How to publish or pursue undergrad/post-bach research? How to gain research experience?

[CuringNihilism]

Hey!

Long time lurker, first time poster. 

I will be applying for Clinical Psych programs come this Fall. 

I have a 3.81 GPA from U of T, 166V 156Q and 5.5AWA, 2 (possibly 3) letter of recommendation. 

But I have NO research experience and desperately need to start volunteering as an R.A. and also begin to conduct some of my own research. 

I also have a media psychology paper that my professor recommended I attempt to publish, but I have NO IDEA how to do this. 

I also have no idea how to begin pursuing my own research. (Yes, I know, clueless lol.) 

My question is can someone offer me some advice on how to begin this process? I will be applying for RA volunteering positions. but what else can I do to begin my own research?

 

Thank you. 

 

[gradcafe18]

Hi there, what are your research interests? How about long-term career goals? A little context about what you’re hoping to do would help others to best tailor their advice. Do you live or work near a university and are you willing to move?

[jk616]

It sounds like you have a really strong academic background which is great! From my understanding, the only way you can really do your own research is through whatever lab you end up working in.

I ended up taking two years off after undergrad and working full time as a lab coordinator which helped me immensely ( I graduated 2016 and applied for Fall 2018). I was really hesitant to take time off but I am so thankful that I did, so I would probably recommend something like that. Spending more time in a lab allows you to do more posters and hopefully get some publications. You really need a mentor to walk you through the publication process because it's confusing and can take a really long time. 

You can always start volunteering in a lab and try to apply this coming Fall and see what happens! More research experience just makes you more competitive and gives you a lot more flexibility in terms of choosing programs. Assuming you're talking about clinical psych PhD programs. 

[Clinapp2017]

9 hours ago, CuringNihilism said:

Hey!

Long time lurker, first time poster. 

I will be applying for Clinical Psych programs come this Fall. 

I have a 3.81 GPA from U of T, 166V 156Q and 5.5AWA, 2 (possibly 3) letter of recommendation. 

But I have NO research experience and desperately need to start volunteering as an R.A. and also begin to conduct some of my own research. 

I also have a media psychology paper that my professor recommended I attempt to publish, but I have NO IDEA how to do this. 

I also have no idea how to begin pursuing my own research. (Yes, I know, clueless lol.) 

My question is can someone offer me some advice on how to begin this process? I will be applying for RA volunteering positions. but what else can I do to begin my own research?

 

Thank you. 

 

It sounds like your academics and GRE scroes are strong, which is a big hurdle for some people.

 

For your paper, look up some media psychology journals and see what type of publishing guidelines they have. I will say that publishing in a quality journal (i.e., imapct factor greater than 1 or 2) can be a challenge. 

 

If you have no reserach experience, you may want to consider taking 1-2 years off to be a paid research assistant somewhere. Good clinical programs ("good" = funded, reputable Ph.D. programs) typically only take applicants with a background in research whom also have a solid GPA/GRE. 3-4 months of research before you apply (if you'e lucky) isn't likely going to cut if when compared to people who have 2+ years of research under their belt from undergrad or post-grad. 

 

It sounds like you may need to identify what specifically interests you. This is key before beginning any individual research. 

[FacelessMage]

9 hours ago, CuringNihilism said:

Hey!

Long time lurker, first time poster. 

I will be applying for Clinical Psych programs come this Fall. 

I have a 3.81 GPA from U of T, 166V 156Q and 5.5AWA, 2 (possibly 3) letter of recommendation. 

But I have NO research experience and desperately need to start volunteering as an R.A. and also begin to conduct some of my own research. 

I also have a media psychology paper that my professor recommended I attempt to publish, but I have NO IDEA how to do this. 

I also have no idea how to begin pursuing my own research. (Yes, I know, clueless lol.) 

My question is can someone offer me some advice on how to begin this process? I will be applying for RA volunteering positions. but what else can I do to begin my own research?

 

Thank you. 

