WAMC: What Are My Chances

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I am an undergraduate psychology student (graduating in May '15), trying to get a feel if I am competitive or not, generally anywhere. I have a list of schools I am considering but it is not final yet.

GPA:
Graduated (with distinction) with my A.S. in Science, 3.92 GPA from the local CC. 4.0 in Psyc classes
3.956 at a Research 1 University, 4.0 in psyc major and medical humanities minor. Plan to graduate with at least high distinction.

GRE:
Taking this month, but averaging a 162 verbal score and a 152 quantitative score. Writing has been between a 5.5 and 6 at practices held by the university.

Letter of Recs
Dicey. I'm not sure how this will play out. My mentor will be writing one for me, and I have a couple of other possibilities that I plan on asking about. I would love to have one from each of the labs I have worked for, but I've worked with graduate students and never really got to know the professors. One of them is extremely well known, so I feel like a giant fake to walk in sight unseen and ask.
I have several offers from my CC instructors (all PhDs themselves, many work adjunct in other colleges) who have seen me excel from day 1. I get lots of conflicting advice on using CC instructors, but they would be such strong letters!

Experience:
Lab Coordinator for the Law and Policy lab, run by the associate chair of the Law-Psyc program. Essentially I supervise the lab, train the undergraduate RAs, schedule participants and staff, and work closely with the graduate students. I also am an RA, so I run participants, data entry, etc.
I have also been an RA in one of the school psyc labs on campus, and also in the peds clinical health psyc lab.
I have earned two Undergraduate Grants to work on research projects. They are funded by our school, so not anything big name. I have also had a couple of poster presentations, and presented a paper at UC-Berkeley. Planning presentations at APLS in March.
I am currently finishing a self-developed research project with the help of my mentor. It is functioning as a senior thesis and a hopeful publication, but won't be submitted until after I defend it.
No clinical experience to speak of. I worked as customer service/financial counselor in hospital and clinical settings, but I don't know that it really shows anything except that I am good with and have experience working with people.

Extras:
I am a Ronald E McNair Scholar, so for the past year and a half I have been training to be a PhD student. I am a non-traditional, first generation student which is how I got into that program. I've also had some issues with grades in the past, but have more than made up for it over the past 4 years. Research interests are broad in the area of Clinical Health Psyc. I have been doing research on Obesity, but I don't need to stay there. I do a lot of reading, so I am also interested in psyco-oncology, hospice/palliative care, reproductive health and chronic illness. I chose clinical because I practice, research and do policy work. Ultimate goal? Professorship in a medical school.

Any suggestions? Am I on the right track (not that I can change it now)? Thanks! (And sorry it is such a long post!)
 
Hey there SDNers,

I am currently two years out of undergrad (small academically challenging liberal arts school) and looking for advice as I take the necessary steps to make a game plan regarding graduate school admission. Though I am not 100% certain whether I will be applying for a PsyD or PhD program, am definitely interested in clinical work and further practice.... Based on my stats below, what are your opinions-- should I complete a Master's program prior to applying to doctorate programs?

GPA overall: 3.29 (my first two years as a pre-med killed my overall average as well as affected the quality of my other coursework as is evidenced by my psych GPA)
Psych GPA: 3.33
GRE-- have not taken the test yet..studying now and plan on taking it in November

Research Experience-- I did do work as a RA over the summer under a grant that I received, however, this work was not long term and did not lead to any publications.

Clinical Experience-- For the past two years I completed a fellowship in the field of child welfare. I had the opportunity to work hands on with children and families with a variety of mental health issues, substance abuse, and DV issues that were involved in the foster care system... From this work I have become very interested in the topics of PTSD and Trauma and hope to study these topics in depth if I was to complete a master's program.

The idea behind completing master's level work would be that I would have the opportunity to bolster my academic record as well as have the opportunity to get hands on research experience.

If I choose to go the PsyD route--how helpful do you think the MA will be as there are opportunities to get involved in research without completing a costly and pretty useless (no offense to anyone!) degree?

ALL advice is welcome!
 
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gradschoolshere said:
Hey there SDNers,

I am currently two years out of undergrad (small academically challenging liberal arts school) and looking for advice as I take the necessary steps to make a game plan regarding graduate school admission. Though I am not 100% certain whether I will be applying for a PsyD or PhD program, am definitely interested in clinical work and further practice.... Based on my stats below, what are your opinions-- should I complete a Master's program prior to applying to doctorate programs?

GPA overall: 3.29 (my first two years as a pre-med killed my overall average as well as affected the quality of my other coursework as is evidenced by my psych GPA)
Psych GPA: 3.33
GRE-- have not taken the test yet..studying now and plan on taking it in November

Research Experience-- I did do work as a RA over the summer under a grant that I received, however, this work was not long term and did not lead to any publications.

Clinical Experience-- For the past two years I completed a fellowship in the field of child welfare. I had the opportunity to work hands on with children and families with a variety of mental health issues, substance abuse, and DV issues that were involved in the foster care system... From this work I have become very interested in the topics of PTSD and Trauma and hope to study these topics in depth if I was to complete a master's program.

The idea behind completing master's level work would be that I would have the opportunity to bolster my academic record as well as have the opportunity to get hands on research experience.

If I choose to go the PsyD route--how helpful do you think the MA will be as there are opportunities to get involved in research without completing a costly and pretty useless (no offense to anyone!) degree?

ALL advice is welcome!
Click to expand...

Mod Note: Moved this to this WAMC thread.
 
Hi everyone. Long time lurker, first time poster with a big steaming pile of questions about psych grad programs. I'm starting the horrifying process of applying for admission to grad school in fall 2015, and I'm getting worried that my stats are too weak to bother applying--this is particularly scary because I want to enter a program in clinical neuropsychology, of which there are fewer programs than straight-up clinical psych (making it possibly EVEN MORE COMPETITIVE). I want nothing more than to be admitted next year, but some part of me wonders if I should even bother, or whether my time would be better served taking a year to improve my application. But before I ramble too much, my stats:

- I am a 5th year undergrad student completing a double major in psychology and physiology & neurobiology with a minor in neuroscience.
- I spent the first 2 years of my undergrad working in a health psych lab focused on applying social psych principles to treatment of people with HIV/AIDS (no pubs)
- I spent a summer working in an fMRI lab at UCSD (not my school, it was an REU) and studying functional changes in adolescents with depression (no pubs)
-Taken 12 credits of psychology/neuroscience graduate coursework (3 full classes & a bunch of little seminars)
-Several years clinical experience in a healthcare setting, including 1.5 years in a psych ER
-Just started working as a crisis intervention counselor, will have ~6 mos by the time apps are due in December
-President of a bioethics club (as I said, I like mental health ethics), editor-in-chief of an undergraduate bioethics journal
-Various other mentoring/researching/volunteering type extracurriculars, a handful of leadership positions
-GRE: VR=168, QR=165, writing=I forget but good enough to meet cutoffs
-A solo author publication in press in a journal in a completely non-neuroscience field (mental health ethics, which is my pet interest), though idk if this is useful at all
- I have spent 2.5 years working in a psychopharmacology lab, creating animal models of depression and comparing the efficacy of different antidepressants. I will have worked here 3.5 years by the time I graduate this May. From this lab, I have:

-2 publications (1 in press, 1 in prep), with several second authorships likely by the time I graduate (my grad student is defending in November)
-1 first authorship on a poster at a national conference (plus a second authorship and a middle-of-the-pack authorship on 2 other posters at the same conference), 3 poster presentations at a small schoolwide conference (2 first, 1 second)
-7 research awards that have brought in a total of ~$12,000 in research funding for my work, mostly from various departments/organizations at my university but 2 from external organizations
-2 theses (yes, that rhymes with "feces"), one for each major (because I am a glutton for punishment)
-a glowing letter of rec from my PI

Now, before you start seething about how I'm some humblebragging jerk that is only posting for an ego boost, I have a 3.138 GPA. Yep. My transcript and my CV look like they belong to completely different people. This is a combination of an unfortunate pre-med period early on and several difficult-to-treat bouts of depression and anxiety. I'm not trying to make excuses for my poor performance, but I also know that I am about 2 standard deviations away from the average accepted GPA at most clinical psych programs, if not more.

Which brings me back to my question: Should I bother to even apply for admission in the fall, or is my GPA low enough that my application will be laughed out of any pile I throw it in? If the latter is the case, and I have to take a year off before reapplying, what the hell do I do to improve my application? A master's? A related job? Research? Curl in the fetal position and weep for a full 365? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help, and for reading to the bottom of this massive post.
 
What is your psychology GPA and your last two years GPA? If either one is 3.5 or above, I think you'll be a very competitive applicant. Even if they're hovering around 3.3, I'd say you have a shot at some interviews.
 
Hi all. Been lurking for a while and finally starting to post. I appreciate any input!

I went to a psychodynamically oriented program and only have experience doing qualitative research. I have searched for programs with faculty doing postpartum depression research, which matches my thesis topic, or programs that have faculty who support qualitative research in general, which is apparently very rare. I am willing to do future research that is quantitative or mixed methods, and have some plans regarding this to discuss in my statement of purpose. Hoping that will offset my lack of experience.

I should note that I'm not yet sure if all of the specific faculty I'm looking at are accepting students...

