Non-traditional student interested in pursuing Clinical Psych PhD - advice?

[lydia141822]

Hi all,

I have just realized that I want to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology. I am 22/F and just graduated in May from Brown University with a Bachelor's in Urban Studies (similar to Urban Planning, a social science). I've got a relatively high GPA (3.75) and am currently working in a consulting-type role at a tech company. I would love advice on what to do and feedback on the plan I have come up with so far.

So more info, the only psych related classes I've taken is AP Psych in high school and Intro to Cognitive Science my freshman year at Brown. So definitely behind in terms of classes and I had no research experience while at Brown, only summer internships in a teaching non-profit, transportation planning city government and tech/business. Basically I had no idea what I wanted to do and was trying out a lot of different things. I have had volunteer experience with children and LGBTQ communities (possible groups I would want to do research in). So where did my interest in psych come from (for those of you who are curious)? I have always been fascinated by people, the mind and understanding more of why things are the way they are and how to improve them. I also would love to practice as well. But I kind of lost my way for a while in college and didn't re-ignite this passion until senior year and began to do a lot of researching and reading again into different areas of psychology and finding my love for all of it again.

One question I have is whether to do a post-bac (like at a school, not just research on the side or full time) or go for a Master's in Clinical Psychology? Considering I have not taken a lot of the prerequisites needed for entering a PhD program and definitely don't have the research experience, definitely seems wise to do either a post-bacc or a Master's. Also think it would be good for me to have that more formal experience to narrow down what area I would like to pursue for a research topic in the PhD program. Not sure which path to take, would love advice on this.

Here is the plan and what I would love feedback on/things that you think I should also do or change:

• Do tons of research on different areas that I would like to focus on
• Talk to people in Clinical Psych PhD programs or who finished and get advice from them (especially those that did not have an undergrad in psych like me)
• Get part-time research experience (as an RA hopefully, would love advice on if this is out the door for me considering my background), volunteer most likely since paid is hard to come by
• Study and take the GRE

My goal is to start a (most likely a Master's) program by Fall of 2021. If I decide to do a post-bac I think I could do this earlier (maybe Fall of 2020) since I wouldn't need to take the GRE for a post-bac. Also do you think it would even be possible for me to go straight into a PhD program from where I stand now (say I have 1-2 years of research experience and continue to volunteer with the communities I would want to focus on, and do relatively well on the GRE)? I don't think so but just thought I'd entertain the idea.

Would love advice in general and for the points I listed above. I am very much in my early stages of figuring this out so anything would be helpful and greatly appreciated, thanks!

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[Sanman]

A few brief thoughts for you...

I am hearing about an interest in psych, but very little exposure to the actual day to day work. How sure are you are interested in the work and not just the ideas (Thinking about research ideas is different from crunching stats on a data spreadsheet or editing a manuscript for the umpteenth time)?

Why a post-bac/masters and not just taking the pre-reqs at a community college? Your GPA is fine.

Have you looked for jobs as a Lab coordinator or assistant in a psych department? You may find something you are interested in and someone to mentor you (likely will involve a large pay cut)? A fresh grad with a good GPA can get hired if they can talk their way in the door and are willing to learn.

Bottom line 22 is young. You may want to consider whether you really want the day-to-day of such a job and consider a different way of going about getting your experience as time is on your side and the money can get expensive if you start collecting degrees with no focus of what you want to work on. Getting a masters when you have a specific area of research you are interested in making a career is much more helpful.

 

[deleted343839]

I agree with Sanman's suggestion to try to find a paid position in a research group, lab, medical school, etc. working for a psychologist who can show you the ropes of clinical research. You can get a taste for the work and get paid for it (your skill set is probably a reasonably good fit for an RA position). If you really want to go for graduate school, perhaps you can take psychology courses in the evening, using flex time, etc. Bonus points if you work for an organization that provides tuition reimbursement for employees.

You're probably not as non-traditional as you think. Many of us came to psychology after considering other career options, and sometimes after a few years of work experience post-bachelor's.

 

[ClinicalABA]

Good advice above. You are not that unconventional, at least demographically speaking. For comparison purposes, I entered my Ph.D. program at age 26, four years after graduating college, and pretty much in the middle of the age distribution for the other students (7 total) in my cohort. My undergrad degree was in sociology- maybe a little more related to clinical psych than urban planning.

