I am a second semester junior with a biology major and have been doing research in traumatic spinal cord injury for the last 3 years. I just realized that my interests lie in psychology and I am very interested in being a clinical neuropsychologist. I have no clinical volunteer experience or psychology research experience. Do you think I should apply to PhD next year, a masters (to gain more experience) then PhD or take a year off after I graduate to apply and gain more experience.
Should I go for a Masters, PhD or take time off?
- Thread starter JJkitty
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I am applying to psychology PhD programs this year interested in Neuropsychology and so far I have been doing well in terms of # of interview invitations.
With that in mind, this is my advice to you. Do not apply for a Clinical Psychology PhD program next year. I do not think you will be accepted.
A masters is one option, especially if you haven't taken many psychology courses, but in the long run it can be a waste of money. The reason a Masters can be a waste of money is because PhD programs tend to take very limited amounts of credits to transfer and it is rare that you get a Masters with funding. If you have to fund yourself for 1-2 years while doing this it can be a significant financial hardship. If money is not a problem it is a good option.
I think the best option is to find a research job with someone who is doing research in the area that you are interested in. It sounds like you would have applicable skills (and possibly interest) in Traumatic Brain Injury or maybe movement disorders (basal ganglia disease/ parkinson's). There is a lot of neuropsychology work being done on both of these topics right now. Work with this PI for two years. If you just work there for one year, you will be applying with only 6-8 months research experience under your belt. I stayed with my PI for 2 years and now I have a publication on my CV and I feel much more in touch with what my real research interests are. Also, if you have a good idea of a person you may want to study with as a graduate student, e-mail them and find out if you could work in their lab after undergrad. I looked for resarch jobs on all the local hospital websites.
In your off time you could do volunteering to meet your clinical needs. I worked on a suicide prevention hotline which was very rewarding and interesting. I am also a mentor for an underpriviliged inner city youth. But there are many volunteer options for clinical experience. However, if you are doing research with human subjects you can count your research experience as clinical experience. I have had the opportunity to do neuropsych testing with subjects. I think working in research is the best way to know if this is what you really want to do and the best way to boost your stats and get amazing letters of rec.
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My (albeit biased) opinion is that I think people can benefit greatly by taking some time off between their undergraduate and graduate experiences to learn more about the field and gain some perspective in the real world. I think it offers a person an opportunity to learn more about themselves, the field, and gain experience that can really help them if/when they decide to pursue a graduate degree.
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i agree- i actually applied two years ago directly out of undergrad. i got one offer- but it wasn't a fit, trust me. during those two years, i did research at the va (to find jobs try usajobs.gov). i got insight into the field and was able to make some great connections- get some good LOR writers and get a better idea of what i wanted to do. so far it is working for me because i was just accepted to my #1 choice last night.
the other side of this is that i already have substantial student loans from undergrad- i didn't want to take out more for a masters. instead, i spent two years paying on them and saving up some money. this is the path i would recommend- but it is also the only one i can offer insight on.
the other side of this is that i already have substantial student loans from undergrad- i didn't want to take out more for a masters. instead, i spent two years paying on them and saving up some money. this is the path i would recommend- but it is also the only one i can offer insight on.
I have to agree with the other folks. I got accepted straight out of undergrad, and and am now in grad school...but I'm the only one in my year straight out of undergrad so now I always feel like I have catching up to do. Everyone else has clinical experience and research experience out in the field, which I do not. All I had was RAing in a lab and an honors thesis, which is good but a couple of years working after undergrad would have been better prep.
For me, my age was a consideration, but especially if you are young I would say take a couple of years off.
For me, my age was a consideration, but especially if you are young I would say take a couple of years off.
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I disagree with the above posts. I am a first year in a clinical neuropsych program and I went straight from undergrad. I didn't even know I wanted to be a clinical neuropsychologist until halfway through the fall of my senior year (I thought I wanted to be a doctor). I went back and forth about whether or not to apply or take a year off, getting many people's opinions on it. Almost everyone thought I should wait a year (at least). But one neuropsychologist thought I should "give it a shot" because after all, what's the worst that could happen, you don't get in? So I gave it a shot, got one interview, absolutely fell in love with the place on my interview, got accepted, and I am so happy here. Sure there are people that have more experience than me in the clinical area, but I am stronger in other areas. I have never felt like my papers or test grades suffered because of lack of experience. Honestly, I think you will get fewer interviews than you would if you waited a year or two, but if you don't like the schools after you interview you don't have to go there; you can wait a year and you are no worse off than you would have been had you not applied (ok, maybe you're out a couple hundred $ for application fees, but going through the process is a good experience because you know what to expect for the next year). Anyway, those are just my thoughts. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions or want me to elaborate on anything. 🙂
