BeingThere

Believe me, larger disparities than computer programmer-to-psychologist exist. I'm a career-changer, too. My own history was far, far from psychology - at first glance. But upon reflecting on why I wanted to get a research degree in psychology, I realized that the things that drew me to that first career were actually very similar to the things that draw me to psychology. I was able to express that common underlying theme in my statements of purpose - and underscore the strengths that made me successful in that career because those same strengths will make me successful in any career. (Sounds like you have some amazing organizing and leadership skills and those are very valuable in any career.) Your recent history is much more important than your distant past. If you've been excelling in your master's program, then you have a great shot at getting into a PhD program. (And I think going through a master's program is a pretty good indicator of your commitment to psychology.) I haven't read one thing about your situation that you should be concerned about. If you can get great LORs from current professors/researchers in your master's program, and write a clear, focused statement of purpose that highlights your strengths and how those strengths make you an excellent candidate for a PhD program, then I think your chances are as good as anyone's. Imposter syndrome is common. The trick is to not believe everything you think.

If you can acquire the desired skills OTJ, then stay working. You asked whether you can acquire them (gain experience equivalent to a doctorate) on your job. I don't think anyone on here could answer that for you, since we don't know anything about your workplace. If you can't get them at your current job, possibly you could get them at another company without having to go back to school. As for whether the value of a PhD would outweigh the cut in pay for 5 or more years, you can get a rough monetary estimate of this pretty easily. Go to SIOP.com and look for the members and salary survey. The most recent one is 2012. I don't know if the report includes data for outside the US. Of course this will just give you salary numbers, so you'll have to factor in other things that are important to you. Best of luck to you!

Some of the programs I applied to looked at grades in coursework in the major as well as overall GPA. Hopefully you've done well in psychology courses (or business/HR courses?) Master's programs do tend to have a lower bar for GPA and GRE scores. However, the better master's programs are competitive and accepted students often have around a 3.5 or higher. (See SIOP.org for a listing.) I don't know how important research fit is for a master's program in I/O, as many master's programs don't have as strong a research component. I'm not saying it's not important, but I'm thinking it is probably less important than for PhD programs. Of course, this may vary widely across programs. However, the fact that you have solid research experience including posters/presentations will help you - it shows you are likely to be able to complete a thesis. You may want to keep in mind that not only is 3.0 a cut-off for consideration in many graduate programs, but often anything below a 3.0 once you are in the program is considered failing. Remember, it's not just about getting in. If you're accepted, you'll have two years where you will have to do extensive reading/writing at a higher level than what undergrad demands of you. Or possibly you've already addressed those problems that caused your low GPA, and if so, then disregard this paragraph. All that said, if you are going to apply, please apply to the schools you want to go to, regardless of what their "average accepted GPAs and GREs" are listed as. Don't assume that any place is out of reach entirely. Apply to a range of programs. Best of luck to you!

You may want to ask them what they meant. Having not read your SOP, I also have no idea what they meant. I will say that if what you wrote above is all wrote in the SOP, then it is not nearly detailed enough. It's a two-part (or more) question. Why I/O psych? And why a PhD? And, thirdly, why the particular program (school)? Answer those three clearly and in enough detail so that they know you a)have spent considerable time thinking about your career path/goals; b.) have spent considerable time working toward that path/goal (e.g. undergrad research and presentations; reading on the research topics you are interested in); and c) have chosen to apply to the particular program because it aligns with a and b. But, bottom line, you will have to ask your reviewers what they meant by their comments.

Lewin, Many I/O master's programs just don't have TA or RA positions for their students, and thus finding funding for an MA in I/O is not as easy as for PhD programs. In this particular area of psychology, lack of funding really doesn't say much about the quality of the program either way.

Josephina, if I were in your shoes, I would want to find out the following: Where do past grads from the state program work now? Does the state school's program require an internship? Or do they help their students get internships? Is there funding through the program to go to SIOP? I don't see why you couldn't do perfectly fine at a state school's program, if past graduates have found employment. I'm assuming you have to stay in the NYC area?

Yes, apply to your dream programs - especially if you do well on the GRE. Because, frankly, you can't win if you don't play. But of course you should also apply to other schools. I don't know if Berkeley or Washington have GPA cutoffs. Does it say if they do on their websites? Clinical is not my area. FWIW, some programs in my area (I/O) also take into account your major GPA so if that 4.0 is in psych courses, that may help as well.

