Fall 2019 Psychology PhD Applicants!

[Jayne]

On 6/12/2018 at 1:11 PM, rosesandrecords said:

Thanks for the tips!  Do you mind my asking how far in advance of the test you started studying?  

I took the test in August and began studying late May.

[Sara1094]

Is it okay to apply to a Clinical Psychology PhD and a Counseling Psychology PhD at the same school? Will it hurt my chances because they will not think I am committed to either one? I am very interested in both programs and both can bring me to a goal of being a professor and doing psychotherapy.

[ResilientDreams]

Hi everybody!!

I will also be applying to psychology graduate programs for Fall 2019. I'm actually still an undergrad and don't graduate until May 2019, so the amount of experience everyone in this thread has is a bit daunting, but I'm kind of excited to see how everything turns out. And you all sound like very impressive and accomplished people and I wish you all the best of luck!!

A bit about me:

Program of Interest: PhD Developmental Psychology/Master's in Experimental Psychology and then on to a PhD in Developmental Psychology

Schools of Interest: Definitely applying to: University of Virginia, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, William & Mary for master's (my undergrad institution), Wake Forest for master's; Interested in exploring further: Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, University of Pittsburgh, University of Maryland--College Park, Boston College (My list is still in formation so if it seems wacky that's why. Suggestions welcome.)

Research Interests: early social cognition, theory of mind, pretend play and its impact on children's cognitive development, first language acquisition, interdisciplinary connections across domains of development (particularly language development/social development), impact of language use on child/infant visual perception

Educational Background: Psychology B.S. (with a linguistics minor) '19

Things I'm Not Worried About: --4.0 Psychology GPA, 3.88 overall GPA (I do have one more year of school left though)

--Have been heavily involved in two research labs related to my interest areas--one since freshman year and the other since sophomore year

--Am currently working on my honors thesis about pretend play & theory of mind (so directly related to my interests)

--Have not been published before, but was a coauthor with my professor on a paper that was rejected (I feel that I can't really help that it was rejected, but at least I have the experience conducting the data analysis and writing it up.)

--Am planning on submitting an abstract about my honors thesis to a conference sometime in the fall

--Have very close relationships with my professors and so should have positive recommendations

--I absolutely love what I study.

Things I'm Worried About: --GRE--my verbal scores are either right on the mark or a point or two higher than the median for most of the programs I'm interested in, and writing is right on the mark, but quant is 2-3 points lower...I honestly ~don't~ want to take it again because I already studied quite a lot with multiple different prep books. I simply am not that great at timed math. Never have been. For context, my SAT going into undergrad was pretty similar and I got a tutor to focus just on math and when I retook it my score was actually lower.

--Experience--I threw myself into research as much as I could and I took every opportunity I had, but very unfortunately a publication did not come of it. And since I'm going to be compared to people who already have a master's, perhaps that will be an issue.

Anyway, I'm a newbie so any advice is appreciated, including what to do if this application cycle doesn't work out. (I see some of you have worked as research assistants. What has that been like?)

 

 

Edited June 16, 2018 by ResilientDreams
identifying information

[pettyaspraxis]

On 6/15/2018 at 9:23 PM, ResilientDreams said:

Hi everybody!!

I will also be applying to psychology graduate programs for Fall 2019. I'm actually still an undergrad and don't graduate until May 2019, so the amount of experience everyone in this thread has is a bit daunting, but I'm kind of excited to see how everything turns out. And you all sound like very impressive and accomplished people and I wish you all the best of luck!!

A bit about me:

Program of Interest: PhD Developmental Psychology/Master's in Experimental Psychology and then on to a PhD in Developmental Psychology

Schools of Interest: Definitely applying to: University of Virginia, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, William & Mary for master's (my undergrad institution), Wake Forest for master's; Interested in exploring further: Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, University of Pittsburgh, University of Maryland--College Park, Boston College (My list is still in formation so if it seems wacky that's why. Suggestions welcome.)

