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You are not too late to go back. I was in a similar boat when I returned for my first masters (4 years out of school, working a dead-end job with few skills in where I wanted to end up) - only to realize that "real world" experience counts a lot in applied social sciences. I second a lot of what @Jazlynne said regarding how to talk to professors about your credentials and remind them about yourself. Additionally, you can ask the admins how many professional letters of recommendation they accept. Even a dead-end job with little analysis skills often requires practice field knowledge. For example, I ended up using my direct manager and the county director as 2 recommenders. The county director had better credentials and could speak to some of my professional skills and character (such as being a team-player and taking initiative) - whereas the direct manager discussed the direct projects of interest. In short, think creatively because I'm sure other people believe in your skills and aptitude for graduate school

In general, clinical psychology is typically more focused on psychopathology, neuromechanics, or other more scientifically driven processes. Counseling psychology, contrarily, focuses more on therapeutic techniques. However, this is a gross overgeneralization. Each program is very different, some use the names interchangeably, some offer cross-competencies, some line pigeon-hole you in one direction. Look at the faculty and student profiles to get a better idea of each school that interests you. Each school lines you up for specific specialty focuses, and those focuses help line you up for post-grad opportunities.The internship, post-doc, and licensure all depend on the qualifications you muster while at your doctoral program. For instance, if you focus on scientific analysis over therapeutic techniques, then you're better suited for scientific post-docs. If you focus on therapeutic techniques and counseling practicums, you'd be better lined up for a counseling license over other more scientific avenues. If you have more specific questions about the counseling license requirements, that is state specific and can be found here: http://www.counselor-license.com/resources/state-counselor-license.html. As a side note, if you're interested in being a counselor over a researcher, you may want to consider a masters with a license over a doctoral.

@Steph93 *nods* I definitely understand. That one little score can be frustrating. The question is whether you feel like your application makes up for that one score and demonstrates skills in that content area that the actual "raw number" did not. Since you are still on the fence about it, take it again. No need to have extra application anxiety over something you can fix. Otherwise, when I say look up the profiles, usually that profile says their previous institution, degree, and research interests. If you see a masters on most of the current students, you have a benchmark for their research and experience expectations. For instance, I went to Hopkins for a masters. If you look up the profiles of the students in my department, people either had a top undergraduate or masters degree already in a science/research heavy program. You could also see several "med/bio" focused students. We only had one direct from undergrad admission into the department. That insight let me know a lot about their admissions and program. It is the #1 school for public health, and only one with the department focus I wanted. But, knowing that I would not have applied direct from undergraduate. For me, the longer path has been more successful. @samman1994 I definitely agree in that applications are field specific. Kidding, applications are individual school department specific! That's why I suggest knowing as much about the school and individual programs as possible (though I'm entirely biased since even getting $100 for applications was almost impossible). Good luck with application season!

I am on a professional degree track in the mental health field. I can speak to both the counseling and public health aspects though since I switched in my mid-20's. Both fields had the same pattern, they claimed that they took applicants from "undergrad to PhDs," but that was by far the minority (1-2). The admissions committees wanted to see analytical and practical experience. But undergraduates seldom are competitive against people with 5+ years experience in the field.

I want you to consider this: when you say "do something worthwhile," why is that worthwhile speech language pathology? It sounds like you're a passionate woman, and you'll want that passion to really show in your application. As for the application itself.... Using personal anecdotes can be tricky. It will need to be crafted well. But, if it is crafted well, you essentially are telling the graduate school: your passion, insight into the field, your ability to synthesize knowledge & practice, and clarifying why your education took longer without needing to defend yourself. I think the angle your considering (the patient care side) might be a great direction to take because you can then synthesize the information better. As an example, I did something similar going into my first masters, when they specifically wanted me to describe a "time when I helped someone." I described when my father came out as being transgender. I imbedded my personal experience with my academic knowledge on depression and stigma within the LGBT community. I knew that depression would be a concern, and her isolation would make it worse. So I bought her "her first Barbie" saying, "every little girl needs her first Barbie." It was a concrete symbol letting her known I was okay with it saying - a symbol that stays on her work desk to this day.

