How Important Is Clinical Experience and An Honors Thesis?

[JackD]

I have told (by you guys) that one thing you want when applying to grad schools is clinical experience and an honors thesis. How important is it to get into the schools i want to get into a masters program at schools such as Adler, Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and Argosy? Lets say i have a GPA that is above the average acceptance GPA to these programs (which i will), good letters of recommendation, volunteer work, and a good interview. Would not having clinical experience or an honors thesis matter?

The reason i ask is that at this point, the combination of lack of good opportunities and time constraints would make it very difficult to be able to get a job doing something like that while as undergrad. I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how to do this without spending six years as an undergrad. How crucial is it to actually have something like that under my belt?

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[JockNerd]

I have told (by you guys) that one thing you want when applying to grad schools is clinical experience and an honors thesis. How important is it to get into the schools i want to get into a masters program at schools such as Adler, Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and Argosy? Lets say i have a GPA that is above the average acceptance GPA to these programs (which i will), good letters of recommendation, volunteer work, and a good interview. Would not having clinical experience or an honors thesis matter?

It's still important. The schools you listed aren't especially hard to get into (my Insider's Guide says they each extend offers to about 50% of applicants), but you're still going to be up against large number of applicants who have clinical volunteer experience, at least some research experience, or a few years of paid employment in the field.

The biggest issue for your application would be... assuming you want to be a therapist, how do you even know you want to do this for a living if you've never had any experience doing it before? I'm not sure how a person can say "I want to the a therapist" when they've never had any personal exposure to the field, even just getting their feet wet. (This is probably a bigger issue in PhD programs with applicants who say "I LOVE RESEARCH!" but who have never done any of it.)

However, given the programs you're after, I think that if you apply to multiple sites (e.g. several of the Argosys, plus Adler and CSPP), you'll probably get in somewhere.

The reason i ask is that at this point, the combination of lack of good opportunities and time constraints would make it very difficult to be able to get a job doing something like that while as undergrad. I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how to do this without spending six years as an undergrad. How crucial is it to actually have something like that under my belt?

I wouldn't try to sell it this way in your application or interviews, since that's really no excuse. Plenty of us worked and had other time constraints, and still did what was necessary to be competitive.

 

[JackD]

The biggest issue for your application would be... assuming you want to be a therapist, how do you even know you want to do this for a living if you've never had any experience doing it before?

Good point.

I wouldn't try to sell it this way in your application or interviews, since that's really no excuse. Plenty of us worked and had other time constraints, and still did what was necessary to be competitive.

When i say "time constraints" I don't mean that after school I have no time to do that or I that I don't have enough personal time to receive clinical experience. Finding opportunities to do that would be the obstacle, not that i won't try. That really has more to do with the honors thesis part, which in order to do one of those at my school, it would pretty much involve starting over again. There are a ton of prep courses that I would have to take, a bunch of non-psychology courses, and that says nothing about the highly competitive application just to get into that program. They recommend you start trying to get into the honors program during your first year. It is my forth year and i am already deep into my bachelors of science in psychology.

If i can avoid an honors thesis and still be in good shape, that would be good news for me. Receiving clinical experience is not so difficult that I have to just say "f**k it" and hope for the best. If it is that important then I will do everything I can to get something. However, unless an honors degree is absolutely essential, that is something that i am likely to "f**k it".

 

[Marissa4usa]

Can you do a senior thesis instead of an Honors thesis? Maybe this way you can get around some of those prep courses?

 

[JockNerd]

When i say "time constraints" I don't mean that after school I have no time to do that or I that I don't have enough personal time to receive clinical experience. Finding opportunities to do that would be the obstacle, not that i won't try. That really has more to do with the honors thesis part, which in order to do one of those at my school, it would pretty much involve starting over again. There are a ton of prep courses that I would have to take, a bunch of non-psychology courses, and that says nothing about the highly competitive application just to get into that program. They recommend you start trying to get into the honors program during your first year. It is my forth year and i am already deep into my bachelors of science in psychology.

Sounds kind of stupid for your program to do that. I spent my first year in biology/genetics, not psych, and probably wouldn't have made it into honours myself at whatever school you're at, then.