You don't really "skip" to a doctorate. Many psychology doctorate programs include getting a master's along the way. It's good that you've been taking some classes to get some background. Many (good) PhD programs want to see research experience as well as coursework. Can you volunteer to work in a psych research lab at the institution where you're taking classes? Can you ask a faculty member to help you do an independent research project? You may also want to take an undergrad-level research methods/statistics course if you can - this applies more to the PhD route. Even PsyD programs (the good ones) like to see some sort of practical or research experience. I'm not saying you can't get in without it, but having it can be a big advantage. If you want to get a PsyD and not a PhD, then you can try volunteering at a clinic or facility that employs PsyD's. Try to work under a PsyD or PhD because this will be someone who can write you a letter of recommendation when you are ready to apply to PsyD programs. If you want to do an MFT or a master's in social work and then get credentialed in a specialty, then your focus on what to do now is slightly different. I'm not familiar with that area so others may have some suggestions on how to go that route. But I believe an undergrad psych or social work-related practicum or internship of some sort would help you get into a master's counseling or social work program also. You can search for particular schools' programs and then find out what sorts of prerequisites they look for in applicants. If it doesn't say on their webpage, you can contact someone there (usually a program director or a graduate program coordinator) and ask them what type of background accepted students have.

Hi Suraj-X, I'm unclear on what kind of psychology PhD you want. I would think you were interested primarily in counseling psychology, except for the "I/O" and the "HSP/sensory processing disorder". I would suggest a master's in general psychology - and use that time to more clearly define your career goals and your interests. The other thing a master's will do for you is get you a bit past your low undergrad GPA. Your GRE scores are good but your GPA is borderline. In fact, many average PhD applicants will have undergrad GPAs of greater than 3.5. PhD programs don't care so much about extracurriculars. Undergraduate research experience is more highly valued.

You do sound competitive as an applicant for I/O programs. (I believe a 1 in Germany is the highest GPA, so a 1.3 out of a 1 - 5 scale is quite good, right?) Yes, the research you did as assignments in coursework does count as research experience. Designing and conducting a study is research, regardless of the motivation for doing it. You can list them as research experience items on your CV. (You can notate that they were assignments in courses.) Best of luck to you!

^ I am imagining you writing this in your Statement of Purpose. *giggles* Sounds like the level of deceit you would have to practice - to get in somewhere and then to do the work for five or six years - might not be worth it. But I guess it's for you to decide if you want to attempt it.

I hope I'm not out of line when I say that psychology does its best to be a science. Therefore, the ideas we "fall in love with" should not necessarily be the ideas we spend time/energy on exploring in the advancement of the science - especially if they've been discredited or outdated for some other reasons. Isn't it the case that as scientists we are concerned with discovering how the mind actually works? If a theory has been discredited or shown to be irrelevant, then why pursue it further as a scientist? Likewise, if a technique has been discredited, then why insist on using it? I don't mean to sound harsh. Hopefully this offers another way to look at your dilemma. Maybe this is an opportunity to grow as a scientist?

You can list it all on your CV. All psych-related experience is good experience. However, in your personal statement, focus on how your experiences shaped and focused your interest in I/O and whatever your particular research interests are.

Have you downloaded the practice book from the ETS website? http://www.ets.org/gre/subject/about/content/psychology That's the only thing I used and I did really well. The practice test was very similar to the actual test as far as the topics covered. If you did well in your intro psych courses and basic stats/methods course - and remember what you learned in them - you should be fine with just this.

You have "rocked" the GRE. No worries there. The GRE is probably an unfair, arbitrary, and irrelevant measure of your worth as a human being. However, research shows that GRE scores do predict many outcomes for grad students such as first year GPA, comp exam performance, degree completion, research productivity, etc. (Kuncel & Hezlett, 2007.)

To the OP, With a bachelor's in psychology you can pretty easily get a job in social services (with the Cabinet for Families and Children - or whatever they call it out in CA - if you are interested in working with kids.) You may have a tougher time getting a job in HR with a bachelor's in psych versus a bachelor's in business. As a graduate of UCLA, are you still able to use their career center? That might be a good place to start looking for what jobs are out there. I'm in I/O. I started out thinking I wanted to do clinical, but after working for a company in social services, I learned two things: 1) I don't want to work with pathology or have a clinical practice, and 2) there are many things about how organizations work and how people work within organizations that I find fascinating. So I was able to figure out both what I did want and what I did not want by working one job. My caveat would be, if you do think you will eventually pursue a grad degree stay in touch with your professors and continue to read up on areas of research interest to you. This will help you when you get ready to start applying a year or two from now.

Someone in this thread posted a link to a survey on the relative importance of what I/O grad programs look for in applicants. Maybe take a look at that. If you have research experience including presentations and papers - especially within I/O related research topics - you meet that bar.

Hi 2015 applicants and good luck to you! I went through the process last year. I got into my top choice program (and others, out of the 10 I applied to.) I got accepted/wait-listed at programs I thought were reaches for me and got rejected from some programs that I thought were my safety schools. You can take that as me being a bad judge of my own qualifications or you can take it as a testament to the weirdness and wackiness that is the PhD application process. Sounds like the posters on this thread so far are fairly savvy about applying. For those reading this thread that may wonder what I/O programs are looking for or what matters most to programs, here is a link to results of a study which assessed these questions in general: http://www.siop.org/tip/Jan13/03_tett.aspx

I don't see how this is even possible.