 

Did your professors/department not recommend that you complete an honours thesis or at the very least an independent project? It puts you at an extreme disadvantage because several schools won't accept applicants without the honours thesis or an equivalent project. 

[SarahTonin]

So, I got involved in research (unpaid) as an undergraduate through my institution. I stayed there for 2-3 years until I graduated. I opted not to complete any kind of honors thesis because I got publications from my experience. Referencing the post above mine, I have definitely not been at a disadvantage compared to applicants who did a thesis. No one has even brought it up. In terms of publishing, my mentor (postdoc in the lab I worked in) helped me submit and publish, so maybe ask your professor for help since you've never published anything before. But anyway, RA volunteering positions is where most people start gaining experience. Basically just email PIs you want to work for. 

After graduating, I started working at the NIH as a Postbac IRTA (paid RA position) for 2 years which is great research experience. It's relatively competitive to get so having prior experience definitely helps, but if you're interested in that, you can PM me and I can answer any questions you might have. I do know some people who got in without any prior experience.

All of this being said, after going to some interviews at top research-oriented programs, it seems that most competitive applicants have at least 1-2 years of experience. Your stats are competitive, but depending on the type of program you're applying to, stats alone might not get you in. If you want to do research as a career and want to apply to research-oriented programs, a couple months of experience won't get you very far, but for more clinical programs, it might be enough (not sure because I didn't apply to those). Again, PM me if you have any other questions and I'm happy to help. I know this is a confusing process.

[rising_star]

22 hours ago, CuringNihilism said:

I also have a media psychology paper that my professor recommended I attempt to publish, but I have NO IDEA how to do this. 

I would talk to the professor and ask them if they're willing to help you work to publish this paper.

[Sharbar]

To echo those who wrote above, it might be your best bet to take a couple of years to gain some research experience. It will not only help with your CV but also see whether research is something you do enjoy doing - a lot of people think they like research until they realize the competitiveness of securing funding, the grind of collecting data, the (usually) long process of getting things published etc... You may find that clinical psychology isn’t  for you because the training is a scientist-practitioner based model, and you prefer to do clinical work instead, in which case a counselling degree might be more appropriate. A lot of undergrad students pursue clinical psychology because of the prestige and also because they simply don’t realize that there are other mental health professions out there they could pursue. Anyway, I digress.

in terms of publications, it’ll be difficult for you to get anything academic published on your own without the support (I.e coauthorship) of a PI who holds a publication history and usually a PhD. Also, not all RAs get authorship in all labs even if they’re the ones collecting the data as authorships also can be a competitive thing. Also, being an RA does NOT mean that you get to do your own research in most labs - those are research students. RAs are usually responsible REB applications, data collection, participant recruitment, supporting grant submissions etc., ergo “research ASSISTANTS”. To this end it might be more beneficial for you to contact a professor at an academic institution you have access to and ask them if they might take you on as a volunteer research student.

i assume that you are wanting to apply to a Canadian program since you graduated from UoT (university of Toronto?). Having an honours thesis will definitely be to your advantage. I think the above poster’s situation is a bit unique in that it’s not common to simply get publications without doing an honours thesis at the undergraduate level. If you don’t have an honours thesis then the program may require you to do some additional course work before starting the masters level coursework. Because Of the limited number of Canadian programs, only  “cream of the crop” applicants whose interests align with the POI are usually the ones admitted - most will have an honours thesis. So you can see how not having one might be to your disadvantage. 

Don’t lose hope though! It’s a competitive process and it may take a few rounds but if you’re persistent and continue to work on your CV, you’ll find the school and POI that are a good fit for you. 

Good luck!

Edited February 21, 2018 by Sharbar

[NapsAndDogs]

On 2/19/2018 at 10:01 PM, CuringNihilism said:

Hey!

Long time lurker, first time poster. 

I will be applying for Clinical Psych programs come this Fall. 

I have a 3.81 GPA from U of T, 166V 156Q and 5.5AWA, 2 (possibly 3) letter of recommendation. 

But I have NO research experience and desperately need to start volunteering as an R.A. and also begin to conduct some of my own research. 

