WAMC: What Are My Chances

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DrClinPsyAdvice said:
Hi all,

FYI, the following volume has now been made available FOR FREE to all students. Just visit http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4614-3994-3/page/1 while on a computer connected to the server of any major university. Most all universities have a subscription to Springer's content which lets students download the whole volume for free. Enjoy!
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I am on a major university server and still cant seem to access it. Any ideas on ways to get access to this? seems like a great resource i could use.
 
Yes, try looking up the book on your university's library website and there many be a a link to download there. Or, contact someone in the university library and they call tell you how to access "Springer's e-Book collection (2012 BehSci eBook Collection)." You should be able to get it for free!
 
Here are the top choices in order. I know the order is a bit strange, but there are reasons. More will obviously be applied to than these, but these are the top ten.

1. UCLA
2. UC Berkley
3. University of Pennsylvania
4. USC
5. UCSD/SDSU
6. UCSB (This one is a combined Clinical, Counseling, and School program)
7. University of Oregon
8. Northwestern
9. Boston University
10. Harvard

Here are the Stats

1) UCLA Undergrad: 3.95 Overall; 4.0 Psych

2) 1 year + stats and research methods

3) GRE Scores (New scoring): Verbal:158; Quant:154; AW: 5.0

4) 2 years volunteer work as a crisis intervention counselor for a non-profit sexual assault advocacy group in socal (certified as a ci counselor, but it only required around 50 hours of training to obtain)

5) Western Psych Association published presentation on sexual assault variances between different sub-cultures.

Not much research or published works. What are the chances in your opinions?

Thanks in advance for any observations.
 
CalPsych said:
Here are the top choices in order. I know the order is a bit strange, but there are reasons. More will obviously be applied to than these, but these are the top ten.

1. UCLA
2. UC Berkley
3. University of Pennsylvania
4. USC
5. UCSD/SDSU
6. UCSB (This one is a combined Clinical, Counseling, and School program)
7. University of Oregon
8. Northwestern
9. Boston University
10. Harvard

Here are the Stats

1) UCLA Undergrad: 3.95 Overall; 4.0 Psych

2) 1 year + stats and research methods

3) GRE Scores (New scoring): Verbal:158; Quant:154; AW: 5.0

4) 2 years volunteer work as a crisis intervention counselor for a non-profit sexual assault advocacy group in socal (certified as a ci counselor, but it only required around 50 hours of training to obtain)

5) Western Psych Association published presentation on sexual assault variances between different sub-cultures.

Not much research or published works. What are the chances in your opinions?

Thanks in advance for any observations.
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If you were to apply to any of these programs, your chances likely won't be too great. You have decent, but not great GRE scores. Since all these programs are all extremely research heavy, your clinical experience won't matter and you have very limited research experience. You may have a somewhat better shot at programs that are not as research heavy as these. It also seems like you chose those programs due to location and general prestige as opposed to research match which people will generally strongly advise against.
 
Thank you and to the last poster as well. I think more research needs to be done, possibly another stab and the gre, and definitely a couple of more years to gain research credibility. Maybe a masters is a better alternative at this point. From what I've seen it looks like these stats will gain entrance into most masters programs. A Ph.D. may just be a little later on down the line. The goal is to teach at the UC level, which won't be possible with a masters, but it may just be another stepping stone. Still have to make a living in the mean time, so maybe a clinical focused masters is a better option. Again, thank you for the advisement.
 
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CalPsych said:
The goal is to teach at the UC level, which won't be possible with a masters, but it may just be another stepping stone.
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Teaching is possible, though teaching at a large research university and teaching at a small liberal arts college require very different backgrounds. A large research university will want you to be a researcher who happens to teach. A small liberal arts college will probably want you to teach more, but then you'll have to do other things to stick around.

CalPsych said:
Still have to make a living in the mean time, so maybe a clinical focused masters is a better option. Again, thank you for the advisement.
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Clinical-focused masters are good if they line up with your path, but it is akin to wanting to live in Italy but you study Spanish instead of Italian. They have a bit of crossover with a more research/stats focused masters, but the essence of the training is quite different. You'll be better served to work at least two years full-time in a research lab or pursue a research/stats focused masters degree, as both make a lot more sense to any of those 10 programs than someone who spent 2-3 yrs in a masters program with a goal of doing therapy.
 
Therapist4Chnge said:
Teaching is possible, though teaching at a large research university and teaching at a small liberal arts college require very different backgrounds. A large research university will want you to be a researcher who happens to teach. A small liberal arts college will probably want you to teach more, but then you'll have to do other things to stick around.



Clinical-focused masters are good if they line up with your path, but it is akin to wanting to live in Italy but you study Spanish instead of Italian. They have a bit of crossover with a more research/stats focused masters, but the essence of the training is quite different. You'll be better served to work at least two years full-time in a research lab or pursue a research/stats focused masters degree, as both make a lot more sense to any of those 10 programs than someone who spent 2-3 yrs in a masters program with a goal of doing therapy.
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Agreed. Most of the programs listed are heavy hitters are far as research (and overall admissions competitiveness) goes, so a full-time RA gig sounds like it'd be the ideal spot for you--it will get you the research experience you'll need in order to garner serious consideration, and will also help you to earn a living in the mean time. Trouble is, if you're in CA (as might be thought based on many of your school choices), those positions could be tough to secure. Certainly worth a look, though, and you could also try reaching out to any professors with whom you established a relationship while in undergrad to see if they might have any leads.
 
mewtoo said:
Background info: I applied this cycle to 11 clinical phd programs. I had one interview and was rejected post. I was also waitlisted for an interview at another school, but that didn't pan out.

GRE scores (planning on retaking): V-161 Q-148 W- 5 Should I most definitely retake?

GPA: Finished out with a 3.3. I also got a D in my genetics class in my last semester of undergrad. -_- Yeah, really worried about how that will look.

Research experience: 2 years. 1 lab, a joint project for a summer, did my own independent research project (completed the manuscript for it too). 1 manuscript submitted for pub, 2nd author out of 3. 2 first author posters at regional conference. 1 3rd author poster at regional and 1 national poster, like 6th or 7th author. I also won a top scholar award for a research manuscript I wrote for the entire college of liberal and applied arts at my small, regional uni (each college had a winner). I won money for it and was given the opportunity to give a 10 minute talk over my research. I also won top undergraduate researcher for the psych department for the year. For this award I had to be chosen by the entire psych faculty and is for undergraduates proficient and productive in research. Both awards are recent, so they weren't on my apps.

Other: BS in psych with minor in biology. Psi Chi officer for this academic year and on many committees.
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Since I wrote that recently I just quoted and edited. Edits are bolded.

