carlyhylton

<br><br>I think it probably depends on how the institution centralizes available postings etc, but I personally found postings on my university's (York University) career centre job posting site, as well as on faculty's profiles. I'm currently looking to switch labs for the summer to gain different experience and experience specific to my research interests, and so I am currently looking at labs across Canada. I'm finding info by looking at faculty profiles, some schools have a list of labs, with specific info on how to apply.<br>Also, keep research institutes outside of the university in mind. Hospital, and mental health research institutes sometimes have RA placement<br><br>Of course you'll always have to write to the prof your looking to work with detailing why you want to work with him be it in the form of an inquiry or cover letter. I would recommend emailing the prof, detailing why you would want to work with them even if you have applied to a lab manager, or through a postings website, letting them know you have applied.<br>Likewise, if you don't find centralized info, email professors who you would like to work with explaining why (citing their research and detailing your interests), along with transcripts, a cv, sometimes writing samples, etc<div><br></div><div>Also, I was told at a 'meet the grads' event held by our undergrad psych student association that sometimes grad students, namely students writing their doctoral dissertation sometimes take on RAs. If you're not paid for this this will at least provide with with a possible 'in' at a lab, after working with the student, ask them to recommend you to their supervisor as an RA!<br><br>This link might help:<div>http://www.stanford.edu/dept/psychology/ralistings</div></div><div><br></div><div>Hope this helps, good luck!</div>

Thanks so much for you response! After further consideration, I decided this was probably not my best bet. My main question/concern was whether this would be a suitable program for me as prep for pursuing a doctoral degree (and preferably a Ph.D.) in Clinical Psych considering in is a Master's in EDUCATIONAL PSYCH WITH A CONCENTRATION IN CLINICAL PSYCH (for Span/English bilinguals), opposed to a Master's in Clinical Psych.... However, as explained below the spanish/english bilingual specialization was of interest considering my background and aspirations with MSF. The reputation for me is not necessarily a huge deal, as long as it would be considered OK by institutions I might apply to for doctoral studies. My main concern would be that it didn't have a bad reputation. But again, as it is a Master's in Educational Psych I doubt it would be the best bet anyways... Am I right in thinking this probably isn't my best bet?

Hey! Haven't gotten any feedback but would definitely appreciate it I'd ultimately like to pursue a doctorate degree (I'll be applying to doctoral programs in 2013 as well as terminal Master's programs, my GPA isn't the greatest, and I heard that terminal Master's programs were less competitive although I'm not sure how true that is? The options are not as vast up north, in Canada!). (Also, in Alberta, the province where I grew up, only a Master's degree is required for licensure as a Clinical Psychologist, so practicing an Alberta would be an option, AND in Canada a Master's degree is necessarily required to pursue a Doctoral degree, so it might not be too detrimental for me to pursue a terminal Master's degree in the states). One of the Universities that I listed had a Clinical/MFT program, I totally forget which one at the moment but when I figure it out I'll let you know. Maybe consider that? Or start a thread! Good luck!

Generally speaking, would Clinical research experience count as clinical experience? Hmmm. I wonder?

Thinking back, another thing I keep on my CV is respite work with a client who was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder. Not sure if this would count as 'Clinical experience' but it might be something to consider

Here's a list of terminal master's programs in Clinical Psych just in case anyone is interested : ) Funded programs, partially funded programs and non-funded programs included. Ps I am a Canadian 2nd year (undergrad) student, planning on applying to a handful of these for back up. Do any of these have OK reputations? Thanks! TERMINAL MASTER’S PROGRAMS University of Alaska Anchorage MS in Clinical Psych Anitoch University Los Angeles & Santa Barbara MA in Clinical Psych California State University Northridge MA in Psychology (Clinical Psych option) San Francisco State University MS in Psych concentration in Clinical Psych San José State University MS in Clinical Psychology University of Colorado Denver MA in Psychology, Clinical Psychology ephasis Notre Dame de Naumur University MS in Clinical Psych Hartford University MA in Clinical Practices in Psych Vanguard University MS Clinical Psych Barry University MS in Clinical Psych University of Central Florida MA in Clinical Psych Clayton State University MS in Psych (Clinical Psych track) Eastern Illinois University MA in Clinical Psychology Governors State University MA in Psych in Clinical Psych Competitive Indiana University- Purdue University MS in Clinical Psych Roosevelt University MA in Clinical Professional Pyshcology Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Clinical-Adult MA Emporia State University MS in Clinical Psych Pittsburg State University Psychology MS with emphasis in Clnical Eastern Kentucky University MS in Clinical Psych Morehead State University MA in Clinical Psych? Murray State University MA in Clinical Psych Western Kentucky University MA in Clinical Psych Northwestern State University MS in Clinical Psych Towson University MA in Clinical Psychology UMass Dartmouth MA in Clinical Psych Madonna University MS in Clinical Psych Minnesota State University Mankato MA in Clinical Psych Mississippi State University MS in Clinical Psych Forest Institute of Professional Psychology MACL Missouri State University MS in Clinical Montclair State University MA in Educational Psychology, Clinical Psych for Bilinguals Concentration Cornell University WEBSITE DOWN Western Carolina University MA in Psychology (with Clinical Psych site) North Carolina Central University MA in Psychology Clinical Psych concentration University of Dayton MA in Clinical Psych Cleveland State University MA in Clinical Psych (doctoral prep track) University of South Carolina Aiken MS in Clinical Psych Millersville University MS in Clinical Psych West Chester University MA in Psych, concentration in Clinical Psych Fisk University MA Psychology (Clinical) Tennessee State University MA in Psych, concentration in Clinical Psych Abilene Christian University MS in Clinical Psych Midwestern State University Master’s? in Clinical Psych Sam Houston State University MA in Clinical Psych University of Texas at El Paso MA in Clinical Psych University of Texas of the Permian Basin MA in Clinical Psych University of Texas- Pan American MA in Clinical Psych Radford University MA or MS in Clinical Psych Virginia State University MS concentration in Clinical Psych Eastern Washington University MS in Psych, concentration in Clinical Psych Cardinal Stritch University MA in Clinical Psych

