When should I apply PhD?

[Psychcs]

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Hello everyone!

I am now in my junior year moving on to senior soon and I'll be graduating!
Anyone out there can perhaps tell me when I should apply for a clinical psych Phd course?

Senior year? or after graduation?

I was wondering if I can apply and get the good news of being accepted into grad sch while I am in spring of my senior year.

Any inputs?
THANKS!

 

[Student4Life0]

You should apply whenever you're ready, and that may be while you're a senior. Being "ready" includes things such as a high GPA, good GRE (>1200), research experience, strong letter of rec, and a sense of your own research interests.

 

[Psychcs]

Does 3.52/4 gpa, 1 yr of clinical research... 1300 GRE sufficient?
Any schools in NY that you can recommend?

 

[psich]

Does 3.52/4 gpa, 1 yr of clinical research... 1300 GRE sufficient?
Any schools in NY that you can recommend?

Depends on your research interests.

 

[roubs]

Does 3.52/4 gpa, 1 yr of clinical research... 1300 GRE sufficient?
Any schools in NY that you can recommend?

Is your GPA rising across undergrad? As someone who also had a 3.5 UG GPA I was asked during interviews why my grades weren't that great. My GPA was at its worst freshman year (due to not knowing wtf I wanted to do) and only got better, which helped me answer this question.

 

[arsesta]

Does 3.52/4 gpa, 1 yr of clinical research... 1300 GRE sufficient?
Any schools in NY that you can recommend?

This is a good start but your gpa/gre aren't so great that programs may overlook the minimal research exp. You prob meet minimum gpa/gre requirements for most nyc progs but its certainly not top 5%.

Have you presented at conferences? Worked on a book chapter? What do you think your letters of rec will look like? Nyc schools are highly competitive (Fordham received @ 500 apps this yr) and you're going up against folks w/ MA, 2 to 5 yrs of research exp, with pubs and posters so you have to make a strong case for why you are a good applicant they should interview. With that said, if you're set on applying next yr, you may want to consider applying to programs that are less geographically desirable (boston, ny, dc, california phd progs may be a reach for you but worth a shot) and get fewer applicants. If you don't get in during first round, consider getting a year or two of full time research exp (which many applicants do to boost their research bg and get betters recs). Good luck!

 

[Psychcs]

I got 3.1 for freshman year, 3.67 for sophomore... 3.7++ for junior all the way until now.

Oh man, I just realized that I barely cleared the minimal requirements!
Any remedies?

 

[Student4Life0]

I got 3.1 for freshman year, 3.67 for sophomore... 3.7++ for junior all the way until now.

Oh man, I just realized that I barely cleared the minimal requirements!
Any remedies?

How much research experience do you have? That really is the single most important factor when applying to PhD programs. Even more important than clinical experience.

 

[Student4Life0]

I just noticed this on my facebook wall today:

http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2007/11/cover-acceptance.aspx

This will help. It's everything that I wish I had done! I applied to PhD programs this year (only 4 though, I applied to mostly PsyD), with no luck at the PhD programs. I don't have any pubs and I never did a thesis, and I wish I had. I did however volunteer in 3 different labs from undergrad to my MA program, and have good stats & clinical exp. I really wish I had done a thesis, but my MA program requires a clinical practicum and I would not have gotten through both. It is so competitive out there, it is best to start early and look into these things asap! GL

 

[Lisa44201]

I got 3.1 for freshman year, 3.67 for sophomore... 3.7++ for junior all the way until now.

Oh man, I just realized that I barely cleared the minimal requirements!
Any remedies?

Keep in mind there's a he** of a lot more to NY than NYC. I live half an hour south of the Canadian border, about 6hrs north of NYC. There's Syracuse, Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester, the Great White Nowhere (North Country - where I am 😀).

It depends on what you want to do, of course. Your interests need to match up with a potential mentor in whatever PhD program you apply to, so don't go applying to schools in NY just 'cause they're there. My stats are comparable to yours, although I do have a year of research experience (honors project/thesis). If you can get some research experience, do it - honors thesis, research assistant, something. If you can't, give serious consideration to a Master's for the research experience it will give you. In the meantime, keep working on the GPA.

Keep in mind, NY is going through a budget nightmare right now. Funding is getting slashed. Cost-of-living is expensive here. There are two seasons, Winter and Construction. Just... be aware.

 

[arsesta]

I agree! I was very stubborn when I applied and I ended up having only 2 choices in nyc (I'm a fifth yr phd student now so things worked out ok afterall!). There are pros/cons to studying in NYC (pro: diverse populations, tons of awesome researchers that you can work with even if they are not part of your prog, opp to extern in many diff hosp; con: poor funding, competition for practicum, high costs of living). I wish I had considered progs in syracuse, buffalo, albany, or even CT, Jersey and PA. It seems like students are happier and more supported in those non nyc progs.

I also agree w/ the otr poster re doing a thesis. Volunteering in a lab is good but its not enough! make sure you take initiatives to be part of a poster or chapter or paper. It helps a lot if you have that kind of experience, such as going to/presenting @ conferences, doing independent research, etc.

Keep in mind there's a he** of a lot more to NY than NYC. I live half an hour south of the Canadian border, about 6hrs north of NYC. There's Syracuse, Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester, the Great White Nowhere (North Country - where I am 😀).

It depends on what you want to do, of course. Your interests need to match up with a potential mentor in whatever PhD program you apply to, so don't go applying to schools in NY just 'cause they're there. My stats are comparable to yours, although I do have a year of research experience (honors project/thesis). If you can get some research experience, do it - honors thesis, research assistant, something. If you can't, give serious consideration to a Master's for the research experience it will give you. In the meantime, keep working on the GPA.

Keep in mind, NY is going through a budget nightmare right now. Funding is getting slashed. Cost-of-living is expensive here. There are two seasons, Winter and Construction. Just... be aware.

 

[Existenz]

Hello everyone!

I am now in my junior year moving on to senior soon and I'll be graduating!
Anyone out there can perhaps tell me when I should apply for a clinical psych Phd course?

Senior year? or after graduation?

I was wondering if I can apply and get the good news of being accepted into grad sch while I am in spring of my senior year.

Any inputs?
THANKS!

PhDs may not even be worth it according to this interesting article in the economist