seeking advice

[Truth seeker]

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Hello everybody,
I am a foreign trained dentist, and i have graduated from an Indian University but i had been interested in psychology for quite some time, do i have a chance of getting into any US universities ,if yeah then.... i'l be glad if anyone can throw some light regarding this. I have no major in psychology , but am interested to pursue Phd programs if any and regarding the funding, how it goes about.

Thanks in advance,
Truth seeker.

 

[73BARMYPgsp]

Hello everybody,
I am a foreign trained dentist, and i have graduated from an Indian University but i had been interested in psychology for quite some time, do i have a chance of getting into any US universities ,if yeah then.... i'l be glad if anyone can throw some light regarding this. I have no major in psychology , but am interested to pursue Phd programs if any and regarding the funding, how it goes about.

Thanks in advance,
Truth seeker.

Apply to one of the professional schools. It will cost you, but if you really want an American psychology degree, that is your best bet. Funding? Plan on borrowing about 130,000$

 

[socialcog]

Apply to one of the professional schools. It will cost you, but if you really want an American psychology degree, that is your best bet. Funding? Plan on borrowing about 130,000$

I find your advice silly. We do not nearly have enough information to advise this person on his chances on admission to graduate study. We do not even know what track he wants to pursue (ie: social/personality vs. clinical vs. health), nor do we know anything about his numbers (ie: GPA and GRE).

Do a search on this forum on like-threads about non-traditional doctoral prospects. There are a good amount of non-traditional applicants posting here -- you are certainly NOT alone.

good luck.

 

[73BARMYPgsp]

I find your advice silly. We do not nearly have enough information to advise this person on his chances on admission to graduate study. We do not even know what track he wants to pursue (ie: social/personality vs. clinical vs. health), nor do we know anything about his numbers (ie: GPA and GRE).

Do a search on this forum on like-threads about non-traditional doctoral prospects. There are a good amount of non-traditional applicants posting here -- you are certainly NOT alone.

good luck.

Silly? Wow, nice for an MFT. How about just different from yours? Jeez.

 

[socialcog]

truthseeker,

Apologies if your thread has been derailed.....let me try to help in that regard.....

I am currently applying and I have learned that admissions committees look at many different aspects of an application. Strong academics is certainly one. Your background makes you an interesting candidate at the very least.

You must have strong numbers. Many funded programs look for GRE scores above 1200 at least. 1300+ is ideal if you can pull that off. As far as GPA, most US candidates have a GPA at 3.5 or above. Research experience is generally a must to be considered as a serious applicant. Graduate school is generally research heavy so programs need to know that you not only can DO research but they also need to know that you LIKE research. Beyond that you need to have a very strong, concise and clear statement of purpose (very important!!). 3 strong letters of recommendation that convey how your strengths will best lend to the program/lab you are applying to.

Most programs have prerequisites upon admission. You generally have to have taken the basics in psychology. You do not need to have majored in psych but you generally need to have taken a certain amount of units in psych.

Funding at the doctorate level is bifurcated. 1. Professional schools or non-funded schools (ie: PGSP or Alliant) generally have easier admission requirements and they accept far more applicants per year. PGSP accepted 130 out of the 145 applications last year. One downside to PGSP is the cost. My close friend is an alumni, received excellent training and is now a successful psychologist in private practice, however he was in debt nearly $150,000 after graduation. 2. Funded programs are much more competitive with acceptance rates anywhere from 3%-10%. The upside is these programs (more or less) pay YOU to attend. Most students receive research assistantships and/or teaching assistantships that can offset the sacrifice that comes with this pursuit.

Lastly, READ THIS FORUM!! This place has been a life saver over the past several months and I owe a great deal to it. I think you will find it an excellent resource as your questions accumulate.

Good luck.

 

[Truth seeker]

truthseeker,

Apologies if your thread has been derailed.....let me try to help in that regard.....

I am currently applying and I have learned that admissions committees look at many different aspects of an application. Strong academics is certainly one. Your background makes you an interesting candidate at the very least.

You must have strong numbers. Many funded programs look for GRE scores above 1200 at least. 1300+ is ideal if you can pull that off. As far as GPA, most US candidates have a GPA at 3.5 or above. Research experience is generally a must to be considered as a serious applicant. Graduate school is generally research heavy so programs need to know that you not only can DO research but they also need to know that you LIKE research. Beyond that you need to have a very strong, concise and clear statement of purpose (very important!!). 3 strong letters of recommendation that convey how your strengths will best lend to the program/lab you are applying to.

Most programs have prerequisites upon admission. You generally have to have taken the basics in psychology. You do not need to have majored in psych but you generally need to have taken a certain amount of units in psych.

Funding at the doctorate level is bifurcated. 1. Professional schools or non-funded schools (ie: PGSP or Alliant) generally have easier admission requirements and they accept far more applicants per year. PGSP accepted 130 out of the 145 applications last year. One downside to PGSP is the cost. My close friend is an alumni, received excellent training and is now a successful psychologist in private practice, however he was in debt nearly $150,000 after graduation. 2. Funded programs are much more competitive with acceptance rates anywhere from 3%-10%. The upside is these programs (more or less) pay YOU to attend. Most students receive research assistantships and/or teaching assistantships that can offset the sacrifice that comes with this pursuit.

Lastly, READ THIS FORUM!! This place has been a life saver over the past several months and I owe a great deal to it. I think you will find it an excellent resource as your questions accumulate.

Good luck.

Thank you very much for taking all the effort. Will certainly take a look at all of these and then what best i can .

Regards,
Truth seeker.

 

[Truth seeker]

Apply to one of the professional schools. It will cost you, but if you really want an American psychology degree, that is your best bet. Funding? Plan on borrowing about 130,000$

Thanks for your inputs,

Regards,
truth seeker.