WAMC: What Are My Chances

[Therapist4Chnge]

MOD NOTE: We are now going to have one thread for all of the inquiries for competitiveness, what are my chances, do I have a shot, can I get into ABC University, etc. Most of the other SDN forums have found success with having one thread, so we are going to adopt that going forward.

1. Please post your WAMC questions in here ONLY, as any outside thread will be combined with this one.

2. Do not make additional threads to ask about competitiveness for specific schools.

-t4c

3. Regarding privacy in WAMC threads specifically, please see the advice and information posted here: Regarding privacy: information on the internet is there forever. It is in the pre-med forums, but many of the tips listed are helpful to remember regardless of the type/location of post.

-AA

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[theSCseal]

I'm applying to funded PhD programs in clinical psychology at:

USC
UCLA
SDSU/UCSD JDP
UC Berkeley
University of Washington
University of Oregon
University of Nevada, Reno
UT Austin
Arizona State Univ.

GRE:
V-660
Q-710
Analytical-4.5
Psychology Subject-720

Undergrad GPA:
3.94

Relevant course work:
1 year of undergraduate statistics and research methods
1 year of graduate statistics
Studied abroad for 6 months

Research experience (10 hrs/week):
1 year undergrad
2 years post-undergrad
*No publication, abstract, senior thesis, but I am currently authoring part of a manuscript.

Work experience:
Academic counselor for undergraduates since early 2008

Any thoughts?

 

[neuropsyance]

I'm applying to funded PhD programs in clinical psychology at:

USC
UCLA
SDSU/UCSD JDP
UC Berkeley
University of Washington
University of Oregon
University of Nevada, Reno
UT Austin
Arizona State Univ.

GRE:
V-660
Q-710
Analytical-4.5
Psychology Subject-720

Undergrad GPA:
3.94

Relevant course work:
1 year of undergraduate statistics and research methods
1 year of graduate statistics
Studied abroad for 6 months

Research experience (10 hrs/week):
1 year undergrad
2 years post-undergrad
*No publication, abstract, senior thesis, but I am currently authoring part of a manuscript.

Work experience:
Academic counselor for undergraduates since early 2008

Any thoughts?

Looks like you have some graduate coursework. Did you get a masters? Did you pull out of the program?

 

[theSCseal]

Looks like you have some graduate coursework. Did you get a masters? Did you pull out of the program?

Nope, I've never applied to graduate school before. I work at a university, so I get to take courses at the university for free. As such, I decided to enroll in two semesters of grad-level stats courses while working full-time. That's where the graduate GPA comes from.

 

[neuropsyance]

Nope, I've never applied to graduate school before. I work at a university, so I get to take courses at the university for free. As such, I decided to enroll in two semesters of grad-level stats courses while working full-time. That's where the graduate GPA comes from.

Well from my perspective, only two of your stats aren't very competitive (and by that I mean they aren't bad, just not very competitive). When I look at stats for admissions I see a lot of 5.0's or 5.5's for analytical writing, but in all honesty, that isn't very crucial, so long as you score alright, which you have. You don't have any publications or anything (other than your manuscript in the works), but that's okay too because they are extremely hard to get pre-grad.

Other than that, every part of your application looks extremely competitive. I will say though, as will anyone on this board, that fit is most important. So long as you are applying to work with POI's whose work you are truly interested in, you will be fine. Write a good statement, you should make it past the first cut.

Neuropsyance

 

[theSCseal]

Well from my perspective, only two of your stats aren't very competitive (and by that I mean they aren't bad, just not very competitive). When I look at stats for admissions I see a lot of 5.0's or 5.5's for analytical writing, but in all honesty, that isn't very crucial, so long as you score alright, which you have. You don't have any publications or anything (other than your manuscript in the works), but that's okay too because they are extremely hard to get pre-grad.

Other than that, every part of your application looks extremely competitive. I will say though, as will anyone on this board, that fit is most important. So long as you are applying to work with POI's whose work you are truly interested in, you will be fine. Write a good statement, you should make it past the first cut.

Don't apply to the University of Cincinnati.

Neuropsyance

Thanks for your feedback! I'm glad to hear that at this point it seems that hopefully it will just come down to the interview and those other more subjective assessments of fit, personality, etc.

