Suraj_S

I was never told to not publish during my Ph.D. On the contrary, since I chose a less prestigious program, I figured I would need to to land a TT position after. But it actually isn't even this simple! My field is psychology, but my program is more philosophically-oriented. My first publication was a book chapter in conference proceedings for augmented cognition. This happened right before jumping into my Ph.D. My second publication was a book review initiated by my advisor for a more prestigious academic journal (Theory & Psychology). Though a book review and not original research, journal articles are higher commodities in social science than are conference proceedings, which are more valued in TEM fields. Fast-forward to now, where I've racked up several more of the same kind of conference proceedings and another journal article fashioned from a course term paper. At my "all but dissertation" (ABD) stage, I have almost 11 publications. I will say that from what little I can tell, it seems that the people I know doing more prestigious philosophy Ph.D.'s don't seem that focused on publishing. I imagine they'll be okay in spite of or even because of that. Each situation requires its own analysis, here. I have gotten smarter about using pubs in my dissertation proposal since beginning it. I was following a similar path to Phillip Guo in being highly involved in research and putting it to work for the dissertation. Still--one's dissertation committee might prefer even more novelty. This matter is, to a degree, department-specific. My suggestion is for anyone facing this issue to seek out, listen to, and heed their advisor. I understand that what they advise might take time to process and accept. However, graduation from a graduate program requiring a completed dissertation means sharing a common understanding with them.

60k (not including travel, boarding, or living costs) for a yearlong, 10-weekends-at-Penn, designed for full-time-professionals master's degree program, with distance learning and a capstone project (thesis, book prospectus, workshop, intervention, ...). Strong reputation in the field of positive psychology, strong reputation as a school to the general public (particularly as business goes), great for relatively mainstream networking. Most people working in relation to and studying in the program work (or go on to work) in clinical, organizational, social outreach, and academic settings. Once-in-a-lifetime chance to attend an Ivy League. All of these appeal to the decider in question, here. From a professional [private and public sectors, government, non-profit, healthcare (in which the decider now has a year of business/clinical operations experience)] and not exclusively academic perspective, and for someone with no debt at age-23: Is this investment--assuming accumulation of at least 30k+interest in debt, and either working full-time (with possible, but not-guaranteed 10k tuition reimbursement) or attending a different, new, four-years-funded-and-stipended psych PhD program simultaneously--worth it in the long-run? Assume that the decider has no exact idea of what job-specific outcome they'd prefer, other than that their primary interests include research, writing, publishing, conferencing, teaching, science and philosophy, social betterment (viz., public outreach and clinical/social program design and initial implementation), and computers(/AI). Said person would most like to be a full-time university professor with tenure, but recognizes the job market as difficult; without guarantee; and demanding viable backup contingencies, and would prefer to not have to go either the adjunct or working-at-K-12-school route coming out of things. Think tanks, liberal arts colleges (prof'ing, not administrating), industrial/governmental research settings, NGOs, and non-profits also interest this person as possible places to 'end up'.

Hi again, GradCafe Psych subf: I will try to keep this brief. I am entering a qualitative/humanistic-oriented psych PhD program in August. Though I'm not anticipating landing a faculty post afterward (anything can happen, but this is the safe assumption), I believe enrolling is still the right move for me to make at this point. Worst comes to worst, I can leave with a master's after a couple of years. Would anyone here happen to know of specific needs or upward trends (be they existing or reasonably projected) for qualitative research in industry or government? I've read a few articles arguing for its demand increasing in certain areas (e.g., in marketing and social media analytics and advocacy orgs), but I can't be sure about the extent to which they are reflecting the reality of things. Assuming I don't enter academia following the completion of my qualitative psych PhD, what specific job options or roles might be reasonably within my reach? That is to say: How can I make my particular graduate training and experience work for me to make a reasonable living, while also maximizing my senses of creative, intellectual, and productive work engagement? I am also entertaining the possibilities of doing independent contracting or consulting (or self-employment, but this is the vaguest conceivable option by far). Would probably also enjoy being a liberal arts college prof., but I'm guessing =>decent positions aren't very easy to obtain. Thanks in advance. If it would help, I can note which program I will be entering; but for now, I will say that it has strong stakes in the local clinical/counseling community and various social justice causes. (I have substantive clinical/healthcare experience, just as a care coordinator/project lead and not a clinician/psychotherapist. I am also learning some programming languages and about computing in general, and intend to keep this up and work on projects as time permits.)

