[Am I limiting myself in only considering Psy.D? How necessary is a gap year?]

22 minutes ago, SouthernFlowers said:

When thinking about taking a gap year, I like to think about it like this: If I'm worried about a gap year pushing my time in school back, its important to note that either way a year will go by. Would I rather not go for taking a year off in hopes of becoming more competitive to get into a program I really want to attend or be in a program I really don't like...for 4-5 years.  I personally did a 2 year masters program and was scooped up by most of the Phd programs I applied to upon graduating.They took all my credits and my time in school will be just the same as the typical doctoral student, I just went about it a different way. I say that to say, there's many ways to go about this. Happy to discuss further ?

Wow! Thank you! You're right. I should want to get into a program I really want, rather than just applying and going with what works. Between the time I originally posted and now, I am more open and accepting of the gap year idea. I have a question about masters programs. From my internet searching, I've seen people say that getting a MA is really only necessary if you're college performance wasn't great. Was this the case for you or did you have another reason? A MA could be helpful to gain more experience and narrow down what I want to do. Why did you go for an MA?

[Am I limiting myself in only considering Psy.D? How necessary is a gap year?]

Hi. I'm a rising senior (undergrad) planning on applying to doctoral programs this fall in need of some guidance. Right now, I am leaning towards applying to Psy.D. programs. I just don't love research. I am pretty neutral about it, but I know it is something I don't want to do for my career. I know all about the funding situation, but I am fortunate enough to be in a financial position where that is not a major concern. Obviously, I would still prefer funded programs. Because of my neutral feelings regarding research and my preference for clinical work, I have been pretty set on the Psy.D. for Clinical Psychology. However, am I limiting myself? I know a lot of people do Ph.D. and don't end up going into research. However, am I competitive enough for Ph.D. programs? Further, is taking a gap year absolutely necessary? I really wouldn't want to work as a research coordinator. Many people have advised me to take a year or two to gain more clinical work, thereby having a stronger application. Is there any shot of me getting into Psy.D. or Ph.D. right from undergrad? Honestly, my plan right now is to apply to some Psy.D. programs (only a few/reach schools), kind of hoping for a miracle. Then, I will take a year off when that miracle doesn't happen and get more clinical work and apply again. Does this sound good? Am I limiting myself? Do I have no shot? If I have no shot, please tell me. It's really hard to understand where I fit in compared to other applicants.

• GPA 3.91/4
• Taking my GREs this summer. Probably a little lower on math.
• 1 year as a research assistant in psychometric lab.
• Leader/trainer for school's crisis/listening hotline (3 years)
• This summer I had an amazing internship at the Child Mind Institute, but it was delayed until next year. For the summer, I have taken up remote positions.
  • Remote Summer RA at Montclair State (College COVID study)
  • Remote Summer RA at Rutgers (Social-Emotional learning/school intervention lab)
  • Remote Summer RA at Rowan (anxiety + depression research)
• Writing a psychology thesis next year about college admissions (def psychology based, but not really THAT clinical)
• School extracurriculars: multiple leadership positions in sorority, Psi Chi secretary
• Past jobs: Summer camp counselor for 3 years, summer internship at school in education technology.