 

[andes]

you clearly have good stats, but what will make you stand out? these stats are great but fairly run of the mill at the programs you are applying to.

you will be up against people who have very special things about them. make sure that there is something that makes you very very special when your application is read.

you are applying to some of the very best programs out there; they are not looking for good, they are looking for outstanding, recommenders who can genuinely say "i have not had this caliber student in all my years of teaching"... good luck!

 

[McClinas]

Wow...I'm starting to anxiously stew about my chances of getting into these clinical PhD program (except where otherwise noted):

University at Albany
University of Louisville
Penn State
University of Maryland College Park (PhD, Counseling)
Fordham University
University of Tennessee
Bowling Green State University
Duquesne University
University of Kentucky
American University
Kent State
Ohio University
Rutgers University (PsyD)
St. John’s University
University of Toledo
Long Island Unviersity

My stats are:
GRE: 600 V, 700 Q, 4.0 AW
Psychology GRE: 740 (91st percentile)
GPA: 3.71 (well-respective university), psychology major, got As in stats, research methods, abnormal psyc, etc.
Research experience: 1.5 years as an undergrad, 6 months as a full-time research assistant, no publications, but did formulate and run a research project under the supervision of my major professor as an undergrad
Clinical experience: 6 months as a mental health counselor at a hospital, 6 months as a clinical-research intern
Solid SOP, good letters of recommendation, but probably not "outstanding"
Good research match with POI
Please be honest, what are my chances? Thank you SDNers!

 

[RejectClinical]

Wow...I'm starting to anxiously stew about my chances of getting into these clinical PhD program (except where otherwise noted):

University at Albany
University of Louisville
Penn State
University of Maryland College Park (PhD, Counseling)
Fordham University
University of Tennessee
Bowling Green State University
Duquesne University
University of Kentucky
American University
Kent State
Ohio University
Rutgers University (PsyD)
St. John’s University
University of Toledo
Long Island Unviersity

My stats are:
GRE: 600 V, 700 Q, 4.0 AW
Psychology GRE: 740 (91st percentile)
GPA: 3.71 (well-respective university), psychology major, got As in stats, research methods, abnormal psyc, etc.
Research experience: 1.5 years as an undergrad, 6 months as a full-time research assistant, no publications, but did formulate and run a research project under the supervision of my major professor as an undergrad
Clinical experience: 6 months as a mental health counselor at a hospital, 6 months as a clinical-research intern
Solid SOP, good letters of recommendation, but probably not "outstanding"
Good research match with POI
Please be honest, what are my chances? Thank you SDNers!

Well you did a solid job on the GRE and you applied to a lot of schools, so that helps. You also have a good amount of reserach experience. It really depends on your personal statement and how much you match with regard to reserach. Did you go to any conferences to present research?

 

[242598]

.

 

[phillips101]

Hi guys, first, thanks in advance for reading this and offering your thoughts.
I've been thinking a lot about my career path, and finally decided on wanting to follow the clinical neuropsychology track.

Some info about me:
-College: went to Johns Hopkins U, majored in cognitive science and minored in psychology. Long story short, in writing, I majored in cog sci. But in actuality, I took enough coursework to satisfy both a cog sci AND psychology major. The reason is because my focus in cog sci was cognitive neuroscience, so I had to take all the classes that psych majors took also (including statistics, experimental psych, etc).
-GPA: overall GPA is 3.57, co sci GPA is 3.8ish. The huge disparity between the two GPAs is because of my premed courses. I pulled 2 Cs in chem II and physics I, and I have one retake for orgo II. Other than that, I pretty much got straight A's in all of the psych courses I've taken. Oh, and I have a very strong upward trend (started from a 3.1 freshman year to 3.8something senior year)
-Extracurriculars: the GOOD thing is even though I was set on med school, all/most of my extracurriculars are relevant to psychology/neuro.
--> did research on autism at a neuro lab for 2 years (ended up quitting cus my project was not getting results and neither the postdoc nor the PI knew how to fix the problem)
--> volunteered with a multiple sclerosis patient for 2 years
--> interned at neuropsychology behavioral modification clinic for a summer
--> did service fraternity and was secretary
--> volunteered at nursing home
--Oh and a research project I did during one of my internships got published in '07, with me as one of the authors.

Sorry for the load of information. I'm not asking "what are my chances" since I never believe in those. Since I'm new to this whole clinical psych thing, I'm just wondering what others have done to improve on their application.
Things I'm planning on doing:
-contact some neuropsychologists in my area and shadow them
-take some courses if needed (I saw that UCSD requires abnormal psych, which I didn't take)
-possibly research? Not big on lab bench research person.

