Insider's Guide: Clinical/Counseling Psychology Programs

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If you are applying to clinical, counseling, PhD, or PsyD programs, there isn't a more valuable and informative book to help you navigate this process than the Insider's Guide. The new edition (2010-11) recently came out, and while I am only familiar with the previous edition, I would encourage everyone to get their hands on a copy. And no, I don't work for Amazon or Insider's Guide, but you seriously NEED to check it out....

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1606234633/ref=pe_606_14883820_pe_ar_t4#noop

I'm certainly open to comments!
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And please refrain from merging this with the Must Read Psychology Books. It really needs it's own thread!
 
Haha, coincidentally, I just bought this online this morning. I hope it's as good as you say it is. :)
 
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PhishGirl said:
Haha, coincidentally, I just bought this online this morning. I hope it's as good as you say it is. :)
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It's invaluable!!!

I have referred to it numerous times on this forum (as have many others)
 
Yeah, that book is pure gold. I don't think I could have gained admittance into graduate school without it! Be sure to buy the most recent edition. Also, don't rely solely on that book, always make sure your prospective schoos are actually accepting students during the cycle you are applying for. Sometimes professors at particular graduate programs don't accept students during a particular academic year.
 
If Michael Sayette at Pitt was taking any students, and I would have been lucky to be called in for an interview, I would have asked for his autograph. :) Ok, not really. But I do agree this book is amazing.
 
Seconded. I made a serious mistake not having read this before/ while applying. I def. think if I had I would have ended up with better results (although I am thrilled with the way things turned out).
 
hamsterpants said:
Seconded. I made a serious mistake not having read this before/ while applying. I def. think if I had I would have ended up with better results (although I am thrilled with the way things turned out).
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Ditto!
 
I bought this year's copy for a work project, and they've added a lot more information on choosing a program and choosing between the PhD/PsyD routes. I wish they had something like this for school psych! Maybe I'll write it? ;)
 
The book was my personal bible, too, lol. However, I know that not all of the programs within my field (forensic / psych-law) were mentioned in there, so I think those people who checkd EVERY APA-accredited program were smart to do so, because I didn't know about some of the schools.
 
PhDToBe said:
The book was my personal bible, too, lol. However, I know that not all of the programs within my field (forensic / psych-law) were mentioned in there, so I think those people who checkd EVERY APA-accredited program were smart to do so, because I didn't know about some of the schools.
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Yeah, I would recommend using the Insiders Guide but not solely using the Insiders Guide. Actually I think the author said something to that effect.
 
PhDToBe said:
The book was my personal bible, too, lol. However, I know that not all of the programs within my field (forensic / psych-law) were mentioned in there, so I think those people who checkd EVERY APA-accredited program were smart to do so, because I didn't know about some of the schools.
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+1

Not all of the research interests info is complete/up to date.
 
futureapppsy2 said:
+1

Not all of the research interests info is complete/up to date.
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Considering that faculty sometimes don't even list their most current research interests on their own websites, that is certainly to be expected.
 
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While I used this book as my bible during the application process, I do have a word of advice to those applying in the future: DO NOT waste your time using their numbering system to calculate the odds for yourself at each school. (For those who haven't read the book, you figure out a number for each school you're interested in based on how your GPA, GRE, research experience, etc. match up to those of their accepted students, which is supposed to predict your chances of getting into that program.)

I spent a really long time doing this. When I look back at my list now, I realize that there was pretty much zero correlation between my rank number and which schools I got positive responses from. I got 5 interviews, all of which were at places where my numbers were in the low-to-medium range. I heard nothing from some of the places that I calculated the highest number for.

That being said, the book is still a great resource for most other parts of the process.
 
Actually one of my professor's told me about the Graduate Study in Psychology which is a lot better because it tells you about the quality of the school like the percentage of students that get internships (which are crucial to licensure) this is published by the APA, hope this helps or at least gives people another avenue to be aware of. Some university library's have this texts in the stacks, but neither my local Barnes and Nobles nor Borders had it in the Store.
Tink
 
tinkpsych said:
Actually one of my professor's told me about the Graduate Study in Psychology which is a lot better because it tells you about the quality of the school like the percentage of students that get internships (which are crucial to licensure) this is published by the APA, hope this helps or at least gives people another avenue to be aware of. Some university library's have this texts in the stacks, but neither my local Barnes and Nobles nor Borders had it in the Store.
Tink
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I found that using both this book and the Insider's Guide together gave me a good range of info to draw from. I'd echo what's already been said though -- do not take any of the ratings or numerical assignments too seriously. It's hard to predict sometimes what a program is looking for in its applicants. You just never know what they might find attractive (or unattractive) about you.
 
tinkpsych said:
Actually one of my professor's told me about the Graduate Study in Psychology which is a lot better because it tells you about the quality of the school like the percentage of students that get internships (which are crucial to licensure) this is published by the APA, hope this helps or at least gives people another avenue to be aware of. Some university library's have this texts in the stacks, but neither my local Barnes and Nobles nor Borders had it in the Store.
Tink
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Yeah, it WOULD be if it contained all of the psychology programs, but time and time again, I looked up a school only to find that it wasn't in the book. CRAZY! LSU-Baton Rouge = not included. University of Missouri-Columbia (counseling and school psychology programs) = not included. The list goes on and on.

