel they will be discovered as an impostor. You will eventually find that many members of your cohort will feel the same way, whether it's "I'm coming straight from undergrad," "Maybe I just test well," "I didn't really do that much on those research projects on my CV," or something else. It's natural to fear you won't live up to the expectations of a doctoral student when you've never done it before.

Everyone has a learning curve, so there may be some bumps at the beginning, but chances are the program has legitimate reasons for extending an offer to you. Know that you were accepted for a reason, find some mentors and/or people in your incoming class to aid in your transition, and you should be fine.

 

[deleted176373]

I still feel that I am nowhere near being qualified enough for this program.

Just curious, if you truly believed this statement, why would you apply for something you felt you were not qualified to do?

Nonsense, you're qualified, and not only did you believe it but you made others believe it as well.

CONGRATULATIONS.

I was accepted straight from UG as well to my number 1 choice (although it took me two years to get in).

 

[Tesseract18]

Just curious, if you truly believed this statement, why would you apply for something you felt you were not qualified to do?

Nonsense, you're qualified, and not only did you believe it but you made others believe it as well.

CONGRATULATIONS.

I was accepted straight from UG as well to my number 1 choice (although it took me two years to get in).

Agreed. As much as we all doubt our preparation, there must be SOME part of you that feels qualified if you were able to convince your future program that you are!

Also, as someone who was not as fortunate to go straight from undergrad into grad school I can definitely point to some pros (admittedly, there are some cons as well as with any big decision) of going straight to graduate school. A) You are still accustomed to an academic schedule, B) you likely have strong study/organizational skills that will not have dulled over a year or two off, C) you likely have more recent academic experience that will make you sharper in a grad environment than those of us who haven't reviewed such material in a while, and D) you clearly have a robust sense of determination to want to tackle approximately 10 years of schooling in one long go! All of these things are admirable and (I would guess) helpful to the next leg in your education!

As others said, rejoice! This process is terrible to SO MANY people. You have earned your acceptance and will thrive in your program if you embrace it! Best of luck. 😀