Univ. of Iowa (PPD)
Emory (PPD)
Michigan State
Duquesne (no mentor model but phenomenological research, narratives)
Clark (faculty that does qualitative)
CUNY (psychodyamic)
Columbia
USC
Univ. of Denver
Drexel
Arizona State
Boston University


GRE-V: 164 (93%)
GRE-Q: 156 (64%, this is after studying on my own and GRE prep courses, might take again but I don’t foresee too much of an increase here (maybe a point or 2). I see sometimes I am 2 points below avg on Q but a couple points above on V, so I’m not sure if my app. would get cut off or not)
Analytical: 4
GRE-psych: not yet taken

Undergrad GPA (English major): 3.86
MA Psych GPA: 4.00

Research Experience: developed and proposed a qualitative study, recruited participants, conducted research independently and analyzed narrative data using an interpretative, phenomenological approach to examine the experiences of women with depression postpartum

Conference presentations: presented posters at 4 conferences (received one award)
Manuscripts in preparation: 1, to be submitted to an APA journal

Work/clinical experience: full time office jobs unrelated to field plus volunteer clinical work in domestic violence agencies. I may try to find faculty with trauma-related research because that was a small component of my thesis as well.
 
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Hey all,

Long time lurker, first time poster. I'll be applying to a few programs this coming fall and would really appreciate some feedback on my chances. I'm about 2/3 through my MA in psychology, but spend more time working as a research coordinator (more below). My background is pretty diverse, but I am interested mostly in trauma, resilience, LGBT issues/HIV, and vets. Additionally, I have some interest in biomarkers and neuroscience. I want a research based career.

GRE-V: 160 (84%)
GRE-Q: 162 (83%)
GRE-W: 5.0 (93%)

Education:
Went to a private D1 school in the midwest for undergrad. Graduated with degrees in psychology (BS) and music (BA). Won a National Endowment of the Arts grant for music, if that does anything for my chances...
-Undergrad GPA: 3.59
-Undergrad Psych GPA: 3.70 (too low for my schools?)

At Teachers College/CU for MA.
-Masters GPA (so far): 4.0
-Taking a lot of stats and methods courses.

Experience:
-Two years working in three labs in undergrad. From this, I have one poster presented (first author) at a major conference and two papers submitted for publication.
-Two years in undergrad working as a part-time mental health counselor (community based stuff)
-9 months interning at NYSPI/Columbia Psychiatry (HIV project). Had the chance to conduct baseline and follow interviews (about 3 hours in duration, mostly measures of risk and functioning)
-Interned at NYU psychiatry (PTSD program) for 7 months, lead to full-time RA job where I have been working for the last 5 months. Here I do TMS, EEG, fMRI (actually administering, if that's legal...), administer WASIs, and occasionally screen participants for eligibility.

Posters/Publications/Independent Work:
-1 poster in which I am first author, another with an acknowledgment
-1 paper published (music/anthro)
-1 in press (AIDS, minority stress, biomarkers)
-2 submitted
-2 independent projects (empirical MA thesis & neuro-imaging study with a work buddy) in the works.

Schools, all clinical (in no particular order):
-Vermont
-Harvard
-Boston University
-Teachers College, Columbia
-Utah (if POI is accepting)
-Washington

Should have two solid letters of rec, figuring out the third. Sorry if this is too much info or if I left anything out. Again, any advice is very appreciated.

Thanks so much!
 
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I'm a bit of an odd case, and I'm looking for a little advice:

I'm first generation. I've had my BA in Communication from USC for 10+ years (just turned 33.) Recently discovered that my GPA is low (3.08) because of some personal difficulties back then. I'm about to finish up a post-baccalaureate certificate for counseling and psychology through UC Berkeley Extension with a 4.0 GPA, and I'll probably take a few extra courses just because. Looking to apply next year, for a Fall 2016 cohort.

Will have 2+ years volunteering for a crisis/suicide line as a counselor/trainer, and 3+ years as an Associate Director of Client Experience at a well-respected non-profit in a tangentially-related healthcare sector. Will have excellent letters of recommendation from a PsyD, an LMFT, and an LCSW. Plan to take GRE's soon and will not settle for scores under 85%.

I have zero research experience.

I would love a fully (or at least partially) funded program but realize that I'm not a viable candidate for most PhD programs due to my lack of research experience. Honestly: I'm somewhat resistant to finding a research opportunity because my primary interests aren't in-line with research being conducted in the area, and I need to work full-time until I get to grad school. That said, I'm certainly not opposed to research if it's an absolute necessity. I also understand that I may not be competitive for any kind of funded PsyD programs. I'd be willing to take on (some) debt because I'm 100% certain that psych is what I want to do with the rest of my life (although of course I'd rather not.) I'm still figuring out exact career goals, but a balance of forensic work and PP sounds appealing.

Advice? Feedback? Suggestions for programs? Thanks for the help.
 
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thereforeiamsterdam said:
Hi everyone. Long time lurker, first time poster with a big steaming pile of questions about psych grad programs. I'm starting the horrifying process of applying for admission to grad school in fall 2015, and I'm getting worried that my stats are too weak to bother applying--this is particularly scary because I want to enter a program in clinical neuropsychology, of which there are fewer programs than straight-up clinical psych (making it possibly EVEN MORE COMPETITIVE). I want nothing more than to be admitted next year, but some part of me wonders if I should even bother, or whether my time would be better served taking a year to improve my application. But before I ramble too much, my stats:

- I am a 5th year undergrad student completing a double major in psychology and physiology & neurobiology with a minor in neuroscience.
- I spent the first 2 years of my undergrad working in a health psych lab focused on applying social psych principles to treatment of people with HIV/AIDS (no pubs)
- I spent a summer working in an fMRI lab at UCSD (not my school, it was an REU) and studying functional changes in adolescents with depression (no pubs)
-Taken 12 credits of psychology/neuroscience graduate coursework (3 full classes & a bunch of little seminars)
-Several years clinical experience in a healthcare setting, including 1.5 years in a psych ER
-Just started working as a crisis intervention counselor, will have ~6 mos by the time apps are due in December
-President of a bioethics club (as I said, I like mental health ethics), editor-in-chief of an undergraduate bioethics journal
-Various other mentoring/researching/volunteering type extracurriculars, a handful of leadership positions
-GRE: VR=168, QR=165, writing=I forget but good enough to meet cutoffs
-A solo author publication in press in a journal in a completely non-neuroscience field (mental health ethics, which is my pet interest), though idk if this is useful at all
- I have spent 2.5 years working in a psychopharmacology lab, creating animal models of depression and comparing the efficacy of different antidepressants. I will have worked here 3.5 years by the time I graduate this May. From this lab, I have:

-2 publications (1 in press, 1 in prep), with several second authorships likely by the time I graduate (my grad student is defending in November)
-1 first authorship on a poster at a national conference (plus a second authorship and a middle-of-the-pack authorship on 2 other posters at the same conference), 3 poster presentations at a small schoolwide conference (2 first, 1 second)
-7 research awards that have brought in a total of ~$12,000 in research funding for my work, mostly from various departments/organizations at my university but 2 from external organizations
-2 theses (yes, that rhymes with "feces"), one for each major (because I am a glutton for punishment)
-a glowing letter of rec from my PI

Now, before you start seething about how I'm some humblebragging jerk that is only posting for an ego boost, I have a 3.138 GPA. Yep. My transcript and my CV look like they belong to completely different people. This is a combination of an unfortunate pre-med period early on and several difficult-to-treat bouts of depression and anxiety. I'm not trying to make excuses for my poor performance, but I also know that I am about 2 standard deviations away from the average accepted GPA at most clinical psych programs, if not more.

Which brings me back to my question: Should I bother to even apply for admission in the fall, or is my GPA low enough that my application will be laughed out of any pile I throw it in? If the latter is the case, and I have to take a year off before reapplying, what the hell do I do to improve my application? A master's? A related job? Research? Curl in the fetal position and weep for a full 365? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help, and for reading to the bottom of this massive post.
Click to expand...


I'd say your best bet would be to apply to a Master's program. While programs do consider the whole package to an extent, a 3.1 GPA is still likely going to be a huge red flag. This does all depend on where you are planning to apply, however. With a GPA as deficient as yours, particularly compared to other aspects of the qualities considered, I would look at strong Master's programs who likely have a smaller applicant pool so that your other credentials are more likely to stand out.
 
Hello all,

I'll be brief. I took the GRE this morning and did not do so well. I have certainly performed better during practice tests, particularly on the verbal component, but alas. I'm planning on applying to a broad range of Ph.D. programs in Clinical Psychology for Fall 2015, all in Canada.

Experimental Masters GPA: 3.9
Bachelors GPA: 3.3
GRE Verbal: 157
GRE Quant: 152

I am second author on a paper that was just accepted for publication, and am currently in the process of working on a few more papers. I have presented two posters. Since completing my Masters in 2011, I have worked as a psychometrist under the supervision of a neuropsychologist. I have also been working in the same neuropsychologist's research lab at a university (EDIT: since 2011). I have learned so much, and I feel that from the perspective of my research experience (i.e., working in research in various capacities since 2007), I am well-prepared for graduate school.

I know that I am not a competitive candidate. My question: should I re-take the GRE? I am of two minds with this. I think that I could possibly give it another try, and I could possibly score higher, as I did not study for as long as I should have (due to personal circumstances). On the other hand, I am just starting a new research position in a couple of weeks, in which I will be running two research studies. I will also be working on several papers with the intent of publishing. That, along with the work involved in actually submitting graduate school applications, makes me wonder if I will have enough time to study for the GRE. Any thoughts?