I'm starting a experimental psych MA program this fall and am fully funded with a tuition remission and a stipend. Its great, but I still have to take out a lot of loans since the stipend is about half of what one gets in a doctoral program. Because of this and that I want to get the ball rolling and not waste my time in a masters program if I don't have to (especially since most phd programs don't allow many transfers!), I am wondering if I should go ahead and apply this cycle and if I get in leave a year early. My undergraduate mentor said she thinks that's a good idea, but I've heard others are more wary. I tend to give her opinion a bit more authority in this certain situation because she actually went to this exact masters program and expressed concern she didn't think it would be rigorous enough research wise for my liking. I may even be working with the same adviser (not certain yet) so I assume she would tell me if the professor would be angered by this.

Also of consideration is my relatively low (for psych doctoral programs) GPA and that glaring D in my last semester... I don't know if that will completely doom me and it would be better to stay in the masters program to show I can hack it. Though it is an upper level biology class so they may let in slide more. Another thing to consider, however, is I took a graduate level biopsycholgy class that same semester and made an A in it. I had to write a paper similar to a qual and even defend it (I guess I could mention this in my SOP to drive it home?). So I don't know if that would be proof enough. Also, if they want a writing sample do you think it wise to send something like that (I got a 100 on it and my defense) or keep it to my independent project's manuscript that I wrote about 2 years ago?

I'm wondering if you think the added awards, plus a few posters that weren't on there yet (and maybe even more I could add while in my first semester of my program), could make a difference in how my apps would turn out. I'm definitely going to overhaul all my written portions of the app, in hindsight I think they may have been a bit weak and I only had one professor look at them.

For what type of programs I am wanting to go into, I will be applying to clinical balanced or heavy research focused programs and probably some social/health psych programs as well. I'm not so much interested in clinical work, its just my research interests fall in that area. I want to do research at a university or research hospital.

So basically, should I stay and finish? Should I go (if I get the opportunity)?
 
mewtoo said:
Since I wrote that recently I just quoted and edited. Edits are bolded.

I'm starting a experimental psych MA program this fall and am fully funded with a tuition remission and a stipend. Its great, but I still have to take out a lot of loans since the stipend is about half of what one gets in a doctoral program. Because of this and that I want to get the ball rolling and not waste my time in a masters program if I don't have to (especially since most phd programs don't allow many transfers!), I am wondering if I should go ahead and apply this cycle and if I get in leave a year early. My undergraduate mentor said she thinks that's a good idea, but I've heard others are more wary. I tend to give her opinion a bit more authority in this certain situation because she actually went to this exact masters program and expressed concern she didn't think it would be rigorous enough research wise for my liking. I may even be working with the same adviser (not certain yet) so I assume she would tell me if the professor would be angered by this.

Also of consideration is my relatively low (for psych doctoral programs) GPA and that glaring D in my last semester... I don't know if that will completely doom me and it would be better to stay in the masters program to show I can hack it. Though it is an upper level biology class so they may let in slide more. Another thing to consider, however, is I took a graduate level biopsycholgy class that same semester and made an A in it. I had to write a paper similar to a qual and even defend it (I guess I could mention this in my SOP to drive it home?). So I don't know if that would be proof enough. Also, if they want a writing sample do you think it wise to send something like that (I got a 100 on it and my defense) or keep it to my independent project's manuscript that I wrote about 2 years ago?

I'm wondering if you think the added awards, plus a few posters that weren't on there yet (and maybe even more I could add while in my first semester of my program), could make a difference in how my apps would turn out. I'm definitely going to overhaul all my written portions of the app, in hindsight I think they may have been a bit weak and I only had one professor look at them.

For what type of programs I am wanting to go into, I will be applying to clinical balanced or heavy research focused programs and probably some social/health psych programs as well. I'm not so much interested in clinical work, its just my research interests fall in that area. I want to do research at a university or research hospital.

So basically, should I stay and finish? Should I go (if I get the opportunity)?
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Regarding the GRE, I think you should def. retake. I have a feeling you didn't make it to many interviews because of your Q score, as your GPA is fine and your research experience is excellent. The good news is that math is really easy to raise - I would suggest using the Barron's Math Workbook and the Manhattan Prep Math GRE books (there is 5 of them I believe)

I think the MA program is a good idea since it is fully funded. Even if you have to take loans for living expenses it shouldn't be that much. Could you also get a research job on the side, perhaps to avoid loans (and the added experience is a bonus)? It would be especially great if you managed to get a 3.8+ GPA to make up for the 3.3 (which is not horrible by any means, but I think below average)

I think the D by itself shoudn't be horrible - I hear that admissions officers rarely look at transcripts in detail. I wouldn't mention it in your SOP. Speaking of, how was your SOP? Now may be a good time to work on improving it

PS - do you know anything about which experimental MA programs are funded? I hear some are, but haven't been able to find a list of them. I am thinking of applying to a couple as backup option if I don't get in this cycle.
 
Hello everyone. I am interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Broadly speaking, my research interests are related to anxiety, stress, and trauma. However, I’m also seeking out programs that lean more heavily toward the clinical. Geography counts for something, but in general terms (seeking a progressive, liberal area with four distinct seasons).

I earned my B.A. in 2005, double major in literature and creative writing. 3.85 GPA from top 50 liberal arts school. Attended on a full scholarship. My plan was to take a year off, work, and apply for Ph.D. programs in literature. I ended up working at a shipyard for four years.

In those four years, I developed my interest in psychology. My own family was not exactly the picture of mental health, so I always had a layperson’s interest in the field. Working at the shipyard was a strange experience. The family who owned the yard was…eccentric. Without getting into the nitty-gritty of the situation, I had a lot of opportunities to work with people who probably suffered from Axis I and II disorders. Also, I ended up serving almost a social welfare role (pushed people through rehab, worked with the county to hire ex-convicts as part of a rehabilitation program, wrote successful grants). Everything gelled, and I realized that I wanted to work in the mental healthcare field.

I joined the military to get money for school. This was 2009. I made rank quickly and currently serve as the supervisor for 30 junior technicians. Anyone familiar with the military knows that your job as a supervisor is unique. You manage a lot of young people who are making a major transition in life, so you provide not only professional, but also personal guidance. I screen people for financial issues, alcohol dependency, and marital problems. I refer them to social workers and psychologists. In one instance, I had to escort a suicidal individual to the hospital (and had to remain with the person for over ten hours until they were admitted). Additionally, I do vocational counseling for about 180 people.

So, now I’m 30. I’ve taken introductory psychology and developmental psychology at a local community college, both with A’s. At a minimum, I know I also need statistics, abnormal psychology, and a class or two in experimental and tests and measurements. I haven’t taken the GRE’s, but I’m studying hard, especially the math! My experience with standardized tests is normally good as long as I’m prepared.

These are my concerns:
1) Letters of recommendation (I’ve been out of school for almost ten years; most of my professors have retired, and those who haven’t surely don’t remember me. Right now I’m limited to online classes due to going out to sea frequently)
2) Lack of formal clinical experience
3) TOTAL lack of research experience

I intend to reenlist for shore duty so I can pursue some in-seat classes (getting some “face time” with professors) and get some volunteer clinical and research experience under my belt.

Do you think I need to pursue a Master degree in order to be a strong Ph.D. candidate? Or could I get the experience I need without earning another degree (taking classes in a non-matriculated status, seeking volunteer opportunities)?