What else did others do? I'm hoping to take my GRE's and apply next year.

Thanks in advance!

 

[dynamicmind01]

I have a few comments

1) You need to make sure you have a few relationships that are very strong for getting Letters of Rec. The only alarms I hear is that you quit on a lab because you weren't getting good results. Therefore, will these people still write you a rec? All grad programs require 3 recs in Clinical Psychology

2) I'd actually disagree with you regarding all of your premed ECS are relevant for clinical psychology. I could be totally wrong, but in premed boards and "How to get into Medical School" I always hear a lot about service oriented things, volunteer hours, social responsibility stuff. I think this is really less emphasized in clinical psychology programs. It might be a great thing to have, but I think it will contribute less to your application than if you were applying to medicine.

3) My best advice is that you get research experience. I know you said you don't like research, but if you want to get into a Ph.D. program in Clinical, they are generally always looking for research experience. I'd find a lab you can volunteer in for at least a year, maybe longer. If you start now, you can probably get some nice experiences before you apply next Fall.

4) Start to learn your field. Shadowing sounds interesting, but you can also just start to read papers in the field you want to enter, and learn who the key players are and the big concepts.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

MOD NOTE: phillips101, I moved your post over here because functionally you are inquiring about your stats and how to improve them; I think you'll get more feedback in here anyway. -t4c

 

[phillips101]

Thanks a lot for the comments. I know my application's not all there yet, and that's why it's great to hear constructive criticism.
-As for the lab, I quit it on good terms. It was a lab bench type research, not clinical. I know I'm trying to get into a phd program, but if I'm not wrong, neuropsychs work more with patients, not pipetting solutions day in day out. I had a pretty good relationship with the PI at that lab, but I was doing western blots for 2 years (literally) and most of them didn't come out right. It just got to the point where i knew how to do all 20 something steps of a western blot by heart and could recite backwards, and yet none of the blots would have any results. On the other hand, the paper that got published was something I did in 3 months, and I worked on 2 separate projects at that time.

-As for my extracurriculars, yea most of them are geared towards volunteering (ahah since I was a premed), but I the reason why I say they are kind of relevant is because most of them (the research/clinic/MS patient) all have an underlying theme of neurological disorders.

I'm planning on shadowing before I dive deep into the application process. As far as doing more research, I would love to work at a clinic, but I don't know how much it would help to get a lab-bench position.

 

[buzzworm]

Thanks a lot for the comments. I know my application's not all there yet, and that's why it's great to hear constructive criticism.
-As for the lab, I quit it on good terms. It was a lab bench type research, not clinical. I know I'm trying to get into a phd program, but if I'm not wrong, neuropsychs work more with patients, not pipetting solutions day in day out. I had a pretty good relationship with the PI at that lab, but I was doing western blots for 2 years (literally) and most of them didn't come out right. It just got to the point where i knew how to do all 20 something steps of a western blot by heart and could recite backwards, and yet none of the blots would have any results. On the other hand, the paper that got published was something I did in 3 months, and I worked on 2 separate projects at that time.

-As for my extracurriculars, yea most of them are geared towards volunteering (ahah since I was a premed), but I the reason why I say they are kind of relevant is because most of them (the research/clinic/MS patient) all have an underlying theme of neurological disorders.

I'm planning on shadowing before I dive deep into the application process. As far as doing more research, I would love to work at a clinic, but I don't know how much it would help to get a lab-bench position.

Lab-bench work (e.g. doing Western blots and never seeing a patient) and clinic volunteer work are not your only options. There are plenty of jobs out there in psychology/psychiatry/neurology research labs, which allow you contact with clinical populations while also getting research experience similar to what you'll be doing as a grad student. From what I've heard from people in the field, this kind of experience is valued much more highly by admissions committees than non-research clinical experience. Try checking out the job listings for local universities, and I can almost guarantee you'll come up with some psychology research assistant positions.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Doing psychometrician work as part of a research lab would be really beneficial, particularly if you are leaning towards working in the neuropsych area. If you are able to work under a neuropsychologist, a letter from them would be very beneficial, as they can speak directly to your chances of doing well in the area.