Thank you so, so much for your help. I am a huge lurker on this forum, and all of your thoughts are always much appreciated.
 
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Take a look at the averages for the programs you're applying to. My sense is that these scores are high enough that your apps will still get looked at.
 
Hi, I am considering applying for an educational psychology degree. I have always wanted to be a psychologist, and the schools are a really great environment for me. Here's my problem. In undergrad I went to a lot of different colleges and have a low overall GPA. My psych GPA was something like a 3.4. I'm currently obtaining my master's in social work and my current GPA is a 3.44.

Would any of this affect my chances? I have a hard time finding acceptance rates for Ed Psych degrees.
 
Alright, finally ready to post on this thread.

Took the GRE yesterday and am not too happy with my math score and am hoping it won't sink my application, but I'm guessing it might...

Anyways here it goes:

Majored in psych: 3.54-3.6 GPA (have to calculate some transfer credits) from well respected public school (but did transfer from a community college). I didn't graduate high school and got my GED so transferring was really my only avenue to a reputable college.

GRE: 157 verbal, 151 quant, don't have writing yet, but I'm guessing it's solid to high

Research experience:
-2 years in well respected psych lab volunteer and for credit. One poster at ABCT, first author.
-1 year full time paid post-grad at undergrad university in clinical research not primarily psych related (but with psych elements).

I hope to apply to PhD programs with a good fit that are funded. Have a couple faculty in mind, but I will spare you the list of schools. I am basically just wondering if I can get in to a reputable program with these numbers. I am signed up to take the GRE again at the end of the month. Obviously I don't WANT to do this, but I am guessing I have to. I am good at grasping statistical concepts when the timer is off and am confident I could do so in a graduate program but I have the good old math anxiety when it comes to tests like the GRE. I know, however, that many applicants do also and manage to pull together and get a good score..

Thanks for the help, any advice is appreciated!!
 
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Long time reader, first time poster here. Figured it's about time to see WAMC.

I'm a senior at the University of Kentucky completing a B.S. in Psychology. I plan on taking a year off to help boost my research and clinical experiences after graduation, and I haven't yet taken the GRE. My applications would be for enrollment during Fall 2016.

I was pre-med for my first 3 years, and took all of the pre-med courses excluding physics (so Gen chem, Bio and Orgo), and did quite well in them. However, I've recently decided to pursue a career in clinical psychology (Preferably PsyD).

My application features:

(note: the degree of difficulty in courses is pretty high. Good grades in Orgo (w/labs), Bio (w/labs), Gen Chem (w/labs), Psychopharmacology, calculus, statistics, Child Psychopathology, etc)

Current GPA: 3.50
Expected GPA at Graduation: 3.59
Current Psychology GPA: 3.8
GRE: Haven't taken yet. I realize the importance of this component, but assuming a fair/decent score here, I'd like to see how my other components hold up.

Work experience: I've spent many summers and winters working to support myself in jobs ranging from retail to construction. This, plus the level of difficulty in my coursework, has made it difficult for me to get the research and clinical experience that I would have liked

Research experience: This is a glaring problem, as my only research experience by graduation will be 1 year of research in a developmental psych lab.

Clinical experience: In my spring semseter, I should be working as a CA for a local psychological services center. Again, this is another flaw in my application. As I said, I plan on getting more research and clinical experience in the Summer and Fall after I graduate, and applying for programs by December.

Leadership: Currently an officer in our chapter of the Psychological Honor Society (psi chi).

Letters of Rec: I have quite a few professors that I can get strong letters from, and even some from outside of the psychology department.

My main interests are in PsyD and PhD programs near the Kentucky area. So EKU, Spalding University, Xavier, UK, UofL, University of Cincinnati, Marshall University, etc.


Overall I'd just like some input on how competitive my application is, and can be with some more work. Of course, there is always the option of entering a master's program and then pursuing a doctorate. Furthermore, I'd like substantiated, logical critiques/suggestions from experienced persons.

Also, brutal honesty is appreciated. If my chances are bad for X reasons, please let me know.

Thank you.
 
Not sure if this question belongs here, but I've been trying to figure this out. When applying to PsyD programs, is it important at all to evaluate the faculty for mentors the way it is for PhD programs? Does doing this somehow enhance your chances of admission, or not so much since you'll typically only do one or two research studies while you're there?

I am applying to a handful of balanced PhD programs (George Mason, UVA, LIU) and then some very competitive PsyD programs (Rutgers, the PGSP Consortium and Loyola). I have a 4.0 for my Psychology degree which was a second degree, and a 3.73 from my first degree (Philosophy) (3.78 all together, all A- and Bs were in dance classes for my minor.)
My GREs were 164 V (93rd percentile) and 155 Q (60th percentile), which amounts to a 1380 in the old form and a 4.5 writing.

research experience is limited- I assisted with a study (created a measure, entered a survey, and ran a t-test) that was not finished by the time I graduated, and I currently work as a paid research assistant for John's Hopkins Center for Research and Reform in Education, so I regularly execute basic research tasks but don't run studies.

for clinical experience I have a year of volunteering as a counselor/advocate for underprivileged 3rd graders and I'm a crisis line volunteer, but I hardly ever get shifts, only once a month so far. I may try to find some other way to gain clinical experience soon, but applications are due in January.

So, generally speaking, WAMC?
 
Hmm... lets try this WAMC thingy this out.

As of right now, I'm looking to enroll in a Psy.D program for Fall of 2015, (been looking at programs like at Rutgers, LIU Post, Argosy, and Nova Southeastern) and I'd like to know my chances. Based on what I've read on this thread, I'm not sure what my chances are. My stats are not nearly as good as what I have seen others post here.

My undergrad GPA right now is a 3.12, with my psychology GPA at 3.18. I had a bad spring semester freshman year and even though I've pulled it up above a 3.0, I get the feeling that that hit is going to hurt my chances severely. As for the GREs, I am currently scheduled to take it in the first week of November. My preparation for it hasn't been stellar (been trying to fit in GRE practice with classes, 2 jobs, and internship, and other extracurricular activities), but I am a relatively good test taker, so I at least want to give it a shot.

Work experience: Have worked on my college campus since September of 2012 at a clerical position. Also, I have taken a second position as a student success mentor overseeing a cohort of 50 students. During the summer and winter months, I have been working in food service at a theme park since the summer of 2013. I am also starting an internship (this week actually), working with clients with post-traumatic stress disorder and victims of sexual abuse.

Other volunteering: I am the secretary of a club on campus, working to coordinate and market our events to the student body. I have also volunteered at an afterschool tutoring program as a part of a Service Learning Project for my Child Psychology class, as well as worked on other volunteer events, both in my college and hometown.

I have access to letters of recommendation from both academic (professors) and professional (supervisors) sources. Also for what it's worth, I am a minority student, raised in a single parent household.

My question is WAMC of getting into an accredited Psy.D program? I am looking for a Psy.D because I have no particular interest in working in academia or research settings, I'd rather work in a clinical therapy/counseling setting. Also, am I right to look towards a doctorate right after undergrad, or should I look towards a Masters?

I am looking to work either in the developmental realm with children/young teens or with trauma patients, more specifically with PTSD.

My end goal would be to open my own private practice, but that's in 20-30 years.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.
 
Psyshock202 said:
I am looking for a Psy.D because I have no particular interest in working in academia or research settings, I'd rather work in a clinical therapy/counseling setting. Also, am I right to look towards a doctorate right after undergrad, or should I look towards a Masters?
Click to expand...

The vast majority of clinical PhD graduates work in clinical settings btw, this preconception may have been true in the 60's, but is far from the norm these days. I would re-consider the PhD route. As for the other stuff, stay away from Argosy, unless you want significant problems in gainful employment down the road in institutional settings. As for the top PsyD programs, your GPA is pretty low and below the average, so you're going to need pretty good GRE scores to balance that out. Hard to make a prediction until those are in.
 
Hi there,
So basically, I was a Psychology major/biology minor (graduated last year) but didn't want to commit to a PsyD program at the time of graduation. Actually, by this time I was sort of on a different route entirely and had my sights set on being a Dietician. By the time I was accepted to those graduate schools, I was wavering on this as a career choice as well, and decided to go another route entirely and so am now at a top 10 school for Healthcare Management (one-year Masters)
Well I've recently begun thinking a lot about what I want to spend the rest of my life doing, and it is NOT management. I figured this would be a really useful degree for me to have, since I knew at that point that I wanted to do SOMETHING in healthcare, but couldn't say for sure at the time what that was. I've decided to set my sights high and aim for a top PsyD program (Rutgers {I'm from NJ-does this matter?}, Baylor). In coming to this conclusion over the past couple of weeks, I've found a lab (and was invited to join) that is PERFECT for me. It ties in my interests in psychology and food/eating disorders/obesity (I think this will make some of my past volunteer work involving food service look more relevant?)
I was also told I could co-author a few of her papers, which I feel is really essential since I have no posters/presentations of my own.
Additionally, I'm looking into taking a psychology course or two in my remaining time at my school. My major disadvantage in my application is going to be my undergraduate GPA. Overall it was a 3.2 and in Psych it was a 3.25. Really no good excuse here. For overall, I was taking a bunch of chemistry courses (for Dietetics) and that really messed me up. As for psych, I was just lazy early on, though I did get B+ or higher in the upper-levels and an A in Experimental. Would that help me at all? My goal is to get A-s at least in the graduate psych courses I take. I am also doing really well in my Healthcare program and am hoping to graduate with a 3.6ish. A few questions here. Would that matter at all since it's not psych, but still graduate classes? Also, my plan is to join a Hospital Administrative Fellowship position in 2014-2015 and apply to PsyD over that, so is there anything besides volunteering I can do in that time if I'm working full-time? And will it appear bad if I do work in that fellowship in that time?
Forgot to mention my strengths lol-
GRE V 160, Q 154 (okay not really here oops), W 5.0
served in various leadership positions throughout college including on Psi Chi
did undergraduate research in a motor development lab (had some psych components which i would prob list in my resume)-nothing substantial here, basic lab stuff and lab meetings
Dean's List a couple times
prob my main thing-had a clinical experience in an outpatient setting where i worked alongside various therapists and psychologists basically mirorring what they do, so this would be one of my reccs. (ironically, this is the experience that scared me away from a career in psych. a bunch of MSWs at the time telling me to go for my PhD and since i was like 19 at the time i was like wut)--also, would this type of clinical experience put me at an advantage? I feel like it was a very unique opportunity and have never seen anything else like this advertised.
also, will be trained to do crisis hotline stuff this year hopefully.

