Sherrinford

For yourself, you should also look into some cost projections of graduate debt if you are limiting yourself to PsyD programs. Even at Rutgers, their PsyD is not fully funded. I believe Bayler is the exception. 

I had no posters/pubs and a terrible undergrad GPA. I got my Masters with a good GPA and had 2 years of research experience in two different labs, good letters of rec, my GRE scores were like 161 (Verbal) and 156 (Quant). Didn't get a ton of interviews but got accepted into a fully funded program. This was a few yrs ago. 

As a current grad student, enjoy the time you have for you will never see its like again. 

As a current grad student, enjoy the time you have for you will never see its like again. 

As a current grad student, enjoy the time you have for you will never see its like again. 

As a current grad student, enjoy the time you have for you will never see its like again. 

As a current grad student, enjoy the time you have for you will never see its like again. 

As a current grad student, enjoy the time you have for you will never see its like again. 

As a current grad student, enjoy the time you have for you will never see its like again. 

As a current grad student, enjoy the time you have for you will never see its like again. 

As a current grad student, enjoy the time you have for you will never see its like again. 

Everyone has given great advice but just want to add my own opinions.
To me, there is no situation in which going to a non-funded PsyD or PhD program is a good idea, especially given the tuition rates at these programs tend to be quite high. Unless you are a drug dealer or heir to a large fortune, you're going to ultimately be dealing with paying premiums with exorbitant interest rates for multiple decades...which will be challenging even if you are in the top 20% salary for psychologists. 
Clearly research is something that engages and interest you. This is a tough position to be in, and you have other commitments and needs to consider. Unfortunately, life is rarely linear and it requires a lot of course-correction. Think of it this way, a gamble of an extra year or two now...to end up at the career/lifestyle that is most meaningful for you for the rest of your life...not the worst deal in the world. You are privileged to even be able to consider these options. 
Now of course it is a risk and there is no guarantee you will be admitted should you apply again. So if you plan to, you better do your research, talk to professors/researchers in the field, and maximize the potency of your application.

I have financial restrictions so unfortunately that is the first consideration for me (so I only applied to funded programs).
As someone currently in the program, I can't possibly overemphasize how important it is that you like your P.I. You will essentially be married to this person for the next several years of your life, and they are likely to dictate much of your professional growth. I am up to my neck in work and various responsibilities, but at the end of the day I go to sleep knowing I work at an environment where I receive support and feel comfortable talking to my P.I. about anything. Massive boost. 
I have a few colleagues in other programs that are much more prestigious and awesome, but they don't love their P.I. and it's has a massive effect on their quality of life. 

Also just finished submitting and now obsessively checking for receipt of my supporting documents! And enjoying the results of my Steam binge during the Autumn sale.
It's going to be a long few months...

1) Let's be clear here, the two schools you are deciding between are not top 25. PGSP has the Stanford named attached to it but do not let them deceive you into thinking you "are attending Stanford." With that being said PGSP has a much better track record in matching students to APA accredited internships. PGSP data Here, Pepperdine data Here
2) The general public has little knowledge of clinical program prestige so honestly the only thing that matters in private practice is your business sense. When it comes to training opportunities, yes reputation matters. From what I hear, PGSP has an okay reputation locally, nationally not so much. 
With that out of the way be realistic about life during and after attending these programs: Average completion time for the PGSP is between 5-6 years, with tuition at 48k that's 200k+ in debt without living expenses. You can do a quick search for bay area housing but in short- its very expensive. Average completion time for Pepperdine is between 5-6 years, with tuition at 60k that's 300k without living expenses. Keep in mind, this is not a lucrative field and California in general is saturated with psychologist. 
My best advice would be to get into a funded program, even partially funded would go a long way. The reality is many people pursuing a PhD go into clinical practice, do not be scared of research. Many funded PhD programs provide amazing clinical experience.