It does have excellent information, but it is missing a lot of schools.

I agree with psychmama. Both books are invaluable. I just wish Graduate Study in Psychology would be a more exhaustive resource.
 
Hi, I'm new to SDN and I've found this site really interesting. This is my first post! :)

So I've been trying to pick Clinical PhD programs by looking at the number of grants each research area I'm interested in has. (I'm using the Insider's Guide) I thought this might indicate whether the school had a lot of money coming in = more funding/stipend money for grad students. Does anyone know if is this true? And is this an effective way of picking schools?

Thanks everyone!
 
SnowBubble said:
Hi, I'm new to SDN and I've found this site really interesting. This is my first post! :)

So I've been trying to pick Clinical PhD programs by looking at the number of grants each research area I'm interested in has. (I'm using the Insider's Guide) I thought this might indicate whether the school had a lot of money coming in = more funding/stipend money for grad students. Does anyone know if is this true? And is this an effective way of picking schools?

Thanks everyone!
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Programs are often very open about how much you can expect as a stipend. It should be posted on the full disclosure section of the website.

Whether or not grants are listed in the Insider's Guide, ask your POI if you could get grant money. Sometimes it's not listed but they have it, other times it's listed but only available to master's level and beyond students, other times schools have a set amount that they give to all first-years regardless of grants.
 
krisrox said:
Programs are often very open about how much you can expect as a stipend. It should be posted on the full disclosure section of the website.

Whether or not grants are listed in the Insider's Guide, ask your POI if you could get grant money. Sometimes it's not listed but they have it, other times it's listed but only available to master's level and beyond students, other times schools have a set amount that they give to all first-years regardless of grants.
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Thanks! That's really helpful :)
 
Based on the recommendations here, I bought it just now. Hoping it will remove some of the terror from the next step!
 
It was my Bible during applications!! My research advisor actually recommended it to me (she used it during her application process---over 5 years ago, so it's timeless! =)
 
Anyone know when the 2012 edition of "Insiders Guide" will be out??
 
Considering buying this book - and it looks like the new 2012-13 version is out - but what types of information is in it that I can't find on this golden forum? :)
 
tkuhug said:
Considering buying this book - and it looks like the new 2012-13 version is out - but what types of information is in it that I can't find on this golden forum? :)
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The 2012-2013 is out. I saw it on Amazon yesterday.

The book tells you all about the programs at schools in a nutshell.
And if I remember correctly the book always gives the following info:

Average GRE scores of accepted students
Average GPA of accepted students
Breaks down the % of grads and undergrads accepted
# of faculty specializing in an area (ex. military, health, cognition, etc.)
Required tests and classes
You can look up a program by school or by your interest.

I may of missed some stuff but I'm sure others can fill in. I have to say that people are not joking when they say it is an invaluable resource if you are applying. I would of completely missed out on applying to a great school if it hadn't been for that book.
 
ZOMG this book was my life source for a few years. It has a great timeline. tips for applying, and all around amazingness.

I completely recommend everyone interested in psych grad schools take a look. But be sure to do some research of your own though. Some of the research interests/info is out of date so definitely double check the school websites before you decide to apply.
 
Just got this book in the mail and have been devouring it for the last 5 hours. I noticed something strange, however, and wanted to check if this was a typo. On page 66 of the 2012-2013 edition, there is a rating scale intended to help one evaluate one's likelihood of getting into a particular program. The book claims that this scale runs between 14 and -14. In the key that tells you what your chances are, the ranges are listed as follows: 10-14 (Very good), 6-9 (Good), 114-5 (Moderately good), 110-3 (within your range), 1- -4 (A stretch), and < -4 (Not a good fit).

I have bolded the questionable ranges. I'm guessing these are supposed to be 4-5 and 2-3 respectively. Thoughts?
 
I want to add that while I found this book helpful, there is a specific shortcoming that people should be aware of. The fields of study for specific schools are not always accurate or up to date. Since it is so important to have a great match with a mentor who has an overlapping research interest, it's important to note that this book may not be up to date about where the individuals in that specialty are located. For instance, at my alma mater I worked with a researcher who did very specific research on men and masculinity, yet nothing close to that was listed under the specialties researched at my school. Suffice to say, make sure to use more than this resource to find schools to apply to.
 
