Rethinking Applying Straight out of Undergrad

[ccouniha]

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Hey everyone,

I'm in a bit of a dilemma. For the longest time I've had my heart set on applying to Clinical PhD programs during my senior year so I could go straight out of undergrad. As I just finished up my junior year, I am beginning to get really nervous because theoretically, I would be applying this fall! I am considering waiting a year now... but I am still not sure. If I knew 100% that I would get in if I applied this fall, I would for-sure do it.

How many of you applied straight out of undergrad? How many waited? If you waited, how long?

I have experience with research - I've been an RA in a Clinical lab for about 1.5 years, have one poster, 1 conference talk, and will work my ass off to (hopefully) get a pub this year. I will also have kick-ass letters of rec. I feel like its a possibility that I could get in if I applied now, given I do really well on the GREs. My GPA is kind-of low, which is why I have my doubts.

The benefits of waiting (for me) are:
- My GPA will rise a bit (right now it is super low - just about 3.3. After I graduate it should be around 3.5. Still low, but not as bad),
- More publications (hopefully 1-3 within the next 2 years),
- Saving money (I don't want to spend $1000 this time around if I don't get in).

Any advice? I am afraid I will feel like a loser/failure if I don't go immediately after graduating.

Thanks.

 

[krisrox]

If you feel ready, do it. You have great experiences and you'll have a solid app. You will never be 100% sure about getting in. On the other hand, don't just apply because you will feel like a failure if you wait. I felt ready straingt out of UG. I applied, and I got in. If you're not completely sure by the end of this summer, don't do it. But you definitely have a shot if you're determined and focused.

 

[futureapppsy2]

As another person who applied straight out of undergrad and got in, I agree with kris that a) your app is generally strong (and you still have around 6 months to "grow" your CV) and b) there's a substantial crapshoot element to who gets in and doesn't in a given cycle.

 

[deleted176373]

There is no guarantee that you would get in next year as opposed to this year... Go for it... Apply... You might not get in your first time around... I know I didn't, it took me two go arounds to get in.

Mark

 

[PsychPhDone]

Took me 2 tries with pretty good stats. I only applied to research-heavy, "high-prestige" schools, though. I might make an attempt with a few schools to give it a trial run but...gotta say, my RA time was invaluable career and life-wise.

 

[PhishGirl]

I am graduating this month and only applied to one school last fall (long story). I didn't get in, but I got an interview and I will say that that experience taught me so much about the overall application process. It was invaluable. Even with all the research I had done about applying, I had no idea how tough it is.

My honest advice is to apply if you like, but keep it simple. I wouldn't go nuts and apply to a ton of schools because it is expensive and maniacally stressful.

And I will say that I have friends who are graduating this year who didn't apply anywhere last fall and they have NO IDEA what game they are getting into when they do apply. They are so confident in their chances, but eek. I imagine that many of them will be brought down to earth when they do apply, but at that point they likely will have spent a lot of money.

Pick a few schools and get some application experience under your belt. If you get in somewhere, then great! But if not, I can guarantee you that you will be so grateful to have had the experience so that it can inform you for the next round.

 

[docma]

I think there are definite advantages to getting work/world experience before taking on clinical training. Why not seek out work in the general area you find interesting and get a much clearer idea about what you want to do with a doctorate. Maturity and clinical experience add a lot to an application and unless you have a strong mentor's wind at your back, admission right out of undergrad is a huge challenge in these times. Way too many bright, competitive undergrads are going straight into grad school because it postpones finding paid work--but they also often have way too narrow a view of what is ahead. At the internship stage, training sites value seeing clinical work experience (or research). And getting rid of undergrad loans is worth a lot.

 

[HopefulStudent8]

I also felt compelled to apply right out of college even though many people told me it would be to my advantage to wait. I ended up taking their advice and decided to take a year off. Then I realized that very few RA positions offer only 1 year commitments--many expect two and its frowned upon to leave after 1 year if you initially agree to two.

For me, taking two years off was the BEST thing that I could have done for my application. For one thing, I worked in an entirely new department with new contacts so that I have even more people vouching for my ability when applications were due. I had the opportunity to actually spend quality time on publications, rather than feeling the time pressure that I felt in undergrad. Also, if you haven't taken the GRE yet, keep in mind that it can take a LOT of time to study (both for the general and the psych). Do you really want to spend your last summer before college doing that? I spent a good two months studying for the general test, and one studying for the psych. It's a huge commitment.

Also, I hope that this doesn't offend anyone, but I often found that on interviews it was very obvious who was coming from undergrad and who had been working for a couple of years. The people with more real world experience had more confidence and overall (though not always), came across as more polished and well-rounded. Also, at least at the programs where I interviewed, I would say 3/4 of the interviewees were NOT coming right from undergrad.

Finally, while your application will probably be well-received now, something that you may want to consider is the quality of the program that will accept you straight from undergrad. It definitely happens that top programs accept undergraduates, but it seems to be more the exception. You may very well get in on the first try, but it may not be to the program that you want. In reality, two years of additional research will FLY by, and if it means getting into a stronger program then I would say wait.

 

[psychnic]

I wanted to share my experience, because I remember as an undergrad feeling that to "achieve," I needed to enter a phd program out of undergrad (sort of like you are describing.) I did apply as an undergrad and got interviews, however for SO/location reasons I withdrew my apps and took an RA job instead. I probably would have gotten in somewhere if I had waited to hear back from schools. With that said, taking off a year and a half was a great decision for me. I have learned SO much working as an RA full-time (vs. 3.5 yrs. of part-time RAing in college). It's also just been great to live and work for a couple years, enjoying life and (hopefully) maturing a bit. This application round, I also got interviews, and am attending my top choice in the fall. 🙂

Keep in mind that I am an n of 1. I have several friends who transitioned smoothly from undergrad straight to a PhD. It looks like you will have a strong application and a good chance of being accepted. The main thing for you to ask yourself is if you feel like this is the right time in your life to apply, versus feeling like applying is just the next "success" box that you need to check off.

 

[bookends]

i was just in your position! i actually graduated last december from undergrad and applied to schools around that time too. i had about 2.5 years research experience, and 1.5 years of clinical experience. my gpa and gre's were pretty high. i would say go for it! i applied to 10 schools and got interviews to 3, accepted to 3. i had very specific research interests that matched my research experiences. i would recommend being really focused in your personal statement, buying the insiders guide to clinical psychology and applying to as many schools as you can afford.

don't be discouraged- it can happen! if this is your dream then it's worth a shot. i met plenty of undergrads during my interviews. good luck!

 

[poch]

I'm in the exact same position as you, OP (although I don't have as much research experience and all that good stuff, my college doesn't have as many opportunities for those things besides the senior thesis). One of the main factors that's making me reconsider applying fall senior year is that I don't know if I'll be able to do all the work of applying as well as work as hard as I want to on my senior thesis.