I am a second year undergrad student, trying to do a lot of thinking before I start working on grad school application (contacting profs etc) next year Hypothetically... if I am applying to a lot of universities, say twenty (I think this would be ideal although I don't know if this is even possible considering the amount of time an application takes)... how would I get LORs for each university!? Would I get my recommender to write a generic letter that could be applied to all universities and have them sent out? Or does this large request limit the amount of applications one can make? Thanks : )

Absolutely. Final goal is definitely a Ph.D.

I'm a Canadian second year student researching Ph.D, Psy.D and terminal Master's programs. I've recently been looking at terminal Master's programs and came across a ''Clinical Psych for Spanish/English Bilinguals'' program offered at Montclair State University in New Jersey. http://www.montclair.edu/graduate/programs/masters/epsb.php Upon looking further into the program the program is a MA in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Clinical Psychology for Spanish/English bilinguals. Looking at the required courses the degree looks more comparable to a Master's in Clinical psych than a Master's in Educational psych but I am no expert. Considering that (in no particular order)... My ultimate goal is a doctorate in Clinical psych and preferably a Ph.DThat my ultimate goal would be to work as a Clinical Psychologist in the public sector and probably a hospital setting, and go on missions with MSF (Doctors without borders)That I am pursuing a trilingual (spanish/english/french) degree in Psychology at a ''top ten'' university in CanadaThat MSF looks for trilingual (especially Spanish/English/French) psychologistsBUT the fact that it is a MA in Educational Psych might be a concernBUT the reputation of the university might not be amazing...do you think this program would be a good program to pursue (if I am accepted to this program and no Ph.D programs)? Thanks in advance ( :

I'm a Canadian second year student, currently researching Clinical Psych graduate programs I recently learned from this forum that there are terminal Master's programs offered in the States- this is very rare in Canada as Canada's 'Ph.D' (usually called Master's/Ph.D) programs are more like an in track Master's program in the states... this is to say that a Master's degree is always a prereq to the Ph.D in Canada. So getting accepted to a Master's program is usually the same or just as competitive as getting into a Ph.D program in the states. I have inferred that getting into a terminal Master's is less competitive, so I would be applying to these programs as a 'back up' However, I'm wondering if, because of the structure of the Master's/Ph.D program in Canada if a terminal Master's program would be more transferable to a Canadian Ph.D program? Does anyone know if this is true/have any experience with this? Thanks in advance ( :

I'm only a second year undergrad student but the grad students (in Clinical) have stressed this to me. Volunteering at a crisis centre has often been suggested to me. I personally plan to volunteer at a local hospital (that allows volunteers to volunteer in specific areas of the hospital) or at a mental health centre.

Wow! Fantastic opportunity! I see your location is Canada... may I ask where in Canada this was? You don't have to tell me, of course ( :

I do plan to take 3-4 courses in my last two years as I plan to make up courses is the spring/summer semesters. I'm anticipating 'bad grades' based on my current academic performance. I'm not currently TRYING to get 'bad grades' in fact the opposite, but the fact is I'm not a straight A student. Your clinical research assistant position sounds amazing, how did you manage to find that? My school offers a clinical placement in fourth year but I don't think it is a research position.

I will start to look into terminal Master's programs : ) I have looked into a couple already but they don't seem to provide much info on admissions Are they generally less competitive? Thanks so much for all the great info!!