Hi friends, sorry for bumping this but I am considering buying the 2014/2015 guide - however, I am applying in Fall of 2016 for admission into Fall of 2017. Should I wait for the next edition to come out, or should I just buy the 2014/2015 edition and start planning asap? I would like to start compiling schools and becoming more aware of the intricacies of the process by spring, and I want to start writing personal statements throughout next summer. Thank you for any advice.
 
I like your idea of starting sooner rather than later. Get a version now. There's a lot of useful information that doesn't change much from year to year. You might also find they recommend you get experiences you hadn't thought to get yet. You still have some time to accrue more meaningful experiences.
 
I just downloaded the 2014/2015 version. It looks really good. It includes Canadian schools which is also really great. There was one school i was considering applying for 100% but after reading this i've changed my mind and that saves me the cost of that app. fee. i found out that the GRE mean for verbal was 580 (doable) but quant (689)..clearly they are looking for people that excel at stats/math.
 
Don't over interpret the mean GRE scores. Many programs have really small class sizes, so the GRE scores can be skewed. Also a mean is an *average* which means people will score both above and below the mean. Finally, and most importantly, mean GRE scores are not representative of "cut points"--these are not the scores programs are "looking for."
 
EmotRegulation said:
Don't over interpret the mean GRE scores. Many programs have really small class sizes, so the GRE scores can be skewed. Also a mean is an *average* which means people will score both above and below the mean. Finally, and most importantly, mean GRE scores are not representative of "cut points"--these are not the scores programs are "looking for."
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I understand, but I don't think its erroneous to focus on schools who have a higher Verbal mean than quant, as I'm pretty sure my verbal will be much better.
 
I'm saying don't use GRE scores to focus your applications, beyond a very basic "range." If you are scoring a 270 (combined) on the GRE and you're seeing mean scores of 315, that school might be a hard reach. But other than that.....don't focus too mean on the breakdown. When I look at applications, I look at the combined score only plus the writing....so I won't even pay attention to the verbal/math breakdown. I can't say all programs work this way, but still. The point is to avoid making specific assumptions about what the programs are looking for from mean statistics of applicants.
 
To add to that, I consider myself to be stronger on verbal than math (in life) and had a higher verbal score than math score on the SAT (by 100 points). But my GRE math was higher than my verbal (by 100 points). So I would definitely not assume anything about schools' GRE scores OR what your own scores will be! Even though I knew the GRE math was considered easier, I was still surprised by the verbal/math difference in my scores.
 
8q1r6yr said:
To add to that, I consider myself to be stronger on verbal than math (in life) and had a higher verbal score than math score on the SAT (by 100 points). But my GRE math was higher than my verbal (by 100 points). So I would definitely not assume anything about schools' GRE scores OR what your own scores will be! Even though I knew the GRE math was considered easier, I was still surprised by the verbal/math difference in my scores.
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I had a similar experience--all throughout my life and previous admissions testing, my verbal was higher than my math, but my GRE scores were 660 Q / 590 V
 
futureapppsy2 said:
I had a similar experience--all throughout my life and previous admissions testing, my verbal was higher than my math, but my GRE scores were 660 Q / 590 V
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Remember though, your rank of scores still back up verbal>quant. I assume your percentile was higher for verbal than it was for quant? I had a 70 point split, quant higher than verbal, but my verbal percentile was quite a bit higher.
 
WisNeuro said:
Remember though, your rank of scores still back up verbal>quant. I assume your percentile was higher for verbal than it was for quant? I had a 70 point split, quant higher than verbal, but my verbal percentile was quite a bit higher.
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Yes, but the quant section is really, really skewed by engineering/math/physics grad students in terms of percentiles, IIRC.
 
HomeworkHelper said:
I like your idea of starting sooner rather than later. Get a version now. There's a lot of useful information that doesn't change much from year to year. You might also find they recommend you get experiences you hadn't thought to get yet. You still have some time to accrue more meaningful experiences.
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Thank you so much for your response, I will order it now! I can't imagine that too much will change in one year. :)
 
Wasn't sure whether it was better to post in an old thread or start a new one, sorry—anyone know when the 17/18 edition will be out? I want to buy this book but I'm going nuts waiting for the newest version! Looks like last year's came out in early Feb, but I can't find any news about this year's.
 
bright11 said:
Wasn't sure whether it was better to post in an old thread or start a new one, sorry—anyone know when the 17/18 edition will be out? I want to buy this book but I'm going nuts waiting for the newest version! Looks like last year's came out in early Feb, but I can't find any news about this year's.
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They publish a new edition every two years, not yearly. The next edition will be for 2018/2019 and come out in maybe a year. If you're looking to apply for clinical and/or counseling programs this fall, just get the 2016/2017 version.
 
psych.meout said:
They publish a new edition every two years, not yearly. The next edition will be for 2018/2019 and come out in maybe a year. If you're looking to apply for clinical and/or counseling programs this fall, just get the 2016/2017 version.
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Thank you! I'll buy it now.
 
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