ANY advice with current or future plans would be GREAT. i know i messed up undergrad but there's really nothing to do about that now but try to take a couple graduate courses. but any other suggestions??
For anyone who read this whole thing....bless you 😀
 
Psyshock202 said:
Hmm... lets try this WAMC thingy this out.

As of right now, I'm looking to enroll in a Psy.D program for Fall of 2015, (been looking at programs like at Rutgers, LIU Post, Argosy, and Nova Southeastern) and I'd like to know my chances. Based on what I've read on this thread, I'm not sure what my chances are. My stats are not nearly as good as what I have seen others post here.

My undergrad GPA right now is a 3.12, with my psychology GPA at 3.18. I had a bad spring semester freshman year and even though I've pulled it up above a 3.0, I get the feeling that that hit is going to hurt my chances severely. As for the GREs, I am currently scheduled to take it in the first week of November. My preparation for it hasn't been stellar (been trying to fit in GRE practice with classes, 2 jobs, and internship, and other extracurricular activities), but I am a relatively good test taker, so I at least want to give it a shot.

Work experience: Have worked on my college campus since September of 2012 at a clerical position. Also, I have taken a second position as a student success mentor overseeing a cohort of 50 students. During the summer and winter months, I have been working in food service at a theme park since the summer of 2013. I am also starting an internship (this week actually), working with clients with post-traumatic stress disorder and victims of sexual abuse.

Other volunteering: I am the secretary of a club on campus, working to coordinate and market our events to the student body. I have also volunteered at an afterschool tutoring program as a part of a Service Learning Project for my Child Psychology class, as well as worked on other volunteer events, both in my college and hometown.

I have access to letters of recommendation from both academic (professors) and professional (supervisors) sources. Also for what it's worth, I am a minority student, raised in a single parent household.

My question is WAMC of getting into an accredited Psy.D program? I am looking for a Psy.D because I have no particular interest in working in academia or research settings, I'd rather work in a clinical therapy/counseling setting. Also, am I right to look towards a doctorate right after undergrad, or should I look towards a Masters?

I am looking to work either in the developmental realm with children/young teens or with trauma patients, more specifically with PTSD.

My end goal would be to open my own private practice, but that's in 20-30 years.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.
Click to expand...

First of all I think you need to do more research into the reputation of colleges. Do stay away from Argosy, as said. Any free standing institutions, rather than universities, I would exempt right away from the roster. After that look at the reputation of the universities. Rutgers, obviously, has a very good rep. I don't know anything about LIU or Nova Southeastern. But please DO NOT go to a college just because it will give you a doctorate. Choose very wisely.

I was considering myself getting a Psy.D, but I read somewhere that some places do not accept it in the work world, and the market is over-saturated with people who are not as qualified but have a Psy.D. For that reason, if I do go to get my doctorate, I intend to get a PhD. Now I'm not insulting people who get PsyD's. I'm sure most of them are qualified, but I would rather get a different kind of training.

Now I think you should apply to both PhDs and PsyDs. And apply to PsyDs at the best colleges, and some of the middle. It doesn't hurt to apply AT ALL. Also PhDs aren't all research-oriented. They are harder to get into, though.

http://www.socialpsychology.org/clinrank.htm

Here is a ranking of Psyc degrees, I don't know how accurate it is. Obviously this is not the only measurement you should go by when choosing.

You have a good chance of getting into plenty PsyD programs, to be honest. Many have acceptance rates of around 40%
 
Thank you for that link, that's gonna come in handy. As of now, I feel like my GPA is a big hindrance, but it's good to know my chances aren't completely gone. For the next month, I'm going to be prepping like a madman for the GRE.

What's the story with Argosy's reputation? I spoke with my advisor at school and he says he knows it to be a decent school. I'm considering applying to the Tampa campus since I'm down in Florida now.

Also, I just want to make sure that a Psy. D is the right choice for me, from what I've seen and heard, that's preferable over a PH.D for what I want. In addition, I know of some programs that offer a Master's degree in the first 2-3 years.
 
coolbanana said:
Also what is you want that makes it different from a PhD?

Oh AND let me point out you can be a therapist with an LCSW.... I chose social work because my grades were simply not good enough for a PhD in psyc.
Click to expand...

As far as I know, Psy.D programs focus solely on practicing, which as of right now, is what I want. Also, isn't a doctorate required to become a licensed psychologist? That may be more profitable (salary wise) over a Master's. Maybe I haven't done enough research, idk.
 
cbkoc said:
Hi there,
So basically, I was a Psychology major/biology minor (graduated last year) but didn't want to commit to a PsyD program at the time of graduation. Actually, by this time I was sort of on a different route entirely and had my sights set on being a Dietician. By the time I was accepted to those graduate schools, I was wavering on this as a career choice as well, and decided to go another route entirely and so am now at a top 10 school for Healthcare Management (one-year Masters)
Well I've recently begun thinking a lot about what I want to spend the rest of my life doing, and it is NOT management. I figured this would be a really useful degree for me to have, since I knew at that point that I wanted to do SOMETHING in healthcare, but couldn't say for sure at the time what that was. I've decided to set my sights high and aim for a top PsyD program (Rutgers {I'm from NJ-does this matter?}, Baylor). In coming to this conclusion over the past couple of weeks, I've found a lab (and was invited to join) that is PERFECT for me. It ties in my interests in psychology and food/eating disorders/obesity (I think this will make some of my past volunteer work involving food service look more relevant?)
I was also told I could co-author a few of her papers, which I feel is really essential since I have no posters/presentations of my own.
Additionally, I'm looking into taking a psychology course or two in my remaining time at my school. My major disadvantage in my application is going to be my undergraduate GPA. Overall it was a 3.2 and in Psych it was a 3.25. Really no good excuse here. For overall, I was taking a bunch of chemistry courses (for Dietetics) and that really messed me up. As for psych, I was just lazy early on, though I did get B+ or higher in the upper-levels and an A in Experimental. Would that help me at all? My goal is to get A-s at least in the graduate psych courses I take. I am also doing really well in my Healthcare program and am hoping to graduate with a 3.6ish. A few questions here. Would that matter at all since it's not psych, but still graduate classes? Also, my plan is to join a Hospital Administrative Fellowship position in 2014-2015 and apply to PsyD over that, so is there anything besides volunteering I can do in that time if I'm working full-time? And will it appear bad if I do work in that fellowship in that time?
Forgot to mention my strengths lol-
GRE V 160, Q 154 (okay not really here oops), W 5.0
served in various leadership positions throughout college including on Psi Chi
did undergraduate research in a motor development lab (had some psych components which i would prob list in my resume)-nothing substantial here, basic lab stuff and lab meetings
Dean's List a couple times
prob my main thing-had a clinical experience in an outpatient setting where i worked alongside various therapists and psychologists basically mirorring what they do, so this would be one of my reccs. (ironically, this is the experience that scared me away from a career in psych. a bunch of MSWs at the time telling me to go for my PhD and since i was like 19 at the time i was like wut)--also, would this type of clinical experience put me at an advantage? I feel like it was a very unique opportunity and have never seen anything else like this advertised.
also, will be trained to do crisis hotline stuff this year hopefully.

ANY advice with current or future plans would be GREAT. i know i messed up undergrad but there's really nothing to do about that now but try to take a couple graduate courses. but any other suggestions??
For anyone who read this whole thing....bless you 😀
Click to expand...

Moved to WAMC thread.
 
I know a lot of these posts go unanswered because there's so many of us! I hope someone is reading this... and can't identify me, haha.

This is my second time applying and I am getting a little nervous as the date rolls around. People are telling me to apply to "safety" schools, with lower GRE scores and higher acceptance rates, but those schools are not funded and have poor APA match rates. I am looking at really heavy R1 universities like University of Washington.

GRE
1350 on the old scale. Verbal is 94th percentile, Quant is 49th. I know :\ my gre score and my SOP are my primary concerns. I feel my quant does not truly reflect my skills in data analysis, as I have had to take stats throughout my B.A. and M.A. and actually train other students in statistics and TA/tutor for the research methods/stats classes on campus.


Undergrad
State school with no reputation, good or bad. Nearly unheard of with 13,000 students total.
GPA: 3.87, graduated summa cum laude and also with a minor in biology. Had honors in general, major, and minor. Was enrolled in Honors Program. Dean's List every semester for all four years.