Research Interests: early social cognition, theory of mind, pretend play and its impact on children's cognitive development, first language acquisition, interdisciplinary connections across domains of development (particularly language development/social development), impact of language use on child/infant visual perception

Educational Background: Psychology B.S. (with a linguistics minor) '19

Things I'm Not Worried About: --4.0 Psychology GPA, 3.88 overall GPA (I do have one more year of school left though)

--Have been heavily involved in two research labs related to my interest areas--one since freshman year and the other since sophomore year

--Am currently working on my honors thesis about pretend play & theory of mind (so directly related to my interests)

--Have not been published before, but was a coauthor with my professor on a paper that was rejected (I feel that I can't really help that it was rejected, but at least I have the experience conducting the data analysis and writing it up.)

--Am planning on submitting an abstract about my honors thesis to a conference sometime in the fall

--Have very close relationships with my professors and so should have positive recommendations

--I absolutely love what I study.

Things I'm Worried About: --GRE--my verbal scores are either right on the mark or a point or two higher than the median for most of the programs I'm interested in, and writing is right on the mark, but quant is 2-3 points lower...I honestly ~don't~ want to take it again because I already studied quite a lot with multiple different prep books. I simply am not that great at timed math. Never have been. For context, my SAT going into undergrad was pretty similar and I got a tutor to focus just on math and when I retook it my score was actually lower.

--Experience--I threw myself into research as much as I could and I took every opportunity I had, but very unfortunately a publication did not come of it. And since I'm going to be compared to people who already have a master's, perhaps that will be an issue.

Anyway, I'm a newbie so any advice is appreciated, including what to do if this application cycle doesn't work out. (I see some of you have worked as research assistants. What has that been like?)

 

 

I think your research experience, gpa, and thesis should speak for itself! Clearly you are a hardworking and talented individual, so I think it won’t be a problem convincing programs that you are such.

I think what will matter more for you will be research fit. You have some research interests that are more broad (social cognition, language acquisition, theory of mind) and some that are more specific (pretend play). I would say for the schools that have advisors whose interests are not as quite related, make sure you spin your personal statement for that school really well and tailor it to that professor so you are able to relate your interests to theirs especially if they have a lab and expect you to be working in their lab (less so the case if they’re just doing independent publications not affiliated with a lab and also depends upon individual professors)

 

as someone who was unsuccessful for the fall 2018 cycle, I would say there are plenty of options still after graduation. You could apply for masters programs while applying for PhD programs (I only interviewed at one PhD program and got rejected but am instead doing my MSW now right after grad). Or, like you mentioned, to increase your publications, you could work as a research assisntant 

 

I’ve heard conflicting advice about retaking the gre (my quantitative score was shit and only 47th percentile and I still got an interview but it was probably due to luck) 

 

hope this helps :)

 

[ResilientDreams]

2 hours ago, pettyaspraxis said:

I think your research experience, gpa, and thesis should speak for itself! Clearly you are a hardworking and talented individual, so I think it won’t be a problem convincing programs that you are such.

I think what will matter more for you will be research fit. You have some research interests that are more broad (social cognition, language acquisition, theory of mind) and some that are more specific (pretend play). I would say for the schools that have advisors whose interests are not as quite related, make sure you spin your personal statement for that school really well and tailor it to that professor so you are able to relate your interests to theirs especially if they have a lab and expect you to be working in their lab (less so the case if they’re just doing independent publications not affiliated with a lab and also depends upon individual professors)

 

as someone who was unsuccessful for the fall 2018 cycle, I would say there are plenty of options still after graduation. You could apply for masters programs while applying for PhD programs (I only interviewed at one PhD program and got rejected but am instead doing my MSW now right after grad). Or, like you mentioned, to increase your publications, you could work as a research assisntant 

 

I’ve heard conflicting advice about retaking the gre (my quantitative score was shit and only 47th percentile and I still got an interview but it was probably due to luck) 

 

hope this helps

 

@pettyaspraxis Thank you so much, that was super helpful!

My honors advisor and my friend who is currently in grad school for psych have advised me not to take the GRE again. My friend was in a similar position and she retook it just for the math section and ended up with the same score. My friend's advice to me was to remember that we're taking the same test as people going to grad school for math and engineering and that the quantitative section (or let's be honest--any of the sections) isn't super relevant to our field and therefore it wouldn't make sense for an admissions committee to reject (right off the bat at least) an applicant who is strong in all other areas over a couple of math GRE points.

