Research experience

[twilson]

I have currently found a research assistant opportunity for Independent Study, which I am currently really happy about because the research is exciting.

I will be doing data collection in the form of before and after questionnares and surveys to people and I wonder if this would be considered more clinical or research oriented? I wonder because I would like to figure out if I should do more research for my capstone experience over the summer and then pick up a volunteer job for clinical experience or should I do a field experience capstone which would allow me to get clinical experience and attempt to do some research before applications during the summer or for the Fall apps to have as a project to be working on?

From what I've been reading here everyone says more research is always good, if not better so I am leaning towards attempting to get my research capstone done over the summer with casual volunteering but I am not sure and would enjoy u helpful folks feedback

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[KillerDiller]

I guess I'm a little unclear as to why doing a pre and post survey would be considered clinical work. Are you testing a population that has a specific disorder? Even if you are working with a clinical population it sounds like this definitely falls more in line with research experience.

What kind of experience you should get depends on what type of program you are applying to. If you are applying to get a Ph.D you should definitely get as much research experience as possible. Clinical experience won't matter much at all. I would argue that if you are going for a Psy.D you should also have as much research as possible because you'll have plenty of clinical work to do once you're in the program. If you're going for a Masters degree in clinical psychology or social work, on the other hand, clinical experience is probably more important.

 

[twilson]

I'm confused too, lol. I guess I was more wondering which it would be considered more so because I will be doing pre and post surveys for people about anxiety in regards to their surgical procedure but it is data collection which I guess it would make it just research experience.

I am hoping to be able to apply to mostly PhD programs and maybe a couple of PsyD, I have a list but I haven't narrowed it much because I havent taken the GRE yet. Since this is the case I am trying to gain an equal balance of clinical and research experience if at all possible. I'm mostly confused because my school's undergraduate advising can be lacking in information about graduate school and I am mostly researching alot of this by myself.

 

[apumic]

When it comes to research experience, a lot has to do with what it will get you in terms of recommendations and, even more importantly, presentations and publications. Your research experience should demonstrate that you enjoy research (b/c you'll be doing a heck of a lot of it in grad school) and that you have something to contribute to a lab in grad school (i.e., that they won't have to train you on every little thing in order for you to be successful...so I would expect being able to demonstrate at least minimal competency in SPSS, for instance, would be helpful).
As I have been writing statements of purpose, I have found that having a wide range of research experience is helpful. That is, many schools want to know how your research experience will apply to grad school and an easy way of doing that is to relate your achieved responsibilities to your prospective duties in their lab. The wider your net, so to speak, the more of those prospective responsibilities you can answer "yes" to. For instance, if you've designed a project that's a point, same if you've analyzed data in SPSS, set up and analyzed focus groups, put together (and presented) a poster, wrote a grant proposal, (successfully) submitted an article for publication, etc.

 

[twilson]

i planned on hopping onto someone else's research this summer, my advisor said I shouldnt have any trouble finding some research work.. I have an additional question, my advisor has made me really nervous..
When I start applying i should have a 3.2-3.3 GPA(bad freshman year grades but 3.6,3.4, and 3.53 since then), I am studying for the GRE to take in the summer and possibly retake. I have read on here if my GRE scores are solid and I get the research experience necessary I should atleast have my applications looked at. But now she has made me nervous and says I have no chance at the doctoral level without applying to a masters first

Opinions?

 

[futureapppsy2]

How much research experience will you have? Any independent projects?

