alts98

3 Years of research experience is good, especially with your experience writing a chapter and working in different labs seems like you will have a good amount of experience. Make sure you are putting the second poster your name is on in your CV- just because you won't be there to physically present at that conference doesn't mean you shouldn't put it on your CV if you worked on that poster. Maybe try to get another first author poster submitted by the time you apply and maybe start working on a manuscript from someone else's data.

Try applying for jobs through multiple ways. I highly recommend LinkedIn and Indeed as a lot of research positions are advertised there, which includes full-time and part-time, depending on your preference. Input words like "research assistant", "clinical research assistant", and maybe a keyword depending on your interests. I used to check every day for new postings to make sure I didn't miss any (but I had a lot of time on my hands, you could try checking once a week). You can also cold-email professors in labs you would be interested in working in by asking if they have any positions available- they might say yes or they may say they only have part-time/volunteer positions, which is still useful! In my experience, they were usually quick to respond and never had a bad interaction, some even were willing to forward my information to other labs that might be hiring. You can also check on job portals of universities/hospitals to find open positions. Let me know if you have any other questions!

If all you got were Bs in math that's not a bad grade and not something you should worry about. Focus more on getting research and then you can always mention something about your low math grades (which don't seem that low to me) in your personal statement. If you can take some additional courses at a community college that can also help!

If you have not received any offers by this point I would encourage you to look for/accept an RA position. It might still be possible you get interviews since some schools seem delayed with their interviews so if you currently have an offer I would say maybe wait one more week before officially accepting. If they have a deadline that you need to respond to their work offer by then you should seriously consider accepting (if that's a job you actually want). Unless you sign a contract binding you to their employment for the next year or so, you can still theoretically reject a job after a few months if you get an acceptance to a grad program. They can't force you stay there and work.

If you want to reach out to professors to network with them, I would recommend waiting a month so after they become less busy with application/interview season. I don't think it will be annoying to reach out- you can always say you are interested in the work they are doing, hoping to apply to graduate school in the future, and interested in gaining more experience in the type of work they are doing. Then ask if they have any volunteer positions open (including remote work since some labs may still be working virtually and may not require you to move). If they don't have any, they may sometimes connect you to someone who does.

Try indeed and linkedin and just type in "research assistant" or "clinical research assistant". You will get several postings especially if you are not geographically located. Apply to any that seem interesting, the more you apply to, the greater your chances are of landing a job during these times, even if you have to do research in an area that isn't your primary interest. https://psychologyjobsinternships.wordpress.com/ This website also has a couple of recent postings.

Thanks for the advice! I feel like if I were to get an offer I would just put in my two weeks and leave but I feel like they would be fine without me because there is another RA who has the same position and could do the work themselves- I don't understand why they needed 2+ RAs for the workload of one.

Do you mind sharing what those specifics skills were (either on here or DM)? I'm just curious as to what type of skills a PI would deem as the " make it or break it" skill for a candidate.

Hi there, I need advice on what will be best for me. I am planning on applying to graduate programs for next fall (so 2022 Fall admissions) and I wanted to know if it would hurt my chances to switch jobs. Background: I graduated with a B.S. in Psych and B.A. Criminal Justice in 2020 and decided to take time off to gather research experience before applying. I had a 3.7 GPA, completed honors program, did an honors project with an honors poster. I have a total of about 25+ poster presentations, a lot of them being school, local, or regional conferences but two posters were submitted/presented to national/international conferences. I have two 4th author publications and one 1st author paper in my research interest about to be submitted for review soon. I already had some research experience from undergrad: 2.5 years in a lab closely aligned with some of my research interests; 1.5 years in another lab; 1 year in another lab (coding mostly). I am currently in two labs: the first one is at an R1 university doing part-time data entry remotely (did a couple of interviews before I got my new jobs so looks good on my CV). I have a full-time position at another R1 university and have been here for roughly 7 months. I do not like my new job too much- I feel like there is not much to do. There is no direct contact with participants (all remote surveys). Keep asking PI for poster/publications and says they are coming but not sure if I will be allowed 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd author on it or when that will be since we're still in data collection stages. Besides recruitment, there's not much to do and I am not feeling like I am learning any valuable research skills here. For an R1 university this study is actually a mess. I did hear about a new position opening up at a lab I had previously applied to. I had gotten to the final stages of interviewing before I was passed up for someone else but they said they were hiring 2-3 new RAs starting immediately and to apply if interested. This lab doesn't align perfectly with my research interests BUT it is at a prestigious, R1 university, closer to my home, research I am interested in, and direct contact with participants. Here is my concern: If I start this new job in February/March (to allow time for interviewing/onboarding) does that hurt my chances for applying to Clinical Psych PhD programs? Will they down upon me only spending 7-8 months in this one job before leaving and then only spending about 9-10 months in this other job before applying to grad school? I really don't want to put off applying another year because I feel like I am competitive enough to get an interview but don't know if switching jobs might hurt me, even if it might be a more interesting job. But since I was turned down once I am not sure if it worth's applying to this same job (or maybe just look for another job in general?) Any advice?

Just found out that if you get a Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can access so many free test books! It is $9.99 a month and has new test books from different companies. If you are looking for extra practice then you could access multiple test books in a month for just 10 bucks. Definitely seems worth it if you are on a budget!

You can definitely finish your MA without having to do a PhD... Most MA programs just aren't listed as "clinical psych" but can be listed as psychology, forensic psychology, counseling psychology, etc. Masters programs tend to be less competitive and I think 6 months of lab works along with your current lab is more than what I've seen other students be accepted with and not everyone writes a thesis. You have a really good GPA and if you get strong letters of recommendation and good personal statement you should be a good candidate for acceptance. I don't know if you should apply to 15 schools but if you want to be in the safe side, you can.

I believe most PhD programs, even social, tend to favor research experience, social is just not as competitive as clinical so you don't need to stand out from 500+ applicants. Depending on how long you did research for and what skills you learned from it, it could still help you (probably not if it was just 1-2 months). The fact that you have an independent research project is worth noting, not everyone needs a publication to be accepted/considered.

If your area of interest is multicultural or working with a specific minority group, I say go for it! On the other hand, if you aren't, I wouldn't make it the primary focus of your statement. You have to show how being the only minority relates to your interest in the program, your research, your desire for grad school, etc. I would recommend watching this

Most people apply to 10+ programs to increase their chances of getting an interview/acceptance somewhere, especially if they only want to apply one round. As stated above, this is mostly beneficial if you are applying to extremely competitive programs like clinical. Given the limited number of funding/seats due to COVID, this could be a competitive application season. Most deadlines are December 1st for most psychology PhD programs. I would recommend applying to only 1-2 if you don't feel like you would have enough time to write outstanding applications (i.e. personal statement). Also, most professors or lab directors require weeks of advanced notice for letters of recommendation since it is possible they may be writing other letters as well and are busy with work in general. If you are serious about applying, my first step would be securing those letters of recommendation! If you want to stick to the psychology field, look into educational or developmental programs. Usually less competitive and you can probably find someone who is just as interested in what you are. I have also read that matches don't always have to be 100%, it could be a 80% match in interests. Sometimes professors are interested to know you may have something additional you can contribute to the lab! I also know some locations are doing virtual interview days so that could save money if you get interviewed and don't need to spend money to fly out.

@justacigarThanks for the advice! I had come across 1-2 community psych programs that were interesting but I will definitely look into it more! Forensic is awesome but I'm willing to go to a program with that specific concentration if the faculty are doing policy type work. Thanks!