Preparing for Clinical/Counseling graduate programs

[dxj5069]

Hello,

I'm currently a freshman at USC, Psychology (BA) and Religion double major. I want to get a jump start to prepare myself for graduate school in clinical/counseling psychology. It's really difficult to pinpoint my exact interests within this field, as I'm only a freshman, but I plan on involving myself as a research assistant in the near future. My ultimate goal is to practice or work in the human resources industry, but I've considered other routes such as MSW/LCSW, or ultimately pursue an academic career in Theology/Modern Culture if I decide not to go for my PhD in Psychology. However, concerning the MSW/LCSW route, I'm aiming for a funded PhD program because I would not be willing to dish out a boat load of loans. My undergrad at SC is relied heavily upon financial aid (thankfully, mostly all grants), so the funding will be the determiner of whichever program I will go to.

Apart from undergraduate research/volunteer, what are some helpful ways to prepare myself as a competitive candidate? For those interested in clinical/counseling route, what type of courses should I be focusing on during my undergraduate years? I was planning to incorporate more Statistics and Mathematics courses into my curriculum, but is Biology or Chemistry crucial? I personally prefer Mathematics over Natural Science. As far as GRE scores go, is there a big impact on test scores? Knowing the type of standardized tester I am, I am guessing I will score around 1150-1250.

As you can tell, I lack knowledge in this area! I was hoping if anyone can shed some light or have any advice? Thank you so much.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[leavingprov]

1) Seek out research opportunities from faculty. Show up to office hours, talk about your interests, listen, and ask about opportunities.

2) Research different degrees (MSW vs PhD... very different in terms of time commitment, cost, training, career outcomes, etc). Learn about different fields (human resources vs theology). Keep your options open but give a lot of thought to your long term goals.

3) Pick the brains of as many people as you can. Talk to alums or other people in the careers you are interested in, find out how they got where they are now.

4) Regarding courses, it will probably depend on what you want to get involved in. If you major in Psych, chances are you will pick up a lot of classes necessary for graduate level studies. If you major in cultural studies, this may require some additional coursework.

5) Read the stickies on the forums here (masters and phd), and do some other reading about graduate level study.

Good luck!

 

[psych18606]

However, concerning the MSW/LCSW route, I'm aiming for a funded PhD program because I would not be willing to dish out a boat load of loans. My undergrad at SC is relied heavily upon financial aid (thankfully, mostly all grants), so the funding will be the determiner of whichever program I will go to.

There has been a lot of debate between graduate students as far as the importance you should place on this, and part of it really is a personal preference (you can easily search other threads on here about it). I will give you one side of it real quick, as this is not necessarily a "given" in graduate psychology work (and I apologize if you already know all of it):

(1) The truth is, not all of the amazing programs are completely funded, and even if they are, YOU aren't necessarily guaranteed that funding just because you are incoming. A lot of it might depend on the faculty member you apply under (you usually apply under a person that chooses you, and are not usually picked by the faculty as a whole) and whether or not they have funding or opportunities for you to have your tuition waived. (This isn't true overall, however; many programs are funded and will find ways for you to not pay tuition, I just wanted to give the other side of it.)

(2) Also, your graduate training is so important to your career, so if you find someone absolutely amazing that you could work under but they won't pay 100% of your tuition, don't be tied down by the idea of loans. You may miss some amazing opportunities if you do. Even when you do have your program paid for, many people still have to take out loans to pay personal expenses. Loans seem scary when you are younger but may be a reality that you should consider accepting IF it means a brighter future for you and better training as a professional. (Though, admittedly, this is a big "IF"). This also applies if you do think an LCSW would be a better route for you; two years in graduate training paying tuition or taking out loans won't kill you.

(3) Furthermore, you may end up not having a choice regarding attending funded programs if you want to get your PhD. Take a look at previous threads of students in their second, third, and fourth round of applying and interviewing in PhD programs; you are not a shoo-in, no matter what experience you have. Compatibility with the faculty member you apply under is key, and even when you do think you had great fit you still may be rejected. Many of us have known huge numbers of students who were not accepted to particular schools but were some of the most intelligent people we knew with a lot of background experience. Not to mention, the acceptance rates in and of themselves are ridiculous; usually something like 5-10 students per 200-500 applicants (give or take a few). Thus, you may (again, a big "may") need to compromise at some point about a non-funded school, or at least a LCSW if that would still be an option and you are really set on saving money as a bigger priority.

(4) I am more or less talking about non- or partially-funded programs that are not outrageously priced private schools. There are public universities that are still non- or partially- funded, but are very reasonable in tuition and just may take more effort on your part to find funding for your tuition. These institutions usually have funding, just not "guaranteed" funding to waive tuition, and are not simply handed out to you without you maybe having to apply for these opportunities first (i.e., fellowships, scholarships, TA, RA, etc.).

(5) I agree with the above poster- talk to as many people as possible about all of these aspects (I know I honed in on just one). Again, I am not encouraging you to go to a private school and pay 45K a year for tuition. I am merely saying that if you have to spend 10K or so a year (or every other year), it might not be the end of the world.

I guess my take away is to keep an open mind on this topic, and I encourage you to look at what schools have to offer before you just head straight for the "Funding" page. Again, that's just one side. I invite someone else to contradict me so that you aren't only given my biased opinion Good luck in your journey!

 

[wigflip]

(1) The truth is, not all of the amazing programs are completely funded, and even if they are, YOU aren't necessarily guaranteed that funding just because you are incoming.

+1
I personally know people attending a well-regarded uni-based psych program that gets referred to as "funded" on these boards. It's not fully funded and not all grad students get the same funding package.

Re: your other questions (apologies if these are already covered above).

1. Read The Insiders Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology, latest edition. Pay special attention to internship match rates.

2. Use the search function to read threads here about the internship match crisis.

3. Get involved with research as early as possible.

4. You are on a campus with a well-regarded social work department. There may be research opportunities there as well. At least you might try to talk to their doctoral students if possible. They may need RAs/have helpful perspectives on the field.

5. Read as much research as you can, thinking about what kind of a contribution you can make to the literature and what theoretical and methodological approaches appeal to you.

 

[Qwerk]

Chiming in re: the LCSW route -- do consider it. If you ultimately decide that you want to pursue a clinical career rather than a research/academic one, think about how long you want to be in school to make this happen, and factor the time you're taking out of the workforce to get your degree into your economic equation. A few more years of work experience can make a big difference in clinical salaries. There's certainly a gap between Ph.D.s and M.S.W.s, but I do know M.S.W. therapists who make more than psychologists, especially those working with private-pay clients, who don't distinguish between therapeutic credentials as much as insurance companies do. If the distinction between getting an M.S.W. and a Ph.D. is your level of financial worry (rather than preference), look at high-ranked state schools with lower tuition, and consider programs that will allow you to work while you complete your degree. You're in Cali, so you have a lot of options. From what I've heard, Berkeley has a terrific program, and their financial aid isn't bad.