Likely not a great chance for the top 20 PhD straight out. Most top 20 schools only choose undergrads with extensive and perfectly aligned research experience - they can be picky like that. Depending on your financial situation, you could certainly apply to a few and you could likely get into a lower tiered PhD. But if the goal is top 20 only, I suggest going for the MS first. However, if those same top 20 schools have MS programs, I would start the search there. That would be the best place for you to get both the research and strong recommendations you'll need moving forward.

Your scores are average, so you'll probably be seen as an average applicant. That should get your application looked at by holistic-based programs. But you'll really need to sell your passion, as well as experience, from there. To be more competitive from the front, you can certainly do what@Spondee suggested, re-take the GREs. That could edge you out in front of other 'average numbered' candidates.

From what I can see you are a great all around candidate. You should be fine without taking the GRE over again- especially with how wide a net you're making. I wish I had that much to apply back in undergrad! As a general, unrelated, recommendation Look up PhD student profiles. I say this because some American PhDs (I live in the US) say that undergrad is welcome, but with the PhD competitiveness, might be taking primarly masters or undergrads from their own institution. That is doubly the case in any clinical psych subfield with the recession.

Are you applying for a PhD or masters first? Is the rest of your application strong (high GPA, strong LOR, strong research and other experience, strong direction and SOP, great fit for the school)? All of those factors influence whether or not your GREs are "good enough" as they are middling-low. So, for generic suggestion... find out the specific school averages or expectations. If you are below the school's cut off, apply elsewhere or re-take the GREs for better scores. If they have an average posted, meet that average. Sure, your application still make it to the 'short stack' for applications, but you don't want the GREs to be the reason you're cut later on. If you're school says they look at a holistic package, then your GREs are fine (as long as the rest of your application is strong). @samman1994 I had a GRE (V) 160; (Q) 141; (AW) 5.5. I was denied entry into the Johns Hopkins PhD Mental Health in the Bloomberg School of Public Health; however, I was offered the 1 year MHS Mental Health. I did accept the masters degree. My first Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health had a 3.96 GPA, and I had over 7 years experience in clinical practice (severe mental illness) and teaching. Furthermore, my letters of recommendation were from my MA department chair, a county mental health service director (my boss' boss), and my graduate assistant boss. I will say, a glaring hole in my application was my limited research background. Anything within the last 5 years of applying was all lit review! Furthermore, that research I presented on was not connected to my interests at the time. So, when they told me that I was a great fit, but I needed more research, I accepted the MHS and am now exploring DrPH options.

I think we may be saying something similar in different ways. In my SOP I did discuss specific classes/projects, but selectively. For instance, I would discuss a practicum experience, my independent research study and thesis project - but I didn't discuss a psychopathology paper. The psychopathology paper tied into my thesis, but mentioning it again would have been unnecessary since there are other skills to highlight as well. I kept the anecdote succinct so that I had more room to discuss other skills (i.e. teaching).

@Yanaka if you're still looking for ideas, I live in overbrook. Let me know if you have any questions.

I know a lot of people are on the job hunt right now, so I wanted to share this in case it would benefit anyone. I work for Philadelphia County's Medicaid Mental Health and Substance Use Managed Care Organization, and we are going through a restructuring. I do not work for the HR department, nor will I get anything for the referral (as I'm not giving you my real name, so I won't be able to get the referral bonus). We are looking for a wide spectrum of skills including claims, clinical, accounting, financial, etc. If you are interested, the link is here to peruse: https://workforcenow.adp.com/jobs/apply/posting.html?client=CBH1&ccId=19000101_000001&type=MP&lang=en_US

@sunny189 General advise I give everyone on the job hunt, if you are looking four a job expect at minimum a 3-4 month wait before you land one. Closer to 6 months if it is field specific and over a year if it is national/state government. What is your strategy for landing a position? After you submit an application do you follow-up with the company's HR department 2 weeks later or the exact date you're supposed to hear back? Do so. At least half the time that happens, I get the interview right then and there with the statement "You were next on my list.." Right now the quickest way to get an epi job is either through consulting, think tanks, or local government. It sounds like you've looked at government on a state/federal level. Have you looked at local government? Look up each county you'd be willing to work in, look up all the jobs under their local department of health. That may open some opportunities you didn't see yet.

