not highly ranked, Clinical Psychology Program

[zeraldaviperia]

This may sound bad but what it take to get into a just average, one that is not highly ranked, Clinical Psychology Program (PhD.)? What are some of the programs that may fall into this category?

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[erg923]

Well, not to quibble with you but most programs are of this ilk. The ranking of clinical psychology doctoral programs are not really done by quality of the program, but more so by the number of research dollars they are bringing in and the quality and amount of what they are putting out. Minnesota and Yale are great, but they would suck for someone like me and my career goals. Not too long ago we had a running thread of underrated clinical psychology doctoral programs, meaning you don't hear them mentioned all that much, but they have great programs and great clinical training. My list for that was:

The University of Kansas
The University of Louisville
UT Southwestern Medical center at Dallas
University of Arkansas
Auburn University

 

[shock-me-sane]

http://www.socialpsychology.org/clinrank.htm

I guess you could look here. I pretty much went through that list when I was researching schools for fit and such.

 

[WannaBeDrMe]

Ok, I might be WAY overstepping my bounds... and making assumptions to the nth degree... but are you asking about programs with lower admissions standards?

If so, even the lower ranked clinical psych programs are very competitive. Even the suckiest PsyD programs do not accept everyone who applies for admission.

So, that being said, it's going to take the BEST you have to offer to get into any clinical psychology program. You need to definitely assess where you realistically stand... Then, assess your interests. Find programs that match your interests... and see how you stack up admit-wise. If your interest is so strong that it can't be met in any other field/way/school... then start to fill in the deficiencies in your application until you meet their requirements.

I would NOT choose a program just b/c it is less competitive than others... choose it b/c it's what you want to study, where you want to study it... It could be that all of your fave programs have pretty low admit requirements... but you should know that in clinical psych, low standards GPA-wise etc... are probably still comparable to top tier GPA standards for law school.

You can do it though... if it's what you want, go after it and don't let anyone stand in your way. Good luck.

 

[deleted176373]

This may sound bad but what it take to get into a just average, one that is not highly ranked, Clinical Psychology Program (PhD.)? What are some of the programs that may fall into this category?

Since others have kinda of dodged the question, but provided valuable insight, I guess I can chime in. Remember really, average in this group is not really "average", as a matter of fact it's extraordinary for the most part.

I would say the absolute minimums are as follows and you can't expect any play if you are at all the minimums.

1. GRE > 1100 (1200 is more realistic)
2. GPA > 3.0 (3.25 is also a more realistic minimum)
3. Amazing letters of recommendation
4. Some research experience (More than just your experiment psych class)
5. Good fit to the program (Most important!)

In reality, if you apply with an 1100 GRE, a 3.0 GPA, and a semester of research experience... you'll not likely see an interview. Although, I am sure that someone, somewhere has done precisely that.

The insiders guide to graduate study in clinical and counseling psychology can provide estimates of GRE/GPA needed. You'll find that it may be easier to meet the minimums in some APA accredited counseling programs. Some examples of programs that are likely to look beyond traditional indicators of graduate school success include both clinical and counseling programs, but you would be mistaken if you believe that they are not very selective.

Examples:

University of North Texas
Oklahoma State University
Arizona State University (Counseling)

Remember, it's not that they aren't competitive, however they interviewed people with lower GPA/GRE's.... still I was not selected with a higher GPA/GRE. Fit is huge!

Mark

 

[zeraldaviperia]

Yes, a straight answer at last!!! I am not at the bottom of the barrel but I am no where near the top either. My theory is if I know what is going on both ends of the spectrum low and high I will be able to gauge what my chances are. I just want to find out if graduate school is realistic option for me, at all. I am at UC Davis as Junior right now. I transferred from a community college. I will graduate with a 3.4-3.6 GPA. I will have 5 quarters worth of experience working in my professor’s lab. I will get a good letter of recommendation from him. I am also spending a quarter interning in D.C with the University of California Washington Program but I am not sure where I will be interning yet. I will be 23 when I apply to graduate school which I am assuming will work against me. I do not want to take a year off either. But I do have a lot of general work experience for someone my age. I have not taken the GRE yet.

 

[deleted176373]

Yes, a straight answer at last!!! I am not at the bottom of the barrel but I am no where near the top either. My theory is if I know what is going on both ends of the spectrum low and high I will be able to gauge what my chances are. I just want to find out if graduate school is realistic option for me, at all. I am at UC Davis as Junior right now. I transferred from a community college. I will graduate with a 3.4-3.6 GPA. I will have 5 quarters worth of experience working in my professor’s lab. I will get a good letter of recommendation from him. I am also spending a quarter interning in D.C with the University of California Washington Program but I am not sure where I will be interning yet. I will be 23 when I apply to graduate school which I am assuming will work against me. I do not want to take a year off either. But I do have a lot of general work experience for someone my age. I have not taken the GRE yet.

If you're in DC pm me... be glad to meet for a beer and tell you all I know.

Mark

 

[Ollie123]

Yes, a straight answer at last!!! I am not at the bottom of the barrel but I am no where near the top either. My theory is if I know what is going on both ends of the spectrum low and high I will be able to gauge what my chances are. I just want to find out if graduate school is realistic option for me, at all. I am at UC Davis as Junior right now. I transferred from a community college. I will graduate with a 3.4-3.6 GPA. I will have 5 quarters worth of experience working in my professor’s lab. I will get a good letter of recommendation from him. I am also spending a quarter interning in D.C with the University of California Washington Program but I am not sure where I will be interning yet. I will be 23 when I apply to graduate school which I am assuming will work against me. I do not want to take a year off either. But I do have a lot of general work experience for someone my age. I have not taken the GRE yet.

At 23 you will still be trending towards the younger side of interviewees, so its not a disadvantage at all. I was 23 when interviewing, as was most of the incoming class here. We were one of the "youngest" classes in recent history at my program. Not sure what the interview pool at lower tier programs is like, but I imagine comparable.

A relatively small percentage of applicants come straight from undergrad, and an even smaller percentage of those are 21 year olds.

GPA is on the lower end for competitive schools, but not a major concern. Try and graduate with over 3.5 if you can manage since some schools use it as a cutoff.

Provided you do reasonably well on the GRE and your research experience has been solid and not just 1+ year of data entry/lit searching, don't sell yourself short. Do an honor's thesis if you can too. Even if you looked perfect on paper I wouldn't guarantee you'd get in anywhere, but there's no reason not to apply to some mid-tier programs. Recognizing that it may be a longshot in some cases, but that the potential payoff justifies the $50 application fee and time you spend applying.

My recommendations, nail the GRE, do what you can to get the GPA over 3.5 just so you don't get caught by the schools that use it as a hard cutoff, and look into the thesis option. Oh, and find a 2nd and 3rd letter of rec. One good one ain't gonna cut it, even at lower tier programs.

Lastly, I don't know what your career goals are, but I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention that you might want to reconsider taking time off. An extra year or two to for research/clinical experience could make the difference between a decent application and a great one. Going to the right program for you rather than one you "settled" for can help set you up better for your career. This is probably especially important if you want an academic career just because they're a bit more competitive, and because people hiring in psychology departments will know how good x program is and how well known your advisor was, whereas clients walking in off the street will have no idea.

Also, 1 year off may not seem like such a long time when you consider it relative to the 30+ years you will spend in the career grad school is supposed to get you to. If you're under 30 when you apply you still won't even be close to "old" for a grad student. We have a relatively young program compared to most, and still have many many students well into their 30's. To each their own though, its not my intent to twist your arm if you definitely don't want to.