I agree with you about fit. There is one researcher at the University of Virginia who matches my research interests more or less perfectly (pretend play and all--I keep coming across her when I'm reading stuff for my thesis), so I will definitely be applying there. I've found some other professors at other institutions who hit some of my main areas of interest, so I think my next step will be to focus on how I'm going to spin myself in all those personal statements. I'm also applying to the master's program at my undergrad institution where I have good relationships with professors.

[cupidcello]

Welp, hi.  I guess it's time to post something here!  I'm finally applying for a (hopefully...) Fall 2019 start in a PhD program.  The only thing holding me back, as far as I'm concerned, are my GRE scores.  I took the GRE without studying years ago, and I did poorly.  I've been utilizing Magoosh, and I have some nifty vocabulary flash cards.  I also have a prep book I should probably crack open soon.  Here's hoping for a better score.  I plan to retake it in mid-September.

I'm interested in Developmental Psychology, with a focus on language acquisition and comprehension (Perhaps developmental psycholinguistics is OK to say?).  I only have my B.A. from a smaller university (earned in 2017), but I have 3 years of research experience and two summer internship experiences. I took a gap year, worked outside the field, and continued with research a little bit during this time.  Currently, I'm a lab manager for a much bigger university, and I just started this position.  

My current schools of interest are (in order [thus far]): UPitt, U. Alberta and U. Maryland (for Linguistics, actually), UConn, and possibly UDel (unsure)

I was hoping to apply to U. Mass-Amherst, but the advisor I was interested in will not take students for the 2019-20 AY.

I'm still looking at other locations, but currently UPitt is ideal for what I'm hoping to study.

[ResilientDreams]

@cupidcello

Yay, another developmental person!! Your research interests overlap a lot with mine. I may end up applying to the linguistics department at the University of Maryland as well (my list is very all over the place currently.)

[alternatename]

Hi guys. First time applying for Fall 2019. :)

Program: Experimental Psych/Behavioral Neuroscience

Schools: Columbia, U of Chicago, U of Vermont, U of Kentucky, considering UVA +/- UNC (I know I should expand this list, but it's kind of a niche field, especially if I want to work in a human vs. animal lab)

Interests: Behavioral pharmacology of psychoactive drugs, novel pharmacotherapy for treatment of addiction

Quick stats: 3.67 GPA, 2.5 years research xp so far in a very relevant lab, 1.5 years clinical xp in ABA (the operant conditioning aspect is pretty relevant), 3 conference presentations, one of which published my abstract in their journal, 165V 154Q 5.0W GRE, no pubs :( but might be able to squeak onto one as third author or something by the end of the year

Nice to meet all of you! Any insight is appreciated of course--naturally very nervous about this whole process.

[philopsych]

Hello everyone! Well, I'm someone who has very little direct psych experience. I have two bachelors in the humanities and three masters (some in science, one in humanities, but none in psych). I have a 4.0 in undergrad and grad school. I did human behavior experiments in grad school, but they weren't with the psych department. I've taught at the college level for 6 years in science and humanities courses (including some statistics classes). I've had a lot of presentations; but, again, none in psych. Basically, I'm woefully unqualified. Even so, I talked to someone in the psych department at my school and they were enthusiastic about my chances. They said my experiences are relevant to psychology even though I only took one psych course in undergrad. So here's my plan. This year I'm aiming high and trying to get into a clinical/counseling program with funding (masters, PhD, or PsyD). I probably won't get in, but I might as well try. Then the next year I'll apply to masters clinical/counseling programs whether funded or not. (I would do that this year, too; but I just can't afford to apply to that many programs). End of rant. So here's where I'm applying this year (doctorate unless otherwise specified):

NIU, Northwestern (masters), Roosevelt (masters), UIC, USC, UW-Seattle, Marquette, UW-Madison, and UW-Milwaukee.

 

One thing to mention is that I can only go to schools in Northern Illinois, Wisconsin (Madison and Milwaukee), Southern California, and Seattle because those are places where my husband can get a job. Does anyone have any other suggestions of schools in those places that are funded and don't have psych degree or course prereqs?

