whatsinmind

Hi jmk, for PhD applicants generally, research experience is extremely important. During undergrad, I worked in 4 different labs. I worked in a psychology lab from my sophomore year of college until I graduated. During junior year, I also joined a lab in the computer engineering department. Then, I joined a different lab at a different institution for each summer as a temporary research assistant. Both of these labs were in SLHS departments (which is how I learned about the field). My undergrad advisor told me having 2-3 different lab experiences is ideal for a competitive PhD applicant. I agree with this while adding that in the end it is quality over quantity of lab work that counts. It is better to have substantial contributions (e.g. helping with a poster, collecting data, completing a senior thesis) in one lab, rather than do grunt work for 2 or 3 labs (e.g. cleaning lab supplies, filing papers etc.). An ideal situation is working in one lab during the school year and using your summers/breaks to explore different research opportunities. In terms of career path, I am still an early-stage PhD candidate so this answer changes almost every other week! But other than academia, I would like to do research at a medical school or hospital. ravyn, I am happy you are going into an SLHS PhD Program! Congratulations! I am sure it will be a great experience. When I said that ComDis makes you think about the clinic, I meant that when you propose a research question, many people in the field will ask you to justify your idea which how it applies to people and their health. Most of the time, you will use a clinical population or treatment as a framework for the research you do. Even if your research is not directly applicable to the clinic, you will be able to explain why your research is necessary to improve clinical settings. This might be helpful if you are still unsure of what you want to study, because you are given a specific way of asking research questions. Hope this helps!

Hi ravyn, I'm in a ComDis PhD program. I entered straight from undergrad so I don't have any clinical degrees and I currently have no interest in pursuing one. When applying, I found a lot of individual variability between different programs. Some programs are extremely clinical to the point where clinical students (SLP, AuD, etc.) have priority over PhD students. Other programs are more research focused. Depending on what you are interested as a researcher and your goals as a professional in the field, certain programs will be a better fit than others (even if they all have the same name!) I chose to go into the ComDis program because while my background is in cognitive psychology/linguistics and I love psychology/linguistics research, I wanted my research career to be more translational. For this reason, ComDis is a wonderful field. Because there is technically a lack of PhD-holders in ComDis, SLP, SLHS and etc., many faculty members in these programs are psychology, linguistics, or neuroscience researchers who apply the basic concepts of these fields to clinical populations, treatments, or diagnostic measures. Even if you do not have a clinical background, research in ComDis makes you to think about the clinic. Hopefully this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions.

I applied last cycle without taking any pre-reqs. It is definitely possible to apply successfully without taking pre-req classes! It can limit your options and/or add a year to your program (ie increasing tuition). But you should talk to directors of the programs you apply to about the requirements. When I applied to GWU, they looked at my transcript (my undergrad was in cognitive psychology) and allowed me to use two psych/linguistics classes to substitute for pre-reqs and then I had the option to take the other pre-reqs the summer before the program started in order to skip their re-entry program and join the cohort of students with an slp background. In terms of experience, any experience with children/adults (like babysitting, tutoring, volunteering at a senior home) would be fine. Involvement in causes for clinical populations you might be interested in would be great too (eg helping at an autism speaks walk or aphasia support group etc)

If I went through the process again, I would be more selective about where I applied. I agree with BianaNicole21 that how many schools you apply to is a personal decision. But be sure to make that decision based on your personal preferences in the type of program you want instead of applying to programs because you feel the pressure and competitiveness of the admissions process. Also, my former professors from my undergrad and previous internships were lifesavers during the application process. Besides writing rec letters, they have so much insight on which programs you should apply to and, eventually, the decision process when you are considering multiple acceptances. I was an out-of-field applicant, so the professors I worked with in my internships in SLP and CSD departments constantly gave me feedback on the list of schools I was applying to because they knew my personal interests and were better acquainted with the departments I considered. Even if you aren't an out-of-field applicant, your professors have gone through the application process too. They give great feedback on your personal statements and the programs you are considering. If they don't have time to give you the help you need, you can usually ask if they can connect you to a former advisee/student of theirs who can help you with the process. Just be sure to reach out for help when you need it!

I would say the two biggest problems with CVs are a) how you describe your work and accomplishments and how the CV is formatted. The correct way to do both of these things will vary from person to person and sometimes even for each position you submit a CV for. When describing what you do, you need to highlight the skills that employers are looking for and this varies depending on the job. Your CV needs to neatly package a jumble of prior jobs, awards, and etc., which can get increasingly difficult the more you build your career. When working to improve your CV or linked in, look at how other people did it and use their ideas. Look at your advisor and peers' CVs, and most University career websites have model CVs (Columbia has a great guide http://www.careereducation.columbia.edu/resources/basics#OnPaper -- I refer to this all the time even though I never went there!) The same goes for linkedin profiles. After you are done --show it to someone in your field and someone unfamiliar with your discipline. It should be accurate and have the important details for your industry while still being generally accessible to others. Hope this helps!