This is going to sound a little harsh, but your post is making you come off as a bit entitled. It is very rare that students, especially at the undergraduate level, are able to design and conduct their own studies in a research lab as soon as they join one. In fact, I would even say it's uncommon after a year. Helping out with the PI and the graduate students' ongoing projects, potentially using some of their data to create a poster are much more realistic goals.
Typically you will only be given lower level duties when you start in a lab, as trust is something that has to be built. All of us in grad school have started our research beginnings doing things like data entry, it is normal. But to answer your question, I guess it depends on what your main goals are. If it's to get to do your own study in a relatively quick time-frame, you may not want to stay in the lab unless you're willing to commit to spending at least a semester or two working there first. 

@hahowell I do not consider myself qualified to make an assessment on whether you would be competitive for PhD programs.
However, I would like to suggest that if you think that you might not be competitive after talking to professors and the like, that you not do a masters. You are right that it is unnecessary, but beyond unnecessary it is very expensive. There are a lot of paid, bachelors-level research opportunities available in which you could make some money and gain invaluable experience all without having to do a masters. 
For example, you can look for lab manager postings, and the National Institutes of Health has a lot of research opportunities for people preparing for graduate school. You could even seek out these opportunities while you are applying for PhD programs and only take the offer if you were to not get accepted into a program. 

Hope this doesn't offend you but you sound rather entitled. You specifically said "I'd just like to help with what is needed", apparently that's data entry. If you don't want to do that then maybe go back to trying the directed study with this lab, don't give up on it if no one helps you. (To be fair I don't know the context so maybe you've stuck with it for a while before finally giving in). If data entry is what you're stuck with then make it into a learning experience for yourself - qualtrics has an API which can allow you to figure out a way to programmatically perform the data entry. This would be great since then it'd drastically reduce the probability of error during entry, then having come up with your fancy new way to enter data you can show it to others and teach others in the lab, which I'm sure would def up the interest in your membership in the lab. In additional you'd have taught yourself how to program (if you don't already know), and further still - now you have a valuable skill to take into your graduate studies if that's the plan.

I know this wasn't your specific question, but I want to mention (just in case you didn't already know) that getting a Masters if your ultimate goal is a PhD is not necessary. I believe on average at least half, but likely more of admitted students come in without a MA. Additionally, some schools actually prefer not to admit students with their MA because they prefer to train students "ground up." Other options for you to pursue would be (paid) research coordinator or assistant positions so that you gain research experience near your topic of interest which will make you a much stronger applicant.
I'm not aware of a list of clinical masters programs but it may be worth just googling around or searching forum histories with those keywords. The schools I know that offer MAs in psychology include Teaching College at Columbia U., Hunter College (CUNY), and St. Johns. Also there are different kinds of Masters, there are some terminal programs where you can get licensed as a counselor whereas others are experimental/general degrees. Just something to be aware of. Finally, most Masters programs are typically not funded so if that's a concern you'll want to look carefully. I have heard of some funded MA programs out there, but can't think of specific ones at the moment. 
And sorry you didn't get in this round    But it's inspiring to see that you're really dedicated to pursuing this goal, I have no doubt you'll succeed if you keep that attitude and work ethic. 

Not doomed necessarily. You can still have quality research experience without a publication necessarily. Posters should be more reasonable a goal or something attainable.
I am in a funded PhD program, did not have any pubs or even posters. But I did have decent research experience. 