 

Thanks for the help everyone, and sorry for the long post. 

 

 

[PsyDuck90]

17 minutes ago, philopsych said:

Hello everyone! Well, I'm someone who has very little direct psych experience. I have two bachelors in the humanities and three masters (some in science, one in humanities, but none in psych). I have a 4.0 in undergrad and grad school. I did human behavior experiments in grad school, but they weren't with the psych department. I've taught at the college level for 6 years in science and humanities courses (including some statistics classes). I've had a lot of presentations; but, again, none in psych. Basically, I'm woefully unqualified. Even so, I talked to someone in the psych department at my school and they were enthusiastic about my chances. They said my experiences are relevant to psychology even though I only took one psych course in undergrad. So here's my plan. This year I'm aiming high and trying to get into a clinical/counseling program with funding (masters, PhD, or PsyD). I probably won't get in, but I might as well try. Then the next year I'll apply to masters clinical/counseling programs whether funded or not. (I would do that this year, too; but I just can't afford to apply to that many programs). End of rant. So here's where I'm applying this year (doctorate unless otherwise specified):

NIU, Northwestern (masters), Roosevelt (masters), UIC, USC, UW-Seattle, Marquette, UW-Madison, and UW-Milwaukee.

 

One thing to mention is that I can only go to schools in Northern Illinois, Wisconsin (Madison and Milwaukee), Southern California, and Seattle because those are places where my husband can get a job. Does anyone have any other suggestions of schools in those places that are funded and don't have psych degree or course prereqs?

 

Thanks for the help everyone, and sorry for the long post. 

 

 

For doctoral level programs, you really want to pick schools based on research matches, as you're often really applying to work with a certain individual for the following 5 years. I would suggest also looking at the APA website. They list all of the accredited programs in clinical and counseling psych and you can search by state. 

Also, one of the biggest things that may work against is you is the vast amount of degrees you have. Your SOP should really explain why you want this specific degree, as you seem to have bounced around quite a bit. 

[philopsych]

9 minutes ago, Hk328 said:

For doctoral level programs, you really want to pick schools based on research matches, as you're often really applying to work with a certain individual for the following 5 years. I would suggest also looking at the APA website. They list all of the accredited programs in clinical and counseling psych and you can search by state. 

Also, one of the biggest things that may work against is you is the vast amount of degrees you have. Your SOP should really explain why you want this specific degree, as you seem to have bounced around quite a bit. 

I just thought I'd ask if anyone knew of any off the top of their head. I'd definitely check if there was anyone I wanted to work with before I applied.

[Psychoplasmics]

On 6/15/2018 at 1:59 PM, Sara1094 said:

Is it okay to apply to a Clinical Psychology PhD and a Counseling Psychology PhD at the same school? Will it hurt my chances because they will not think I am committed to either one? I am very interested in both programs and both can bring me to a goal of being a professor and doing psychotherapy.

More than likely the programs will not know you've applied to both unless they are housed in the same college. Clinical psych is typically housed in colleges of psychology while counseling psych is typically housed in colleges of education. There are exceptions to this rule, however.

[pettyaspraxis]

I’m really conflicted and need y’all’s advice on my situation 

I just graduated undergrad this June and while I was finishing up undergrad I applied for the Fall 2018 cycle (I applied to 3 phds and 2 MSWs and got into both msws and got an interview from one of the phds but got rejected post interview)

I am now on track to attend one of the msw programs in fall 2018. However, if my end goal is a PhD in counseling psych, will getting the msw hurt my chances? I was thinking of applying again during my second year of the msw for the fall 2020 cycle, but would a better decision be to just work and try to improve my application instead of going for the msw? 

The reason why I accepted the msw was that it atleast ensures a backup plan even if I don’t get accepted for the fall 2020 cycle. 

 

What do yall think about what I should do? 