Was in and out of 4 research labs, committed to two for two years. Resulted in two peer-reviewed publications and maybe 15 poster presentations, which are now mostly off of my CV (they were student or undergrad conferences, and I didn't want there to be fluff now that I have many national conference presentations).

Research was not in my area of interest, but I did it because I liked the people I worked with and knew that the lab I was in published often and encouraged student authors.

TAed a lot.

Applied to 18 Ph.D. programs, turned down 6 before interviews or during pre-interviews after finding out info that wasn't on their website, like half-funding, no funding, etc. Waitlisted at 1 top school and subsequently rejected. Accepted to a typically funded university with no financial package, so I declined it.

Master's
Clinical Psych M.A. with empirical focus
Laboratory manager for a lab in my area of interest. I train and supervise (and mentor about grad school, but I leave that off my CV, haha) 20-30 undergrad RAs every semester in conducting research, accomplishing tasks for the lab, working in SPSS, submitting to conferences, etc.
Submitted one manuscript that pertains to my research interests this month, have one research monograph from a grant evaluation, am starting a second manuscript right now.
Give assessments to children, adolescents, and college students for learning disability accommodations for my practicum
Training to be CBT therapist at my practicum but won't get client until after apps
Crisis intervention with trauma survivors and provide accompaniment services
TAed a lot
Conducting empirical thesis, proposing this semester and will defend either right around or right after interview season.

ANYWAY, that was probably disorganized.

The Full Sum
2 peer-reviewed publications, 1 peer-reviewed publication in review, 1 manuscript being written (leaving that off CV, still in lit review stage), 1 research monograph from a grant evaluation I assisted with
10 national conference presentations, ~10 student/regional presentations I took off my CV
Engaged clinically in three different settings- assessment, CBT, and crisis intervention (60 hours of training required)
GPA always above 3.8, minored in bio, good chunk of thesis is complete, GRE is mixed

I am afraid, like last cycle, I won't even be looked at by funded schools... do you think I have improved enough?

Thanks for the help.
 
cbkoc said:
Hi there,
So basically, I was a Psychology major/biology minor (graduated last year) but didn't want to commit to a PsyD program at the time of graduation. Actually, by this time I was sort of on a different route entirely and had my sights set on being a Dietician. By the time I was accepted to those graduate schools, I was wavering on this as a career choice as well, and decided to go another route entirely and so am now at a top 10 school for Healthcare Management (one-year Masters)
Well I've recently begun thinking a lot about what I want to spend the rest of my life doing, and it is NOT management. I figured this would be a really useful degree for me to have, since I knew at that point that I wanted to do SOMETHING in healthcare, but couldn't say for sure at the time what that was. I've decided to set my sights high and aim for a top PsyD program (Rutgers {I'm from NJ-does this matter?}, Baylor). In coming to this conclusion over the past couple of weeks, I've found a lab (and was invited to join) that is PERFECT for me. It ties in my interests in psychology and food/eating disorders/obesity (I think this will make some of my past volunteer work involving food service look more relevant?)
I was also told I could co-author a few of her papers, which I feel is really essential since I have no posters/presentations of my own.
Additionally, I'm looking into taking a psychology course or two in my remaining time at my school. My major disadvantage in my application is going to be my undergraduate GPA. Overall it was a 3.2 and in Psych it was a 3.25. Really no good excuse here. For overall, I was taking a bunch of chemistry courses (for Dietetics) and that really messed me up. As for psych, I was just lazy early on, though I did get B+ or higher in the upper-levels and an A in Experimental. Would that help me at all? My goal is to get A-s at least in the graduate psych courses I take. I am also doing really well in my Healthcare program and am hoping to graduate with a 3.6ish. A few questions here. Would that matter at all since it's not psych, but still graduate classes? Also, my plan is to join a Hospital Administrative Fellowship position in 2014-2015 and apply to PsyD over that, so is there anything besides volunteering I can do in that time if I'm working full-time? And will it appear bad if I do work in that fellowship in that time?
Forgot to mention my strengths lol-
GRE V 160, Q 154 (okay not really here oops), W 5.0
served in various leadership positions throughout college including on Psi Chi
did undergraduate research in a motor development lab (had some psych components which i would prob list in my resume)-nothing substantial here, basic lab stuff and lab meetings
Dean's List a couple times
prob my main thing-had a clinical experience in an outpatient setting where i worked alongside various therapists and psychologists basically mirorring what they do, so this would be one of my reccs. (ironically, this is the experience that scared me away from a career in psych. a bunch of MSWs at the time telling me to go for my PhD and since i was like 19 at the time i was like wut)--also, would this type of clinical experience put me at an advantage? I feel like it was a very unique opportunity and have never seen anything else like this advertised.
also, will be trained to do crisis hotline stuff this year hopefully.

ANY advice with current or future plans would be GREAT. i know i messed up undergrad but there's really nothing to do about that now but try to take a couple graduate courses. but any other suggestions??
For anyone who read this whole thing....bless you 😀
Click to expand...

The masters GPA might help a bit, sure; although it's not like a 3.2 is absolutely horrible. It'll be above the minimum cut-off just about everywhere, so it shouldn't get you cut outright at very many places.

Co-authoring papers would be great, and spending your time volunteering/working in a psychology research lab or two is going to be your best bet at improving your credentials. Clinical experiences really aren't valued very highly by most grad programs when it comes to admissions. The things folks are more typically interested in are: GPA + GRE, research experience, fit with the program, and strength of letters of recommendation.
 
modestmousktr said:
I know a lot of these posts go unanswered because there's so many of us! I hope someone is reading this... and can't identify me, haha.

This is my second time applying and I am getting a little nervous as the date rolls around. People are telling me to apply to "safety" schools, with lower GRE scores and higher acceptance rates, but those schools are not funded and have poor APA match rates. I am looking at really heavy R1 universities like University of Washington.

GRE
1350 on the old scale. Verbal is 94th percentile, Quant is 49th. I know :\ my gre score and my SOP are my primary concerns. I feel my quant does not truly reflect my skills in data analysis, as I have had to take stats throughout my B.A. and M.A. and actually train other students in statistics and TA/tutor for the research methods/stats classes on campus.


Undergrad
State school with no reputation, good or bad. Nearly unheard of with 13,000 students total.
GPA: 3.87, graduated summa cum laude and also with a minor in biology. Had honors in general, major, and minor. Was enrolled in Honors Program. Dean's List every semester for all four years.

Was in and out of 4 research labs, committed to two for two years. Resulted in two peer-reviewed publications and maybe 15 poster presentations, which are now mostly off of my CV (they were student or undergrad conferences, and I didn't want there to be fluff now that I have many national conference presentations).

Research was not in my area of interest, but I did it because I liked the people I worked with and knew that the lab I was in published often and encouraged student authors.

TAed a lot.

Applied to 18 Ph.D. programs, turned down 6 before interviews or during pre-interviews after finding out info that wasn't on their website, like half-funding, no funding, etc. Waitlisted at 1 top school and subsequently rejected. Accepted to a typically funded university with no financial package, so I declined it.

Master's
Clinical Psych M.A. with empirical focus
Laboratory manager for a lab in my area of interest. I train and supervise (and mentor about grad school, but I leave that off my CV, haha) 20-30 undergrad RAs every semester in conducting research, accomplishing tasks for the lab, working in SPSS, submitting to conferences, etc.
Submitted one manuscript that pertains to my research interests this month, have one research monograph from a grant evaluation, am starting a second manuscript right now.
Give assessments to children, adolescents, and college students for learning disability accommodations for my practicum
Training to be CBT therapist at my practicum but won't get client until after apps
Crisis intervention with trauma survivors and provide accompaniment services
TAed a lot
Conducting empirical thesis, proposing this semester and will defend either right around or right after interview season.

ANYWAY, that was probably disorganized.

The Full Sum
2 peer-reviewed publications, 1 peer-reviewed publication in review, 1 manuscript being written (leaving that off CV, still in lit review stage), 1 research monograph from a grant evaluation I assisted with
10 national conference presentations, ~10 student/regional presentations I took off my CV
Engaged clinically in three different settings- assessment, CBT, and crisis intervention (60 hours of training required)
GPA always above 3.8, minored in bio, good chunk of thesis is complete, GRE is mixed

I am afraid, like last cycle, I won't even be looked at by funded schools... do you think I have improved enough?

Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

I'm honestly not sure how you'd not at least be looked at by funded programs, as your credentials are pretty darn strong. Although I'm curious--what do you mean by "typically funded university with no financial package;" they offered tuition remission but no stipend, or something else?

I don't think you'd be ill-served by applying solely to funded programs; you should just apply to a good number of them (12-15), that's all.
 
AcronymAllergy said:
I'm honestly not sure how you'd not at least be looked at by funded programs, as your credentials are pretty darn strong. Although I'm curious--what do you mean by "typically funded university with no financial package;" they offered tuition remission but no stipend, or something else?

I don't think you'd be ill-served by applying solely to funded programs; you should just apply to a good number of them (12-15), that's all.
Click to expand...