I didn't realize Clinical Social Work was so similar to Clinical psych! Thank you so much for all of the info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was definitely under the impression that the Psy.D still had a bad rap. Thank you so much for all of the fantastic advice! Much appreciated : )

That makes sense! Apparently I didn't understand intro stats as well as I thought I guess I will have to see by 4th year anyways. It seems generally consensus would be to apply to both terminal Master's programs and Ph.D (and Psy.D programs and Master's/Ph.D programs in Canada), so far. Anyone have any other opinions on this, or a Canadian perspective? I'm really interested in abnormal psych/pathology which is why I think I would rather do a Doctoral degree in Clinical Psych, but I have heard that there is a lot of overlap between Clinical Psych/Counseling Psych/Clinical Social Work.

I will most definitely apply to Psy.D programs although Canada seems to hold more of a critical view on the Psy.D along with Clinical Psych Ph.D enthusiasts in the states. I would not see it as the end of the world if I got into a Psy.D program, in theory I think it would be better because I primarily want to practice. Unfortunately though, I think getting a Ph.D in Clinical Psych would be seen by these Ph.D enthusiasts as more valuable and therefore I think I Ph.D would open more doors than a Psy.D What is your feeling on the above in an American context? Are Ph.Ds seen as more 'valuable' etc in the states? I will not forget the Psy.D option though! Thanks!

There seems to be a lot of... uncertainty around stats yes. Most of stats I have looked at for Canadian and American school scare the sh*t out of me... haven't really seen a grad school that had gpa admission stats under 3,6, from what I remember and have heard. In Canada there is another slight difference that I neglected to mention. The American Clinical Psych Ph.D Doctoral program is equivalent to a Master's)/Ph.D program in Canada, that is to say that its generally a combined program offering the two degrees one after the other. The Canadian Master's/Ph.D program usually takes 5 years, which is roughly the equivalent of an American Ph.D Doctoral program, I think (usually 4ish years)? Which is almost irrelevant, in short, a Canadian Clinical Psych Master's would probably not be an option. Again I'm not sure if getting more lab experience would be the best option as by the time I finish 4th year I'll hopefully have ~4 years lab experience. Are there reputable terminal Master's programs in the states? I have also read about one year Master's programs in the states. Are there reputable one year programs? Does anyone have any Canadian advice?

My ultimate goal would be to practice as a Clinical Psychologist!

Thanks for your prompt response! I dont know what my gpa is now but a very loose estimate would be that it is 3,0- under 3,5.... about B+ (my university is on a 9 pt gpa scale and I have been to lazy/scared to calculate my gpa in a while) Based on my experience in the past 1 and a half years (since starting my undergrad) I would expect that a 3,5 gpa would therefore be about the highest I could possibly reach, and I'm not sure if this will be good enough to get into a Clinical Psych program. I will however apply, but in the case that I don't get in I think the best option would be to do a 5th year. (...of course I would prefer to be accepted to a Clinical Psych program after my 4th year but it seems that everything is pretty competitive and that a <3,5 gpa might not be enough... so I'm fine with doing a 5th year if I can't get in because despite my lower grades I really think I want to pursue Clinical Psychology research and practice) So it would be more like repeating C's and maybe B's (hopefully no D's!).. Additionally I have been working in a research lab since last year, am currently applying to a Canadian government research grant under my lab supervisor (the NSERC Undergrad Student Research Award) and will continue to apply for this (this would also provide an opportunity to get published on the project and happens often in the lab/under the supervisor I work for), I hope to do a couple of poster presentations in the future, will have completed an honors thesis and will also continue to seek out alternative research opportunities/labs, so I'm not necessarily worried about research experience. In my fifth year I wouldn't necessarily take a full course load and therefore could work additional hours in a lab... So again, my thinking is that doing a 5th year, if I do not get accepted, would be beneficial, and specifically that repeating courses would be most beneficial...

I am currently a second year student pursuing my undergrad in psych. Due to the competitive nature of applying to grad schools I have accepted that I might have to do a 5th year in my undergrad, especially to pull up my gpa/maybe retake gre, and also to gain more research/clinical experience (however I am more worried about my gpa/gre as I have already started to gain research experience and plan to increasingly). I know this is thinking a bit ahead but I think constantly about applying to grad school/grad school (and these little questions drive me a little crazy, so glad I signed up for this forum!)... During my hypothetical 5th year that I would take if I didn't get into grad schools upon applying in my 4th year, would it be better to: a. repeat my worst courses (within my major) If I repeat a course NCR (no credit retained) appears on my transcript with my first attempt, and the most recent attempt is listed with grade, and the most recent attempt is included in gpa instead of the first attempt. OR b. take new, more advanced courses within major I read that grad schools might be critical of repeated courses on an american college's page on repeating courses. However my thinking is that repeating courses would raise my gpa more significantly, in theory, and would be more easier to address in application (because I, in theory, would have demonstrated that I was able to succeed in the courses, etc). Also keep in mind that this is also within the Canadian context... Canadian grad schools tend to look at major gpa in the last 60 credits completed as opposed to American schools which I understand look at overall gpas (correct me if I'm wrong!) Thanks in advance!