[brainlass]

10 minutes ago, pettyaspraxis said:

I’m really conflicted and need y’all’s advice on my situation 

I just graduated undergrad this June and while I was finishing up undergrad I applied for the Fall 2018 cycle (I applied to 3 phds and 2 MSWs and got into both msws and got an interview from one of the phds but got rejected post interview)

I am now on track to attend one of the msw programs in fall 2018. However, if my end goal is a PhD in counseling psych, will getting the msw hurt my chances? I was thinking of applying again during my second year of the msw for the fall 2020 cycle, but would a better decision be to just work and try to improve my application instead of going for the msw? 

The reason why I accepted the msw was that it atleast ensures a backup plan even if I don’t get accepted for the fall 2020 cycle. 

 

What do yall think about what I should do? 

Is the MSW funded? If not, I would work and reapply to PhD programs.

[pettyaspraxis]

12 minutes ago, brainlass said:

Is the MSW funded? If not, I would work and reapply to PhD programs.

It’s not! The only qualm I have about working and then reapplying is that I’m scared the cycle will just end in rejections again or finding a job as a research assistant that would be relevant experience 

[trueblueDetroiter]

Looking for some guidance as well. Especially in terms of drafting SOP's and Academic statements. It'll be my first time applying for my PhD and I am only applying to one school due to a family members health status; I want to stay semi local. Looking at UMich's Education Psych program.

[The good] Experience/merit: received full funding for both my undergraduate and Master's degree. Moved away for a couple of years and began doing education transformation work for corporate philanthropy (what I am currently doing). I am passionate about equity work within marginalized communities. 

[The bad/worried about]: I did four years of research during undergrad but have not done research since. My GRE score can improve. My stats grade from undergrad is ? due to transitioning/cultural factors. (i.e part of what motivates me to want to do this work).

Edited July 24, 2018 by trueblueDetroiter

[oddity]

On 6/16/2018 at 12:23 AM, ResilientDreams said:

Hi everybody!!

I will also be applying to psychology graduate programs for Fall 2019. I'm actually still an undergrad and don't graduate until May 2019, so the amount of experience everyone in this thread has is a bit daunting, but I'm kind of excited to see how everything turns out. And you all sound like very impressive and accomplished people and I wish you all the best of luck!!

A bit about me:

Program of Interest: PhD Developmental Psychology/Master's in Experimental Psychology and then on to a PhD in Developmental Psychology

Schools of Interest: Definitely applying to: University of Virginia, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, William & Mary for master's (my undergrad institution), Wake Forest for master's; Interested in exploring further: Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, University of Pittsburgh, University of Maryland--College Park, Boston College (My list is still in formation so if it seems wacky that's why. Suggestions welcome.)

Research Interests: early social cognition, theory of mind, pretend play and its impact on children's cognitive development, first language acquisition, interdisciplinary connections across domains of development (particularly language development/social development), impact of language use on child/infant visual perception

Educational Background: Psychology B.S. (with a linguistics minor) '19

Things I'm Not Worried About: --4.0 Psychology GPA, 3.88 overall GPA (I do have one more year of school left though)

--Have been heavily involved in two research labs related to my interest areas--one since freshman year and the other since sophomore year

--Am currently working on my honors thesis about pretend play & theory of mind (so directly related to my interests)

--Have not been published before, but was a coauthor with my professor on a paper that was rejected (I feel that I can't really help that it was rejected, but at least I have the experience conducting the data analysis and writing it up.)

--Am planning on submitting an abstract about my honors thesis to a conference sometime in the fall

--Have very close relationships with my professors and so should have positive recommendations

--I absolutely love what I study.

Things I'm Worried About: --GRE--my verbal scores are either right on the mark or a point or two higher than the median for most of the programs I'm interested in, and writing is right on the mark, but quant is 2-3 points lower...I honestly ~don't~ want to take it again because I already studied quite a lot with multiple different prep books. I simply am not that great at timed math. Never have been. For context, my SAT going into undergrad was pretty similar and I got a tutor to focus just on math and when I retook it my score was actually lower.

--Experience--I threw myself into research as much as I could and I took every opportunity I had, but very unfortunately a publication did not come of it. And since I'm going to be compared to people who already have a master's, perhaps that will be an issue.

