RA for Balanced PHD programs

[RAORPHD]

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I am new here, but I have been reading threads for a while. I am graduating soon with a BS in Psychology and would like some input from you guys about the appropriate next step. You guys seem to be very knowledgeable about Ph.D. programs. I am unsure if I should go ahead and apply to Ph.D. programs this fall or look for an RA position. I am interested in balanced clinical psychology Ph.D. programs that have no problem taking students interested in mainly practicing. I am interested in research and want it to be part of my training, but I do not wish to be a full time researcher.

I am graduating from a big research school in psychology and have around 10 semesters doing research for credit (about 3 years). Those semesters were not full time since they were for credit. For 7 semesters I was working 9 hours per week, for 1 semester 6 hours per week, and for two semesters 15 hours per week. I did an honors thesis during 2 of those semesters, so I have been in every facet of research. Also, I have 3 posters [2 at my undergrad research symposium (1st author), 1 at a conference]. I also have 500+ hours of clinical experience at a crisis line and I am certified as an intervention specialist. I do not have much teaching experience apart from being a supervisor at the crisis line. My GPA is 3.8 general/3.9 psych. No GRE yet since I focused all my attention on research/clinical/grades.

In my undergrad usually students who have the background I have got get postbac positions in research before applying. Knowing this, I have applied to numerous RA positions, because, in all honesty, I am tired and want to take some time off. I have gotten no interviews at all! These positions are hard to get, so I am questioning if I need one to meet my goals. Most of the students in my undergrad who get these positions want to be researchers. I figured since I do not want to be a researcher I would just apply this cycle to balanced programs.

I want to get your guy's input if you think I need more research experience to get into balanced programs. I feel like I have enough, but I always like to be on the safe side. The programs I am interested are Rutgers, St. Johns, University of Tennessee, CUNY-Clinical, Baylor, Teachers College, Penn State, LIU-Brooklyn, Adelphi, etc. I have an interest in psychodynamic and CBT/DBT approaches so it is important to me that the program be balanced and have practicum or mentors in both orientations. Even though Rutgers/Baylor are psyD’s, I included them because they are somewhat balanced and have exposure to psychodynamic and CBT. What would you recommend? Is an RA position going to make that much of a difference when applying to balanced programs?

 

[KayDee103]

It sounds like you have a great shot without an RA position. You should also consider applying to UT Southwestern and Northwestern Feinberg. Although neither are funded (they provide stipends) they're balanced and in medical centers so you get great clinical exposure and training. UTSW also has faculty members and provides training in both orientations you mentioned.

 

[Doctorle]

I am new here, but I have been reading threads for a while. I am graduating soon with a BS in Psychology and would like some input from you guys about the appropriate next step. You guys seem to be very knowledgeable about Ph.D. programs. I am unsure if I should go ahead and apply to Ph.D. programs this fall or look for an RA position. I am interested in balanced clinical psychology Ph.D. programs that have no problem taking students interested in mainly practicing. I am interested in research and want it to be part of my training, but I do not wish to be a full time researcher.

I am graduating from a big research school in psychology and have around 10 semesters doing research for credit (about 3 years). Those semesters were not full time since they were for credit. For 6 semesters I was working 9 hours per week, for 1 semester 6 hours per week, and for two semesters 15 hours per week. I did an honors thesis during 2 of those semesters, so I have been in every facet of research. Also, I have 3 posters [2 at my undergrad research symposium (1st author), 1 at a conference]. I also have 500+ hours of clinical experience at a crisis line and I am certified as an intervention specialist. I do not have much teaching experience apart from being a supervisor at the crisis line. My GPA is 3.8 general/3.9 psych. No GRE yet since I focused all my attention on research/clinical/grades.

In my undergrad usually students who have the background I have got get postbac positions in research before applying. Knowing this, I have applied to numerous RA positions, because, in all honesty, I am tired and want to take some time off. I have gotten no interviews at all! These positions are hard to get, so I am questioning if I need one to meet my goals. Most of the students in my undergrad who get these positions want to be researchers. I figured since I do not want to be a researcher I would just apply this cycle to balanced programs.

I want to get your guy's input if you think I need more research experience to get into balanced programs. I feel like I have enough, but I always like to be on the safe side. The programs I am interested are Rutgers, St. Johns, University of Tennessee, CUNY-Clinical, Baylor, Teachers College, Penn State, LIU-Brooklyn, Adelphi, etc. I have an interest in psychodynamic and CBT/DBT approaches so it is important to me that the program be balanced and have practicum or mentors in both orientations. Even though Rutgers/Baylor are psyD’s, I included them because they are somewhat balanced and have exposure to psychodynamic and CBT. What would you recommend? Is an RA position going to make that much of a difference when applying to balanced programs?

I agree, for the programs you are looking to apply to, your research experience is plenty (assuming it is somewhat similar to researchers' interests you'd be interested in working with at the schools you want).
I interviewed at some of those programs myself this year, and one question that always came up was, "you have a heavy research background (especially for an undergrad, good job!), but what is your clinical background, and why are you interested in clinical work in the future?".
The time you have left until application season, you might want to focus on adding to your clinical experience, and working on your gre's. You could volunteer at a psychiatric hospital, your campus' psych clinic, observe testing and interviewing at research studies, maybe one of your more clinically focused labs would like to train you on testing or interviewing or assisting with administration of some type of group treatment or counseling? Keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities like that and good luck.

Just a personal tip, make your gre's a large focus now. The better your scores, the better your chances. Schools in the ny area get so many applications each year, I believe (although it's not out right mentioned on their websites) if your scores are around the 50th percentile (no matter your gpa) they won't even really give you a chance.

Best of luck!

 

[QAsPsych]

I actually don't think you'd be very well served by more time on clinical work in a volunteer setting. Many (most?) people do not have any clinical experience when they first get in, and you already have a not insignificant amount. If you can get paid to do that, or get paid to do research, those are ideal jobs to have if you're going this direction. However, you really have all the research and clinical experience you need to apply to programs already, and I would suggest just going for it. If you can't get a paying job doing those things this year, it might be better to get a paying job doing something (this process is shockingly expensive) and focus free time on studying for GRE's, researching programs, and writing your SOP.

One note, you may not want to apply to Penn State. They are focused on producing researchers and that is generally who they are looking to take as students. I would recommend looking at Washington State, if there is anyone there matching your research interests; more clinically focused, and they have both CBT and PDT focused professors.

 

[WisNeuro]

I wouldn't dismiss Penn State so easily. I have friends and colleagues who have gone there. Yes, you will get solid research training, as with any good PhD, but they have great clinical training as well. 70% of their students obtain liscensure, so the majority are doing clinical work in some context.

 

[QAsPsych]

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[RAORPHD]

Thank you all for your responses. I have decided I am just going to focus on the GRE 100% in order to apply this fall. I don't think I will get more clinical experience because I feel my 560 hours should be enough. You all mentioned some interesting programs I have not considered. I will look into those. Thanks!

 

[HomeworkHelper]

Good luck! If you do well on your GREs, I would strongly recommend only applying to fully funded programs. I think your stats are good enough so far, and you shouldn't need to go into a large amount of debt to get through grad school.