If i can avoid an honors thesis and still be in good shape, that would be good news for me. Receiving clinical experience is not so difficult that I have to just say "f**k it" and hope for the best. If it is that important then I will do everything I can to get something. However, unless an honors degree is absolutely essential, that is something that i am likely to "f**k it".

From what I know, the thesis isn't essential for the schools you're applying to, although it would help your application. Actual clinical experience probably is essential, especially if you're intending to apply straight out of undergrad. Your application would look weird without any clinical experience.

So long as you get some experience, and apply to a reasonable number of sites, my guess would be that you'll be fine. I hope, however, that you've considered the financial burden that will be placed on you by going to one of the institutions you've listed and have a plan to deal with it.

 

[JackD]

Your application would look weird without any clinical experience.

Hahahaha. Ah, very good.

I hope, however, that you've considered the financial burden that will be placed on you by going to one of the institutions you've listed and have a plan to deal with it.

I have. What I lack in an astronomically high GPA i make up for with semi-loaded parents. The debt will be all mine but I should be able to get free room and board with no hassle. For me it is not about the money (or probably lack there of). I don't care if i am living in a mansion or in a cardboard box. It is all about going as far as i can and achieving my dreams. If $90,000 of debt is one requirement, I will gladly take that hit and I don't care if it takes me the rest of my life to pay it off.

 

[JockNerd]

I should have said that this is based on my own limited knowledge of the few people I personally know who go to professional schools. You might want to ask people on the PhD/PsyD board who go to those schools about what the makeup of their cohort is in regard to thesis, research experience, clinical experience, and work experience.

 

[lakewood]

In response to the original post:

I was accepted to some of those program without any research experience, without being rejected by any of those. There is very little emphasis on research. If you're interviewing though, it's always nice to be able to bring that up and sound competent and knowledgeable, but you could just as easily avoid it and focus on your strengths. I would recommend finding some kind of work or volunteer work in the mental health field if that's what you want to do for a career, especially given the cost of attending those programs.

I don't check here very often so if you have specific questions, PM me.

 

[paramour]

Unsure whether or not you are using clinical experience and research experience interchangeably but they are different beasts. If you are applying to a PhD program, it will be difficult to get interviewed without research experience. PsyD programs are also known to look for this type of experience in your app, although dependent upon school, it may not be as "mandatory." Clinical experience is typically not a requirement for PhD programs, but it is favored by some PsyD programs. Simply depends upon where you're applying (PhD vs. PsyD AND the school itself).

Honors theses look nice on your app but they certainly aren't required. There are universities that do not even offer honors programs or an honors thesis, so the idea that it is allegedly *required* in order to matriculate into a doctoral program is rubbish. Some honors theses are nothing more but watered down lit reviews anyway, which you could very well do on your own in an independent study credit. Perhaps you should look into this option for one (or more) of your final semesters? You might be able to get some research experience through your independent study, so it's a bit more flexible than working in someone's lab if you're having trouble locating one.

G'luck~

 

[WisNeuro]

I would check out the APA match rates and EPPP pass rates of some of those programs you mentioned. Unless your dream is massive debt, struggling to find an internship, and not being competitive in certain job markets. This advice goes for all programs, don't apply to everything "just to get in" somewhere. Look for a good fit in a program that has a proven track record that will make you a competent clinician/researcher.

 

[CKAW]

I'm shocked it took so long for someone to chime in. Yeah, do some research on the professional school/PsyD path before jumping in, it's well-worn territory around here and the consensus isn't particularly favorable. With that said, I get the impression that honors theses are valuable because they function as a stand-in for research experience. Are you RA-ing in undergrad? Personally I think that's higher on the list of priorities than clinical experience. You should try to do all of the above if you can.

 

[KillerDiller]

Just wanted to point out that the original post on this thread was from 2008. Oh what a different culture we apparently had on this site back in the day.

How important is doing Honors thesis for clinical psychology phd program admissions?I have very good gpa,gre scores, volunteer experience,clinical experience,poster presentation,leadership experience and 3 years of research experience.

I'd say the honors thesis is a good addition if you can get one done. Is it crucial? No.