I am currently applying to clinical psychology PhD programs. I have been working on my personal statement and somewhat unsure how to approach the community college issue. I am an non-traditional student. I started college at 15 because I had already completed my high school education, plus some AP courses, and I received a state grant that paid for my tuition, fees, and books at community college. I attended a highly ranked community college for two years, earned an A.A. in psychology and went on to finish my B.S. in psychology at one of the school's partner undergraduate institutions, that also gave me a scholarship. Now that I am working on my personal statement, I am somewhat unsure of whether or not I should discuss community college. On the one hand, I have seen plenty of articles that specify the importance of not mentioning anything from high school, but on the other hand, I was enrolled in a community college, so it could also be considered college. Any insights on this?
Should I mention community college in a personal statement?
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If it's relevant to your development of an interest in professional psychology, yes. Otherwise, not sure why you'd mention it specifically.
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I had a very similar experience. The education aspect didn’t hurt either time.
What they will be concerned about is the maturity thing
If you can explain this away or head it off at the pass or other cliche term, the better
What they will be concerned about is the maturity thing
If you can explain this away or head it off at the pass or other cliche term, the better
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Unless there's something specifically relevant, I wouldn't bother mentioning it and wasting the personal statement real estate.
I had a similar path and didn't mention it in my statement at all.
I had a similar path and didn't mention it in my statement at all.
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Ditto to those above.
The maturity thing is my concern. Any advice on effectively heading that off? I'm a self-sufficient adult, yet people tend to make assumptions when they find out I'm barely old enough to drink legally.
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Act mature during interviews.
I'm old, yet look young and am immature, but I play mature on TV.
I can handle that.
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There shouldn't really be a reason that your age would come up anyway. They aren't allowed to ask that questions and probably no one really cares. People might infer approximately how old you are based on what year you graduated college, but people take time off before undergrad sometimes. Really I don't think your age is relevant unless you are the one who brings it up.
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BUT, be ready with what you are going to say if (when) you do get asked, illegally, by current grad students and/or faculty. Just because questions are disallowed/illegal doesn't stop people from asking them.
“So What Are You?”: Inappropriate Interview Questions for Psychology ...
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Yeah, I've had one of the questions come up. We had this weird postdoc in someone else's lab who was in on an interview with us and an applicant once and was being kind of a d. He asked about what other places the applicant was interviewing. I quickly cut him off, told the applicant that they were not expected to answer that, and followed up with something else. Man, I hated that guy. I think word got around, though, because he wasn't included in any more group interviews.
It's good to hear that at least someone thinks they won't care.
Thank you for the link. I have previous experience with being asked inappropriate and illegal questions in job interviews, so I may be thinking too much into this.
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I know of one program that infamously asks not only where else you have/will interview during that cycle, but also to rank all those programs based on your preferences/impressions.
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I’ll tell you which one your should rank last. Gross.
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Everything is data...
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I interviewed when I was 20. No one asked how old I was, but I'm guessing I could also pass for a few years older so they probably didn't notice. No one has commented until my third prac supervisor straight up asked how old I am (I'm 23 now) and couldn't believe it. the younger, the better in my opinion when we have to spend years getting a doctorate. So good luck! 
If you're looking to appear older (and you're a woman), I also would recommend looking into makeup if you don't already. I rarely wear it, but as someone in their early-to-mid twenties that regularly gets mistaken for a teen, spending extra time on (professional-looking) makeup reduces that perception strongly. There shouldn't be, but looking younger is unfortunately a small disadvantage.
Of course, you should do what you're most comfortable with! But if you're looking to come off as a couple of years older, that can help a ton.
Of course, you should do what you're most comfortable with! But if you're looking to come off as a couple of years older, that can help a ton.
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