It's preferable for your undergrad GPA to be 3.75+, but that certainly doesn't mean that a 3.44 GPA will disqualify you. However, I would strongly advise then that you achieve GRE scores that are in the 75th percentile and above to demonstrate that you are ready for graduate-level work. 
Also, given that your background is in biobehavioral health, it might be a stretch to justify why you would want to pursue an I/O program versus a health psychology/biopsychology/cognitive psychology/developmental psychology program. If you have poster or paper presentations in the research field that you want to go into, then you can make a case for why you want to pursue I/O.
Do you have any work experience in industry that might justify why you want to pursue I/O? 
Also, what is the quality of your research experiences like? There is a difference between being someone who merely enters data, and someone who enters the data AND uses the data to develop an independent study project, or collaborates with the lab on a project that will result in publication. If you are merely entering data, making copies, etc. without engaging in rigorous research, it's definitely time to start working on an independent study project, preferably in I/O. 
As you're applying next year, one thing I would think about is the quality of the PhD program you will attend. In other words, don't just settle for "any" PhD program. You want to go to a program that is well funded, has lots of resources, and is actively producing research. These programs have the network that you need post-graduation. If you know you want to go to X school, then take another year to strengthen your application and reapply. I have had friends who regretted settling for a program simply because it was the only PhD program they got into that year--they're now leaving with a Master's and are re-applying for PhD programs at top-tier schools with lots of resources.
Don't be afraid to take a year off to strengthen your application! A lot can get done in a year. I spent three years as a math major before deciding it was the wrong path. I switched my major to psychology in my fourth year, and as I was getting my coursework done in psych, I was also doing and put out 8 poster/paper presentations that same year (5 already presented, 3 accepted). The motivation and enthusiasm for my research field showed, and I got into some top-ranked programs. In addition, I spent a lot of time networking with professors at other universities, and got a letter of rec from a professor at a top-ranked school (I did summer research with her). 

Could still be a looong wait. I didn't find out my fate until a few days before the deadline in April. 

- I wrote about my dying grandmother (albeit 3-4 sentences, certainly not two pages) in my personal statement, and got 9 interviews at R1 PhD programs in clinical psychology. I also have a garbage GPA and GRE. Write about what feels organic and authentic to your personal narrative, even if it feels cliche. 
- Seek out excellent letters of recommendation, as opposed to simply "good" ones. I sincerely underestimated how important this was until I identified writers that could speak to my character, research productivity, and integrity as someone to work with. This was something that was brought up in almost every conversation I had with prospective PI's at my interviews/pre-interviews. 
- EXUDE EXCITEMENT. My god, if someone hit me over the face with a brick about this, I may have avoided at least 2 confirmed 1st alternate waitlists due to my lack thereof. I am not an innately excitable person. I come from the northeast...we're grumpy and lack vitamin D. Its incredibly difficult for me to fake excitement, despite great interest in the PI's I applied to work with. I aired on the side of neutrality (not to be confused with being rude/standoffish). I didn't drop the "this program is my top choice, I will come here if I get an acceptance" lines, etc. I think this was just true to my personality, but if you're able to be extra peppy, you may avoid being waitlisted like me
...the story ends well, I got 4 acceptances so I guess Im not that big of a dick  
 

I realize the application season is far from over for many of you, but I felt it's a good time to be retrospective. I wanted to share some of my anecdotes and qualitative data in hopes that it will help those in the future.
Before I begin: this is based on my subjective experience and is not meant to be interpreted as prescriptive. I applied to a combination of I/O Psych and Measurement programs, thus this may be less relevant to some of you- I don't think that will be the case.
Here are some thoughts looking back:
Grad Cafe
The beauty of Grad Cafe (though cliché) is the journey. Many applicants will not visit this place, many will avoid it like the plague, many will lurk. The exceptions provide invaluable information, they empathize, and even sympathize. This process is one that validates and demeans, it's not clean, knowing that you're not alone does so much. You learn about your "competition"- that they are just as smart and accomplished as you; they also are kind and helpful, I found solace in the fact that a deserving person was accepted when I was not. You start building your network here. These people may be in your cohort, may see you at a conference, or may score you a job in the future, so make it count.
Clean the Results Survey...
I did a project a while back trying to crowd-source some data to help those applying. I quickly realized that the results survey is a garbage-fire. All of the open-ended text boxes (i.e., program, school) are very unclean. It does have a predictive component but if someone types something incorrectly others will start getting that as a predictive option. It is also hard to find particular hybrid programs, so I think a tagging taxonomy would bode well. I've emailed the admins about this. The benefit of Grad Cafe can be improved by cleaning the user-experience. This would be a good place for sourcing how grad students deal with rejection or giving particular programs a profile in terms of when they respond to students. You'd need to control for self-selection, but I see this providing a huge benefit to society. Admins clean up the response strings and make the tag structure more defined....constructive feedback, don't delete this post. 
 