 

[phillips101]

Lab-bench work (e.g. doing Western blots and never seeing a patient) and clinic volunteer work are not your only options. There are plenty of jobs out there in psychology/psychiatry/neurology research labs, which allow you contact with clinical populations while also getting research experience similar to what you'll be doing as a grad student. From what I've heard from people in the field, this kind of experience is valued much more highly by admissions committees than non-research clinical experience. Try checking out the job listings for local universities, and I can almost guarantee you'll come up with some psychology research assistant positions.

Wow, thanks, will be sure to start looking at those!

 

[phillips101]

Just curious, what type of GPA's are "competitive" at these programs? Do they look more at your overall or psych-related GPA?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Just curious, what type of GPA's are "competitive" at these programs? Do they look more at your overall or psych-related GPA?

GPA is similar to GRE as they function as a thinning tool. I think the average GPA for clinical Ph.D. programs is 3.5-3.6 or so. If you have a 3.2 and 1100....you'd probably have a hard time getting interviews (though people have gotten invites in that range). While not cutoffs, 3.5 and over 1200 is unofficially what I've seen for consideration. Some of the more competitive programs may look for 3.7, 1300+, and a solid research match, but it is hard to say with any certainty. Frankly, GRE isn't a great measure, but many programs use it to thin the herd of applicants. Overall, being a good research fit will matter more, but you need to get through the initial screen for GPA/GRE.

 

[242598]

.

 

[terpskins10]

Can I bump this since I haven't received any feedback? I'm done my applications, so there's little I can do to change the above now, but it would be helpful to know which of the above seem weakest/strongest in case I don't get in anywhere.

It looks like you're a pretty strong applicant. The 3 years of experience outside of undergrad experience and pubs might help compensate for the 3.48, but but that's pretty close to a 3.5 anyway. But also, I think it really depends on where you're applying.

 

[beaconshome]

Hi everyone! I’m new to this forum and would like some feedback or guidance on clinical or counseling psych programs. I’m currently in my 4th/5th year of undergrad and have had many troubles along my journey. I began as a chemistry major up until the beginning of this past fall semester (2009). I decided to make the switch to psychology, because my upper level chemistry classes weren’t working out too well for me. Unfortunately, I failed 3 chemistry classes and thought I was destined for failure. In addition, I had to take a medical withdrawl for a whole semester because of a brain tumor.
However, I have now completed 4 classes in psychology (general, statistics, research methods, and theories of personality) and absolutely love it! I have a vast improvement in my grades averaging a 3.25 for psychology classes, but my overall GPA is at a 2.73 from my previous shortcomings.
The questions I have are what is the likelihood of a clinical or counseling psych program of even looking at my application? Should I consider applying to M.A. programs and prove my capabilities and then apply to PhD. or PsyD. programs?
Thank you in advance for your time, consideration, and comments.

 

[terpskins10]

I'm sorry for your difficulties, and I hope you have made a full recovery. In terms of psychology programs, I think an M.A. might be right up your alley. If you can get some research experience, and prove that you can handle graduate level courses (get a high GPA in your master's program) you should have a decent shot.

 

[RayneeDeigh]

I used to be a chem major as well, and my GPA was horrific. I switched to psychology (I switched earlier than you, at the end of my first year) and took tons and tons of psych, anthropology, women's studies, etc. to raise my GPA. By the time I applied to PhD programs my GPA was 3.7ish.

You will definitely want to take abnormal psychology before thinking about applying to grad school. Also, what about taking some more time as an undergrad to raise your GPA and then apply to PhD programs? Most competitive/funded grad schools right now would probably not look at your application if you didn't meet the GPA cutoff, but you would be amazed at how fast a GPA can go up if you take lots of courses you're good at.

Best of luck!

 

[PrisonPsych]

Agreed. Unfortunately, right now it would be virtually impossible for you to get into a Clinical/Counseling Ph.D. program. You could probably get into some of the professional schools (Psy.D.), but that will cost you an arm and a leg and is different kind of program. Doing a master's program first to prove that you can do better grade-wise is definitely your best option if you are set on this career.

 

[richzeelv]

High/Solid GRE scores can also help you. I suggest applying to Masters programs as well if you decide to apply to PHD programs right away. Also, research experience will help you alot so make sure you get involve research ASAP.

 

[GreenPsych]

I agree with the above comments and believe your best option is to apply to an MA in Counseling Psychology or an MA in Research Psychology.