For the professional counseling license qualifications by state, visit here: http://www.counselor-license.com/resources/state-counselor-license.html. Within my state, with a doctoral degree, you will need 2400 hours of supervised practice. This can be accrued through part-time or full-time.

My CV is actually a bit different than that. I took the opinion that anything field related was in my CV, but my resume is condensed a lot more. I have a section describing "Research Experience" I worked in and then another one for "Professional Presentations and Publications." My research experience section highlight the lab work I have done. Under presentations and publications, I do no describe any of them. Furthermore, the only papers listed are 1) published or presented or 2) from an independent study/thesis. I list mine in APA format. As marXian mentioned, they only care that you presented and published, not what the papers actually say! If they're that curious, they'll ask during the interview. As for the SOP, everything should highlight your professional growth. Unless a project was particularly meaningful to your professional development, highlighting a specific paper is unnecessary. Honestly, it looks like filling the page because you have nothing meaningful to say otherwise.

Remember, you need to be interviewing the schools as much as they are interviewing you. If you are interested in that program still then yes. Apply again. Ask them how to make your application more competitive. If their answer is vague, noncommittal, or dismissive, they're not interested in you as a candidate right now. Apply elsewhere or you build your credentials so that they become more interested in you. You can talk to current students or read their bios to find out what their experiences are. You can also e-mail them and ask them about the program, their application experience, etc. As courtesy, I suggest reaching out to the school academic advisor as the liaison before talking directly to the students. Every school assumes that you are applying to other schools. You don't need to mention it. In my experience, they don't ask. If they do ask you, answer them honestly that you have your options open. The same goes for talking about your previous application. I don't see why you would want to mention it in the main application and you want it to demonstrate professional growth and maturing into your field. If they bring it up in an interview, then sure, discuss the learning opportunity it presented to you.

That will entirely depend on where you end up and how successful you are in each content area. The more difficult the question is that you get right, the more complicated the questions will be for you. In writing, I started with a lot of comprehension and ended up with predominately writing passages. In the quant section, I had mostly geometric analytic questions. For examples, ets is a better resource: https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/?WT.ac=gre_prepare_170731

In addition to the above suggestions, look at part-time jobs in the field if your interest. The career fair at your school will likely also help. TSS jobs and summer camp jobs can be helpful. You can also look at college clubs for volunteer experience. College Volunteer Activities Psychology Club Nami on Campus (see if your school has a branch or potentially start one!) Honor Societies (Psi Chi) Diversity/Awareness Clubs Diversity/Awareness Centers All of these tend to outreach for other volunteer work. At my UG two of which helped students get onto crisis hotlines for additional volunteer experience or certified for other involvement. You get into them by simply going to a meeting. Look up club and honors organizations at your college to see what they have. College Jobs Supplemental Instructor/Teaching Aid Tutor Receptionist/Office Assistant in a department of interest Residential Assistant Again, most of these you need to look up your campus to see what they offer and have openings for. This is a very short list, as it's tailored to my personal experiences. I left off food service as it doesn't really help to develop skills you want. Off-Campus Behavioral Health employers (summer work or part-time) Summer Jobs in general Internships A lot of times, you will need to just look up what behavioral health employers are nearby and look at their hiring page. When I'm looking for a job I average about 10 applications going out a day minimum of 2 months before I need the job. (3-4 for full-time regular employment). You can also use career fairs at school and talk to your career center. Research Join a research team Independent Study As the above said, ask a professor your interested in working with. Furthermore, if you worked on a class project you want to continue into research, talk to that class professor about doing an independent study. Those are amazing for first authorship opportunities.

Not a PhD here, but I work in Mental Health Services. I am networking within a non-profit/local government in Philadelphia County. My goal is to get into more implementation science and program evaluation. I started this past April (while finishing up my second masters from JHU) after working as a mental health clinician for years. And I can honestly say, I am looking at this company for the long haul. I am able to get my hands dirty with more direct involvement with MH providers and keep my brain active in problem-solving. It is that beautiful niche where I can impact direct, local, and some national systemic change.

