PhD/PsyD Personal Statement Help

[mbenn87]

Hello everyone,

First post here. I've been lurking for a while, finding answers to a lot of questions without posting. This site has been a great resource, and I'm glad I found it! I couldn't find anything regarding this specific topic though, so I thought I'd ask.

I'm a nontraditional student (just turned 31) finishing my undergraduate in Psychology in May 2019 and I'm applying to a few Clinical/Clinical Health Psychology programs this year. My stats are fairly competitive (pretty good GPA, great GRE scores) but my research experience is thin. My only real experience is this year; I've started my own experiment for an Honors thesis with my faculty advisor and am running the lab for the next two semesters. If I don't get in this year I'm planning on getting a job as a RA somewhere and re-applying next year.

The thing I'm stuck on is how to tackle my personal essay for applications. I've read a great deal on what (not) to do, but I'm wondering if I should address my nontraditional status. I didn't start college until 26 due to serious depression complicated by other issues (not jail time or anything like that). That's all in the past--the depression is stabilized and the other issues taken care of--but my life history is devoid of anything substantial (no career, only a few jobs here and there, and no school) between ages 18 and 26.

My question is: will review committees give the red flag to an application from a nontraditional student that doesn't say much about their past and is devoid of real life experience? I don't know how to address it without committing a cardinal sin of essay construction ("Thou Shalt Not Mention They Mental Health Disorder, Especially if it's Really Bad") but I'm worried that not addressing it might be worse.

Any feedback or advice anyone has would be awesome. Thanks!

mbenn7

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[Seven_Costanza]

I was a non-traditional student as well. I think, rather than talking about what kept you away from the field for those years, you should focus on discussing what ignited your interest in the field. There is no need to go into a long explanation of your history. You can simply hint at it. I recall seeing a good example on here somewhere that gave me ideas for my own statement. I'll try to find it and share it here.

 

[Seven_Costanza]

I couldn't find it, but the gist of the intro was that very few people take the opportunity to take control and refocus their lives, that you took a risk and gave yourself that second chance, and as a result you discovered a passion for...<whatever your passion is>. So you're alluding to a time where you went through life with little direction (without giving too many details), realized that you wanted something different for your life, and turned that knowledge into a strong motivational factor.

Good luck!

 

[mbenn87]

I couldn't find it, but the gist of the intro was that very few people take the opportunity to take control and refocus their lives, that you took a risk and gave yourself that second chance, and as a result you discovered a passion for...<whatever your passion is>. So you're alluding to a time where you went through life with little direction (without giving too many details), realized that you wanted something different for your life, and turned that knowledge into a strong motivational factor.

Good luck!

I appreciate the help! Thank you. I'm discussing this with my professors as well.

 

[singasongofjoy]

I couldn't find it, but the gist of the intro was that very few people take the opportunity to take control and refocus their lives, that you took a risk and gave yourself that second chance, and as a result you discovered a passion for...<whatever your passion is>. So you're alluding to a time where you went through life with little direction (without giving too many details), realized that you wanted something different for your life, and turned that knowledge into a strong motivational factor.

Good luck!

I think that’s quite a nice idea, alluding to it as a time with little direction amd when you took steps to bring it into focus, x is what you discovered a passion for. I like it.