Assuming I don’t return to school for a Master degree, I will be 35, if not a little older, by the time I apply to doctoral programs. If I do go back to school, I will be nearly 40! Will my age hurt me?

If I do not return to school in a matriculated status, what would be my research opportunities? I’m in close proximity to a number of universities, including a medical school and a consortium style Psy.D. program. Is it considered good form to cold call on researchers in the area and offer your assistance?

Will my diverse academic and professional background help me or hurt me? On one hand, I can see an admissions committee appreciating a diverse cohort. On the other, I can see someone looking at my resume and thinking that I’m capricious. The staff psychologist at my command believes my background will work in my favor, as long as I hit all the other wickets.

Any other tips for non-traditional candidates?
 
anuglythunder said:
Hello everyone. I am interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Broadly speaking, my research interests are related to anxiety, stress, and trauma. However, I'm also seeking out programs that lean more heavily toward the clinical. Geography counts for something, but in general terms (seeking a progressive, liberal area with four distinct seasons).

I earned my B.A. in 2005, double major in literature and creative writing. 3.85 GPA from top 50 liberal arts school. Attended on a full scholarship. My plan was to take a year off, work, and apply for Ph.D. programs in literature. I ended up working at a shipyard for four years.

In those four years, I developed my interest in psychology. My own family was not exactly the picture of mental health, so I always had a layperson's interest in the field. Working at the shipyard was a strange experience. The family who owned the yard was…eccentric. Without getting into the nitty-gritty of the situation, I had a lot of opportunities to work with people who probably suffered from Axis I and II disorders. Also, I ended up serving almost a social welfare role (pushed people through rehab, worked with the county to hire ex-convicts as part of a rehabilitation program, wrote successful grants). Everything gelled, and I realized that I wanted to work in the mental healthcare field.

I joined the military to get money for school. This was 2009. I made rank quickly and currently serve as the supervisor for 30 junior technicians. Anyone familiar with the military knows that your job as a supervisor is unique. You manage a lot of young people who are making a major transition in life, so you provide not only professional, but also personal guidance. I screen people for financial issues, alcohol dependency, and marital problems. I refer them to social workers and psychologists. In one instance, I had to escort a suicidal individual to the hospital (and had to remain with the person for over ten hours until they were admitted). Additionally, I do vocational counseling for about 180 people.

So, now I'm 30. I've taken introductory psychology and developmental psychology at a local community college, both with A's. At a minimum, I know I also need statistics, abnormal psychology, and a class or two in experimental and tests and measurements. I haven't taken the GRE's, but I'm studying hard, especially the math! My experience with standardized tests is normally good as long as I'm prepared.

These are my concerns:
1) Letters of recommendation (I've been out of school for almost ten years; most of my professors have retired, and those who haven't surely don't remember me. Right now I'm limited to online classes due to going out to sea frequently)
2) Lack of formal clinical experience
3) TOTAL lack of research experience

I intend to reenlist for shore duty so I can pursue some in-seat classes (getting some "face time" with professors) and get some volunteer clinical and research experience under my belt.

Do you think I need to pursue a Master degree in order to be a strong Ph.D. candidate? Or could I get the experience I need without earning another degree (taking classes in a non-matriculated status, seeking volunteer opportunities)?

Assuming I don't return to school for a Master degree, I will be 35, if not a little older, by the time I apply to doctoral programs. If I do go back to school, I will be nearly 40! Will my age hurt me?

If I do not return to school in a matriculated status, what would be my research opportunities? I'm in close proximity to a number of universities, including a medical school and a consortium style Psy.D. program. Is it considered good form to cold call on researchers in the area and offer your assistance?

Will my diverse academic and professional background help me or hurt me? On one hand, I can see an admissions committee appreciating a diverse cohort. On the other, I can see someone looking at my resume and thinking that I'm capricious. The staff psychologist at my command believes my background will work in my favor, as long as I hit all the other wickets.

Any other tips for non-traditional candidates?
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I will attempt to respond to your questions taking all your provided information into account.

1) Recommendations are important but where they should come from depends on what type of program you are applying for. You have stated that you are interested in pursing a PhD in Clinical psychology in your opening statement. I will assume that this aspiration is being informed by your understanding of the difference between psyd and phd programs as well as the difference between professional schools and other institutions. If this is not the case, I encourage you to investigate these options. That being said, you will need to accrue research oriented recommendations from PhD level advisors. Getting into a traditional boulder model PhD program is highly competitive, often because tuition is reduced or waved in return for research productivity. For this reason, schools are looking to take students that can produce publishable material without extensive oversight. Faculty will differ on their mentoring style, but I believe it is safe to say that giving off the impression that you are a competent and independent worker is essential. Although you can state this about yourself, a qualified recommender's testimony is essential. Let me give you an interesting example.

This past fall I geared up for my second round of PhD applications. The year prior I was able to land a funded slot in a decent 2 year clinical masters program, but at my advisors recommendation I applied to a small pool of PhD programs. Much like you I had been out of academia prior to my masters program, and knew that I needed help bolstering my applications. I asked my mentor to review my proposed recommenders and she made one surprising change. My primary reference was a PhD candidate that I had worked under while in undergrad. Although he wrote me an extensive glowing review, the fact that he had not yet earned a PhD diminished his credibility. She advised that I request a recommendation from another faculty member instead. This example is not unique, and many research labs circumvent this by simply having a qualified faculty member sign off on the recommendation. I share it to give you an idea of how mentors in my life have put an emphasis on who writes your recommendation. To clarify, I was successful in my pursuit and have accepted a fully funded position this fall.

3) I will address your third question now as it relates heavily to the first. I would not fret over your current lack of research experience given your time table of applying in the next five years. You will certainly need to fill this gaping hole, but you can more than accomplish this over the course of the next three years, especially once you are stateside. My best advice is to be tenacious both locating and participating on research teams. There is always a need for lab rats, but simply creating data bases and coding video will not set you apart from the pack. Go in with the mindset that you need to present posters, and work on publications. Taking this active role will build your research CV and will bring you closer to your research team (thus enhancing your recommendations). You might be lucking and find an extremely productive and development oriented lab, but that has not been my experience. I have found that I get the responsibility I seek, and often must learn how to do things on my own. It is totally appropriate to contact researchers via phone or email. I recommend learning about there research online and attempting to join a team that is doing work you are interested in. Given how varied your experience has been, I would use this time to specialize.

Although you don't have direct research under your belt, your experience with grant writing will certainly work to your advantage. The bulk of my fellowship responsibilities revolve around grant attainment. Securing grants plays a huge role in a labs productivity and your ability to help in this process should make you uniquely qualified.

2) Most people do not have a lot of clinical work going into graduate study. There is very little "practice" you can do with a bachelors degree in psychology. Most jobs held by BA's in psych could be done and are done by anyone with a BA or even in some cases a GED. Your current position more than satisfies the clinical expectations in my opinion.