Anyway, I'm a newbie so any advice is appreciated, including what to do if this application cycle doesn't work out. (I see some of you have worked as research assistants. What has that been like?)

 

 

I wouldn't worry about your GRE. I interviewed at some of the schools you listed and they are definitely more interested in your research fit and experience. 

If this cycle doesn't work out, it sounds like you have great experience for a full-time research position so I would keep an eye out for job postings in the winter/spring as a back-up. Also, reach out and make connections with potential PIs (if your current PI knows them, have them put in a good word) through email or even better, attend a conference and meet them! SRCD and CDS are next year, so that will be too late for this cycle, but definitely take advantage of it if you end up applying next fall!

[HowDoesThatMakeYouFeel]

Hi everyone, looking for some guidance as application season is approaching and the pressure is starting to set in for real

About me:

Research Interest: PTSD, Resiliency, Post-traumatic growth

Undergrad: 3.6GPA Tier 1 school, 4.0 Community college [Graduated in June]

Haven't taken the GRE yet but hoping to land in the high 150's/160 [fingers crossed]

Research Experience: 2 year undergrad, 1 lab that I'm still in now post-grad. Very close to my own research interests, worked under world reknown P.I., project coordinator, presented a poster

Clinical: currently working full time as a ABA behavior therapist at an elementary school for students with autism and other disabilities. Implemented interventions that are part of their individualized education plan and collected clinical data for progress tracking; part of a peer counseling network at undergrad university where we implemented iCBT online training to help students with depression

Schools I'm interested in:
Duke,U Memphis,Auburn, USC, WashU, BU, Harvard, U Miami, Georgetown, George Washington, U Mich, Rutgers, U Georgia, UIC, UMASS Boston, Notre Dame, Upenn, Vanderbilt, U Oregon 

Also thinking about applying to some master's programs like U Chicago's MAPSS

I will most likely have glowing letters of recs and all the programs I chose have faculty that have very closely related research interests

I just really need some brutally honest advice about whether or not I'm competitive for these programs and if there's anything else I can do? I spent all of Feb-May in the spring applying to research assistant positions but nothing clicked and so I decided to stay with my current behavior therapist job and continue doing volunteer coordinating for my undergrad lab. I know reading these forums is the absolute worst thing I can do, but I feel very unprepared to some of the other applicants, even though I feel that my passion for  research is strong and if I were to somehow get to the interview round I could really sell them on it

[Executive-D]

If anyone is applying to University of Ottawa for Clinical feel free to PM me. I received an offer last cycle and I’m happy to help future applicants! 

[dancedementia]

Hey folks! Just checking in again. I made my FINAL list and am starting to write SOPs/get LORs/fill out apps. Ahhhhh I can't believe it's actually happening!!

• Antioch University (Clinical PsyD)
• University of North Texas (Counseling PhD)
• LIU Brooklyn (Clinical PhD)
• Drexel University (Clinical PhD)
• U Hartford (Clinical PsyD)
• Suffolk University (Clinical PhD)
• Xavier University (Clinical PsyD)
• Rutgers (Clinical PsyD)
• Springfield College (Counseling PsyD)
• Yeshiva University (Clinical PsyD)
• William James College (Clinical PsyD) <-- safety
• Northeastern University (Counseling PhD)
• Chestnut Hill (Clinical PsyD)
• Immaculata University (Clinical PsyD)

Good luck everyone!

[Psychologyandpizza]

On 7/19/2018 at 4:42 PM, pettyaspraxis said:

I’m really conflicted and need y’all’s advice on my situation 

I just graduated undergrad this June and while I was finishing up undergrad I applied for the Fall 2018 cycle (I applied to 3 phds and 2 MSWs and got into both msws and got an interview from one of the phds but got rejected post interview)

I am now on track to attend one of the msw programs in fall 2018. However, if my end goal is a PhD in counseling psych, will getting the msw hurt my chances? I was thinking of applying again during my second year of the msw for the fall 2020 cycle, but would a better decision be to just work and try to improve my application instead of going for the msw? 

The reason why I accepted the msw was that it atleast ensures a backup plan even if I don’t get accepted for the fall 2020 cycle. 

 

What do yall think about what I should do? 

