Getting accepted into PhD Programs

[Epak333]

Hello again,

I know I have been posting nonstop on here but I'm a senior undergrad and this whole process is stressing me out! I'm planning on taking a gap year once I graduate, but I'm curious what I should do during the gap year to make myself a better candidate for PhD programs (PsyD programs as well). Here is what is on my CV thus far:

1.5 years as a research assistant in a lab studying aggression, substance use, and sexuality (recruiting and running participants, data input, coding, creating surveys, etc)

1 year as an animal therapy specialist working with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities, genetic disorders, TBIs, mental illness, and behavioral/emotional issues

1.5 years as a crisis counselor for the Crisis Text Line

7 months tutoring inmates in a federal prison for their GED

4.0 GPA

Should I continue working as an RA? Could I keep my job as an animal therapy specialist? Should I shadow a psychologist in the field? Would it be okay to find a job working from home? Will I be denied acceptance because of my lack of presentations/publications? While I am taking a gap year to boost my CV, I also would like to travel and take a bit of a break before school. Any advice would be helpful, especially if I have a fair shot at getting in during my first cycle of applications.

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[Dazen]

If you have the opportunity to stay on at the lab you've been working in as an RA, I think that would be your best bet. You have a good breadth of experience, so getting more depth in the research process would be helpful. Talk to your supervisor about getting involved in some aspect of study development, data analysis, writing up completed projects, etc. PIs will be looking for how capable you'd be at hitting the ground running and managing your own study, so demonstrating experience in any of the higher level aspects of the research process are really helpful. It's great if this leads to posters/pubs, but isn't strictly necessary. Showing that you can take an idea from conception to study design to data collection and analysis is the key skill.

 

[Epak333]

If you have the opportunity to stay on at the lab you've been working in as an RA, I think that would be your best bet. You have a good breadth of experience, so getting more depth in the research process would be helpful. Talk to your supervisor about getting involved in some aspect of study development, data analysis, writing up completed projects, etc. PIs will be looking for how capable you'd be at hitting the ground running and managing your own study, so demonstrating experience in any of the higher level aspects of the research process are really helpful. It's great if this leads to posters/pubs, but isn't strictly necessary. Showing that you can take an idea from conception to study design to data collection and analysis is the key skill.

Sounds good! I'm hoping to stay with that lab and at least do some part time stuff, maybe get my name on some studies. I do have a study/paper I wrote for a research methods class involving content analysis, obviously not published, but maybe if I could submit a writing sample that would improve my application too. I have been involved in some form of data analysis, input of data from current studies into SPSS, and worked on annotated bibliographies for current studies as well with the lab.

 

[cotn_psych]

A good majority of students take several years between undergrad and grad school. I'd say the modal age is 25 or older. I was 27 when I started. The time between undergrad and grad school is fun if you make it. I'd recommend working as a RA wherever you can. There are great postbac programs that pay you be an RA in the NIH that seem to be a sure thing for grad school. Otherwise, get a decent RA job that will fund travel, conferences where you can network, and get a pub or two. Also a great time to pick up a hobby or two and try to take a couple years to not stress about getting into grad school.

 

[NewNeuroDemic]

Hello again,

I know I have been posting nonstop on here but I'm a senior undergrad and this whole process is stressing me out! I'm planning on taking a gap year once I graduate, but I'm curious what I should do during the gap year to make myself a better candidate for PhD programs (PsyD programs as well). Here is what is on my CV thus far:

1.5 years as a research assistant in a lab studying aggression, substance use, and sexuality (recruiting and running participants, data input, coding, creating surveys, etc)

1 year as an animal therapy specialist working with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities, genetic disorders, TBIs, mental illness, and behavioral/emotional issues

1.5 years as a crisis counselor for the Crisis Text Line

7 months tutoring inmates in a federal prison for their GED

4.0 GPA

Should I continue working as an RA? Could I keep my job as an animal therapy specialist? Should I shadow a psychologist in the field? Would it be okay to find a job working from home? Will I be denied acceptance because of my lack of presentations/publications? While I am taking a gap year to boost my CV, I also would like to travel and take a bit of a break before school. Any advice would be helpful, especially if I have a fair shot at getting in during my first cycle of applications.

You need to get your name on some product. Five years as an RA without a poster or pub is odd to me.

 

[psych.meout]

You need to get your name on some product. Five years as an RA without a poster or pub is odd to me.

Where are you getting 5 years from?

 

[NewNeuroDemic]

Where are you getting 5 years from?

Oh! My bad. I read the "1.5" as Point #1...5 years as an RA. Nevertheless, 1.5 years is enough to get your name on some product.

 

[Epak333]

A good majority of students take several years between undergrad and grad school. I'd say the modal age is 25 or older. I was 27 when I started. The time between undergrad and grad school is fun if you make it. I'd recommend working as a RA wherever you can. There are great postbac programs that pay you be an RA in the NIH that seem to be a sure thing for grad school. Otherwise, get a decent RA job that will fund travel, conferences where you can network, and get a pub or two. Also a great time to pick up a hobby or two and try to take a couple years to not stress about getting into grad school.

Yes, I'm totally on board for being an RA during my gap year(s). Do you think I have a solid shot at getting into any programs first round? If I were to only get into one, is that an offer I should take? I am applying to a mix of both PhDs and funded PsyDs so fingers crossed I get into at least one, but it won't be the end of world if I don't.

 

[Epak333]

Oh! My bad. I read the "1.5" as Point #1...5 years as an RA. Nevertheless, 1.5 years is enough to get your name on some product.