Hope this helps. I will leave you with this: My primary psychology mentor received a bachelors in business and an MBA before pursing his PhD. He went to one of the leading universities in the country for this doctorate and he said his diverse background enhanced his candidacy.
 
fallen625 said:
Regarding the GRE, I think you should def. retake. I have a feeling you didn't make it to many interviews because of your Q score, as your GPA is fine and your research experience is excellent. The good news is that math is really easy to raise - I would suggest using the Barron's Math Workbook and the Manhattan Prep Math GRE books (there is 5 of them I believe)

I think the MA program is a good idea since it is fully funded. Even if you have to take loans for living expenses it shouldn't be that much. Could you also get a research job on the side, perhaps to avoid loans (and the added experience is a bonus)? It would be especially great if you managed to get a 3.8+ GPA to make up for the 3.3 (which is not horrible by any means, but I think below average)

I think the D by itself shoudn't be horrible - I hear that admissions officers rarely look at transcripts in detail. I wouldn't mention it in your SOP. Speaking of, how was your SOP? Now may be a good time to work on improving it

PS - do you know anything about which experimental MA programs are funded? I hear some are, but haven't been able to find a list of them. I am thinking of applying to a couple as backup option if I don't get in this cycle.
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The quant section, the bane of my existence. 😀 Dyscalculia ftw.

I'm not sure about a side research gig. I might have to pick that up the second semester of later in the first as I don't know how that would work into my schedule. Being an RA, taking classes, and working on my stuff... I'll def keep it in mind, though.

Yes, I have some I know of. If you PM me I can give you a list that I came up with. There's not many on my list and my program is on it so I don't want to write it publicly. 🙂 Its probably not comprehensive, but has some listed besides the usual recommendations made on here.
 
Hi everybody,
I'm an international student. I have BS in Computer Engineering - Hardware and MA in General Psychology,
1. What research areas do you think I can apply for PhD programs? or have better chances in them? Cognitive psychology? Neuroscience? Personality? ...
2. What can I do to receive a scholarship or some other awards?
Thanks you in advance for helping me.
 
setayeshjoon said:
Hi everybody,
I'm an international student. I have BS in Computer Engineering - Hardware and MA in General Psychology,
1. What research areas do you think I can apply for PhD programs? or have better chances in them? Cognitive psychology? Neuroscience? Personality? ...
2. What can I do to receive a scholarship or some other awards?
Thanks you in advance for helping me.
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What are your career goals and interests? It is odd to apply to programs just because you might have a better chance of getting in. Also note that completing a Ph.D. in those areas (cognitive psych, neuroscience, etc.) will not allow you to practice as a clinical psychologist.

That said, if your interest is in research and you have a strong interest in one of the areas you mentioned, your computer engineering background could be a plus.
 
thewesternsky said:
What are your career goals and interests? It is odd to apply to programs just because you might have a better chance of getting in. Also note that completing a Ph.D. in those areas (cognitive psych, neuroscience, etc.) will not allow you to practice as a clinical psychologist.

That said, if your interest is in research and you have a strong interest in one of the areas you mentioned, your computer engineering background could be a plus.
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Actually, I want to be a university professor, and since my BS is irrelevant,I have heard that I can not continue my education in clinical psychology. My thesis was related to identity styles and coping strategies, so the main area of my interest seems to be personality. My papers are also related to this area. Therefore, do you think I can receive an offer of admission in personality and my BS in computer is not a negative point?
 
What's your research experience like? Did you do an empirical thesis for your M.A.? Any other relevant research projects or experiences? I think this will be the most important factor (in addition to your M.A. grades and letters of recommendation).
 
thewesternsky said:
What's your research experience like? Did you do an empirical thesis for your M.A.? Any other relevant research projects or experiences? I think this will be the most important factor (in addition to your M.A. grades and letters of recommendation).
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My thesis was not experimental. I collected the data by 6 questionnaires and analyzed the data with a quantitative method (structural model)
Let me tell you more bout my resume,

I participated in several workshops, including Sex Therapy, Clinical Interview, Grief Therapy and Suicide Management & Intervention and I gained several certificates.
my GPA 19.38/20 MA-- first rank
GPA 15.03 B.Sc
GRE 300
I have a patent related to my computer engineering
During the M.A. course, I conducted several researches, including research on Darvin's Theory of Evolution, methods of research as well as essay writing, and the origins of motivation as a literature review. I also worked as a trainee with the exceptional children, particularly with autistic cases, for several weeks as a case study.
2 papers will be published soon

Now what are my chances? and do you have any suggestions?
Thank you in advance
 
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Your grades look good. GRE scores are only average and might be worth re-taking, but this probably won't make or break your application. You're going to want exceptional letters of reference. Your research experience sounds okay-- the thesis will be a plus. The lit reviews and such probably won't make a difference and I wouldn't talk about them in your application.

When you say "2 papers will be published soon", what do you mean? Have they undergone peer-review, been accepted, and are now in press? Or are you still finishing writing and hoping to submit for publication soon?
 
I am still writing my papers, and the last edition would be ready in less than a month. A reliable source told me that they are acceptable, besides, they are part of my thesis score and the published papers are a must in order to complete my thesis score (my thesis divided into two parts: thesis score and paper score). The papers will be published in ISI journals with IF 0.5 or 0.6, Is it ok?
Since my B.Sc is irrelevant, do I need to take GRE subject?
And I am still confused whether my resume is strong enough or not. And if not, what should I do?
Thanks,
 
Those impact factors are quite low. Why have you decided to submit there, instead of trying for journals with more typical impact factors (1.0 to 2.5)?

Reputable publications would significantly help your application. You're probably in decent shape to apply now; you do have a chance of getting in. However, there are additional things that might help:

1) Submit those papers to mainstream journals, assuming the papers themselves are good quality.
2) Come up with focused research interests-- what about Personality research interests you? Which labs and faculty members would you like to work with? Tie your past experiences in with your current interests to tell a story.
3) Take and do well on the subject GRE.
4) Re-take and do much better on the general GRE.
5) If you don't get in this year, look for opportunities to gain more research experience, including reputable publications.

Good luck!
 
thewesternsky said:
Those impact factors are quite low. Why have you decided to submit there, instead of trying for journals with more typical impact factors (1.0 to 2.5)?

Reputable publications would significantly help your application. You're probably in decent shape to apply now; you do have a chance of getting in. However, there are additional things that might help:

1) Submit those papers to mainstream journals, assuming the papers themselves are good quality.
2) Come up with focused research interests-- what about Personality research interests you? Which labs and faculty members would you like to work with? Tie your past experiences in with your current interests to tell a story.
3) Take and do well on the subject GRE.
4) Re-take and do much better on the general GRE.
5) If you don't get in this year, look for opportunities to gain more research experience, including reputable publications.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks a million,
your considerations really helped me a lot! 🙂
 
I need some clarification about where I am at in terms of being a strong candidate:

1) 3.4 overall GPA, 3.5 major GPA
2) my GRE scores were low, so I'm retaking them this fall
3) 3 years of research experience, 1 year in a cognitive psych lab and 2 years in a clinical psych lab (I also just started volunteering at another psych lab this month)
4) the only presentation I have done was through the biology dept at my university (I also did a minor in biology)
5) I have tons of clinical experience through crisis hotlines, being a milieu counselor, etc

I am really interested in genetic and environmental contributions to mood disorders, and behavioral therapies. I want to be able to do research and therapy once I have my PhD. Should I do a funded experimental masters before the PhD? I applied to a PsyD program last fall but got rejected post interview. I am open to a masters before the PhD but I am concerned that most of the credits won't transfer.