Before I attempt to answer your question... May I ask, why a PhD, which is traditionally research heavy if you have not had a lot of research experience? Do you enjoy and want to work in research?

You are not kidding yourself. Public Health is one of the few fields where practical experience is favored as highly, or outshines, academics. The low GPA/high GRE combination is fairly common, but you do need to focus on schools without a GPA cut off. The GPA/GRE combination is simply to get your application from the "big pile" of all applicants into the "little pile" where they examine your entire package more thoroughly. Your expected GREs already show academic prowess, and that's great. If you can get your last GPA up - even better! However, do not apply to a school with a "minimum GPA" higher than your GPA scores. Go for schools that look at the holistic package. The key for your will be your letters of recommendation and your personal statement. They should be strength-based and not defensively written. Here's some overall advice for your letters and statement: Letters of Recommendation: Choose your recommenders based on your full application. They should add something to your application that is not easily seen elsewhere. For instance, when I applied, my quantitative score was ridiculously weak (141), but I also tutored statistics. So I asked my recommender to highlight my tutoring skills and ability to manage/administer a research database. Their recommendation highlighted a strength without me needing to "defend" myself later on. Personal Statement: Your letter should be written to demonstrate your personal growth and why you are passionate about Epidemiology. Discuss your personal journey, and how your experiences have made you who you are. You should only discuss your GPA as it pertains to your growth. For instance, did your depression/ADD inspire your choices? Did it connect you to resources that you never would have seen otherwise. Additionally, you should "show" not "tell" your strengths through anecdotes, reflections, etc. Oftentimes, people try to defend weak spots, but that comes off whiny and immature to an admissions committee. However, it is appealing to see someone learn about themselves, their strengths and passions, and growing into a new sense of maturity. Also, expect to write several drafts to get to the 'real' personal statement. You do not need a chronology, but writing one may help you identify some of the skills and characteristics that matter most. I know several people that wrote at least 3 full, very different, drafts before choosing their final statement. Other general tips: When I began my admissions process, I wrote out al of the skills and characteristics I wanted to highlight. A short list might be: "self-driven, motivated, analytical, empirical skills, empathic..." you get the idea. I then arranged my application based on who would be able to demonstrate what the best. My recommenders were chose based on which skills they could highlight, and I focused on showing, not telling, all the other skills I was interested in.

I'm starting at John Hopkins in the fall. At the same time, I would be more on the side of Harvard/Columbia for you. Hopkins is ranked the #1 national Public Health Program, but Harvard is #2. Both have great national and international name recognition. They also will have fantastic connections for job placement and networking. Unless JHU has a specialty research program you want to get into, I would suggest Harvard next, and Columbia second. My partner is also limited in job opportunities. Baltimore was considered "commutable" distance from Philadelphia, so I was able to apply. My program choice had to seriously consider him as well. I wanted to make sure that my goals didn't make his life more difficult. The stress of grad admission is stressful enough for me, but let alone for a guy who, while amazingly supportive, doesn't share the same passion to make the stress worth it!

I've just been accepted to JHU MHS Mental Health Program. I don't know exactly about the MSPH, but during the info session two weeks ago, it appears as though there is a lot of freedom to switch, or add on other parts of the department. They also have a ton of certifications you may want to look into. These may give you the additional credentials you want without needing to go through the hassle of "changing" anything. I know they have some in biostats. I'm specifically looking into both their Mental Health Policy, Law & Economics and Public Mental Health Research Certificates which won't add any time onto my program... I'd suggest emailing current students. They were so helpful when I spoke to them.

Hi guys, I was wondering if there are any other accepted students to the Bloomsberg school of public health lurking about. I'm starting the MHS Mental Health program this fall, and I will be commuting to Baltimore from the Northeast Philadelphia region. I'm looking forward to getting to know some of my cohort!

I still haven't heard back from Rutgers or Heller yet. Both of them tend to be later on in the cycle.