Another option might be to do the work toward another Bachelor degree in Psychology or simply take extra courses in Psychology above and beyond the required 120 hours.

Also have you taken the GRE yet? If you score extremely high on the GRE (1400 range) I believe it will greatly improve your chances if you can raise your GPA to the 3.25 area.

 

[beaconshome]

Thank you everyone! I’m still hesitant to take additional undergraduate classes, because I’m currently at a private college and tuition is expensive. I plan on graduating in Fall 2010 because I will have all my classes complete by that time. I could possibly take more classes at a state university after that so the cost wouldn’t be too extreme.

Yes I plan on taking more psychology classes since that is my new major. No, I haven't taken the GRE yet but I am studying for it currently.

 

[AlaskanJustin]

Thank you everyone! I’m still hesitant to take additional undergraduate classes, because I’m currently at a private college and tuition is expensive. I plan on graduating in Fall 2010 because I will have all my classes complete by that time. I could possibly take more classes at a state university after that so the cost wouldn’t be too extreme.

Yes I plan on taking more psychology classes since that is my new major. No, I haven't taken the GRE yet but I am studying for it currently.

Study hard and do well on both general GREs and the subject GRE.

I was in a position a little different, I was originally a psych major, had a great gpa, then decided to go to med school and took all the pre reqs as well as additional upper level psych classes, and got my butt kicked, brought my gpa down a bit, but regardless Ive done well on GREs and spent the last two years at the NIH doing research etc., I think the research helped me most, I decided to go this route (post-bacc IRTA) instead of Masters because 1) I couldnt afford more student loans for expensive masters programs 2) it paid me to get research experience

So I would also look into post-bacc programs, but I am guessing the point of the masters for you would be to both strengthen GPA and strengthen a psych background?

good luck

 

[travelspace]

what about professional schools? if money isnt' a big issue for you.

otherwise, it'd be a good idea to get a ma/ms first before applying for phd.

 

[beaconshome]

So what type of Master's program should I apply? Counseling psychology? Or is that not enough research based to move onto a PhD program?

 

[psychmama]

So what type of Master's program should I apply? Counseling psychology? Or is that not enough research based to move onto a PhD program?

Are you talking about an MA in counseling or a Masters in counseling psychology? The latter is usually research-based; I'd stay away from the former if your goal is to go on for the doctorate, since it's geared more towards practitioners who want a terminal degree.

 

[KillerDiller]

Make sure that the masters programs you apply to (regardless of the specific degree involved) require original research for the thesis. Some programs only have you do a lengthy literature review, and this won't look very attractive to Ph.D programs.

Also consider general psych masters programs. They are more research based and will give you the foundation in all areas of psychology that you did not get in undergrad.

 

[Jbadgers1]

Hey everyone,

I am a Junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I just wanted to get some feedback on what people though my chances were to get into some psyd programs.

GPA - 3.4 (hopefully up to 3.5ish by the time I apply)

My GPA is low due to being "pre-med", but my trend should be a lot higher when I apply.

Psych GPA 3.75

I have completed 9 semester psych classes, and plan on taking 3 next semester and as many as possible my senior year.

I am taking the GRE this summer. After doing well on ACT and dedicating all of my free time this next semester to studying I hope to do well.

Research experience - 1 semester of research assitant, 1 semester of research coordinator work, working next semester as research coordinator, and hopefully working the summer and the next 2 semesters as a research coordinator. So hopefully 1 semester of RA and 4 semesters of RC. I have one publication already, a presentation in Feburary, and I will hopefull have another publication soon.

Clinical experience - I worked at the Mendota Mental Health Institute last semester. I am planning on working next semester, summer, and my senior year.

So what does everyone/anyone think?
What parts do I need work on?
Any comments would be appreciated!

 

[erg923]

k

 

[erg923]

52.5999%

Without GRE scores and the types of psy.d programs your applying to, (professional schools vs university programs) no one can say. And even with that info it hard to know. Your stats appear to be in the average range for those applying to psy.d programs.

 

[PsychPhDone]

Make sure that the masters programs you apply to (regardless of the specific degree involved) require original research for the thesis. Some programs only have you do a lengthy literature review, and this won't look very attractive to Ph.D programs.

Also consider general psych masters programs. They are more research based and will give you the foundation in all areas of psychology that you did not get in undergrad.