Haha no worries, I would be concerned too if I was an RA for 5 years and didn't have my name on anything 😳 I did join my lab late (almost second semester of my junior year) so by the time I felt comfortable enough with the people in my lab and got familiar enough with the research, there weren't really any conferences for me to go to (except maybe 1 or 2 but this year has been super hectic). However, I definitely think that it's possible for me to at least get my name on something within the lab I'm currently in either before I graduate or during my gap year (definitely going to try to stay and do some work with my current lab). Are posters and publications something that most programs require, or, rather, dictates whether someone gets accepted or not? I would say I have tons of research skills just from being an RA and pretty much the only thing I don't have right now is a poster/pub. I also have a lot more on my CV than just what I put in the initial post, just not as much research related.

 

[silverway]

Pubs/presentations can definitely help significantly, but it's not completely impossible to get in without them. I got into an R2 PhD program off the waitlist after two years of postbacc research experience in a well-respected lab but no pubs/presentations (this was 6 years ago), after getting 3 PhD program interviews. I don't think I would have needed as much luck to get in if I had some presentations on my CV.

 

[NewNeuroDemic]

Haha no worries, I would be concerned too if I was an RA for 5 years and didn't have my name on anything 😳 I did join my lab late (almost second semester of my junior year) so by the time I felt comfortable enough with the people in my lab and got familiar enough with the research, there weren't really any conferences for me to go to (except maybe 1 or 2 but this year has been super hectic). However, I definitely think that it's possible for me to at least get my name on something within the lab I'm currently in either before I graduate or during my gap year (definitely going to try to stay and do some work with my current lab). Are posters and publications something that most programs require, or, rather, dictates whether someone gets accepted or not? I would say I have tons of research skills just from being an RA and pretty much the only thing I don't have right now is a poster/pub. I also have a lot more on my CV than just what I put in the initial post, just not as much research related.

While I can only speak to my own experience (funded PhD program, clinical science orientation) and those of my internship and postdoc cohort mates, research productivity is THE most important thing that differentiates applicants despite no formal programmatic research reqs for admission. That is, all applicants seemingly have comparable grades and GRE scores, so research productivity is where one can demonstrate their seriousness and abilities. I don't mean to denigrate other worthwhile trainings/abilities/accomplishments, but faculty in such programs want to know that you have an idea of what you are signing up for and have the work ethic and teachability to see things (read: manuscripts) through. Remember, quality training programs operate using an apprenticeship model, so you'll be spending A LOT of time with your advisor and they want to know you have these skills (or the potential to learn them).

 

[cotn_psych]

Yes, I'm totally on board for being an RA during my gap year(s). Do you think I have a solid shot at getting into any programs first round? If I were to only get into one, is that an offer I should take? I am applying to a mix of both PhDs and funded PsyDs so fingers crossed I get into at least one, but it won't be the end of world if I don't.

It all depends on how well you fit in to the lab you are applying for and whether you have the skills necessary. From my observations, most folks coming from undergrad or a year out are not top candidates unless they spent the majority of undergrad preparing. Unless your research experience so far comes from top ranked programs and you have some very strong letters of reference, you probably need 1-2 years working full time in a lab and to produce some research products. For PHD at least, your research experiences will show you are prepared for grad school. Your other volunteer work will likely be seen as nice and that you are a good person but will not weigh heavily on whether you get an interview.

 

[Epak333]

Pubs/presentations can definitely help significantly, but it's not completely impossible to get in without them. I got into an R2 PhD program off the waitlist after two years of postbacc research experience in a well-respected lab but no pubs/presentations (this was 6 years ago), after getting 3 PhD program interviews. I don't think I would have needed as much luck to get in if I had some presentations on my CV.

Thank you for sharing, that makes me feel a little better just in case I don't end up getting any posters or pubs. And that's awesome you were able to get in! I definitely think a poster/pub/presentation or even just my name on something is the only thing I would need left to add to my CV.

 

[Epak333]

While I can only speak to my own experience (funded PhD program, clinical science orientation) and those of my internship and postdoc cohort mates, research productivity is THE most important thing that differentiates applicants despite no formal programmatic research reqs for admission. That is, all applicants seemingly have comparable grades and GRE scores, so research productivity is where one can demonstrate their seriousness and abilities. I don't mean to denigrate other worthwhile trainings/abilities/accomplishments, but faculty in such programs want to know that you have an idea of what you are signing up for and have the work ethic and teachability to see things (read: manuscripts) through. Remember, quality training programs operate using an apprenticeship model, so you'll be spending A LOT of time with your advisor and they want to know you have these skills (or the potential to learn them).

Makes sense, I do know there are some labs within programs who generally do not do as much research as others, as well as overall programs that are not as extremely research focused. Either way, research is the key thing to determine whether or not you get into a PhD program. I do think I have experience with almost all aspects of research just not a pub/conference. Will definitely try to at least get my name on something this year!

 

[Epak333]

It all depends on how well you fit in to the lab you are applying for and whether you have the skills necessary. From my observations, most folks coming from undergrad or a year out are not top candidates unless they spent the majority of undergrad preparing. Unless your research experience so far comes from top ranked programs and you have some very strong letters of reference, you probably need 1-2 years working full time in a lab and to produce some research products. For PHD at least, your research experiences will show you are prepared for grad school. Your other volunteer work will likely be seen as nice and that you are a good person but will not weigh heavily on whether you get an interview.

Gotcha, I definitely think I will have strong letters of rec coming from my lab (it was very mentorship based). I am also planning to spend most of my gap year with my current lab or as an RA elsewhere, so hopefully by the time I apply I will have my name on something and 2 years experience as an RA. Other than that, my GPA is competitive and I have direct clinical experience as well (paid). If I don't end up getting in first cycle (I know most don't and many end up taking multiple gap years), it's not the end of the world and I'll know that I need more research experience.