Oh gosh, thank you so much! That is extremely relieving to hear, I am so worried about my quant GRE score getting in the way of my credentials. Thank you! When I mentioned I was accepted to a typically funded university but not offered a financial package, I guess I'll just give the example, I was accepted to the University of Rhode Island. Their website at the time (a few years ago) said that historically, students receive funding for X amount of years (can't remember the exact number) and while interviewing it was made to seem that funding wouldn't be an issue, but after I was accepted I found out that my POI did not have a grant and I would not have gotten tuition remission or a stipend if I attended. So I had to turn that down, unfortunately. Thanks so much for easing some of my fears, I hope it goes better this app season! 🙂
 
modestmousktr said:
Oh gosh, thank you so much! That is extremely relieving to hear, I am so worried about my quant GRE score getting in the way of my credentials. Thank you! When I mentioned I was accepted to a typically funded university but not offered a financial package, I guess I'll just give the example, I was accepted to the University of Rhode Island. Their website at the time (a few years ago) said that historically, students receive funding for X amount of years (can't remember the exact number) and while interviewing it was made to seem that funding wouldn't be an issue, but after I was accepted I found out that my POI did not have a grant and I would not have gotten tuition remission or a stipend if I attended. So I had to turn that down, unfortunately. Thanks so much for easing some of my fears, I hope it goes better this app season! 🙂
Click to expand...

No problem. Again, it's going to vary by program, so I of course can't definitively say that a lower quant score won't count against you at all. However, I can say that my (very similar) quant score didn't stop me from getting accepted to a funded program way back when. I would imagine that the combined score, coupled with GPA and research experience, should alleviate most/all fears potentially raised by a "low" quant score.
 
Hi everyone. I just graduated this past May from a well-respected undergraduate university and I'm planning on applying to clinical and counseling PhD. programs. Last Fall I applied and received 4 interviews from schools, was wait-listed by 2, and didn't end up getting in. I am currently working as a research coordinator for a neuropsychology lab at a top 30 clinical phd program.

I just want to make sure I'm on the right path. What can I work on over the next year to up my chances?

Dual Major in Psychology and Public Relations Summa Cum Laude
Cumulative GPA: 3.8
GRE: V - 164 Q - 149 W - 4.5
Received highest departmental honor for a senior student.

Research Experiences:
1) Post-bacc Research coordinator for a psychology lab: Examining anxiety through a developmental lens and applying this knowledge to innovations in anxiety treatment in varying populations. Currently working on 6 projects related to anxiety. Supervise undergrad RAs. Have a large role in the lab and will have the opportunity to be on posters, papers, project development. fMRI exposure and training.
2) National Science Foundation (REU) Student Research Fellow: Chosen to be part of an intensive, month-long research for undergraduates site focusing on PTSD+ trauma. I wrote a research proposal and I am IRB approved and starting to collect data now.
3) Senior Research Assistant: (3 years) I was been a research assistant for the past 3 at an ophthalmology lab. . As an undergraduate I have been given many responsibilities, including taking over a graduate student research project, training and managing graduate students, assisting with grant and paper writing,etc.
4) Research Assistant: (1 yr) Working in a cog psych lab looking at memory. Running participants, collecting and analyzing data.

Professional Experiences:1) Psychiatric Center Intern 2) Elementary School Tutor

Poster presentations: 2, with one in the works
No papers.
 
Applying to research-oriented Counseling Psych PhD programs (among the most competitive: NYU, Maryland, Boston College, Columbia).


Education: B.A. cum laude in psych; M.S. in experimental psych (3.8 GPA).

GRE: 160V, 153Q, 4.5AW (%iles: 84/52/80).

Research (all as grad student): 4 posters, 1 more upcoming; 1 journal article submitted, 2 in preparation; 1 campus-hosted conference talk; 1 master's thesis. I am first author on everything.

Positions: Ran my own little lab for thesis work; 5 methods/stats TA appointments; worked residence life for three years as undergrad (my only counseling-ish experience).

Funding: Two little institutional grants; the 5 TAships were tuition + stipend.

Skills: solid with SPSS, HLM, EQS; Learning R. Experience with qualitative data. Very solid with multivariate analyses and many advanced stats.


WAMC? And thanks in advance.
 
Psyshock202 said:
Thank you for that link, that's gonna come in handy. As of now, I feel like my GPA is a big hindrance, but it's good to know my chances aren't completely gone. For the next month, I'm going to be prepping like a madman for the GRE.

What's the story with Argosy's reputation? I spoke with my advisor at school and he says he knows it to be a decent school. I'm considering applying to the Tampa campus since I'm down in Florida now.

Also, I just want to make sure that a Psy. D is the right choice for me, from what I've seen and heard, that's preferable over a PH.D for what I want. In addition, I know of some programs that offer a Master's degree in the first 2-3 years.
Click to expand...

I'm applying to Psy.D programs this fall and I'm applying to six universities and two Argosy campuses. From what I hear, Argosy is "what you make of it". Meaning you can get a lot out of your experience and education, or you can attempt to cruise through. I work at a private practice run by a Psy.D graduate of an Argosy campus and she is one of the most successful and respected psychologists in the area. It is NOT a death sentence for future jobs. While I think I would prefer a university setting, I'm keeping a professional school as a back up. Also in the state I live in, it may be different elsewhere, master's level clinicians must be supervised by doctoral level clinicians, and most master's level clinicians I know in the field wish they had just gone all the way and pursued their doctorate as this gives you more freedom and employment opportunities. I'm not a professional, but I've done a ton of research on Psy.D programs and I've visited many schools and talked to basically anyone that would talk to me, so I feel like I've learned some stuff 🙂 Good luck.
 
Everyone's looking pretty good... I am worried about mine. My schools are:


St. John’'s University
Long Island Unviersity
Yeshiva University (PsyD)

My stats are:

GPA: 3.33 Cumulative
Psychology GPA: 3.70
GRE will be taken in December and anticipating graduation in December 2014 with Psych BA

Research experience: 1.0 year as an undergrad (one more semester planned) with one professor in Behavioral Neuroscience and a semester with another professor with Statistical Psychology (Coding)
Vice-President and Secretary of my school's chapter of Psi Chi.
Great LOR from my Research Supervisors/Professors

Wanting to go to a practicing direction and/or clinical neurophysiology focus.

Honesty is key. But not too harsh, please. Thank you everyone! Any feedback or advice is greatly appreciated!
 
Last edited:
LN247 said:
Everyone's looking pretty good... I am worried about mine. My schools are:


St. John’'s University
Long Island Unviersity
Yeshiva University (PsyD)

My stats are:

GPA: 3.33 Cumulative
Psychology GPA: 3.70
GRE will be taken in December and anticipating graduation in December 2014 with Psych BA

Research experience: 1.0 year as an undergrad (one more semester planned) with one professor in Behavioral Neuroscience and a semester with another professor with Statistical Psychology (Coding)
Vice-President and Secretary of my school's chapter of Psi Chi.
Great LOR from my Research Supervisors/Professors

Wanting to go to a practicing direction and/or clinical neurophysiology focus.

Honesty is key. But not too harsh, please. Thank you everyone! Any feedback or advice is greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

My first recommendation, even before reading any stats, would be to up the # of programs to which you're applying. It looks like you're hoping to stay in the NE, but unfortunately, pursuing doctoral training in psychology doesn't lend itself very well to geographic restrictions....especially when the area is a very popular one, like New England. It'd be a bit different if you were wanting to stay, say, in the southeast, but even then it can be tough. Thus, I'd strongly suggest adding more programs to your list, particularly in less-desirable geographic areas, as those programs will also be less competitive.

The GPA shouldn't be an outright barrier, but the cumulative is going to be lower than the average graduate student. Thus, you're going to want to do your best to really knock the GRE out of the park (which I'm sure you're already planning on doing). Tentatively, I'd say if you clear 1300 on the old scale, that'd be great.

Only 1 year of research experience will probably also be less than the average applicant, but the behavioral neuroscience work should help you given your neurophys interests. You'd probably also get a bit of a bump if you've taken extra science courses (e.g., chemisty, o-chem, bio).
 
I am currently a JUNIOR at a Jesuit Private University, and I am planning on going into Clinical Child Psychology. I have a major in Psych and a minor in Health Systems Management, which is hospital management and was planning on working in a hospital either during or before graduate school.

I want to just gauge my options here because I know for a fact that my GPA isn't the strongest. Personal problems freshman year and then I was Pre-med before doing my Psych major which didn't help my GPA at all. Lots of C-'s, C's, and B's, until Chem destroyed my sophomore year GPA. Switched to Psych and HSM and I've been on an upward trend since, but it's not a competitive GPA. 2.44 cum and 2.97 psych gpa. This fall semester should raise both to 2.9 cum and 3.0 major.

I am good at speaking and such, and know I have to do well on the GRE. I have two years of research assistant under my belt, and even wrote papers for my research professor. I worked in a school and did a job at a summer camp for hands-on child experience. I was wondering what I should start looking into to strengthen my application for some PSY.D programs as I would really like to practice hands-on clinical psychology, like seeing patients and such.
 
Here goes...

Undergrad:
reputable liberal arts school
Cumulative GPA: 3.4
Psych GPA: 3.5
Last 2 years GPA: 3.5

1 semester as a research assistant
Thesis

GRE:
164 V (670, 93%)
159 Q (750, 75%)
5.0 W (93%)

Clinical:
1 summer at an intensive residential treatment program (approx. 750 hours) with the population I'm interested in
Currently helping to facilitate therapy sessions a couple times per week

Research experience:
Will be close to 1.5 years as a full-time RA, working on projects related to what I want to study in PhD programs. Not very much applied work but have had the chance to do a lot of writing and get my name on some publications:

3 currently published: 1 second author, 2 fourth/fifth
2 under review (I would expect that they'll be accepted), 4th/5th author
1 about to go out, 5th author, going to high-IF journal (we hope)
1 first author pub in prep, ideally will go out by the time apps are due
1 presentation

I also work as an editorial assistant for one of the primary journals in my field.