If you are living by yourself, I would go with the bare minimum and gradually buy whatever else as you settle in and realize you need them. You may only live in your new apartment for 1-2 years, and the less stuff to move later, the better. In addition to craigslist, you should check out if your university has a page to sell things to other students. Many universities have a cluster of Facebook groups where you need a .edu email to access them. "Free & For Sale" has students (usually undergrads) selling their things at the end of the year. Usually, the items on sale are 1-2 years old if they are from undergrads, in close proximity to the university, and dirt cheap because undergrads are more concerned about giving them away as opposed to getting a good deal.

Applemiu and Generis said it, you definitely need to have a more positive outlook. The application process is always hard, but you seem to have the qualifications and you should feel that way or it won't come out in your application. In response to your concerns about lack of experience, I think the biggest priority is finding a lab to simply volunteer in. Research experience is crucial in the admissions process for any PhD program; however, I think many admissions committees are more forgiving about lack of posters, publications, or other forms of independent research, especially if you are a recent graduate from your bachelor's. While it would be a tremendous advantage to have posters/conferences/etc, this may be impossible for some applicants for various reasons (lack of resources in their labs/undergrad institutions, dept's strong focus on grad students vs. RAs, etc). Besides, poster/publication citations, your capacity for independent research could be demonstrated through other components of your application such as your letter of recommendations and your other research experience. Did you interview patients for a study? Did you help analyze the data afterwards? Did you contribute to writing the IRB proposal? Even if it doesn't relate to clinical psych directly, your duties as a research assistant in other labs show that you have the ability to work independently.

I think if your ultimate goal has anything to do with research, pursuing a PhD should be the priority. It also depends on how you want to integrate clinical work with your research. I've met many researchers without their C's who focus on clinical research. But if you want to also treat patients while doing research, you definitely need your C's. I've actually met a few students who have pursued the MS and the PhD concurrently, even though it is not a formal track in their program (although they say it was extremely difficult because of the heavy course loads and balancing the CFY with doctoral research!) PhD programs are very difficult to get into, but I would say MA/MS admissions is more competitive. Typical PhD programs only have 3-5 seats per year (sometimes less or more depending on the resources of the department). However, there are less applicants vying for PhD slots (in the smaller, lesser-known programs only receive 10-15 applications for these 3-5 spots). In comparison almost every person with an undergraduate degree in SLP or CSD is seeking out clinical training from a MA/MS program.

You can definitely still apply for Fall 2015 if you can make your application show your interest, passion, and focus in clinical psychology. You have great numbers and extracurricular experience. Your rec letters and personal statement will be extremely important in this case --your previous professors need to speak to your ability to work in a different discipline and your personal statement will attest that you have ideas and skills that can be applied to clinical psych. Lab manager jobs are hard to come by, but is there anyway you can volunteer as a research assistant in a lab that matches with your research interests? Most principal investigators are happy to have free labor and this will do wonders to strengthen your application --even if it is only a couple hours 1-2 times a week because you have another job. I would talk to your professors/advisors from your undergrad institution and ask if they have recommendations and/or if they can connect you to researchers looking for help. If you are able to secure this type of experience, I would definitely not wait until the next cycle, you would have a strong enough application to apply now.

I have heard this advice from professors, but they normally say it conditionally (ie it really depends on the student's goals). The MS and the PhD paths are two very different things, and one does not necessarily prepare for the other. If your ultimate goal is research, then you should go straight for the PhD. If your ultimate goal is to work primarily as a clinician, but do research on the side then getting your C's, working for a bit, and later going to a PhD would be the best option. Basically, your career goals determine the amount of time you spend in your research training and your clinical training.

Last application cycle, I applied to both MS and PhD programs, slightly uncertain about what I wanted to pursue. I ended up choosing the PhD route because I am primarily interested in a specific topic in speech pathology and wanted to research it more. Overall, there is a high demand for PhDs in the field. While PhDs typically become, university professors, they can also serve as advisors and researchers for ETS, NSF, and the NIH. I would solidly endorse the PhD route if you are interested in gaining a deep understanding of a very specific aspect in speech pathology and/or you are interested in developing methodologies used in the field. I would suggest the MS route if you are just interested in being a clinician and working with patients. Overall, it is highly encouraged to get C's with your PhD; however, I haven't seen too many combined programs. Those I have seen are: UWisc-Madison: http://www.comdis.wisc.edu/current-msphd-overview.htm UMinnesota: http://www.slhs.umn.edu/grad/maphd.html Boston University: http://www.bu.edu/academics/sar/programs/speech-language-hearing-sciences/ms-phd/ Hope this helps!

I had the same exact problem but I emailed one of the schools and they rescheduled me for another weekend. Some schools are not flexible, but others will be willing to accommodate you if they are interested in recruiting you.