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psych4life1

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  1. Hi y'all! After some years of deliberation post-undergrad, I've finally decided to pull the plug and go for my MA in Counseling with the intent of becoming a licensed therapist. I'll be starting my program that's CACREP-accredited this fall so I have lots of time to prepare and plan carefully. Although my goal is to practice, I can't help but constantly think about getting involved in research/teaching/practice in the far future. It makes me wonder: should I go into the MA program with the intent of applying to PhD programs? I'm very passionate about multicultural counseling, bipolar disorder, LGBTQIA+, and these would be the focus of my research. For a little background: I went into the MA route because I felt I didn't have a strong undergrad background. I went to a Top-25 school and graduated with a BA in Psychology with a 3.4 GPA (both overall and major). I definitely didn't engage in research back then because it just didn't seem interesting based off of my research method courses and some not-so-pleasant interactions with faculty. I ultimately focused on just professional growth and went on to work instead of focusing on academia. Attending the grad program this fall sort of feels like a great opportunity to redeem myself. I plan to crush it academically and get involved in the research opportunities available. Although the program is heavy on practicums/internships/fieldwork, I spoke with some grads who actually successfully went on to PhD programs afterwards. Has anyone here gone through this process before where you went through an MA program first before going to a PhD program? So far, here's the general pieces to focus on: Do well academically (i.e. get a good GPA, aim for a 4.0) Get as much quality research experience as possible and form great connections with professors Do well on GRE Do field experience matter in PhD admissions or is it mainly research? Any general or specific advice would be lovely. BTW, I'm most interested in pursuing PhD programs in Counseling Psychology. Thank you!!
  2. @amazingbutternutsquash It didn't state any specifics; it just left it very vague/broad!
  3. Thank you all for the advice, everyone! It confirmed my suspicions that it's just too risky. Fortunately, I have another family-related challenge in mind that I can discuss. Thank you!
  4. Hello, I hope everyone is staying safe during these times. As I prepare my application for an MA in Counseling program, I have a question... I understand that discussing your own mental health problems are usually not recommended and they can be the "kiss of death" in an application, but is this more so the case if the writer focuses too much on the negatives? One of the prompts asks me to describe a challenge I've been through and I honestly can't think of one more personal than my struggle with bipolar disorder, but also how I've learned to manage it and how much I've grown as a person. My recovery and sobriety are empowering and I'd love to talk about them...if it's okay. My question is: even if I have a positive story to my own mental health problems, is this still a no-go? Any inputs are appreciated. Thank you!
  5. Hi everyone! Here's a snapshot of my background/experience: Age: 27 Male Graduated from Top 25 (if rankings matter) uni with a BA in Psych in 2015 (3.4 overall, 3.4 major) – bad senior year due to lots of personal issues Volunteer/Research (varied and short): one semester of RA work for a biological neuroscience lab on smoking cessation (screening participants over phone, in-person, data entry, helping with project coordination), one semester of RA experience for a media studies lab (unrelated), one semester of teaching middle school students (unrelated). Work: Rehab tech (9 mo), Case Manager (9 mo), library assistant (1 year), Educational Consulting (2.5 years), Product/user experience specialist (my current job) As you can see, I'm not the most consistent person, but I'm just kind of average on paper. I've grown quite a bit over the years, learned a lot about myself through my experiences and choices I made. When I graduated, I thought I was going for my MSW and focused much more on social services. For awhile, I put off school because I couldn't make up my mind, but I now realize that my interests actually lie in research and exploring the diverse role of a psychologists (assessments, teaching/education). I'm using this time to study for the GREs and get high scores hopefully. I'm mostly worried about my drop in senior year. I actually did quite well in all my prior years, my GPA has always averaged 3.7 and I've even achieved two semesters of psych courses loaded and got 4.0s and a good research paper out of it. However, my senior year was tough. I struggled a lot. That's when I found out that I have bipolar. It was a relief understanding what I was experiencing, but it's unfortunate my grades were impacted (I got a C+ in Qualitative research methods but got A in quant and stats before). This was my only C on my transcript. That, along with Bs, brought my GPA down to 2.9ish area...Yikes! I know. I'm also concerned that I don't have much substantial research experience, but I'm hoping they can look past it. Any advice or thoughts? Does anyone have experience getting into MA/MS programs as the stepping stone for PhD? Thanks – hope everyone is okay.
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