Letters:
1 from an undergrad prof
1 from former research mentor that I'm confident will be quite good
1 from current supervisor who is well-known in his (and my) field

I am applying for clinical PhD programs, some of which are very research-oriented and others that are more balanced.

WAMC?
 
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Hey guys, trying to get a general idea of how competitive my application will be.

GRE-V: 159
GRE-Q: 155
GRE-W: 5

Education:
Community College: 3.66 (3 semesters, mostly general courses before transferring)
Michigan State University: Psychology & Linguistics Dual Major, Spanish Minor, Cognitive Science Specialization
3.62 Overall, 3.88 Psychology (9 semesters)

Experience:
2 years as research assistant in Cognitive Development Lab, 1 poster presentation
1 year as research assistant in Psycholinguistics Lab
1 year as research assistant in Clinical Psychopathology Lab
1 year volunteering at homeless shelter
1 year volunteering at crisis hotline

Schools (in order of preference):
University of Michigan
Western Michigan University
Ohio State University
Michigan State University
Central Michigan University
Ohio University

Solid Letters of recommendation from a clinical psychologist, developmental psychologist, and linguist via labs

Thank you in advance!
 
Kallearn said:
Hey guys, trying to get a general idea of how competitive my application will be.

GRE-V: 159
GRE-Q: 155
GRE-W: 5

!
Click to expand...

GRE is solid, experience looks good. I would wonder about fit. It seems that you are severely restricted to one geographic area. What are your research/clinical interests, and can you find that at each of those schools. Also, MSU doesn't like to take their undergrads in the program, or at least they didn't like to almost a decade ago. I did it, but I got into the lab that I was managing for 2 years before that.
 
I got a new job so this is a little updated. Less than stellar GRE scores but I don't know if I can go through that again (spent all summer last year studying and it cost me a lot of time and money). I have factored in what my stats will be by the time I apply. I plan to apply for a developmental programs or experimental psychology with a music focus.

Education: BA, Psychology (minor in sociology) with Honors from a well respected big ten school
Scores:
GPA: 3.94 overall, 4.0 Psychology
GRE: 158 V (78th percentile); 154 Q (57th percentile); 5.0 writing (93rd percentile)

Research Experience:
  • Honors Thesis including a defense and poster presentation
  • 5 years working as an RA
    -2 years working in a social development lab
    -1 year working in a clinical substance use lab
    -1 year (3 summers) working in a molecular genetics lab
    -1 year working in an adolescent substance use lab (current new job.. could do 2 or 3 years if i wanted)
    1 semester working in a social cognition lab
Publications:
  • I am 5th and 6th author on 3 publications published in a top tier journal (impact factor 14.98)
Presentations:
  • Honors thesis poster presentation event
Other Experience:
1 year: Helped with an autism camp
1 year: crisis problem response team on campus
1 year: Mental health awareness group on campus
LORs:
3 Very good letters from tenured professors who are very respected in their field each from a different lab.

I am not sure what type of programs I am going to apply to, but I am thinking of development or social psychology. Let me know how my stats look!!!! thanks. Also what are your opinions on re-taking the GRE. I would loooovveee for it to just be over and me move on with everything else. All three of my advisors said that my stats should be fine and out way the average GRE scores but I thought I would ask.
 
Hey Everybody!

I am a semester a way from graduating with my bachelor's in psychology and plan on applying to clinical programs for fall 2015. Any idea about where I stand would be much appreciated!

My stats:
GPA: 3.4 (obviously, lower than average but GPA for my last 30 credits is 3.89)
Psych GPA: 3.69
GRE V: 160/610/84%
GRE Q: 156/720/ 64%

-Research Experience: 1.5 years as a Research Assistant. No publications or presentations but I've worked pretty closely with all the members of the lab and proven myself.

Rec letters: 1 from my lab's PI, 1 from my research supervisor whose letter will be particularly superlative and 1 from a professor who knows me quite well. Also, I am completing an honor's thesis but it wont be published by the time I submit.

-Clinical/ Volunteer Experience: 7 months + , 10 hours/ week participating in an active listening web-based interventions

-My ultimate goal is to be a clinician but I think a scientific foundation will definitely make me a better practitioner. I am particularly interested in the use of Mindfulness-Based interventions in high-stress population and those who suffer from PTSD.

The schools I plan to apply to:
Indiana University of PA (PsyD.)
Seattle Pacific University
Unversity of North Carlolina, Greensboro (PhD)
Western Michigan University (PhD)
Eastern Michigan University (PhD)
University of Wisconsin (PhD)
Suffolk University (PhD)
University of Detroit-Mercy (PhD) [ not as balanced as I would like but some of their clinical opportunities match my career objectives perfectly]


Thanks for any comments!
 
Gonna try posting again and see if I can get some feedback.

Background: I'm a senior Psychology Major looking at (almost exclusively) dual-emphasis PhD programs in Clinical Psychology for Fall 2016. I am taking a year off to work on my weak research experience. My details include planned stuff of course. My research interests are (loosely) developmental psychopathology, and substance abuse.

My second choice would be PhD programs in Counseling. Although my preference would be working in psychopathology, I've heard from (licensed psychologists, and sdn members) that Counseling psychologists in the right setting don't differ all that much from Clinical. Plus I don't find it financially wise to take on significant debt for a PsyD.

Cumulative GPA (expected at graduation): 3.60 (note First year was rough, and I did most of the pre-med coursework)
Psychology GPA (expected at graduation): 3.84

GRE: I haven't yet taken it, but have a lot of time to prepare. I'm mainly concerned about my research experience

Research by application time:
- 1 year undergraduate research in a developmental lab focusing on family and children (sleep apnea, alcohol usage etc).
- 1 year as paid RA in a lab dealing with substance abuse treatment programs.
- Working on possible poster presentation.

Clinical experience:
- 1 semester as intern for a counseling center working under a clinical psychologist who also deals with substance abuse.

Letters of Rec:
- I have quite a few Psych faculty who'd be glad to write me a letter. Yet after talking to the directer of my University's Clinical program and being told "for my lab, letters only contribute to the application if they are bad", I'm not going to rely on these to make up for other areas.

A few extracurriculars that won't be too meaningful on the application. Psi Chi officer, volunteering in community, etc.

A taste of schools I'm looking at:
-U of L
-UK (my undergrad school)
-University of Tennessee
-Indiana-State (Funded, more research oriented Psy. D)
-Cincinnati
- Northern Illinois


I'm no stranger to the application process. I've read studies, books, and I've spoken with MANY faculty and current grad students. That being said I'm not sure if it's even worth applying to mid-level clinical programs with only 2 years of research, no publications, and less than stellar GPAs. My GRE would have to be pretty good as well, and I haven't even taken the actual test yet (took some practice tests that probably weren't representative of the real test).

I've heard stories of much better applicants not getting in anywhere, and while I didn't see their personal statements, letters of rec or CVs, it's still a disheartening notion.

I'd just like some feedback on where I stand, and anything else I should be doing.

Thanks.
 
AcronymAllergy said:
It looks like you're hoping to stay in the NE, but unfortunately, pursuing doctoral training in psychology doesn't lend itself very well to geographic restrictions....especially when the area is a very popular one, like New England. It'd be a bit different if you were wanting to stay, say, in the southeast, but even then it can be tough. Thus, I'd strongly suggest adding more programs to your list, particularly in less-desirable geographic areas, as those programs will also be less competitive.
Click to expand...

By "less desirable geographic areas", I assume you mean rural, less populated areas? E.g. Montana*, Appalachia, etc
 
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Sgt_Pepper55 said:
By "less desirable geographic areas", I assume you mean rural, less populated areas? E.g. Montana*, Appalachia, etc
Click to expand...

Basically, anywhere off the coasts and/or away from mega-cities (e.g., NY, much of CA, Boston, Chicago). Rural would certainly be included in that, sure, but wouldn't be the only category.
 
AcronymAllergy said:
Basically, anywhere off the coasts and/or away from mega-cities (e.g., NY, much of CA, Boston, Chicago). Rural would certainly be included in that, sure, but wouldn't be the only category.
Click to expand...

Gotcha. That's something I never even took into consideration, so I wanted clarification.
 
Gonzophd said:
Hello to everyone and thanks for all the great advice I've gathered so far from this forum! So I'm a bit of a outlier when it comes to applying to graduate school as I recently worked in retail until the ripe age of 31. Brain and cognition had always caught my interest, thus I decided to go back to college. So at the age of 35 going on 36, I thought I'd join the circus (i.e. application season) and hopefully receive a reality check of my chances. Thanks!

