How to get into a good Psy.d program?

[aspiringpsych3384]

Hi everyone! I have my BA in psych, GPA is 3.36 and have around 3 years field experience in various health care fields, one year RA experience. I got rejected from all Psy.D programs I applied to for last fall, I was originally waitlisted at 3.

How can I be competitive to get into a good Psy.D program? I don't think I have it in me to apply for a 3rd year so I want to make sure I am as competitive as possible. Do I have a chance of getting into a good program?

Do you think I should do a Masters first to raise my GPA in order to get into a good PsyD program, if so what should I get masters in? My concern with this is that it would be 2 years + the 4-5 years for Psy.d..

If someone can please share some information I would really appreciate this.

Thank you!

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[WisNeuro]

Getting into a reputable psyd program is the same as getting into a good PhD. May need more research experience. The field experience is a diminishing return.

 

[Sanman]

You have the option of getting more research experience or getting a master's degree to improve your gpa. It will help, but there are no guarantees going that route. Given your concerns about the length of training if you raise your GPA, have you thought about alternative paths that might be a back up plan for you? You can commit some time to a research job and see if that helps, set a deadline on the number of application cycles you pursue this and also apply to other options after that time. Not sure where your interests lie OP, so I can't point you to any alternatives.

 

[summerbabe]

It’s hard to provide specific feedback given the variability in PsyD programs. If you only applied to small cohort, funded programs like Baylor and Rutgers, you may need significantly improve your research CV (especially if your RA year only included helping run studies/data entry and did not include contributions to posters or peer reviewed articles).

For me, a telling point on readiness is whether and how quickly a student would be able to initiate a thesis with original data collection. Obviously they would have faculty support but there’s a big difference between somebody who would be rather lost and somebody who can quickly develop a workable idea with a methods/analysis plan that’s in the right ballpark.

If you find yourself in the former, you probably need more RA or grad school experience. If you’re in the latter, perhaps it’s more of an issue of applying to programs that are a better fit, getting better letter writers, etc. Good luck!

 

[chicandtoughness]

Hi everyone! I have my BA in psych, GPA is 3.36 and have around 3 years field experience in various health care fields, one year RA experience. I got rejected from all Psy.D programs I applied to for last fall, I was originally waitlisted at 3.

How can I be competitive to get into a good Psy.D program?

What do you define as a "good" PsyD program? Can you share your previous list and which ones you were WL at? I had very similar stats to you and was accepted to a ton of PsyD programs ranging from "ehhhh" to "pretty good".. I'm wondering if your list of schools was too unfocused/out of reach?

 

[Psychstudent!721]

What do you define as a "good" PsyD program? Can you share your previous list and which ones you were WL at? I had very similar stats to you and was accepted to a ton of PsyD programs ranging from "ehhhh" to "pretty good".. I'm wondering if your list of schools was too unfocused/out of reach?

Hi! I see you’re an LMHC! I’m completing my MHC this semester and I’m applying for PsyD programs. I was wondering if I could discuss your experience applying with an MHC?

 

[Psychstudent!721]

Hi everyone! I have my BA in psych, GPA is 3.36 and have around 3 years field experience in various health care fields, one year RA experience. I got rejected from all Psy.D programs I applied to for last fall, I was originally waitlisted at 3.

How can I be competitive to get into a good Psy.D program? I don't think I have it in me to apply for a 3rd year so I want to make sure I am as competitive as possible. Do I have a chance of getting into a good program?

Do you think I should do a Masters first to raise my GPA in order to get into a good PsyD program, if so what should I get masters in? My concern with this is that it would be 2 years + the 4-5 years for Psy.d..

If someone can please share some information I would really appreciate this.

Thank you!