I'm curious about why you are choosing not to pursue a career or additional studies in urban planning. You have a good GPA from a pretty prestigious university. Presumably that required a good deal of effort- if not time- on your part, and you've only been out of undergrad a few months. It's not unusual to be sick of something after spending so much time and effort doing it, and the prospect of starting at the bottom can be disheartening, but those are things you'd encounter pursuing an advanced degree in psychology. In other words, make sure that it not the typical "start up cost" related stuff of a new career and the not uncommon sense of exhaustion and normal anxiety of completing undergrad that's making you reject a future in urban planning.

Clinical Psych is, IMHO, a great field to be in, but it's going to require A LOT of work if you do it correctly. You will most likely need to relocated MULTIPLE TIMES during your training, maybe even to places you don't want to be (you might appreciate this having gone to Brown- I moved to Pawtucket for my pre-doctoral internship! Ughhh!). Be certain to do some more specific research regarding exactly what you want to do in clinical psychology. While many of us around here have doctorates in clinical psych., we all do vastly different things. Some teach, some do therapy, some are primarily assessment, others do legal and forensic work, and some are reviewers for insurance companies. . It's a huge field, and you need to narrow down what you want to do. In doing so, you may find that your ultimate career goals are better met in a different branch of psychology or different field altogether. As you do that research, maybe give urban planning a try, at least to pay the bills in the meantime.

 

[lydia141822]

A few brief thoughts for you...

I am hearing about an interest in psych, but very little exposure to the actual day to day work. How sure are you are interested in the work and not just the ideas (Thinking about research ideas is different from crunching stats on a data spreadsheet or editing a manuscript for the umpteenth time)?

Why a post-bac/masters and not just taking the pre-reqs at a community college? Your GPA is fine.

Have you looked for jobs as a Lab coordinator or assistant in a psych department? You may find something you are interested in and someone to mentor you (likely will involve a large pay cut)? A fresh grad with a good GPA can get hired if they can talk their way in the door and are willing to learn.

Bottom line 22 is young. You may want to consider whether you really want the day-to-day of such a job and consider a different way of going about getting your experience as time is on your side and the money can get expensive if you start collecting degrees with no focus of what you want to work on. Getting a masters when you have a specific area of research you are interested in making a career is much more helpful.

Hi Sanman, thank you for replying! Yes I will acknowledge that I do not know enough of the day-to-day of a Clinical Psych researcher and am trying to learn more (starting to speak with researchers and students this week).

From what I have researched so far it seems like most people get a post-bac or master's before going for the PhD? Do you think this isn't necessary? I was planning to start taking some online/community college classes for the pre-reqs as well as giving me more exposure to the field. I was looking for RA part time positions for now because unfortunately tied for a year with a contract with this company, so for now I can only do things on the side, but after doing that for the next year if I think this is the right path will try to get a full time lab coordinator or assistant position! Thank you for the advice, appreciate it.

 

[lydia141822]

I agree with Sanman's suggestion to try to find a paid position in a research group, lab, medical school, etc. working for a psychologist who can show you the ropes of clinical research. You can get a taste for the work and get paid for it (your skill set is probably a reasonably good fit for an RA position). If you really want to go for graduate school, perhaps you can take psychology courses in the evening, using flex time, etc. Bonus points if you work for an organization that provides tuition reimbursement for employees.

You're probably not as non-traditional as you think. Many of us came to psychology after considering other career options, and sometimes after a few years of work experience post-bachelor's.

Thanks for the advice, appreciate it! It seems that gaining experience is definitely the best way to get a better feel for it and understand if this is the path I wish to pursue.

 

[lydia141822]

Good advice above. You are not that unconventional, at least demographically speaking. For comparison purposes, I entered my Ph.D. program at age 26, four years after graduating college, and pretty much in the middle of the age distribution for the other students (7 total) in my cohort. My undergrad degree was in sociology- maybe a little more related to clinical psych than urban planning.