Stats:
Undergraduate GPA: 3.96 (Cornell University)
Psych GPA: 4.0
GRE: Going to take next month
Psych GRE: Next month

Experience:
1 years research assistant looking at Hippocampus/Retrosplenial cortex in a rat model (early stage dementia zone of interest)
2 year research assistant looking at language and dementia
1.5 year research assistant looking at aging/Alzheimer's using fMRI and EEG
1 year volunteering at dementia retirement community

Papers/Presentations/Awards:
3 summer internships/ stipend awards (Howard Hughes Biomedical @ Stony Brook, Cornell Biology Summer Research for under represented minorities, Summer Stipend)
Poster at Cognitive Neuroscience Society 2014
3 papers in prep (hopefully out by Dec 1st, two are 2nd author, one is first)
About to do a small stint at MGH (Harvard med) to analyze MRI's


Schools:
Clinical Neuropsychology/Cognitive Neuroscience PhD’s
U of Arizona
U of Florida
UNC
U of Georgia
UC Berkley
USC
LSU
UC-Berkeley
U of Houston
Letters of Recommendation:

All 3 are going to be excellent. One of them will be from a mentor who worked on the admissions committee for University of Minnesota clinical psychology program during the 80's, with another being a fellow non-traditional student who just got tenure.


Misc:
Have taken and received graduate level credit for two courses.
Proficient in MATLAB, SPM8, EEGLAB, R
Graduate level stats
Click to expand...

Update now with my GRE scores:

Verbal: 158
Quant: 150
AW: 4.5

Should I alter my target schools based on GRE scores or continue under the assumption that all will be ok? I have spoken to two professors by phone who are interested, but I'm still hesitant given how low Quantitative is.

Thoughts?
 
Gonzophd said:
Update now with my GRE scores:

Verbal: 158
Quant: 150
AW: 4.5

Should I alter my target schools based on GRE scores or continue under the assumption that all will be ok? I have spoken to two professors by phone who are interested, but I'm still hesitant given how low Quantitative is.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Although I'm no graduate student or psychologist, I can tell you a bit of what I know from multiple discussions with some.

In asking the graduate program professors at my university about the process of choosing applicants, they've generally responded that they narrow the pool down by looking at the top tier of GPAs and GRE scores. Obviously you have great GPAs, and decent enough GREs for many programs (I think the quant is low compared to some of the averages I've seen). Note: this is just what faculty at my college said, you can check studies to see which criteria programs ranked as the most important.

From there, all of them began looking at research experience. Those with experience in a subject or field relevant to the professor's interests carry more weight, as expected. Furthermore, publications tend to show that the applicant is ready to handle the research demands of graduate school (much less hand-holding in the process than undergrad).

I'd say that you have a pretty competitive application. I'd spend a lot of time having faculty look over your CV, personal statement, etc. Hell, maybe even ask one for a simulated interview. You really want to excel in each of those areas as well. I've read reports that many undergraduates tend to underestimate the value of these criteria.

I'm sure the others on here will be more help though. Best of luck!
 
Hi. What are my chances? I am wondering if I should apply to a MA, PsyD, MD, or PhD
GRE V: 161 M: 160; MCAT: old score- 30

Please let me know your thoughts
 
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thereforeiamsterdam said:
Hi everyone. Long time lurker, first time poster with a big steaming pile of questions about psych grad programs. I'm starting the horrifying process of applying for admission to grad school in fall 2015, and I'm getting worried that my stats are too weak to bother applying--this is particularly scary because I want to enter a program in clinical neuropsychology, of which there are fewer programs than straight-up clinical psych (making it possibly EVEN MORE COMPETITIVE). I want nothing more than to be admitted next year, but some part of me wonders if I should even bother, or whether my time would be better served taking a year to improve my application. But before I ramble too much, my stats:

- I am a 5th year undergrad student completing a double major in psychology and physiology & neurobiology with a minor in neuroscience.
- I spent the first 2 years of my undergrad working in a health psych lab focused on applying social psych principles to treatment of people with HIV/AIDS (no pubs)
- I spent a summer working in an fMRI lab at UCSD (not my school, it was an REU) and studying functional changes in adolescents with depression (no pubs)
-Taken 12 credits of psychology/neuroscience graduate coursework (3 full classes & a bunch of little seminars)
-Several years clinical experience in a healthcare setting, including 1.5 years in a psych ER
-Just started working as a crisis intervention counselor, will have ~6 mos by the time apps are due in December
-President of a bioethics club (as I said, I like mental health ethics), editor-in-chief of an undergraduate bioethics journal
-Various other mentoring/researching/volunteering type extracurriculars, a handful of leadership positions
-GRE: VR=168, QR=165, writing=I forget but good enough to meet cutoffs
-A solo author publication in press in a journal in a completely non-neuroscience field (mental health ethics, which is my pet interest), though idk if this is useful at all
- I have spent 2.5 years working in a psychopharmacology lab, creating animal models of depression and comparing the efficacy of different antidepressants. I will have worked here 3.5 years by the time I graduate this May. From this lab, I have:

-2 publications (1 in press, 1 in prep), with several second authorships likely by the time I graduate (my grad student is defending in November)
-1 first authorship on a poster at a national conference (plus a second authorship and a middle-of-the-pack authorship on 2 other posters at the same conference), 3 poster presentations at a small schoolwide conference (2 first, 1 second)
-7 research awards that have brought in a total of ~$12,000 in research funding for my work, mostly from various departments/organizations at my university but 2 from external organizations
-2 theses (yes, that rhymes with "feces"), one for each major (because I am a glutton for punishment)
-a glowing letter of rec from my PI

Now, before you start seething about how I'm some humblebragging jerk that is only posting for an ego boost, I have a 3.138 GPA. Yep. My transcript and my CV look like they belong to completely different people. This is a combination of an unfortunate pre-med period early on and several difficult-to-treat bouts of depression and anxiety. I'm not trying to make excuses for my poor performance, but I also know that I am about 2 standard deviations away from the average accepted GPA at most clinical psych programs, if not more.

Which brings me back to my question: Should I bother to even apply for admission in the fall, or is my GPA low enough that my application will be laughed out of any pile I throw it in? If the latter is the case, and I have to take a year off before reapplying, what the hell do I do to improve my application? A master's? A related job? Research? Curl in the fetal position and weep for a full 365? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help, and for reading to the bottom of this massive post.
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So I think you have some good experiences but experiences don't over ride GPA. I think an MA is a good first step to get your GPA up because youre closer to a C+ and B- than a B. OTherwise- you sound like a good applicant!
 
HaleyS465 said:
Hi. What are my chances? I am wondering if I should apply to a MA, PsyD, MD, or PhD
GRE V: 161 M: 160; MCAT: old score- 30
GPA: 3.6

Publications: 1 published; 6 in press; 10 in review
Clinical: graduating then became a group therapist for 5 months (in process)
Extensive research experience at ivy leagues in Schizophrenia- I have dedicated my undergrad to doing that.
Conferences: Presented at international conferences (10 additional ones throughout USA through undergrad).

I know my background and experience is good but my GPA is not stellar.

Please let me know your thoughts
Click to expand...


As far as clinical psychology vs. Psychiatry (MD) goes, you'll have to take a good look at what you want to do. Don't just apply to the one that you have the best chance at, but consider the choice you're making.

Do you love medicine as a whole with an interest in psychology, or do you just love psychology and are only considering med school because of other factors?

The reason I ask is, if you don't enjoy or have strong interests in medicine, you probably won't want to go through med school. In med school you won't really see much psychology until residency. You'll be a physician first and foremost.

Another factor is financial support. Med school is extremely expensive, and financial aid is rare. However most phd programs provide a tuition waiver and an assistantship. Of course psychiatrists typically make more, but in terms of medical professionals they are relatively low. Plus I for one can't imagine taking exams when many thousands of dollars worth of education are on the line.

I actually just made the decision not too long ago to forgo med school plans because I have much stronger interests in psychotherapy, while I'm not as interested in drug therapy. It was kinda rough, but I'm confident I made the best decision for my interests.

Best of luck!
 
(Clinical) LMSW to PhD, no undergrad psych...doable? Insane?

Hello,

I am a social worker looking at clinical PhD and psyd programs and am not sure how in over my head I am. I am looking to apply for fall 2016 if this is not completely insane:

GPA: My undergrad GPA was good (3.81, magna cum laude, departmental honors in two majors) but I studied foreign languages (which means I'm fluent in Spanish and have used this in my experience as a clinician quite a lot, but never took psych!). My MSW was pass/fail/honors so I don't have a GPA but did get honors (A+) in research.

GREs:
I took the GREs over 5 years ago without studying and got over a 1200 so I am confident I can study and get my score up (I just took a practice verbal section, my worst, and did better than in college). Oh, and I plan to buy an intro to psych textbook and GRE prep book to study for the GRE subject test.

PREREQS:
I need to take statistics. No way around that. Also: during my MSW I took the clinical practice track and took 3 semesters of "clinical practice" (we went over various therapeutic techniques and used cases from our 21 hr/week internships). I also took 3 semesters on human behavioral and the social environment (history of psych with added perspective of the context of clients, etc). I also took a seminar on trauma, was trained in trauma-focused CBT, and completed my senior paper in a trauma-specific seminar. I took research for 2 semesters but used narratives from my professors work so did not gather my own data. Would I need to do post bacc work in experimental and abnormal psych, too? Does this depend on the school?

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:
Not much. Just my MSW coursework and project. I am reaching out to professors now to offer volunteer research assistance so I can get more experience and make sure I'm really, truly interested in this. Is a year of research (not many hrs, I work full time) potentially enough to make me a strong candidate?

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE:
This is my strongest area, though I've heard it barely matters. I've worked as a clinician in outpatient mental health clinics, provided evidence based therapy in the home, and currently work in a hospital doing case management with patients who have chronic diseases and/or SPMI diagnoses. Plus I do all this in english and Spanish. Does that maybe help when applying, or just when it comes to internships?

Thank you all SO MUCH for any and all advice!!!!
 
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