Any advice is welcome! Thank you! You can PM me or reply here 🙂
 
Hi all,

I'm not sure if I should apply this year although I REALLY want to.

I have a 3.2 GPA
158 quant, 154 verbal, 4.5 writing

2 year fellowship at NIH, co-authored, presented 3 posters at 3 different conferences, and 2 posters at NIH, won an award at NIH for my poster, currently at a clinical psych lab at a university where I plan to publish and present

I have strong recommendations as well.

Let me know what you think!
 
Hi everyone! I would really appreciate some honest feedback and advice regarding my situation. I graduated in May 2013 from a small liberal arts college with a B.A. in biological sciences and minor in psychology (I took 32 credits worth of psych, almost a double major).

Overall GPA: 3.96, Psych GPA: 4.00 (magna cum laude)

GRE: Not yet, plan to take this upcoming spring.

Undergraduate experience
Research:
- 1 summer studying Drosophila genetics at home institution
- 1 summer studying alcohol and exercise in mice at large research university
- 1 academic year performing independent study on Drosophila courtship genetics at home institution
- 1 semester in a course on observational coding methodology within a romantic development lab where we developed our own hypotheses, created scales, coded videotapes, ran statistical analyses and wrote a final paper (my project dealt with parent and romantic partner attachment styles)

Clinical:
- 2 semesters as America Reads/Counts tutor at local elementary school
- I used to work at a homework center in low-income neighborhood, but this was in high school

Posters/Presentations:
- 1 poster at summer research program symposium
- 3 separate presentations at my home institution (presenting 2 summer projects and my ind. study)
- 1 presentation at national undergraduate symposium
- No publications

Here’s my situation: My background is mainly behavioral genetics in animal models. During my senior year, I realized that molecular/behavioral/animal work was not my thing. I thought I wanted to understand the underpinnings of mental disorders, but I realize there is a bigger picture. Inspired by a developmental psych course and my own life experiences, I’m much more interested in understanding how children overcome biological and environmental predispositions, emotional dysregulation and adversity (resilience). My goal is to apply to clinical psychology Ph.D. programs next fall with a specialty in child clinical, if possible.

I’m taking 2 years off to figure things out and amp up my application. Currently, I’m an RA at a psychiatric hospital studying GABA receptors in mice (I wanted more clinical experience, but this was the job I could get). My question is: what can I do to convince grad school programs that, despite my lack of psychology research background, I’m a qualified and passionate applicant? What kind of clinical experience would be sufficient? Sorry for the long story, I’d really appreciate any insight. Thanks! 🙂

(p.s. I’m already thinking of applying to University of Washington (child clinical), University of Oregon (clinical) and University of Colorado Boulder (clinical))
 
How important is it to have a basic science background and have taken science classes in undergrad when applying to APA approved clinical psychology programs? I'm a senior and have only general biology credit from high school and haven't taken any other science classes while in undergrad. I would be happy to stay an extra semester or two to take those classes and make myself a stronger applicant.
 
eagle4life said:
How important is it to have a basic science background and have taken science classes in undergrad when applying to APA approved clinical psychology programs? I'm a senior and have only general biology credit from high school and haven't taken any other science classes while in undergrad. I would be happy to stay an extra semester or two to take those classes and make myself a stronger applicant.
Click to expand...

Many programs like to see some, but I think it doesn't make much of a difference. Not enough to stay longer for. I have a BS and a bio minor but I won't beat out someone with better stats but only a few science classes just because of my extensive science background. Especially don't do it if you think your GPA will be adversely affected.
 
Thanks for your response. I really wouldn't want to take a chance of my gpa dropping especially since it's 3.95 and 3.98 in psych classes if it's not necessary. However, I would also hate to be turned down because I only have bio 1 credit when I could have taken bio 2, chemistry and anatomy and gotten accepted. Btw, I was asking because I was looking at University of Florida Clinical psych page and it says "The admission committee places particular emphasis on prior research experience, the breadth and QUALITY OF UNDERGRADUATE PREPARATION IN BASIC SCIENCE and psychology, letters of recommendation and personal statements."
 
Last edited:
eagle4life said:
Thanks for your response. I really wouldn't want to take a chance of my gpa dropping especially since it's 3.95 and 3.98 in psych classes if it's not necessary. However, I would also hate to be turned down because I only have bio 1 credit when I could have taken bio 2, chemistry and anatomy and gotten accepted. Btw, I was asking because I was looking at University of Florida Clinical psych page and it says "The admission committee places particular emphasis on prior research experience, the breadth and QUALITY OF UNDERGRADUATE PREPARATION IN BASIC SCIENCE and psychology, letters of recommendation and personal statements."
Click to expand...

I would personally interpret that as them wanting you to have a basic knowledge of science and the principles of it, but then again I am not on the admissions committee and have never had to worry about that. 🙂 Though I seriously doubt you would be for that. Its commonly noted on here that they rarely dissect your transcript. What I will say, though, is that unless you have a killer GRE score and a lot of research experience to boot I wouldn't sweat about that part of it. Maybe someone will have better advice however.
 
So I just found out that last year when I was a research assistant for one of my professors she presented the research we were working on at a small conference at our university and she included me as a co-author. I was wondering if it would be alright to list this on my CV. If so, how would I do it, would it be under "publications" or what? I don't wanna take credit for something that isn't mine but if it's acceptable for me to list it I will since I have no other "publications" or anything like that
 
Considering PhD programs for fall 2014.
I have a 3.8 GPA at the (resonably prestigious) honors college of a not very prestigious state university, 3.9 within major GPA. Double majoring in psychology and sociology with a statistics minor.
GREs:
V: 165, Q: 163, Writing: 6 (haven’t taken psych sub.)
Other stuff:
-2 years experience in a social psych lab doing social economics type work
-6 mo research in family research lab, including this summer for which I’ve received a stipend
-1 year experience in school psychology lab (left this position at the end of my sophomore year)
-studied abroad Fall 2012, near fluent in Spanish, volunteered as children's English tutor while there
-won a research grant for my social psych lab work
-just won sociology major of the year for my university
-can expect good letters of rec, 1 from family research, 1 from social psych prof., and one from a professor I have taken classes with and volunteered with
I don’t have much clinical experience or any pending publications, though there is a project in progress
So 1) do I have a reasonable chance of making it into a clinical psych program? I can't stop stressing about how competitive they are. And 2) what can I do to bolster my application?
My rough list of schools to apply to:
USC, UCLA, Washington State, Ohio State, University of Houston, University of Denver, University of New Mexico, UNR, UNC Charlotte, University of Arkansas, Auburn, and Arizona State University
 
Hello, I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me about applying to graduate school? I am currently focusing on clinical PhD programs, but I don't have a lot of research experience which is making me nervous. Here's some background:

I am currently about to go into my senior year at a state school, and am planning to graduate in Spring 2014 with a psychology major (and political science minor).