I'm curious about why you are choosing not to pursue a career or additional studies in urban planning. You have a good GPA from a pretty prestigious university. Presumably that required a good deal of effort- if not time- on your part, and you've only been out of undergrad a few months. It's not unusual to be sick of something after spending so much time and effort doing it, and the prospect of starting at the bottom can be disheartening, but those are things you'd encounter pursuing an advanced degree in psychology. In other words, make sure that it not the typical "start up cost" related stuff of a new career and the not uncommon sense of exhaustion and normal anxiety of completing undergrad that's making you reject a future in urban planning.

Clinical Psych is, IMHO, a great field to be in, but it's going to require A LOT of work if you do it correctly. You will most likely need to relocated MULTIPLE TIMES during your training, maybe even to places you don't want to be (you might appreciate this having gone to Brown- I moved to Pawtucket for my pre-doctoral internship! Ughhh!). Be certain to do some more specific research regarding exactly what you want to do in clinical psychology. While many of us around here have doctorates in clinical psych., we all do vastly different things. Some teach, some do therapy, some are primarily assessment, others do legal and forensic work, and some are reviewers for insurance companies. . It's a huge field, and you need to narrow down what you want to do. In doing so, you may find that your ultimate career goals are better met in a different branch of psychology or different field altogether. As you do that research, maybe give urban planning a try, at least to pay the bills in the meantime.

Thank you for the reply ClinicalABA. Good to know that I'm not that unconventional, from the research I had done it seemed like it was all about gaining that research experience in undergrad, but I was oblivious to all this back then. In regards to your question, I actually lost interest in Urban Planning early on (around junior year). Like I mentioned, I was just sort of trying out many different things and Urban Studies was the major that stuck. What attracted me to the major was its interdisciplinary nature and how you have to balance and understand many different perspectives in order to achieve that sustainable development. But the actual details/day-to-day is not something I am particularly interested in. I would've actually double majored in Business if I realized that in time, but didn't until the end of my junior year. I would say that I didn't understand my values and what truly matters to me until my senior year (went through a lot of changes and focused on self-growth and understanding myself better). Still trying to figure it out, but Clinical Psych seems to align very well with my passions and values.

My apologies that you had to be in Pawtucket haha, not much going on over there (think I only went once and it was not by choice). Thanks for all the advice, appreciate it!

 

[psych.meout]

Hi Sanman, thank you for replying! Yes I will acknowledge that I do not know enough of the day-to-day of a Clinical Psych researcher and am trying to learn more (starting to speak with researchers and students this week).

From what I have researched so far it seems like most people get a post-bac or master's before going for the PhD? Do you think this isn't necessary? I was planning to start taking some online/community college classes for the pre-reqs as well as giving me more exposure to the field. I was looking for RA part time positions for now because unfortunately tied for a year with a contract with this company, so for now I can only do things on the side, but after doing that for the next year if I think this is the right path will try to get a full time lab coordinator or assistant position! Thank you for the advice, appreciate it.

Based on the stats reported in Norcross' Insider's Guide, it's more common for doctoral students to have a bachelor's in psych with or without additional experience in a gap year(s) than a post-bacc or master's degree, at least for clinical psych doctorates specifically. Students in doctoral programs in counseling psych seem to more often have terminal master's degrees coming into their programs.

I'd say, based on your GPA, you'd be better off just getting those course pre-reqs done and getting some research experience (ideally paid) before applying to grad school. Also, it will probably be important to come up with a good rationale or story for how you became interested in psych and why you're switching to it from your current career path. If you relate to faculty in grad programs what you have here, they might be wary that you'll lose interest or motivation in their program, especially as grad school can be trying at times.

 

[Sendtrees]

I also decided to pursue a PhD in clinical psych after taking no (zero) psychology classes in undergrad. I was a few years out of college before my career goals became clear. Like you, I came from a name school with a good GPA, so I didn't need the pre-reqs for anything other than the course experience. I took them at a state school and "dropped out" when I had taken enough courses. Meanwhile, I was focused on the important part, which was finding a lab to take me as an RA so I could get the research experience. The state school provided me with the coursework, the lab, and two of my letters of recommendation (a prof who I developed a good relationship with, and the PI in the lab). It was enough, and I got in. But fair warning, to do it right will take a few years. And that's fine, because I was young then and I don't have to spend the rest of my life paying loans.