 

[twilson]

This semester I will just be doing pre and post surveys(maybe more things, I will discuss them with him when he gets back from his internship interviews on Friday and we can discuss the contract) for a graduate student's project who works under a professor of mine, I am going to discuss with him the possibility of getting into the writing section of the Independent Study , which involves working on a 20 page paper about what you are doing and I am hoping I will be able to get more hands on with the research if he elects to let me do this option..
During the summer I plan on doing another independent study but as a capstone so that would for sure allow me to do my own independent projects if I can find the right professor who will be sticking around during the summer..
If I can I will try to grab an additional independent study for the other session of the summer semester, if not I am sure I can find a professor I can just volunteer with but I do not think I would get as much in the way of participation and scholarly work out of it..
I am quite determined to make up for my GPA anyway I can, but it seems almost impossible

Edit:I just want to mention that I would not mind doing a Masters if that what it comes down to but I have been told it does not necessarily help the chances of admission but gives adcoms alittle bit more to consider

 

[futureapppsy2]

This semester I will just be doing pre and post surveys(maybe more things, I will discuss them with him when he gets back from his internship interviews on Friday and we can discuss the contract) for a graduate student's project who works under a professor of mine, I am going to discuss with him the possibility of getting into the writing section of the Independent Study , which involves working on a 20 page paper about what you are doing and I am hoping I will be able to get more hands on with the research if he elects to let me do this option..
During the summer I plan on doing another independent study but as a capstone so that would for sure allow me to do my own independent projects if I can find the right professor who will be sticking around during the summer..
If I can I will try to grab an additional independent study for the other session of the summer semester, if not I am sure I can find a professor I can just volunteer with but I do not think I would get as much in the way of participation and scholarly work out of it..
I am quite determined to make up for my GPA anyway I can, but it seems almost impossible

Edit:I just want to mention that I would not mind doing a Masters if that what it comes down to but I have been told it does not necessarily help the chances of admission but gives adcoms alittle bit more to consider

With lit reviews, IRBs, participant lag, and write-ups it will be tough to do one, much less two, projects in one summer.

Good luck!

 

[kestrelcry]

It's not true you have no chance. People have done it before and they'll do it again. You may need more research experience to bolster your CV than would someone who had a 3.9, but worse comes to worse, you spend a year or two after undergrad working as a research assistant getting experience, publications, awesome recommendations, etc. Getting a masters is not your only option. Don't let other people's numbers on this on this website freak you out too much, or the ones you see in schools' admissions data - they're only part of your application and certainly something you can compensate for later. And you can compensate in cheaper ways than a masters - you can get paid to be a research assistant.

i planned on hopping onto someone else's research this summer, my advisor said I shouldnt have any trouble finding some research work.. I have an additional question, my advisor has made me really nervous..
When I start applying i should have a 3.2-3.3 GPA(bad freshman year grades but 3.6,3.4, and 3.53 since then), I am studying for the GRE to take in the summer and possibly retake. I have read on here if my GRE scores are solid and I get the research experience necessary I should atleast have my applications looked at. But now she has made me nervous and says I have no chance at the doctoral level without applying to a masters first

Opinions?

 

[KillerDiller]

And you can compensate in cheaper ways than a masters - you can get paid to be a research assistant.

Or you can get paid to get your Masters .

 

[twilson]

Or you can get paid to get your Masters .

Which would be quite lovely
I'm not sure what more to do since I guess I would not have time to do more than 2 research projects in the summer..I will take the GRE and see how I do on that and try to figure out more from there i suppose..

I want to thank u guys for responding, I know how much u guys probably hear/read this whining and worrying

 

[terpskins10]

Or you can get paid to get your Masters .

If only there were such places...

On second thought, I'm sure there are. I'm just loo lazy to look them up.

 

[Cigolon]

If only there were such places...

On second thought, I'm sure there are. I'm just loo lazy to look them up.

I get an equal stippen from my masters, including partial tuition remission, to a friend in a clinical doctorate program. while rare, funded masters programs do exist.

 

[KillerDiller]

If only there were such places...

On second thought, I'm sure there are. I'm just loo lazy to look them up.

There definitely are places. I got a full stipend that covered all my living expenses at Villanova (also didn't have to pay tuition or fees). I believe Wake Forrest and William and Mary have similar set-ups. Ball State offers a partial stipend (7K a year) plus full tuition remission. There are others as well, I just don't recall where.