RA question

[gto5point7]

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After deciding not to go to the PsyD program I was accepted at, I am currently in the middle of a year off before applying to PhD programs. I am living at home w/ my parents so I have no living expenses during this time. I have been working about 7-10 hours a week as a volunteer RA at a local University and have to commute about 45 minutes to the school. My plan is to hire a tutor to help me really prep hard for a GRE retake from late August-late September. I have recently come across an excellent job opportunity that would allow me to earn some great money while studying for the GRE's but I think it would be too much to juggle along with my RA position. Although I do have an undergraduate thesis w/ presentations, I really want to beef up my research experience. Do you guys think that 3 months as an RA is enough to significantly beef up my research experience for my apps? Will it take a little more than that? Thanks!

 

[psychRA]

I think you need at least a year in an RA position to get the kind of results you're looking for, especially at 7-10 hours a week. Getting papers published takes time, and most conferences require posters to submitted nearly a year in advance, so you aren't going to be able to add much to your vita in 3 months. Of course, 3 months is better than nothing at all, so I still think it's worthwhile, but if there's any way that you can do both the job and the RA position, I would go for it.

 

[Psychbar]

I don't know if you need a FULL year to improve your odds, but I do think that 3 months is definitely not sufficient. This is especially true if you want your research supervisor to write you a letter of rec - if the letter says that he/she knew you for only 3 months it dosn't look that great.

 

[phdpsyd]

how did you find out about the volunteer RA position, and then land it?

 

[danzgymn86]

how did you find out about the volunteer RA position, and then land it?

I also have a volunteer RA position. Basically, I stalked people down to get it. I went to the local Psych hospital website and looked at all the research interests of those in the Psych dept. Now, there were NO email addresses listed for anyone. SO, I did so searching around the website and found that the general formula for hospital emails was: first initial first 6 letters of last name@ the hospital.org. So then I emailed a cover letter and my CV to all the Drs. I wanted to work with, using that formula. Some got back to me...called me on the phone, etc. And then I started 🙂
Be resourceful!

 

[ExpressYourself]

how did you find out about the volunteer RA position, and then land it?

My professor mentioned the opportunity for my volunteer position in class. Before that, I had no idea where to look. I agree that asking hospitals would be a good idea.

 

[paramour]

I recommend not limiting yourself completely to psych departments (even those in med centers) for RA searches, particularly if you are already having difficulty locating one. Check out medical facilities and other research centers that might be doing research on a topic of interest to you--Some people seem to think that topics of interest in psych are limited to psych depts when they are not. I tried going the psychology/psychiatric dept route but ended up in a biobehavioral interventions unit developed by the college of nursing within the public health division of the local medical center. They were actually doing research I was interested in pursuing further, and as an added bonus, I quickly learned that she knew people who could help me out in other ways. 👍

 

[paramour]

Ah, forgot to add, I completely agree with the masses that 3 months experience isn't really much in the grand scheme of things. I had a bit more than that my first cycle and although I was granted interviews at a few top schools, I was later advised that my lack of experience was the one thing preventing them from admitting me at the time.

 

[danzgymn86]

Ah, forgot to add, I completely agree with the masses that 3 months experience isn't really much in the grand scheme of things. I had a bit more than that my first cycle and although I was granted interviews at a few top schools, I was later advised that my lack of experience was the one thing preventing them from admitting me at the time.

How much experience DID you have?

 

[Ollie123]

If you're a decent student, it should be quite easy to find a lab a volunteer position. Just email professors mentioning your interest in their work. Former professors who liked you are also a good source. You're volunteering to help them out for free so usually the only times you will be turned down are if the lab already has an overabundance of people, or they worry you're so incompetent you'll eff up their research. Finding paying RA jobs is a bit more difficult, volunteer stuff is easy if you've been doing things right and getting to know/impressing your professors.

Just email a professor who would know you and ask what if their lab or one of their colleagues labs is looking for people since you want to get more research experience before applying.