Yes, there are some really great general experimental psychology masters programs that have good track records for their students getting into solid clinical PhD programs afterwards. I'd focus on those.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Hey everyone,

I am a Junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I just wanted to get some feedback on what people though my chances were to get into some psyd programs.

GPA - 3.4 (hopefully up to 3.5ish by the time I apply)

My GPA is low due to being "pre-med", but my trend should be a lot higher when I apply.

Psych GPA 3.75

I have completed 9 semester psych classes, and plan on taking 3 next semester and as many as possible my senior year.

I am taking the GRE this summer. After doing well on ACT and dedicating all of my free time this next semester to studying I hope to do well.

Research experience - 1 semester of research assitant, 1 semester of research coordinator work, working next semester as research coordinator, and hopefully working the summer and the next 2 semesters as a research coordinator. So hopefully 1 semester of RA and 4 semesters of RC. I have one publication already, a presentation in Feburary, and I will hopefull have another publication soon.

Clinical experience - I worked at the Mendota Mental Health Institute last semester. I am planning on working next semester, summer, and my senior year.

So what does everyone/anyone think?
What parts do I need work on?
Any comments would be appreciated!

Excellent research experience--congrats on the publication! Decent clinical experience (but unless you've been a licensed professional, no one really applies with "excellent" clinical experience. GPA's a little low, but not so low as to get you screened out, I wouldn't think. On the DCT thread, you said you were applying to PhD programs? Are you planning on applying to both PhD and PsyD programs? What type of each?

 

[Hopeful3]

So I am putting myself out there!

I applied to one Clinical PsyD program and already got rejected. I have had great contact with the school, admissions director who told me I was a perfect candidate. This was before I took the GRE...twice

So I am looking for advice on what I need to improve and if my GRE alone can cause me to be completely eliminated from consideration.

Grad GPA- 3.52 (MS Special Education)
Undergrad 2.87 (failed a religion class based on an opinion paper on what is Faith, then withdrew, forever killing my GPA)
Undergrad Psych GPA- 3.8

9 Years of experience in several settings, 6 years psychiatric hospital, 5 years teaching exceptional children (autism, emotional disabilities), worked non-profit case managment as well.

Great letters of recommendations.

Ok heres the killer-

GRE (I am a TERRIBLE Standardized test taker)
1st time- (I am so embarrased) 380Q, 420V, 4.0AW
2nd time- 420Q, 480Q, 4.5AW
-I wrote a GRE statement explaining my scores.

So bad...

Now will the GRE scores alone kill it for me? I am planning on taking this year to take a GRE course and get a tutor and hope to increase my score significantly.
I will also apply to more than one school (I want to stay New Englandish an not a ton of PsyD schools in that region)

So my short question after my long explaination is: Will I be a good PsyD candidate if I increase my GRE scores? And- Do you think it was the GRE that killed it for me?

I appreciate any advice! Thank you!

 

[PrisonPsych]

So I am putting myself out there!

I applied to one Clinical PsyD program and already got rejected. I have had great contact with the school, admissions director who told me I was a perfect candidate. This was before I took the GRE...twice

So I am looking for advice on what I need to improve and if my GRE alone can cause me to be completely eliminated from consideration.

Grad GPA- 3.52 (MS Special Education)
Undergrad 2.87 (failed a religion class based on an opinion paper on what is Faith, then withdrew, forever killing my GPA)
Undergrad Psych GPA- 3.8

9 Years of experience in several settings, 6 years psychiatric hospital, 5 years teaching exceptional children (autism, emotional disabilities), worked non-profit case managment as well.

Great letters of recommendations.

Ok heres the killer-

GRE (I am a TERRIBLE Standardized test taker)
1st time- (I am so embarrased) 380Q, 420V, 4.0AW
2nd time- 420Q, 480Q, 4.5AW
-I wrote a GRE statement explaining my scores.

So bad...

Now will the GRE scores alone kill it for me? I am planning on taking this year to take a GRE course and get a tutor and hope to increase my score significantly.
I will also apply to more than one school (I want to stay New Englandish an not a ton of PsyD schools in that region)

So my short question after my long explaination is: Will I be a good PsyD candidate if I increase my GRE scores? And- Do you think it was the GRE that killed it for me?

I appreciate any advice! Thank you!