Initial Email
-The most underestimated part of the application process
Most of us are highly conscientious so bugging a person we don't know may be excruciating.  Funding is the name of the game for many programs. If you apply to the wrong lab it doesn't matter how strong of an applicant you are. Take the time to send an email to figure out who is planning on taking students. I also find that emailing the current students is both less intimidating and more insightful so do not shy away from this. Another thing this will help is your personal statement. I spent so much time specifying advisers  just to find out that some of the programs don't want you working with just one person. The program websites are always filled with obsolete information, get current information from those living it.
 
GRE/GPA
- A perfect GRE/GPA score will not guarantee your acceptance
If this was the case no program would have an interview portion nor would you have to submit CVs and Personal Statements. Obviously, programs will use the quantitative metrics (GPA and GRE) when convenient, so in the beginning when the pool is large. Programs may get 300 applicants so selecting 30 to interview would be tedious without a common scale. The first filter will be a quantitative metric and if you aren't above average...none of your other qualifications is going to fix that.  You can't change your GPA but you can improve your GRE. I've heard all sorts of metrics: (Quant + Verbal) * GPA, sometimes programs will weigh verbal more or quant more, you never know. You want to make the first cut, so don't think you need the highest score because chances are you won't have it. Shoot for that 75th-80th percentile. Some of you may think that it is impossible but it's not, this is coming from someone that increased their GRE score by 20 points in a short amount of time. If you're struggling go here. The GRE is based upon adaptive Item Response Theory (IRT) so focus on increasing your mastery of the more difficult questions.
 
Personal Statement
- Don't overthink it
I spent most of my time doing these. I'm a terrible writer. There is no special sauce, no formula. Just don't tell a 2-page story about your grandma dying. I do suggest demonstrating that you know how to craft a research idea relevant to your person of interest. Also if you see research that they've done where the findings relate to an experience you've had....golden. I asked over 20 professors (from different programs) if they had to choose just one: GPA/GRE, Personal Statement & Recommendations, or CV and Research experience to select a candidate, which would they choose? No one said personal statement. Once again I'm in the area of I/O, so other areas may differ but none of us are in Creative Writing.
 
Research/CV
-You do research in a PhD program, so research experience is critical
This is the area I lack. My estimation is that it is why I got rejected from places, and is what sets apart the candidates after the GRE/GPA hurdle. I would really love to see the stats for applicants that got 75th percentile on the GRE with publications versus an applicant that is in the 99th percentile without research experience. A vast majority of the professors I spoke to said if they had to select a candidate based on 1 metric that they would choose CV and Research experience. It makes sense because students will be doing research. Don't underestimate how you layout your research experience on your CV. If you can get on MTurk and code someone's data or if you can present to a small clinic or non-profit, do it. 
 
Interviews & Recruitment Days
- It's all about the questions. Don't be vanilla.
 I didn't dress the best. I'm sure I creeped out all the current students and applicants, but they remembered me. Ask good questions, I can't emphasize this enough. 100% of the interview/recruitment days I went to accepted me afterwards. I definitely wasn't the smartest person there, but I asked good questions. Don't ask things you can learn from a follow-up email or on the website. Act like you're about to marry them, or that you're on a Tinder date 4 glasses of wine in. 
Some examples (all of which I've used):
For students: What would you improve about your program? What class was a waste of time? What are 3 things your adviser can do better? If you had to punish someone deeply, what professor would you handcuff them to?  How much time have you spend off-campus with those in your cohort? How much of your weekend is spent doing work? My favorite: If all of the faculty participated in the Amazing Race with a clone of a generic student, who would you put your money on? Who would drop out?
For faculty: What are three adjectives your students would use to describe you? What is a unique skill you offer that the other faculty do not? If you could add a course from the core-curriculum, which would you pick? In your opinion what proportion of a PhD student's time should be spent in the following areas: Assistantship, Coursework, Research, Personal Life? From your perspective what is the biggest social challenge? emotional challenge? and financial challenge? a student faces in grad school.
 
One love...

Thank you all,
 

I thought it was all done and dusted and I was prepared to apply again this Fall, but I got accepted into my top choice (Binghamton U.) off the waitlist. 
I wish the best of luck to everyone here!