sweetnighter

I seem to be everybody's favorite #2--im waitlisted at four schools. Anybody else sitting on multiple waitlists?

Winter Solstice

Nvm

Hey bigworrier, I'm gonna be very frank with you and share some of my thoughts and feelings about applying to PhD programs in Clinical Psych. I'm currently an applicant this year, and I'm waiting to hear back from four clinical/counseling programs for decisions, fyi. First of all, you're not in a bad position, but you're not in a great one either. Your GREs are fantastic for most programs, so don't worry about that. Your GPA is a bigger issue: having a 3.5 or higher is a fairly standard threshold for most competitive programs. Your research experience, while again, not bad, is something that could use some help. Unfortunately, programs look for people who have gotten their names on papers, either published or under review. Similarly, they like to see people who have presented posters or papers at major conferences (APA, APS, SPSP, APA divisionals, et cetera). I am not trying to discourage you from applying by saying this, but if you do apply, there's a very real chance you will not get an offer first time around. I would highly, highly, highly suggest getting more research experience, or getting into a master's program and working to improve that GPA. Secondly, there is a broader issue: You want to practice. PhD programs are fundamentally research degrees; even the most practice oriented PhD programs expect that you will be spending 5 to 7 years at their program conducting research and writing papers. If they think you're coming through their program just to be a practitioner, they'll be extremely hesitant about offering you admission. The reason that PhD programs fully fund their students is because it is in the interest of the department and the institution--they want people churning out publications and increasing the research productivity of the university. That's why the money is there! Sure, some people get through Clinical Psych PhDs and never go back to research, but thats... very, very rare. If you get into one of these programs, and you really don't like research, you will not be happy for many, many years. Money matters, but your educational experience does too. That said, yeah, of course there are good PsyD programs! I don't really know much about them, though. Depending on how much time and money you want to put into your education, you might also want to look into MSW programs. At the end of the day, a license to practice is a license to practice: Your clients likely won't care, or know, the difference between a PsyD and an MSW anyhow. Anyways, good luck! Send me a PM if you like, I'd be interested to hear who you're working with at Columbia. Are you at the arts and sciences psych department or teacher's college?

Seconded--also applied to Davis social. PM?

Think about how much some of these programs are looking to invest in you: If its a fully funded program, we're talking about $15-20k over three to four years: That's roughly $50-80k they're looking to spend on just one person--and that doesn't even mention the time they take to help you grow as an academic/clinician/researcher, the classes, the advisement, and seeing your face for up to six or seven years... ...and you wouldn't wear a suit? If you're a guy, I think you'd have to be next to crazy to not wear a suit to the interview. As for the grad student night-before dinners, I still plan on wearing a sports jacket--its better to look professional, and if you look really nice, more power to you. Plus, if you bring a jacket, you can always take it off; if you don't bring a jacket, you can't put it on. Many of these dinners describe themselves as "business casual." As I understand it, business casual is slacks/khakis, button-down, tie, and jacket. Also, if you're worried about being stiff, wear a fun tie! Not your uncle's Santa Claus tie, but something colorful, something that pops. I like Jerry Garcia ties, but thats just my taste.

Hi Jennifer, sent you a PM. If anybody else is interested in this program, feel free to send me a PM as well.

Counseling Ph.D.'s have a major focus in research - as somebody who's intimately knowledgeable about NYU's counseling Ph.D., I can tell you that having too little research experience or interest guarantees a rejection. You shouldn't choose counseling v clinical based on your interest in doing research: You should make that decision based on your personal interests and framework. If you think the DSM is a bunch of BS and you're interested in multicultural psychology, counseling is the place for you. If you want to work with schizophrenics, clinical is the place for you. If you're somewhere in between, think it over and read about specific program's emphases and frameworks. Ph.D. admissions are competitive. While many people still do go straight from undergrad to ph.d., its becoming less common. A good master's program will give you the opportunity to boost your GPA, meet faculty, and engage in research. That said, I was accepted to NYU's psych master's too, but I turned it down because another school offered me the same degree for much less. NYU master's is certainly very expensive.

I have five presentations (four posters, one symposia) and two publications that are under review. I feel pretty good about my chances... at least good enough that I'll get at least once acceptance. My understanding is that, generally speaking, application committees like to see productivity. If you haven't presented or worked on academic manuscripts, you might still stand some kind of a chance if you have a significant amount of teaching experience, counseling/clinical practical experience, etc. As my advisor told me, "they want people who they know can get high-quality work done without handholding."

Yeah, criminal.

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