Research Experience

[PsyDWannabe]

I can see i'm going to be a major contributor to these boards at this rate But I need all the info I can get, so please if you have answer/opinion, share it, no matter how redundant you think the question is.

What is generally seen as good research experience i.e what length of time? for masters programs? Phd?

Has anyone gotten in with not so stellar (less than a year) experience? What did you use to win them over?

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[FreudianSlip7]

I can see i'm going to be a major contributor to these boards at this rate But I need all the info I can get, so please if you have answer/opinion, share it, no matter how redundant you think the question is.

What is generally seen as good research experience i.e what length of time? for masters programs? Phd?

Has anyone gotten in with not so stellar (less than a year) experience? What did you use to win them over?

Research experience is always good. The ones that are in your area of interest, lead to publication in major journals and presentations at major conferences are stellar. Ideally I would say 2 yrs of research would be great and a year-long clinical experience would be great in addition to that-for clinical PhD. I do not think that you need this much for a MA program as you are not expected to have a clear cut research interest or hefty clincal experience, but neither would hurt Again, this is general, you will find that there is and will always be a lot of variance when it comes to what it "took" for each individual to get into a PhD or Ma program.

As for me, I had a year of research experience, but it did lead to publication (co-authorship) in addition to a year of clinical experience.
I don't know if it was a matter of winning them over, but I had no real deficits in any other area, meaning my GPA, GRE, GRE Psych, were at or above the profile stats for my program, and my letters of recommendation were really great-from what I heard. Most importantly, my personal statement and area of interest were a nearly perfect match with my POI and my career goals were in line with the program's objectives.

By the way, I see you are really enjoying yourself here, it's like you discovered a new planet.

 

[apumic]

I'd say for research, a minimum of 1 year for anything, really, because it takes at least a year to really get much done on a project. If you're working full-time as an RA, you might get a study done in a long summer w/ a lot of prep the semester before.

While I had more than a year of research (abt 2 yrs research & 2 yrs clinical), I actually found that the funded PsyDs I applied to (as well as some of the balanced PhDs) actually questioned my desire to do a clinically-oriented program b/c of my research experience! (As in, I had a lot and very focused/developed research interests)

 

[cara susanna]

I got into a PhD program with around 2 years of research experience.

It also depends on what you do with that experience: if you have narrowed down your interests and have some idea of where you want your research to go in the future, that helps a lot.

 

[starsinnight]

I didn't have any research experience and got into a Master's program with no problem. My co-worker had tons of experience and she got in to the same program too. Now we work together doing research, about 2 years, so I hope that will help for the PhD program when I apply this December... but the other things are just as important like GRE, GPA, and LOR's. My research area is not as great as I'd hope (although it sounds great) we haven't gotten any journal articles or posters out for the 2 years I've been here, but all I can hope for is that it's enough having the experience I do. I'll also have a 1 year clinical experience internship working as a MHC so I hope that'll help too.

 

[AryaStark]

I got into a PhD program with actually less than 1 year of research experience BUT i worked in a lot of labs. I am currently working on 3 different projects in addition to another lab last summer. It can be done with less than one year- and I am proof.

I can see i'm going to be a major contributor to these boards at this rate But I need all the info I can get, so please if you have answer/opinion, share it, no matter how redundant you think the question is.

What is generally seen as good research experience i.e what length of time? for masters programs? Phd?

Has anyone gotten in with not so stellar (less than a year) experience? What did you use to win them over?

 

[GCsurfer]

Your question is about Ph D., but your name is PsyDwannabe, so Ill throw this into the mix. I got into 2 of 3 psy d. programs I applied to with 1 year(Two Semesters same project) of research.

 

[okayroots06]

it is absolutely imperative and crucial that you have research experience before you apply to a ph.d clinical psychology program. top tier programs will specifically look for the quality of the research (eg., WPIC, MGH, Brown Medical etc.) and who you worked for (eg., Connie Hammen, Ian Gottlieb, Sheri Johnson, David Barlow etc.).

you will need at least a minimum of two years after undergrad in order to stay competitive. the recent trend is telling us that less and less are making the jump from undergrad to ph.d directly.

for a master program (eg., Columbia, NYU, William & Mary), you will need minimal experience but it will be to your advantage when you apply. Most M.A. programs will accept students based on scores and credentials and not necessarily on your research experience and who you worked for. If you credential aren't up to par, going the M.A route is an excellent way to boost your candidacy and provides an excellent opportunity to gain research background and most importantly to publish posters or even journal articles.

 

[cara susanna]

That's not necessarily true--a few people got in straight out of undergrad this round.

 

[okayroots06]

outside from this forum, the trend has been that fewer and fewer undergrads make the jump straight to a ph.d clinical psychology esp. top tier programs.

granted, those who are exceptional students and have excellent research experience have made the jump.

 

[AryaStark]

I know Carasusana and I are two of many that went straight from undergrad to PhD

it is absolutely imperative and crucial that you have research experience before you apply to a ph.d clinical psychology program. top tier programs will specifically look for the quality of the research (eg., WPIC, MGH, Brown Medical etc.) and who you worked for (eg., Connie Hammen, Ian Gottlieb, Sheri Johnson, David Barlow etc.).

you will need at least a minimum of two years after undergrad in order to stay competitive. the recent trend is telling us that less and less are making the jump from undergrad to ph.d directly.

for a master program (eg., Columbia, NYU, William & Mary), you will need minimal experience but it will be to your advantage when you apply. Most M.A. programs will accept students based on scores and credentials and not necessarily on your research experience and who you worked for. If you credential aren't up to par, going the M.A route is an excellent way to boost your candidacy and provides an excellent opportunity to gain research background and most importantly to publish posters or even journal articles.

 

[okayroots06]

ok. i stand corrected. its been done before and will always hold true =). the jump is very possible.

 

[AryaStark]

I mean you're right- it's INCREDIBLY hard to do and you need to be very dedicated but it is possible sometimes haha. good luck on getting in! If you need any advice send me a PM!

ok. i stand corrected. its been done before and will always hold true =). the jump is very possible.

 

[cara susanna]

It's difficult and getting rarer, I just disagreed with the claim that you absolutely have to work as an RA for a few years.

 

[PsyDWannabe]

I know Carasusana and I are two of many that went straight from undergrad to PhD

I already heard cara susana's amazing strategy (even if she didnt fully realize she was strategizing ) but AryaStark, how did you go about your whole (pre) application process? what do you feel gave you an edge?

 

[AryaStark]

I already heard cara susana's amazing strategy (even if she didnt fully realize she was strategizing ) but AryaStark, how did you go about your whole (pre) application process? what do you feel gave you an edge?

I'm going to PM you. If anyone else wants to know, I'd be MORE than happy to let you in on my "strategy??" haha

 

[cara susanna]

Haha, I'm not sure if you could call what I did strategizing--yes, I narrowed down by programs which had GRE requirements I met, but I think most people do that.