I also have a media psychology paper that my professor recommended I attempt to publish, but I have NO IDEA how to do this. 

I also have no idea how to begin pursuing my own research. (Yes, I know, clueless lol.) 

My question is can someone offer me some advice on how to begin this process? I will be applying for RA volunteering positions. but what else can I do to begin my own research?

 

Thank you. 

 

Hey! Okay, so I'm actually going through the admission process right now, and I was in almost the exact same place last year as you are now haha So I guess I can just speak to my experience and hopefully that'll help! This will probably be kind of a long response, mostly because I remember wondering the exact same thing you are about a year ago and I wished I could get a clear answer

I didn't know I wanted to pursue a doctorate until after I graduated, and I left undergrad with zero direct research experience (outside a few stats and methodology courses) and no thesis or publications. I had pretty much the exact same GPA and GRE scores as you do, but I panicked because I'd been told that I wouldn't get interviews without research experience. I also have a job working in a clinic that I didn't want to leave, so I decided against the paid research assistant route.

SO. I'd recommend doing this sooner than I did, but in September I checked out the Psych faculty and research at all the universities within an hour of where I live. I read some of each faculty member's work (research gate is a good resource to use if their CV is overwhelming), and if I was fairly interested, I sent each professor an individualized email asking to meet with them to discuss opportunities in their lab. If you want to PM me, I can show you an example of what one of those emails looked like. But basically, about three professors ignored my email completely, and three responded and agreed to meet with me.

The first one I met with sat down with me for about an hour, and we discussed my goals for grad school, my research interests and experience, and the type of research practice I was hoping to get from his lab. He also asked me to submit my CV and a writing sample. The meeting itself was super helpful, and he gave me some awesome tips about the admission process. Ultimately, he also said I could volunteer with his lab and let me start attending his lab meetings, which are one hour once a week. I've gotten more responsibility as time has gone on, but I mainly  get to observe the grad students and do research and analysis from home on my own time. My supervisor is also trying to set me up to publish a few studies and submit for a couple conferences, so he's really guided me through the process and got me started on my own stuff. I know this might not be the case for most volunteers, so I've been incredibly lucky.

With that as my only direct research experience, here's how I did this cycle: I applied to 13 grad programs and received 7 interview invitations--two PsyD's and five PhD's. From the four interviews I've done so far, I've been accepted to two programs, waitlisted with probable acceptance for another, and I'm still waiting to hear back from the fourth (which is an awesome, highly-competitive program and also happens to be where I'm doing my volunteer work!) I don't know if I'm an anomaly, but that's been my experience.

I will say that the one thing that I think hurt me about my limited research experience is that it makes it a bit harder to get into a clinical program, as compared to a counseling one. Although the programs are fairly similar and prepare you for similar work, I think clinical psychology usually has a little more emphasis on research. So if you're really set on clinical, that's something to think about. But 4/7 of my interviews were still for clinical programs, so it can be done. I'd also recommend making sure you've got a third recommender handy when it's time to apply, because a lot of schools did require three.

Last thing: I highly suggest checking out Insider's Guide to Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology when you're picking schools to apply to. Some of the data (especially the funding stuff) isn't always super accurate, but each school ranks itself on a scale of 1-7 based on how clinically- or research-focused they are. I took that into consideration in choosing which schools to apply to.

Anyway, sorry for the length and I hope I've been helpful! Best of luck

Edited February 21, 2018 by NapsAndDogs
clarity

[PsycUndergrad]

By U of T, do you mean University of Toronto? Like the others mentioned, most Canadian clinical psych programs require an honours thesis/independent research courses. If you haven’t graduated yet, I would strongly recommend doing this because not having this experience will put you at a disadvantage for many Canadian programs. 

Definitely start volunteering in lab now, but it might be in your best interest to take a year or two off to work in a lab prior to applying. Research experience is probably the most important part of your application, and taking the time to get some quality experience will really help. It will also make it much easier to identify and articulate your specific interests. 

Good luck!