For those of you who don't (yet, at least) know what IF is (from Wikipedia's page on the subject): I'm about to enter a humanistic psych PhD program (research-based), and I was most strongly considering submitting manuscripts to two APA journals: The Humanistic Psychologist*, and the Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology. Faculty at my soon-to-be school contribute regularly to and serve as editors for these journals, and from what I've researched about them, contributors seem to publish similarly to how I intend to (in terms of chosen topics, methodologies, and so on). The well-known researchers within humanistic psych outside of this university also publish to and are on the editorial boards for these journals. The former journal had a low impact factor for 2013 (0.358; ranking within psychology: 106/129), and I couldn't even find one for the latter. I've just now found out about impact factor, and I'm wondering how big of a deal it is. I've seen people say it's sometimes easier to obtain more grant money for publications to higher-IF journals. Is this true--and if so, to what extent? How much does publishing to higher-IF journals matter in terms of post-graduation tenure-track position prospects? Lastly: If one feels a low-IF journal is perfect for the type of research/publication they have in mind, and wants to at least keep the option of becoming an academic respectably open, would you recommend they choose a different journal? *Just FWIW, I plan to submit an empirical/mixed-methods manuscript to this journal. I understand empirical work is very important for psych academic jobs. My submission to the other journal would (obviously) be more theoretical and philosophical in nature.

Thanks for the response. There are a few reasons I'm thinking against going the LP route, insane clinipsy admission rates and the so-called 'internship crisis' among them. (I also left my undergrad with a 3.1 and only a year of research experience--no publications or conference presentations.) Speaking frankly, it might be too hardcore for me, and I'm not sure I want that amount of stress on my mind for such an extended period of time; and I think my #1 priority is being able to study the frameworks I find interesting, rather than the obvious applied boons (wider scope of practice and assessment, financial) clinical psychologists get. I'm fine with simply being a psychotherapist, especially if I'm already doing research and teaching...and there is still time for my mind to change about foregoing clinipsy. So can supervised hours (either for LPC or LP, though I haven't heard of such being possible for the latter) take place outside of a graduate program? Maybe I can get some done at school, and the rest later (after I've hopefully gotten a faculty post, which I'm aware may well end up being an adjunct one). If you could clarify the "within so many years" part, I would appreciate it: I'm quite unfamiliar with LPC licensure. Best of luck with your own goals!

I'm entering a humanistic psych PhD program in GA this fall. I won't be earning a master's along the way, though the option is available for PhD students who (for whatever reason) opt out of the PhD track. The MA is considerably more clinical-/counseling-oriented than the PhD, which is a pure (qualitative) research program. At the present time, I have research, teaching, and clinical aspirations. There might be opportunities to pursue quantitative studies elsewhere (e.g., at Emory or GA Tech) for a semester or two, and I'd have the option of writing a mixed-methods dissertation at my primary school. I would prefer to leave with some quantitative background, both for professional and personal purposes. Further, it is possible, whether through the university's psych and/or education departments, to fulfill LPC (licensed professional counselor)* requirements and have them count toward one's PhD credits, though this is contingent on the faculty's approval after starting the program (so no guarantees--which I've mostly made peace with). Now, given the (from what I understand, fairly wide) variance between states' LPC, MHC, psychologist, etc. licensure requirements, and given that I can't guess where I might end up for a faculty position (if I get one--and recent graduates from the program have), I'm wondering if it's at all feasible to combine these two trajectories. I know some clinical psych professors practice in addition to teaching and research, but I'm not quite sure how this works in terms of licensure and faculty placement. Is it perhaps possible to pursue LPC recognition and requirement-fulfillment after leaving one's graduate program and acquiring a faculty post? Is there any possibility for (at least partial) transference of one's LPC status and completion to other states? Answers from people who either have, or know others who've gone the research PhD + LPC(/MHC) route would be most appreciated. *I understand the general distinctions between what LPCs can/can't do vs. clinical psychologists, as well as their education levels and recent/projected median salaries; and I am primarily interested in practicing (preferably existential-humanistic) psychotherapy, though whether in the community or privately is unclear (both options would be nice). Ideally, I'd be able to be both a full-time professor and part-time psychotherapist at once.

I'm currently applying to school psych programs, both Master's and Ed.S. Ultimately, I'd like to pursue a doctorate in either clinical or experimental psych. Let's say that I wind up vying for the Ed.S., with the ultimate goal of pursuing a Ph.D. (not necessarily my preferences, but let's just assume). Would this, in the eyes of future doctorate admissions selectors, 'pidgeonhole' me in any way into the Ed.D. route and lower my chances for entry into Ph.D. programs? I ask this mostly out of ignorance toward the Ed.D. degree--namely, how it is viewed differently from the Ph.D. Thanks!

Many thanks for the replies. I do wish I could find some Master's that were more research-oriented, but still afford their students the training and certification needed to practice upon licensure/graduation. Something like clinical neuroscience, but perhaps more cognitive and still practice-based. (Maybe more along the lines of CBT...)