I would recommend doing a masters and trying to get some research while doing the masters. I was in the same boat as you-my undergrad was less than stellar, 3.1. It was a rough few years with deaths, financial issues, etc. I’m completing a masters in mental health counseling with a 3.8 (I want to practice in case I don’t find success with PsyD). In my time doing my masters ive fostered strong relationships with professors, assisted a classmate doing research for a few months at a hospital (until our schedule with school interferes), got experience working with a professor as a neuropsych tech, joined a well known mentor ship program that’s grant funded where students are matched with college students in the ASD spectrum to mentor them and help them adjust to college life, was approved for psi chi honors society, I managed to get a job working at a nursing home with psychologists as a mental health coordinator, I’ve had two internships where I provide psychotherapy and assessments and joined numerous community organizations where We raised money and helped bring much needed aid to people in need and professional organizations within my field. When talking to doctorate programs and faculty members at programs I’m interested in i was told to get involved in my community, show dedication to the field, improve my gpa. Many programs told me that if I was able to succeed in a masters it would make a more believable case that my grades were due to circumstance and not a representation of what I’m capable of. Also, target schools that put emphasis on being wel rounded. Many of my PhD professors explained to me that many PsyD (clinical and counseling) and counseling PhD programs want to see how well you’d fit into the field-as for your concern with research, I’ve been told by numerous programs that it’s becoming more evident that not every university has opportunities for great research, so they’re starting to look at the expressed interest as well (some sites even state they take intent and interest as good indicators university of Auburn is one). My recommendation to you, don’t stop. Show programs that you’re going to be a psychologist even if it takes time-persistence works. Counseling psyds and many psyds care about experience because they go based on the practitioner/scholar model. Determine what you want-aim at it, and go for it!

 

[chicandtoughness]

Hi! I see you’re an LMHC! I’m completing my MHC this semester and I’m applying for PsyD programs. I was wondering if I could discuss your experience applying with an MHC?

Yes, feel free to PM me or ask any questions in this thread 🙂

 

[Psychstudent!721]

Yes, feel free to PM me or ask any questions in this thread 🙂

What programs did you apply to that you were accepted to?

 

[chicandtoughness]

What programs did you apply to that you were accepted to?

I had to dig for this info haha. It's been 2.5 years since I went through all this.

I was accepted to the following:

• Antioch (Clinical PsyD)
• Chestnut Hill (Clinical PsyD)
• William James (Clinical PsyD)
• William Paterson (Clinical PsyD)
• Mercer (Clinical PsyD)
• Springfield (Counseling PsyD)
• LIU Post (Clinical PsyD)
• Farleigh Dickinson (Clinical PhD)
• Immaculate (Clinical PsyD)
• Xavier (Clinical PsyD)
• UHCL (Clinical/School PsyD)
• Our Lady of the Lake (Counseling PsyD)

The following I was invited for interviews, waitlisted, and ultimately did not get in:

• Rutgers (Clinical PsyD)
• Suffolk (Clinical PhD)

The following I was invited for interviews and ended up rejected afterwards 🙁

• Northeastern (Counseling PhD)
• Drexel (Clinical PhD)

There were no schools I applied to where I didn't get an interview.
I declined all offers because I decided to go pre-med instead.

 

[Psychstudent!721]

I had to dig for this info haha. It's been 2.5 years since I went through all this.

I was accepted to the following:

• Antioch (Clinical PsyD)
• Chestnut Hill (Clinical PsyD)
• William James (Clinical PsyD)
• William Paterson (Clinical PsyD)
• Mercer (Clinical PsyD)
• Springfield (Counseling PsyD)
• LIU Post (Clinical PsyD)
• Farleigh Dickinson (Clinical PhD)
• Immaculate (Clinical PsyD)
• Xavier (Clinical PsyD)
• UHCL (Clinical/School PsyD)
• Our Lady of the Lake (Counseling PsyD)

The following I was invited for interviews, waitlisted, and ultimately did not get in:

• Rutgers (Clinical PsyD)
• Suffolk (Clinical PhD)

The following I was invited for interviews and ended up rejected afterwards 🙁

• Northeastern (Counseling PhD)
• Drexel (Clinical PhD)

There were no schools I applied to where I didn't get an interview.
I declined all offers because I decided to go pre-med instead.

Can I share my stats with you and get your opinion?

 

[chicandtoughness]

Can I share my stats with you and get your opinion?

Sure, PM me!