You need to do something about your GRE. That will prevent you from even being considered at a lot of schools. Ideally you really need to get it over at *least* 1000. Psy.D. requirements for admission tend to be lesser than Ph.D. requirements (particularly at professional schools), but a GRE <1000 is going to get your application in the "toss" pile at a lot of places.

 

[Hopeful3]

Thank you, that does make me feel better. I know I am capable of it, I am by no means stupid, infact, I think quite the opposite. I am a horrific test taker. I do think I went into the GRE's not as prepared as I could have been. I definitely think my score will dramatically increase if I take a course. I am actually going to start studying after the new year and take the GRE in July. That gives me a significant amount of time. If my GRE scores are above 1000 (my goal is to get at least a 1200, the school I am interested in wants 1150) would I be a good candidate? I want this more than anything else in my life and have been working on this goal for years!

Thanks!!

 

[PrisonPsych]

Thank you, that does make me feel better. I know I am capable of it, I am by no means stupid, infact, I think quite the opposite. I am a horrific test taker. I do think I went into the GRE's not as prepared as I could have been. I definitely think my score will dramatically increase if I take a course. I am actually going to start studying after the new year and take the GRE in July. That gives me a significant amount of time. If my GRE scores are above 1000 (my goal is to get at least a 1200, the school I am interested in wants 1150) would I be a good candidate? I want this more than anything else in my life and have been working on this goal for years!

Thanks!!

What you need to pay attention to is whether or not they have a cutoff. If they have a cutoff, and you're under it, there's a good chance your application won't even be considered. You can apply anyway, but you run a risk that they won't consider you if you're below the cutoff. Whether or not there is a cutoff and what it is varies by school - take a look at the Insider's Guide and the other resources available both online and off to help you decide where you might be best off applying to.

 

[futureapppsy2]

I agree that cut-offs are what you need to look out for, including informal cut-offs.

 

[futureapppsy2]

.

 

[AlaskanJustin]

Hey everyone,

I am a Junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I just wanted to get some feedback on what people though my chances were to get into some psyd programs.

GPA - 3.4 (hopefully up to 3.5ish by the time I apply)

My GPA is low due to being "pre-med", but my trend should be a lot higher when I apply.

Psych GPA 3.75

I have completed 9 semester psych classes, and plan on taking 3 next semester and as many as possible my senior year.

I am taking the GRE this summer. After doing well on ACT and dedicating all of my free time this next semester to studying I hope to do well.

Research experience - 1 semester of research assitant, 1 semester of research coordinator work, working next semester as research coordinator, and hopefully working the summer and the next 2 semesters as a research coordinator. So hopefully 1 semester of RA and 4 semesters of RC. I have one publication already, a presentation in Feburary, and I will hopefull have another publication soon.

Clinical experience - I worked at the Mendota Mental Health Institute last semester. I am planning on working next semester, summer, and my senior year.

So what does everyone/anyone think?
What parts do I need work on?
Any comments would be appreciated!

Someone else said your GPA is low, I disagree with this because of the premed classes. Before taking premed classes I was well above 3.5, then I took premed classes and upper level bio classes, and am now at 3.27 overall. As long as you maintain high psych GPA AND you get the GRE scores to back it up, the overall wont hurt you because of quality of classes, in fact I think your GPA is quite good considering.

People say RA'ing is good research experience and a pub is nice, but what author were you? That makes a big diff in my opinion (i.e., 5th author on a 10 author paper, or 1st author etc). I actually have no clue what the difference between research assistant and research coordinator is, do you mean you actully design and perform independent experiments? Or you are still doing someone else's bidding? Have you thought about trying to do an independent project (maybe like a thesis) under the guidance of a faculty member?

I agree about the clinical experience thing, what IS nice is when you can combine the two, i.e., research in a clinical population, that has helped me.

Remember its not just about the quantity of what you have, its the quality. So lets say that presentation you have, is it at a national conference like the APA? Or was it local like a school-organized presentation? Is the publication in a journal with a high impact factor or a very low impact factor? Having a lot of different research positions isnt quite as nice as one or two really productive positions that result in letters from advisors speaking really highly about you.

Just some things to think about.

 

[beaconshome]

Loyola College in Maryland seems to be a good option from the looks of it. It offers a M.S. Thesis track or Practitioner track. Here is the link

http://www.loyola.edu/academics/psychology/masters/prospective/admissionpolicies.html

 

[Jbadgers1]

Excellent research experience--congrats on the publication! Decent clinical experience (but unless you've been a licensed professional, no one really applies with "excellent" clinical experience. GPA's a little low, but not so low as to get you screened out, I wouldn't think. On the DCT thread, you said you were applying to PhD programs? Are you planning on applying to both PhD and PsyD programs? What type of each?