It sounds like the only thing you lack is presentation experience. Publications are not the norm for undergrads in I/O. If spending a year in a paid RA position isn't going to give you presentation experience it might not increase your acceptance odds. But if you can get presentations/publications out of it, then that sounds like a viable plan. I don't know much about RA positions, and I really have no idea how common or easy-to-get RA positions are, so others are better able to tell you the chances of finding one and the benefits of having one. If you have strong LORs, research experience (especially on independent projects, as well as working under faculty), strong GPA, and can rock the GRE, you should apply this coming cycle. Speaking from experience in the area you want to go into, I think you have a shot. Suggestions: -- Make sure your letter writers can speak to your skills as a researcher and not just to your performance in their classes (very important). I think you can get this type of letter if you are currently working on your projects with the mentorship of profs. -- Rock that GRE. -- Can you arrange to present your current project at a brown bag session in your department this fall? FIND an opportunity to present if you possibly can. You may still have time to do this. Can you present on any part of the research that will be complete this fall? Any preliminary results? -- Write (in your personal statements) intelligently about the research experience you do have. Independent projects show initiative and responsibility. This is an asset. (I got into a top program coming from a small liberal arts school. Nearly all of my research experience was from independent projects.) You may also wish to add a couple master's programs to your application list. I was fully prepared to do this - had LORs lined up, statements ready, transcripts sent - but ended up saving myself the application fees to the master's programs because I heard back from PhD programs before the master's applications were due. If presentation experience and getting more research experience are weaknesses that will keep you from getting into PhD programs, then getting into a master's program is the perfect stepping stone to get what you may be lacking. Funds are hard to come by for master's programs but there are partially funded programs out there and ways to minimize cost for motivated students. Best of luck to you. I had a lot of doubts last year when I applied, and I got into my dream program (and my application was not perfect.) You can do this!

Suggestions regarding this are often stated on each program website. Of the programs I applied to, none stated that I had to apply to work with a specific POI. However, more often than not, it was stated that it would be acceptable for me to mention in my personal statement specific faculty I wanted to work with. As with clinical, research fit is a primary consideration for programs so however you can demonstrate/discuss your fit with the program, then you should do that. For each program I applied to, there were at least two faculty I wanted to work with. I discussed this in my personal statements. The caveat is, these faculty had related and overlapping interests. But, mainly, carefully read though each program website to get an idea of what each one wants/expects regarding this. Each program is slightly different. I will say I get the impression that there are many I/O programs that are much looser in their mentor-model set up than are clinical programs. Another thing you can do - if the program website doesn't answer your question sufficiently - is email the graduate program's coordinator for info about this.

Can you really say that had you chosen School A you would not be having similar thoughts? Would you possibly be regretting your choice of School A because while it offers more funding, it's far from your family and you got a better gut feeling about School C? There is no way to know whether you made the right choice or not. So choose to believe that you did. And then make it the right choice.

I second every suggestion you've been given so far. I would just like to underscore how crucial it is that you spend some time now getting a decent understanding of what I/O is and how it is applied. This will help you not only as you make your decision about a career path but also as you draft your personal statements. It sounds like you want to work in industry as opposed to a career in research. If you want to go the applied route in I/O, you can also have a great well-paying career with a master's. You don't necessarily need to get a PhD for that.

I just picked up Robert Peters' book, "Getting What You Came For". It's geared toward MA and PhD students, but perhaps there is a book or two out there that talks about what it's like to go through a PsyD program. I found reading this book helpful and I feel a bit more prepared as far as what to expect during my program (PhD). The other day I got an email from the grad admissions coordinator asking us incoming students if we wanted contact info for our cohort. Perhaps you can ask the grad admissions coordinator at your program whether such info will be available. I'm sure it varies by school, so you should ask if you want it. Another thing my school has done is set up a website portal for specifically for grad students. It has a lot of useful information about the university and services offered as well as upcoming events, a link to email, etc. Going through this information has helped me to feel more prepared and less nervous. For me, preparation and information is the best anecdote to nerves. Good luck to you. I'm betting every single incoming grad student feels the way you are feeling.

FWIW, I've had my cats for 10 and 12 years and they are indoor cats. I am outside a lot. I hike and walk and camp. I have not, to this day, brought fleas - or any other pests - in to my indoor cats. They are happy, healthy and physically fit (except for Trouble's neurosis, but that might be genetic, knowing his cat family). They both have been fixed. This is anecdotal, but like I said, FWIW. I do know feline leukemia is no joke and both of my cats were tested. Also, check the laws of where you live as far as pet licensing goes. Where I live now, cats and dogs are required to be licensed even if they are indoor pets.