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Clinical

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  1. I would focus on getting more research experience. Having been through this process and met a lot of people on interviews and discussed the interview process with many people who went on to graduate school, it is very unlikely you will get interviews with little to no research experience. And with no research experience, you won't really even have relevant letters of recommendation. Also, 168 is very high for GRE sections, so you definitely cannot bank on scoring that high. It is such a tough process, and you might be able to make it work, but you will likely need good research experience. Many people with high grades and years of research experience have to apply multiple years. Your GPAs might be hard to overcome at this stage, so it might be wise to do a psychology master's degree that has a thesis requirement... this can help with research experience and with getting a higher GPA. A few schools on your list have master's programs. Additionally, you may want to start applying for RA positions now. They can be hard to get but an early start could be helpful. I know this probably isn't what you want to read, but it's the reality of a very competitive process. The good news is that there things you can do to increase your chances for future cycles. Good luck!
  2. To people concerned about references not being in, I had references sent the last day for multiple letter writers to multiple schools. And that didn't keep me out of a Ph.D. program! Many profs have a system or a place on their calendar for submitting their final versions of letters, so I wouldn't worry that they aren't in early. I think it is more the rule than the exception that letter writers submit on the late end. Professors likely have plenty of things that need to be submitted earlier (like for students' internship applications) or papers they are working on, etc., so it doesn't really help them or anyone to get Ph.D. recommendations in early. I would send a follow-up or reminder a week before the due date and try to distract yourself in the meantime. Good luck to all!
  3. I am so sorry this happened to you. It sounds like you have been through a lot recently and have taken great steps toward making meaning of this and taking care of your health. All good signs for the path toward a Ph.D., in my opinion. Now, despite all that, I would strongly advise you against mentioning it in your SoP. It's not necessarily that PIs think people who have psychiatric disorders and/or histories of trauma are incapable of earning Ph.D.'s or being good graduate students, but many don't want to know that about their applicants. Regardless of someone's personal history and diagnosis, their academic, research, and clinical work and training should be strong enough to earn them a spot in the program. In the process of the PI getting to know you, it's important that your persona as an academic/researcher/clinician is first and foremost. Also, it comes off to many as unprofessional to discuss diagnoses and to share information at that level. It could spark concern that a person would not be able to keep their mental health issues out of their work if they needed to state them up front in the first place. I know several PIs who have sent applications straight to the trashbin after disclosures of mental health issues... even if these were stories of resilience and current thriving. It may sound harsh, but in the clinical Ph.D. world, the best way to indicate that your work won't be substantially limited by your diagnosis is to have your diagnosis be something no one knows about or needs to know about. I personally know MANY graduate students with current or past diagnoses of almost everything, but all the successful ones have been very selective in when they share that, how much detail they share, and with whom they share that. I have heard it expressed that they don't care if their student has a diagnosis, they just don't want to know that much about them. It sounds like you might have a new angle of perspective on your research interests now. And I am sure you can use them to your advantage in thinking about research and clinical work. I think it's best to keep that out of your statement. It sounds like you will be a great applicant based on your work and training alone.
  4. It sounds like you have a really great chance where you are; however, I would still suggest you apply to at least a few other places. I would also make sure your PI knows (when you ask him for recommendation letters) that you most want to stay in your current lab and that you are passionate about psychology and want to make sure you pursue a PhD in a great lab, so you think it is most prudent to apply to a few just in case. My main concerns would be these: 1) What if your PI takes someone else. You might feel weird about it, sad, regretful, maybe even resentful... or just... awkward... then it might be pretty uncomfortable to remain as an RA in the lab. 2) What if your PI isn't taking ANYONE? Is it 100% up to the PI? Sometimes they are not at the top of the list for new students or something happens within the department to change things. I know applications aren't cheap, but think of the applications as buying an insurance policy on your future. Also, maybe you will interview somewhere else and love that place? Who knows?
  5. I wouldn't mention self-report measures. It doesn't speak to any particular skill you've developed, and I think it could seem a little strange to go into detail about administering something like the BDI that doesn't require any training. Since you mention that the BDI was an example and I don't know exactly what measures you have used, if you administered any structured/semi-structured interviews or assessments that take specific training to administer, I might mention those specifically in my CV (e.g., SCID, MINI, WAIS). Otherwise, I would just say that you administered questionnaires (or depression measures, if you think that noting that would be useful). In general, anything you mention should be for a reason. I'd ask myself, "What does this tell them about me/my training?" "What does this show I know or can do?" I think that going into detail is great if it helps to showcase your skills and talents, but I don't think that naming inventories is likely to do that. As far as familiarity with experimental paradigms goes, if you have been involved in using those, mention them in the context of the research with which you helped. You only have so much room in your personal statement, so I would leave many of these sorts of things to the CV. For the SoP, write about skills/experiences which you can elaborate on to give them a better idea of your way of thinking about research and your future plans. I hope this helps! I know this is a very stressful process. Good luck!
  6. 1) No, submit a research paper. 2) Get letters from at least 2 people in the field. Preferably all 3. Are you applying to funded programs? Do you any research experience in psychology? With no research experience, I wouldn't apply to any clinical programs. And without experience in research, counseling, or something similar, I wouldn't apply to counseling either (though I know much less about counseling programs). Clinical is really tough. It is expected that you have research experience before entering a program. Assuming you don't have research experience yet, if you really want to end up in psychology, try to find an RA position before you apply. Very few professors (except maybe at for-profit schools) will be willing to risk taking someone who is new to psychological research. They also won't want to have to have to train them from scratch. I don't mean this to be harsh... this is just how it works, and you will likely be competing with people who have a lot more experience. Good luck with whatever you decide!
  7. It will differ from professor to professor and applicant to applicant. I do know of several people whose theses were the main reason they were accepted to programs. The thesis gives you the opportunity to design your own research project, execute it, analyze the data, etc. Publications are great, but they at the pre-PhD stage they usually don't say anything about a person's ability to design and execute a study. The amount of work a person does to get on a paper can vary so widely from lab to lab as well, and some professors do take that into account. I think the most important thing is finding a way to showcase your talents and skills, not only on your CV but also in eventual interviews. My thesis gave me a lot to talk about on interviews and started some really interesting conversations. I strongly believe it was the main reason for my acceptance at some of the programs. Also, you can transfer your thesis in at most schools if your thesis meets their requirements. This usually entails it being empirical and statistically sophisticated enough to indicate a solid foundation of research training. If I were a professor in a master's program advising students who wanted to get into a Ph.D. program, I would absolutely advise them to do a thesis. I am not as familiar with Capstones, so I cannot speak to that. I would say, in general, if you can come up with your own research question and create and carry out a study to answer it, do that. And work on papers as well if you can.
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