Current GPA is 3.828 ((It will either go up or stay about the same by the time I graduate, I'd estimate. I'm fairly consistent each semester)

My psych GPA is around that, probably slightly higher but close to 3.8 still

GRE scores:

V: 164 (93%) Q: 147 (29%) W: 5 (93%)

I did research for one semester under a professor, where I did: data entry, administering various tests (measuring memory and executive functioning) on both college students and the elderly. However, this was in my sophomore year. I left on good terms (he told me he would write me a letter of rec) because I didn't have time to do research on top of working to pay for college. However, it's been two years since I did that research and I haven't kept in touch with the professor, so I'm not sure how good of a letter he would write for me now simply due to the amount of time that has passed.

I am slightly nervous about getting my letters of rec. I have a philosophy teacher who really liked me last semester, so I am enrolling in another of his classes this fall. I think he would write me a really good letter. I've taken a couple of classes with a Political Science professor (however this teacher has a degree in and has practiced in psychology) and am enrolled in another class with him this fall. I also am enrolled in a psych class with a psych professor I had last semester. He's the one I have the least developed relationship with, however he tried to get me into his Senior Seminar (couldn't do it because I hadn't taken research & methods yet, I'm taking that in the fall and they can't be concurrent) so I think that is positive and I'm going to try to stand out in his class early this semester so he would hopefully write me a letter.

So that's four potentials to write my three letters - any opinions about those are welcome.

I'm also SUPER nervous about matching my research interests to any PhD programs. I made my list based on three very very VERY general research interests: depression, anxiety, and trauma. I'd be interested in studying any of the three, but I feel like I need to be much more specific?

I'd also like a program that will prepare me for clinical work - I'm definitely okay doing research and clinical classes, but if I go to a clinical program I'd like to be able to practice after.

Here are the programs I'm currently looking at:

University of Wyoming
Palo Alto University
University of Arkansas
University of Montana
Penn State
Idaho State University
Wisconsin University - Madison
Oklahoma State University

I've also gone back and forth about applying to Duke University's evolutionary anthropology program - specifically their dog cognition research. I have four years of experience working with dogs and would absolutely love to study them, but I'm nervous about what I could actually DO with that degree, and since I love clinical psych too I figured that was the safer course to take.

And I've also considered applying to some school psychology programs. I was focused more on clinical lately, but I'm getting so nervous about my lack of extensive research experience that I feel maybe I should consider applying to school psychology programs again? I have several volunteer hours at elementary schools, however most of those are in my mother's class room... not sure if that counts, yikes!

Thank you for any advice you have to offer!!
 
kendra77 said:
Hello, I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me about applying to graduate school? I am currently focusing on clinical PhD programs, but I don't have a lot of research experience which is making me nervous. Here's some background:

I am currently about to go into my senior year at a state school, and am planning to graduate in Spring 2014 with a psychology major (and political science minor).

Current GPA is 3.828 ((It will either go up or stay about the same by the time I graduate, I'd estimate. I'm fairly consistent each semester)

My psych GPA is around that, probably slightly higher but close to 3.8 still

GRE scores:

V: 164 (93%) Q: 147 (29%) W: 5 (93%)

I did research for one semester under a professor, where I did: data entry, administering various tests (measuring memory and executive functioning) on both college students and the elderly. However, this was in my sophomore year. I left on good terms (he told me he would write me a letter of rec) because I didn't have time to do research on top of working to pay for college. However, it's been two years since I did that research and I haven't kept in touch with the professor, so I'm not sure how good of a letter he would write for me now simply due to the amount of time that has passed.

I am slightly nervous about getting my letters of rec. I have a philosophy teacher who really liked me last semester, so I am enrolling in another of his classes this fall. I think he would write me a really good letter. I've taken a couple of classes with a Political Science professor (however this teacher has a degree in and has practiced in psychology) and am enrolled in another class with him this fall. I also am enrolled in a psych class with a psych professor I had last semester. He's the one I have the least developed relationship with, however he tried to get me into his Senior Seminar (couldn't do it because I hadn't taken research & methods yet, I'm taking that in the fall and they can't be concurrent) so I think that is positive and I'm going to try to stand out in his class early this semester so he would hopefully write me a letter.

So that's four potentials to write my three letters - any opinions about those are welcome.

I'm also SUPER nervous about matching my research interests to any PhD programs. I made my list based on three very very VERY general research interests: depression, anxiety, and trauma. I'd be interested in studying any of the three, but I feel like I need to be much more specific?

I'd also like a program that will prepare me for clinical work - I'm definitely okay doing research and clinical classes, but if I go to a clinical program I'd like to be able to practice after.

Here are the programs I'm currently looking at:

University of Wyoming
Palo Alto University
University of Arkansas
University of Montana
Penn State
Idaho State University
Wisconsin University - Madison
Oklahoma State University

I've also gone back and forth about applying to Duke University's evolutionary anthropology program - specifically their dog cognition research. I have four years of experience working with dogs and would absolutely love to study them, but I'm nervous about what I could actually DO with that degree, and since I love clinical psych too I figured that was the safer course to take.

And I've also considered applying to some school psychology programs. I was focused more on clinical lately, but I'm getting so nervous about my lack of extensive research experience that I feel maybe I should consider applying to school psychology programs again? I have several volunteer hours at elementary schools, however most of those are in my mother's class room... not sure if that counts, yikes!

Thank you for any advice you have to offer!!
Click to expand...

You need way more research experience. If you read around here you will see most admitted students to mid-tier programs have at least two years. Having actually interviewed at OSU this past Jan. I can tell you that they want way more research experience than one year. You also really need to narrow down your research interests, especially since you are considering such different degrees. You can figure out what you want to do by volunteering in labs that research those topics. You should join a lab now and gain another year of experience while you are still enrolled. You would still need to get at least another year's worth after that, I would think, since your 2 years wouldn't be consecutive and the year you have wasn't that quality of an experience based off your description. They also want to see LORs from professors you do research with, not so much just took courses with. They want researchers in the making, not just someone who can just get an A in classes which will be about all some of your potential writers could attest to.

I would say get a paid RA job after you graduate, but they are nearly impossible to get even with years of experience. Still apply though if you want to try! You never know. Perhaps a masters degree would be the best fit as you would definitely get into one with yours stats and you'd get 2 more years of quality research experience out of it (I have a bit of a list of funded masters if you'd like it. Just PM me). Or get a job and volunteer at the same time after you graduate.

