Two questions from aspiring Psy.D. applicant

[Mitch Warner]

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Hi, I'm seriously considering leaving an 11-year career in music to pursue a career as a psychotherapist, and am planning to apply to Psy.D. programs this fall for the '07-'08 school year. I have two different questions I'm hoping people can help me with:

1. The classic "will I get in" question, since I have big strengths and big weaknesses. I graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Yale in 1995, with a 3.83 GPA and distinction in the psych major. I took the psych GRE two years ago and got a 740 (I haven't taken the general GRE yet, but I test well). So far, so good. HOWEVER, in the 11 years since I graduated from Yale, I have devoted myself exclusively to a successful career as a musician, which means that I have zero clinical or volunteer experience and only one solid Yale professor letter of recommendation I can count on (only worked even a bit closely with one prof, who likes me a lot; none others will likely remember me this far out). My other two letters would be from the director of a camp (an Ed.D.) I worked at as a counselor for years, attesting to my strong abilities in dealing with the everyday psychological complexities of kids, and my band's former manager, an MBA who can attest to how much psychological sophistication it takes to successfully manage the interpersonal elements of a band (not unlike working with kids!). 😉 In case you're wondering, incidentally, I am not principally interested in working in child psych, though it's something I might consider.

I understand that taking an extra year or two to get further experience/recommendations would help my chances. However, as I'm already in my mid-30s, I'm anxious not to spend more time than necessary before starting a program, so I'm hoping people will give me their assessment of my chances as they currently stand, not as they might stand in a couple of years.

2. I saw this question posed, but not answered: for Psy.D. applicants, how important is it to "match" with faculty members' interests? I am extremely interested in working as a psychotherapist, but I don't have a particular sub-population I'm hoping to work with more exclusively. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance to anyone who's willing to help a newbie like me. I genuinely appreciate it!

 

[Mitch Warner]

...and only one solid Yale professor letter of recommendation I can count on (only worked even a bit closely with one prof, who likes me a lot; none others will likely remember me this far out). My other two letters would be from the director of a camp (an Ed.D.) I worked at as a counselor for years, attesting to my strong abilities in dealing with the everyday psychological complexities of kids, and my band's former manager, an MBA who can attest to how much psychological sophistication it takes to successfully manage the interpersonal elements of a band (not unlike working with kids!).

ONE MORE QUESTION: I suppose it's possible that I could get my second and third letters of recommendation from former Yale profs (a two-time prof and my very hands-off senior thesis adviser), but they probably wouldn't be able to say much of real or specific value about me, except what I remind them about. Plus, I'm not 100% sure they'd even be fully positive, as I had early friction with the former prof (later resolved) and I spent part of my senior thesis politely contesting my adviser's own research. Would that still be better than the above-mentioned camp director and manager, who know me well and can say glowing, specific things? Thanks so much for any advice!!

 

[alienarms]

Hey there-first of all, good for you, and good luck! I just had one or two ideas on your situation. You have a lot going for you (great UG institution, GPA, distinction in major, etc), so with some work I think you probably have a good shot. One thing that has been pointed out on this board is that while PhD programs usually waive tuition and provide stipends for their (very few) students, PsyD programs don't do so as often and therefore can accept more people (which is not to say that they aren't competitive). Also, since they're not generally research-oriented, you don't need the research experience that PhD applicants require.
In the same vein, my impression about PsyD programs is that you don't need to have your interests totally solidified-but then again, it may help to take that extra year or so to get a little more clinical experience, in order to help you define what you want to do.

You should probably try to do well on the GRE; it's a big part of any application and since you've been out of school for 11 years, unless you've been doing geometry and algebra in that time you will want to study. A good score will help you stand out!

Lastly, the letters of rec-you have two solid ones (the prof and your camp director) but I don't know how much weight your band manager will carry-if it were me, I would want the extra year of work just for another letter from a clinician. But that's me.

You're probably in pretty good shape-just kill the GRE and write a great essay, if you aren't taking an extra year. Best of luck!

PS-Is that Mitch Warner as in Real Genius Mitch Warner? Awesome!!

 

[Noah333]

i just made the switch to psych after a 10 year legal career - i think that taking an extra year to get both clinical and research experience played a big part in my success with respect to getting into programs this year - these experiences are crucial because otherwise the schools will question how you can be certain that this is the right path for you (recall that the vast majority of applicants have relevant experiences and, as such, admissions committee need not take a chance on anyone) - also i think the personal statement is very important in telling your story and why you want to make the change after originally heading down another path - be sure to give yourself plenty of time to write an essay that will stand out - finally, as for letters of recommendation, i think that a revealing letter from a recent boss is preferable to a bland letter from a professor that you had a decade ago - you have been working for quite a long time and, as such, admissions committees will value a more recent appraisal - just my two cents - whatever you decide, i wish you good luck!!

 

[Mitch Warner]

Thanks, you guys! Very helpful. Anyone else have thoughts they're willing to share? I greatly appreciate it--as I said in another post, this forum is a godsend and I'm grateful to everyone who posts! What a resource.