-- After reading on here about the difference in money, and the fact that PhD programs seem to be "better" (I don't know if thats the right word), I think I am going to apply to mainly PhD programs and maybe a few PsyD programs as backup. As for PhD. I am applying to places around the midwest (Madison, Milwaukee, Minn., some Chicago schools, Illinois, Etc.)

Someone else said your GPA is low, I disagree with this because of the premed classes. Before taking premed classes I was well above 3.5, then I took premed classes and upper level bio classes, and am now at 3.27 overall. As long as you maintain high psych GPA AND you get the GRE scores to back it up, the overall wont hurt you because of quality of classes, in fact I think your GPA is quite good considering.

People say RA'ing is good research experience and a pub is nice, but what author were you? That makes a big diff in my opinion (i.e., 5th author on a 10 author paper, or 1st author etc). I actually have no clue what the difference between research assistant and research coordinator is, do you mean you actully design and perform independent experiments? Or you are still doing someone else's bidding? Have you thought about trying to do an independent project (maybe like a thesis) under the guidance of a faculty member?

I agree about the clinical experience thing, what IS nice is when you can combine the two, i.e., research in a clinical population, that has helped me.

Remember its not just about the quantity of what you have, its the quality. So lets say that presentation you have, is it at a national conference like the APA? Or was it local like a school-organized presentation? Is the publication in a journal with a high impact factor or a very low impact factor? Having a lot of different research positions isnt quite as nice as one or two really productive positions that result in letters from advisors speaking really highly about you.

Just some things to think about.

-- I was a 2nd author on the paper out of 4. And as far as research coordinator, I work directly with the professor and I am actually "co-designing" the new experiment we are working on. I was considering doing a thesis, but haven't actually talked about it with the professor. And although the presentation isn't at a national conference, it isn't just at my school either. All of my research has been done under two Professors, and I will be continuing the research until I graduate. Therefore these professors know me almost better than my parents do, and should be able to write strong LOR.

 

[psydd]

couple of general GRE questions:

1. do you think programs care more about your actual score, or your percentile rank?

and

2. do you think a strong writing score can compensate for a lower verbal score?

 

[PrisonPsych]

couple of general GRE questions:

1. do you think programs care more about your actual score, or your percentile rank?

and

2. do you think a strong writing score can compensate for a lower verbal score?

1) Percentile rank.

2) Maybe a little, but as long as you get at least a 4 or 4.5 on the Writing, no one really cares about it. Better to try to up your Verbal.

 

[buss723]

Hi everyone. I have enjoyed reading the various threads. My situation is a bit different, as I wasn't a psychology major in undergrad or grad school. As a result, in addition to my undergraduate psychology courses, I took about 6 more psychology classes after finishing graduate school. Additionally, I presented at a research conference and submitted a paper for publication (on the link between crime and clinical diagnoses of schizophrenia). I have submitted all of my applications in to my schools, ideally for placement in a clinical psych Ph.D program. Here is a summary of my credentials below:

Undergrad GPA: 3.47 (does not include the 6 additional courses I took after undergrad, totaling 21 credit hours in psychology)
Grad GPA: 3.25
Psych GPA: 3.83
Stats GPA: 3.5
GRE: 1140; 4.5 Analytical

Research Experience: graduate thesis; 1 conference presentation; awaiting feedback on paper submitted for journal publication (I was primary author)

Clinical Experience: 2 1/2 years presently as a therapist and behavioral analyst at an adolescent community mental health center; will have national certification in cognitive behavioral therapy by July 2010; trainings in CBT, DBT, solution-focused therapy, etc.; bi-weekly clinical supervisions with director of National CBT institute

The schools I have applied to, which are undoubtedly competitive, are as follows:

University of Massachusetts-Amherst
University of Miami
Auburn University
Howard University
Nova Southeastern University (Ph.D and Psy.D programs)
University of South Florida
Northern Illinois University

My recommendation letters come from the clinical training director, my graduate thesis chair/department chair, and my undergraduate professor/mentor. I attended both undergrad and grad school at the University of Florida.

Any feedback you have would be greatly appreciated.