PsychGirl1

I'm having trouble following your replies. Ignore what you think the outlook/situation/rarity/etc., and figure out what you want to do exactly- that's the first step. You can try asking people for informational interviews, shadowing people in different job positions, etc. In my opinion, you're better off taking a harder path that is what you want to do, than an easier path that is NOT what you want to do. If you are interested more in research, there are AMC (academic medical center) psychologists, but I don't think that they do clinical work (people, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), but I think they can do clinical research. I think there are also still a good number of positions where you do general diagnosis/psychotherapy/etc. in the VA system. "I think what I would want to do is work in a psychiatric hospital and do diagnosis, psychotherapy, and some research."- to me, this sounds like you want to go the psychiatry route (yes, they can do psychotherapy, in fact they originally were the ones doing psychotherapy, but very few do based on insurance reimbursements- they make significantly more money handing out prescriptions than they do with psychotherapy). Since I'm research-focused, I know little about other clinical options, but you might want to look into the job descriptions of people with a master's of counseling, MSW, or even advanced psychiatric NPs. "However I think that research positions, whether clinical or academic, are also rare, so I don't think I can really consider that as a backup."- Research positions are competitive, but not rare. "PsychGirl1, can you clarify what you mean by clinical practice within your specialty? By this do you mean that you would be working with a specific population (i.e. mood, schizophrenia, etc)? Can you also comment on your location (you don't have to be too specific if you don't want to)?"- my field is eating disorders and obesity- I have seen a good number of people take on clinical/hospital positions within obesity clinics, clinics that perform gastric bypass surgeries, inpatient/outpatient ED clinics, etc. Basically, you need to figure out: 1) what setting you're interested in doing, 2) what specific type of work you're interested in doing and % breakdown of your time; 3) what you're willing to sacrifice (or not) to get there. Then we can help you more.

Honestly, I wouldn't do a PhD program unless you're at least somewhat interested in pursuing research as a career (whether that's part-time or full-time). Also, within my field specifically, there are still these hospital-type positions- but within our psych specialty, not as a general practitioner position. I'd start with what sort of job specifically you want to get, and then work backwards to figure out what degree/experiences you need, whether that's a master's, an MD, or a PhD.

They will see your application when it comes across their desk- the decision is out of your hands at this point basically. Just make sure all your materials are in with the admins and you're good to go.

I didn't.

That's what the "results search" is for.

"After you graduate or at the end of your fourth year of Amazon Student $39 Prime benefits, whichever comes first, your subscription will automatically upgrade on its anniversary date into a full paid subscription for Amazon Prime at $79 a year." http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201133670 I just renewed mine and the email said the same thing- 4 years only at the discounted price.

Just bring an updated CV to your interview.

^ Only problem is that I think you can only get Amazon Prime at the student rate for 4 years. I'll be a student for wayyyy longer than that :-D. Other than that, it's a fantastic deal!!

I would probably dance around it and not say anything directly, but stress any quant-oriented skills that you have developed (ex. data, stats, etc.).

Agreed! In a meeting with your professor, I'd just bring up that you've been thinking about your next steps after your master's, that you know you want to do a PhD program, and that you want to talk about the possibility of applying to where you are now. Then just go with the flow. Don't be "aggressive" about it, but make it clear and unambiguous. Also make it clear that you have no assumptions about it being easy for you to stay, or for your prof taking you without question/going through the whole process.

Oh, I've never heard it called a "letter of intent" before. It sounds like something colleges get from athletic recruits or something like that :-D. There are tons of threads on here about SOPs. You better get going- I had tons of apps due on Dec 1 last year! :-D

What are letters of intent?

It just means the department is small, which comes with both pros and cons. It really depends how much money each professor is bringing in, and how much work they do. I'm at a relatively small department, but all the professors are very good at what they do. At larger departments, you may get more of a mix. So look through the CV of each faculty member, and you should get a good sense.

^ I agree that places care, but say a program average is about 700-750. If you score a 700 versus a 790, it probably won't do much for your application. If you score a 600, it probably would affect you negatively. I think it's one of those things where, if it's good, you don't get bonus points, but if it's bad, you get major negative points.

I gave my letter writers a gift (like a mid-priced bottle of wine), but only after the entire process was over.

I don't know anything about quantitative psych, but I did take a lot of math in college. Diff EQ is relatively easy- if you got through multivariable calc without too much pain, you'll be more than fine with Diff EQ and linear algebra and the like. I don't know what types of math courses are covered in quant psych, though.

^ That sounds like a lot of effort. :-D To be honest, I think you don't need a fantastic score on the psych GRE, just a decent/good one. I think actual GRE scores matter more (although the Psych GRE could matter if you don't have a psych background). You could probably cut that study time in half, get a lower score, and it wouldn't affect your application at all. But congrats on your high score, though!

Why wouldn't you also consider MS programs?

Yes, we've gone over this multiple times on the threads here. Some master's programs follow a mentor model like PhD programs, in which case, faculty match is very important and you should be emailing them ahead of time. Some do not, where they admit a class and then people either figure out their research interests and choose a mentor while in the program, or they aren't research-based and it doesn't really matter anyway. In this type of program, it is either optional or not necessary, although it couldn't necessarily hurt to express interest in someone's research- you would probably just phrase your email differently.

I mostly applied to clinical, but also some non-clinical programs. All my interviews occurred between mid-January and the end of February. I think that's generally pretty standard.

Yeah- I wouldn't contact the profs directly. I'd ask her to put it in the LOR, and then you can also talk about it during the interview.

It should be more like... full-time clinical practice, professor, research in xyz setting... working with xyz population. You get the point. Post-doc is just a step along the way to one of those.

Not normal... however, I'd try to be very aware of how much work you are producing. Are you working inefficiently? Are you struggling with anything specific, like data analysis or writing? Do you need to take some classes/training in certain areas to make yourself better at your job? Etc. And just focus on being very honest with yourself. If you are positive you are doing your job well, then start looking elsewhere.

Well there we go- people will have very different opinions if you do this. That being said, do know that certain programs (like my own) will make sure you have graduated before you're allowed to enroll. So it may limit your choices for which program you attend- and I'm not sure that's a question you would want to ask in the interview. That being said, if you get your degree, you will still list your master's on your CV, even if you get a second master's in your PhD program. If it only requires 10% more effort, you might as well make it worth the money and time- otherwise it just seems lazy.

^ I was also going to suggest clinical neuropsychology.