I personally would not attend the MSW if you are for sure going to reappply to PhD programs. I personally applied and was accepted to counseling psych PhD programs and though they accept many students with MA counseling degrees, I believe there are some stark differences between social work and counseling and they may view you as someone who they will have to untrain and then retrain in their specific field. This really is only my views on it though. Maybe consult a counseling psychologist or someone in your department that you graduated from. Good luck! 

[pettyaspraxis]

On 8/21/2018 at 1:31 PM, Psychologyandpizza said:

I personally would not attend the MSW if you are for sure going to reappply to PhD programs. I personally applied and was accepted to counseling psych PhD programs and though they accept many students with MA counseling degrees, I believe there are some stark differences between social work and counseling and they may view you as someone who they will have to untrain and then retrain in their specific field. This really is only my views on it though. Maybe consult a counseling psychologist or someone in your department that you graduated from. Good luck! 

Thank you for the advice!! I ended up withdrawing from the msw program and decided to just reapply for the fall 2019 cycle,

I am going to definitely apply to way more schools this time around because I only did 5 last cycle and 2 were masters. 

[Le Chat]

Alright y'all, I'm back on the gravy train. I'm focusing on Health Psychology and Clinical Health Psychology this year, branching out to research oriented programs.

So far:

UT Southwestern Clinical Psychology

UT Arlington Health Psychology

UT El Paso Health Psychology

SMU Clinical Health

University of Alabama Birmingham Medical Clinical

University of South Alabama Clinical-Counseling

UMKC Health Psychology

University of New Mexico Health/Clinical Health

[RidiculousResearcher]

Hi everyone, despite the "read/post here at your own risk," nice to meet y'all!

Program of Interest: PhD in Clinical Psychology, PsyD in Clinical Psychology, and possible a joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology and Peace Studies at Notre Dame

Schools of Interest:

PhD: Virginia Tech ,University of Connecticut, University of Nebraska, Notre Dame, UCLA, UCSD, U Missouri – Kansas City, Howard University, University of Memphis, University of Maryland Baltimore

PsyD: University of Denver, Chestnut College, Pacific University, William James College, University of LaVerne

Research Interests: etiology and interventions for trauma, refugee and immigrant mental health disparities; culturally- and contextually-appropriate interventions; minority mental health, particularly in the Latino community

Educational Background: B.A. in Psychology, solid GPA

Things I'm Not Worried About:

-          My GRE scores and GPA are both plenty competitive.

-          I have a good mix of research experience and clinical experience. My research experience too is pretty varied: I presented an independent study at two conferences, and assisted in a lab at UCLA. So I’ve both led and presented research (and research assistants) in a smaller lab and assisted in research at a larger lab.

-          My fit into programs: I applied last cycle to places that were not a good fit and tried to write my way in. I’ve reflected a lot on that and realize what I did wrong, and expanded my geographical reach a lot (as you may have noticed) and actually turned down one school that was NOT a good fit at all, but was the only one I was accepted to. I feel confident that I’ve done my research better this time around and have a healthier list of reach schools and different types of programs.

Things I'm Worried About:

-Research experience is all clinically-focused, but not trauma focused. My interest in trauma came from non-research based experience. Advisors have helped me see how to frame my research experience as still very relevant to the research I want to do, but I am nervous about convincing applicant committees.

-Maybe imposter syndrome but I do sometimes worry about my letters of rec. My professors and supervisor who are willing to write are all very supportive and always say they are willing to write, but I always wonder a bit if I am truly “anything special” within their labs/programs. They are my best recommenders, however, and there aren’t others I would select.

-As a career, I want to do more research than a PsyD, but maybe less research than a PhD. I would like practice to be somewhat involved in my future life, but I don’t want to mention this in a PhD application lest they think I don’t want to focus on research. I just want to do everything! (Yes, I know this is unreasonable haha)

 

[dancedementia]

Just spent the day doing apps. I'm starting to get really nervous about the GRE - my scores from undergrad expired a few months, and I'm so terrified that my upcoming retake is going to be so much worse. It's been a long time since I've done math, y'all!

Hope everyone else is doing well!