speechtopsych

Ok, so, I just found a nearby Clin Psych MA program at a nearby school that's A) super cheap and B ) offers lots of types of funding for graduate students. It's DEFINITELY not a well known or highly ranked program, and it's unclear to me if they actually allow people to do theses. It's geared toward helping people get their LMHC. BUT it might be a good way to tap in to the field, determine a more specific research focus, and show my prolonged interest. Do you think this would be potentially better than working in one of the fancy labs here in boston? General question for anyone still checking out this form to help pass the time

Thanks for the response! Unfortunately, I was totally that person! For awhile I was in contact with a recent graduate from one of my programs who encouraged me to name as many faculty as I would be interested in working with... so I named at least 3 for all but one program. I definitely had moments where I was worried about doing this, but then I thought... it seems strange to spend $70-100 just to apply to work with one single person! Ah well. Lessons learned. I'm DEFINITELY not going to be able to pay for a PsyD, full stop. So I will just work to correct this next year.

I didn’t mention any of this in my SOP. We were mostly just tossing ideas around. It’s not my motivation to pursue this career, anyway. The dismal state of mental health in the modern world is... and, you know, I just wanna know how brains work idk

Thanks! Yeah, I wish I had a more specific population, but it's really hard to determine that much specificity without having more experience in the field. I think I'll probably try and move to a lab that studies one of the things I'm interested in. Secondly, I had a close friend commit suicide about a year ago. He was brilliantly smart, but incredibly depressed, and hid it. He was nicest guy ever, only brought joy to everyone around him. Also, it runs in my family. Grandfather attempted suicide before I was born and is now super cognitively impaired. My parents have struggled with their mental health, and now it seems like my little brother is, too. But HOW am I supposed to deliver this sob story in my personal statement? I tried at one point, but it got too "poor me." Also, it feels a little cliche' to be like, my dead friend inspired me to try and solve the depression problem! You know? Maybe it's just me.

University of Denver people: Has anyone heard from LM, AD, or MR? Feel free to DM me if you don't want to post here!

I think in the past they've done multiple interview days! Their website says something about interviews being around March 15th, I believe. EDIT: I think I'm wrong, actually. All interviews may have been sent out. I emailed the department to confirm.

How did you do it??? Share your secrets

By within, do you mean their own undergraduates or their own RAs?

Do you think doing volunteer hours at a relevant lab would be enough? (So I can keep and continue to progress in my current position)

I saw someone post a few days ago that the Coordinator at CU Boulder said that all interview invites have been extended. I was bummed, one of my favorite programs (although let's be real, they're all my fav)

I'm sad to hear it! But glad I'm not alone. Sending good vibes your way.

Ugh, I know. I applied to places that my partner and I would want to live... and maybe our standards were a bit too high in that respect. At this point I'm a little embarrassed of the hubris/naivete of my school selection process, lol. It's so hard though! Because even in the lower-ranked programs, there'll be 150 applicants for 3 spots. So I thought, what the heck, might as well apply to these big programs. Making a convincing research pitch was definitely the hardest part of my applications. I was being intentionally broad for the post, but I do wonder if was also too broad in my SOPs. This is a little example from one of them: Because most of my research experience lies in the realm of CSD, I delineated my research interests by reading a range of publications and books, including Reaching Down the Rabbit Hole by neurologist Allan Ropper, Tales from Both Sides of the Brain by cognitive scientist Michael Gazzaniga, and The Inflamed Mind by psychiatrist Edward Bullmore. Broadly, I wish to study the neurological underpinnings of psychological phenomena and the mind-body connection. I am particularly interested in how life experiences modulate biological reactions to stress and put people at risk for developing mood and anxiety disorders. These disorders are compelling because of their ubiquity; they have impacted not only my own life, but the lives of almost everyone I know. My biggest priority is research application: I aim to conduct research that benefits large populations most in need of innovative treatments. Using neuropsychological methods to study mood and anxiety disorders has great sociological impact, ultimately improving scientific knowledge and guiding treatment development. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ What this may be lacking is the justification of why I'm interested in that problem.. or maybe I need to point to a deficit in the literature? 'Research match' has been a difficult thing for me to pin down! Don't know if it's because it's a hard thing to define or because I don't have a psych mentor to guide me. Thanks for the helpful and encouraging responses, everyone!

Hi all. What a stressful time of year! I have high scores, a near-perfect GPA, and glowing letters of rec, several posters, and an in-progress paper, so a few months ago I thought I had a pretty good shot. After spending more time on this website, I think I might have been very mistaken. I don't have a psychology degree. My degree is in Communication Sciences & Disorders (aka speech-language pathology), and I have only worked with PIs and faculty within that world. In undergrad, I volunteered in an autism lab, run by an SLP with a large background in neuroscience. I presented my own poster at a regional conference. After graduating, I spent a few months working as a nurses' aid in a hospital, where I saw many patients with mental illness. Then, I started as a research assistant in a motor speech lab. My PI is big in the world of speech and is the director of our small school's research program. I have 3 posters (one first author, and more psych-related) and one in progress pub (a collab with people in Brazil) that I am helping write/revise. In grad school, I'd like to study anxiety and depression or aging/dementia. I'm worried I may not even get any interviews because my previous work doesn't line up with this subject matter, since the bulk of my research experience has been in people with ASD, ALS, and face transplant patients. I do have experience with TMS and neuromodulation, but we don't do neuroimaging or psych testing. I really think what's putting me behind is either my lack of experience in the psych world or my lack of publications. So my question is, what should I spend the next year doing? Do I leave my lab (been here for a year) to find an RA job in a lab that actually researches what I'm interested in? Do I keep this job and focus on doing even more independent work, helping doc students write and publish papers, and running more participants (we're starting a project on kids with autism soon). Do I find an RA job at one of the schools I want to attend and move across the country? I absolutely don't want to live where I am now, but it's a city with a ton of research opportunities - volunteer and paid. What are your thoughts on how I could make myself more competitive? Secondarily... what do you guys think my chances are this cycle? I know it's useless to ask at this point, but I'd love the insight because I don't have any clinical psych people around to ask! My stats: GPA: 3.94 (at an arts school) GRE: 166V, 158Q, 5.0W Psych GRE: 770

I would also love to know the POI initials of the people with USC invites!! Also, does this mean that all USC invites have been sent out?