Let's say that ultimately, I would like to enter a doctoral program for either experimental or clinical psych. (Not sure which, yet, which is the source of my dilemma.) While I see both of the types of Master's listed in this thread's title as relatively viable, given my interests, I'm wondering how choosing one over the other might affect either 1) my future prospects for admission into a Ph.D. program, or 2) the practical opportunities I would have available for me outside of academia. My question, really, is whether going for a Master's in clinical psych--let's say school psych, just for specificity's sake--will limit my prospects for admission into a pure-research Ph.D. program, later on. This question is significant since I'm wary of what could happen if I do the Master's in experimental and don't (immediately, at least) get into a Ph.D. program. I believe this would leave me with considerably fewer options than the alternative where I go for the school psych Master's, don't get into a Ph.D. program, but still have sufficiently happy prospects for a decent position elsewhere. I know that the vast majority of clinical psych Ph.D. curricula are based on the science-practitioner model, though I'm less sure of how many such Master's programs are also like that (where a science-practitioner Master's would be ideal, if I can find enough of them to apply to). Thoughts/suggestions/relevant data or experiences?

See this: http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2004/01/get-licensed.aspx Accredited graduate programs for aspiring clinical psychologists, counselors, and social workers incorporate two-year supervised internships as an experimental component for students. These hours are required in order to become licensed, though licensing procedures and regulations vary from state to state. (See the link above and do some more research on this variance--though it's irrelevant if you're limiting your scope to California licensure, which will require the aforementioned internship experience.)

I'm also not worried about what to say to POI's regarding my interests, so much as I'm unsure of how to approach them (virtually) in the first place.

Also, regarding juilletmercredi's suggestion above that I take some graduate courses at a public school: could doing well on the Psych GRE effectively substitute for that, and make up for my GPA in an equivalent way? I've signed up for it already (if nothing else, it'll be fun to prepare for/do well on), but still wondering. Classes, while not entirely out of my way or anything, would be more of an investment overall.

Update: Though I'm still generating specific research questions (and self-confidence) to approach POI's with, I've come to the conclusion that I'm probably better-suited to be shooting for a clinical (rather than social) psych doctorate. Given this, how much prior research experience is "enough" to have a good shot at a reasonably respected program? As stated before, I only have a year's worth across two labs. I'm currently poking around to see whether I can snag an R.A. position that will let me do remote work. (I've already graduated, and my former school is too far away.) I'll see whether UCLA is looking for any R.A.'s, but I feel like they won't take anyone they haven't yet met/who isn't attending the school. Hopefully I'm wrong on that one, though. Any thoughts on how I can make this work?

Thanks, lewin. Still open to input (of any sort, really) from others regarding the application process. My main 'umbrella' interest at the moment is positive psychology, and I've compiled a list of POI's with related interests whom I'll be contacting shortly. Also, I'm more interested in social psych programs, of the Ph.D. ones I'm applying to.

Thanks for the response, Bren. I was initially worried about having no clinical work/research experience, but I will be working in a clinical care center during my time off--so hopefully that counts for something. Your suggestion to pursue a Master's first seems sound. Of the general psychology Master's programs that I've looked into, an emphasis in clinical, research, or something else is usually included, which definitely makes the option more appealing. Will have to look more into it: hopefully my extra-curriculars could mean more while applying.

Without studying, I scored 154V/152Q on my first (Kaplan) practice test. After putting it aside for a while and studying for ~2 months, I ended up with 168V/158Q(/5.5W). Studying definitely helps, and there's a good chance you'll do better on the actual thing.

Hi, all! This is my first post on GradCafe. I'm in the process of selecting and applying to psychology grad programs. Basically, my biggest questions are: Given my background, interests, and creds, should I go for my Master's before the Ph.D.?Which types of programs (say, in terms of ranking) should I reasonably expect to get into? Basic info: I graduated from UC Santa Barbara with B.A.'s in Psychology and Philosophy, and a cumulative GPA of 3.09. My psych GPA was 3.15, philosophy 2.96. I worked in two psychology labs, one from October last year to this August and the other from October to December last year. I recently took the GRE and scored 168V/158Q/5.5W. I have two solid rec letters lined up, and am currently choosing who to ask for my third. Now, for extra-curriculars. I was on a debate team (for the Ethics Bowl intercollegiate competition) from March last year to this June. I wrote for the campus' top newspaper (Science/Tech column) from October '13 to this August, and wrote on topics ranging from psychology (including personal opinions and arguments) to physics, tech, A.I., local events, business, ethics, and public policy. During this time, I worked closely with the campus' theoretical physics department in promoting their outreach efforts. Finally, I was a member and officer of an on-campus club that met each week to discuss presentation ideas, and deliver them to public audiences after each quarter in a format similar to TED's model. I gave my self-produced presentation on personality psychology/cognitive neuroscience. My specific areas of interest include personality/cognitive/social psych, positive psych/mindfulness (the lab I worked in for nearly a year focuses heavily on this, and I recently attended a positive psych conference to network at one of my target schools), Jungian psych, existentialism/humanism, psychology of self, I/O, and HSP/sensory processing disorder. As you may have surmised, my interests are both research-oriented and clinical in nature. Bottom line is: I know I want to go into psychology, and my ultimate goal is to obtain a Ph.D. The question now is how to reach that point--whether I should go for a Master's first, how to sell my applications successfully, and so on. Any tips or related stories/experiences would be greatly appreciated!