You will most likely need to take the GRE again to raise your quant score also. As someone with nearly the same scores and was told to raise my quant, I feel your pain. 😛 I'm going to retake again to raise my quant score. I hate it but it must be done.

I hope my advice did not discourage you, I don't mean it to. Just want you to have a very realistic view of what you can expect if you apply.
 
Not at all Mewtoo, I was thinking as much from the skimming I'd done on this thread. Thank you so much for your comments!!
 
Hi All ,

Well, I have been working as a Counsellor and Educational therapist since 2010 upon completing my Masters programme. I work with an NGO and I have relevant experience in handling children with developmental disorders and mental health concerns. Actually I'm looking for an academic career(PhD). I began gathering details of few universities offering them. Some of the core areas of my interests include, Cognitive aspects of developmental disorders, child and adolescent mental health issues, Neuropsychobiology and Behavioral Neuroscience . I would like to specialise in cognitive aspects of developmental disorders in my doctoral work. While in my career track record I happened to confront some clients with developmental disorders, but my knowledge was too limited to actually take up the problem and resolve. Yet, I have dealt some cases with Autism spectrum disorders, mental ******ation, specific learning disabilities and language disorders. I handle individual and group therapy sessions as well to my clients. I really wish to work on this area. Hence I look in for a good academic career which can actually equip me in this stream. It would be nice of you if you could guide me on the available opportunities in this field that I can avail of.I look forward to your reply.

I recently gave my GRE and here are the stats i can give you on that

V - 148 , Q - 154 , AWA - dont know yet , waiting for the original score card.

I am yet to write my TOEFL and GRE Subject test. I have done my Bachelors in Bio Chemistry and Masters in Social Work & Psychiatry.

Can you please tell me what are the universities in California where i do have chance of getting admitted to a PhD Or Psy D program in Psychology. Appreciate your support.

Thanks

Vinod Varma
 
Vinod Varma said:
Hi All ,

Well, I have been working as a Counsellor and Educational therapist since 2010 upon completing my Masters programme. I work with an NGO and I have relevant experience in handling children with developmental disorders and mental health concerns. Actually I'm looking for an academic career(PhD). I began gathering details of few universities offering them. Some of the core areas of my interests include, Cognitive aspects of developmental disorders, child and adolescent mental health issues, Neuropsychobiology and Behavioral Neuroscience . I would like to specialise in cognitive aspects of developmental disorders in my doctoral work. While in my career track record I happened to confront some clients with developmental disorders, but my knowledge was too limited to actually take up the problem and resolve. Yet, I have dealt some cases with Autism spectrum disorders, mental ******ation, specific learning disabilities and language disorders. I handle individual and group therapy sessions as well to my clients. I really wish to work on this area. Hence I look in for a good academic career which can actually equip me in this stream. It would be nice of you if you could guide me on the available opportunities in this field that I can avail of.I look forward to your reply.

I recently gave my GRE and here are the stats i can give you on that

V - 148 , Q - 154 , AWA - dont know yet , waiting for the original score card.

I am yet to write my TOEFL and GRE Subject test. I have done my Bachelors in Bio Chemistry and Masters in Social Work & Psychiatry.

Can you please tell me what are the universities in California where i do have chance of getting admitted to a PhD Or Psy D program in Psychology. Appreciate your support.

Thanks

Vinod Varma
Click to expand...

You will need research experience. A couple of years of it.

Most of the UC's have Ph.D programs in clinical psych. So does USC. They are all solid.

You wont be able to have an academic career with a Psy,D.
 
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Thanks for the reply. I have done few research papers as part of my masters program. Will that help me here. Also if you could let me know which all universities in CA i can have a chance irrespective of the comparatively low GRE.

Thanks
Vinod Varma
 
Vinod Varma said:
Hi All ,

Well, I have been working as a Counsellor and Educational therapist since 2010 upon completing my Masters programme. I work with an NGO and I have relevant experience in handling children with developmental disorders and mental health concerns. Actually I'm looking for an academic career(PhD). I began gathering details of few universities offering them. Some of the core areas of my interests include, Cognitive aspects of developmental disorders, child and adolescent mental health issues, Neuropsychobiology and Behavioral Neuroscience . I would like to specialise in cognitive aspects of developmental disorders in my doctoral work. While in my career track record I happened to confront some clients with developmental disorders, but my knowledge was too limited to actually take up the problem and resolve. Yet, I have dealt some cases with Autism spectrum disorders, mental ******ation, specific learning disabilities and language disorders. I handle individual and group therapy sessions as well to my clients. I really wish to work on this area. Hence I look in for a good academic career which can actually equip me in this stream. It would be nice of you if you could guide me on the available opportunities in this field that I can avail of.I look forward to your reply.

I recently gave my GRE and here are the stats i can give you on that

V - 148 , Q - 154 , AWA - dont know yet , waiting for the original score card.

I am yet to write my TOEFL and GRE Subject test. I have done my Bachelors in Bio Chemistry and Masters in Social Work & Psychiatry.

Can you please tell me what are the universities in California where i do have chance of getting admitted to a PhD Or Psy D program in Psychology. Appreciate your support.

Thanks

Vinod Varma
Click to expand...

Mod Note: Merged into the WAMC thread
 
eagle4life said:
So I just found out that last year when I was a research assistant for one of my professors she presented the research we were working on at a small conference at our university and she included me as a co-author. I was wondering if it would be alright to list this on my CV. If so, how would I do it, would it be under "publications" or what? I don't wanna take credit for something that isn't mine but if it's acceptable for me to list it I will since I have no other "publications" or anything like that
Click to expand...

Yup you should put it on your CV as long as you did some work on the project and can talk about it in your interviews.
 
Vinod Varma said:
Thanks for the reply. I have done few research papers as part of my masters program. Will that help me here. Also if you could let me know which all universities in CA i can have a chance irrespective of the comparatively low GRE.
Click to expand...

What kind of research papers? If these are journal articles (either submitted or published), then it will definitely help your application. Otherwise, probably not.
 
kendra77 said:
Hello, I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me about applying to graduate school? I am currently focusing on clinical PhD programs, but I don't have a lot of research experience which is making me nervous. Here's some background:

I am currently about to go into my senior year at a state school, and am planning to graduate in Spring 2014 with a psychology major (and political science minor).

Current GPA is 3.828 ((It will either go up or stay about the same by the time I graduate, I'd estimate. I'm fairly consistent each semester)

My psych GPA is around that, probably slightly higher but close to 3.8 still

GRE scores:

V: 164 (93%) Q: 147 (29%) W: 5 (93%)

I did research for one semester under a professor, where I did: data entry, administering various tests (measuring memory and executive functioning) on both college students and the elderly. However, this was in my sophomore year. I left on good terms (he told me he would write me a letter of rec) because I didn't have time to do research on top of working to pay for college. However, it's been two years since I did that research and I haven't kept in touch with the professor, so I'm not sure how good of a letter he would write for me now simply due to the amount of time that has passed.

