I graduated from Fordham in 2014 with a Degree in Philosophy (GPA 3.6) and I'm here to ask some dumb questions.
I'm very interested in psychology and want to pursue a PhD somewhere in Social Psychology. The only problem is I'm not exactly sure how to move forward. I have no research experience, no published work, and only an Intro Psych and Statistics class to my name. For the time being, particularly due to financial circumstances, I don't see myself moving out of NYC.
I've been considering getting a Master's from NYU or Hunter, as I feel like I don't have the chops to really compete with other prospective students. NYU is outrageously expensive, but there's some faculty there that really excites me and I feel it would set me up for a good chance at a PhD. Hunter is the opposite; much cheaper but only a professor or two I'm interested in working with.
I've also been considering doing the post-bac psychology program at Columbia. This option seems to be somewhere in between the two above; it's very expensive, has seemingly great results, but I also don't get a degree out of it.
Is it possible to work at a research lab without experience and without enrolling in a college?
Has anyone else had a similar experience, have words of wisdom, or a slap in the face that can bring to back to reality? Any advice or guidance would be appreciated. I feel rather overwhelmed by this whole process.
Thanks much.