I am slightly nervous about getting my letters of rec. I have a philosophy teacher who really liked me last semester, so I am enrolling in another of his classes this fall. I think he would write me a really good letter. I've taken a couple of classes with a Political Science professor (however this teacher has a degree in and has practiced in psychology) and am enrolled in another class with him this fall. I also am enrolled in a psych class with a psych professor I had last semester. He's the one I have the least developed relationship with, however he tried to get me into his Senior Seminar (couldn't do it because I hadn't taken research & methods yet, I'm taking that in the fall and they can't be concurrent) so I think that is positive and I'm going to try to stand out in his class early this semester so he would hopefully write me a letter.

So that's four potentials to write my three letters - any opinions about those are welcome.

I'm also SUPER nervous about matching my research interests to any PhD programs. I made my list based on three very very VERY general research interests: depression, anxiety, and trauma. I'd be interested in studying any of the three, but I feel like I need to be much more specific?

I'd also like a program that will prepare me for clinical work - I'm definitely okay doing research and clinical classes, but if I go to a clinical program I'd like to be able to practice after.

Here are the programs I'm currently looking at:

University of Wyoming
Palo Alto University
University of Arkansas
University of Montana
Penn State
Idaho State University
Wisconsin University - Madison
Oklahoma State University

I've also gone back and forth about applying to Duke University's evolutionary anthropology program - specifically their dog cognition research. I have four years of experience working with dogs and would absolutely love to study them, but I'm nervous about what I could actually DO with that degree, and since I love clinical psych too I figured that was the safer course to take.

And I've also considered applying to some school psychology programs. I was focused more on clinical lately, but I'm getting so nervous about my lack of extensive research experience that I feel maybe I should consider applying to school psychology programs again? I have several volunteer hours at elementary schools, however most of those are in my mother's class room... not sure if that counts, yikes!

Thank you for any advice you have to offer!!
Click to expand...

This is late, but UW Madison is notorious for being uber research-focused. If you want a balanced program, I'd cross them off of your list. Not to mention that you need to have years of full-time research experience to be competitive there.

OSU and Penn State will likely be too competitive if you don't have a lot of research experience. Montana's a great pick though, they are very balanced.

Tbh, I also think that you need to narrow your research interests more.
 
Hi all,

I'm not sure if I should apply this year although I REALLY want to.

I have a 3.2 GPA
158 quant, 154 verbal, 4.5 writing

2 year fellowship at NIH, co-authored, presented 3 posters at 3 different conferences, and 2 posters at NIH, won an award at NIH for my poster, currently at a clinical psych lab at a university where I plan to publish and present

I spoke to the director of my lab and he said that I really should get my verbal score up to at least a 600 on the old scale. I really don't want to take it again and if I get enough feedback saying that my 'package' is already sufficient enough to get me into pretty good programs then I will just apply. I have tons of research experience and am a persuasive writer, which will serve me well in writing my personal statement.

Pleaseee help! I really don't know what I should do. I was dead set on applying this year but after discussing my scores with my recent boss I am now really unsure.

Let me know what you think!
 
I'm about to take the GRE a second time, after taking a class, and so far my practice tests show that I'm not improving as much as I hoped I would.

So now I'm considering waiting to apply to PhD programs until I've been able to gain more research experience and improved my resume... but the idea of putting my life on hold another year is really bumming me out.

here are my stats:
3.72 undergrad GPA
3.8 Psych GPA
4.0 Graduate GPA (currently enrolled in a M.ed, in Clinical Mental Health Counseling)

150 Verbal, 157 quant

1.5 years combined research experience - all with 3 different professors
1 presentation at a small conference

1 year clinical experience
2 years Teacher assistant


Is it worth it for me to risk it and apply this year or should I save my money for the next round? If I should wait, how do you get past the feeling that you're wasting your time? I'm only 23, but I have a family to support, and the pressure to be accepted into a PhD program is really weighing on me.
 
Er, why would you wait? Your GRE scores aren't dance-through-the-halls fantastic, but they're not horrible. Seems like the rest of your app is solid, provided you've got a good SOP. Unless you're applying to schools for which these stats aren't competitive, why wait? (I'm assuming you're graduating sometime between now and May with that MEd, not withdrawing from the program, by the way). Also, if you do wait, what would you do with that year to build up your CV?
 
Lisa44201 said:
Er, why would you wait? Your GRE scores aren't dance-through-the-halls fantastic, but they're not horrible. Seems like the rest of your app is solid, provided you've got a good SOP. Unless you're applying to schools for which these stats aren't competitive, why wait? (I'm assuming you're graduating sometime between now and May with that MEd, not withdrawing from the program, by the way). Also, if you do wait, what would you do with that year to build up your CV?
Click to expand...
the plan would be to continue being a research assistant and try and get more presentations or possible publications under my belt.
To be honest, I have spent a lot of time at the WAMC thread, and figured that in comparison, my credentials weren't competitive enough. I think I have been freaking myself out. Thanks for the perspective, Lisa.
 
Amber0318 said:
the plan would be to continue being a research assistant and try and get more presentations or possible publications under my belt.
To be honest, I have spent a lot of time at the WAMC thread, and figured that in comparison, my credentials weren't competitive enough. I think I have been freaking myself out. Thanks for the perspective, Lisa.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'd probably go ahead and apply as well.
 
Lisa44201 said:
Er, why would you wait? Your GRE scores aren't dance-through-the-halls fantastic, but they're not horrible. Seems like the rest of your app is solid, provided you've got a good SOP. Unless you're applying to schools for which these stats aren't competitive, why wait? (I'm assuming you're graduating sometime between now and May with that MEd, not withdrawing from the program, by the way). Also, if you do wait, what would you do with that year to build up your CV?
Click to expand...
By the way, what does "SOP" mean?
 
There's a lot of tricky lingo around here!

SOP= Statement of purpose, sometimes interchangeable with personal statement
POI= Person of interest, the person you're applying to


I thought I'd throw the second one in there because it took me a few reads before I got that one, haha. I agree with the above that you should apply, unless you'd take on a paid position as a research coordinator or lab manager to get more research, but those are hard to come by!
 
Amber0318 said:
I'm about to take the GRE a second time, after taking a class, and so far my practice tests show that I'm not improving as much as I hoped I would.

So now I'm considering waiting to apply to PhD programs until I've been able to gain more research experience and improved my resume... but the idea of putting my life on hold another year is really bumming me out.

here are my stats:
3.72 undergrad GPA
3.8 Psych GPA
4.0 Graduate GPA (currently enrolled in a M.ed, in Clinical Mental Health Counseling)

150 Verbal, 157 quant

1.5 years combined research experience - all with 3 different professors
1 presentation at a small conference

1 year clinical experience
2 years Teacher assistant


Is it worth it for me to risk it and apply this year or should I save my money for the next round? If I should wait, how do you get past the feeling that you're wasting your time? I'm only 23, but I have a family to support, and the pressure to be accepted into a PhD program is really weighing on me.
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Mod Note: Merged into the WAMC thread.
 
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