Question for prospective Clinical Psych PhD!

[ne0224]

Hi all! First time poster - have scoured the site and I know many people ask a lot of the same questions, so thank you for reading this

I have a BASc in psychology and my future goal is to become a clinical neuropsychologist. My research interests are broad at this point (which I know is not good) but generally speaking I am interested in the etiology of anxiety and depression and how two people with similar backgrounds will either go on to develop a disorder or not. 

My research experience from undergrad was in evolutionary psychology (looking at gender, sexual orientation, and jealousy patterns), and I also worked on a project that studied the effect of subjective expertise on hindsight bias. 

My main question is, will the fact that my research in undergrad does not fit with my interests and what I will eventually try to get into hinder my chances? Because I don't have any experience in anxiety/depression research, is it likely that whoever I apply to work under wouldn't choose me? 

Also, I am interested in the evolutionary psych research as well, but would it be possible for me to continue that in a clinical program? 

*Just a side note, I am actively seeking RA positions that will broaden my horizons and hopefully help me find exactly what I'm interested in. 

THANK YOU!!! 

[Clinapp2017]

Yes, if your undergrad work is not related to your interests, it's a good idea to do a 2+ year RAship that will boost your knowledge of that area and give you skills applicable to depression and anxiety research. I would definitely wait to apply until you at least have a few posters in the area of research you care about (pubs are even better, if possible).

 

Also, as a neuropsych trainee I am curious why you are interested in neuropsych if your main inteests are depression and anxiety and what distinguishes why two people of the same background will or will not go on to develop that disorder. I am wondering how you envision neuropsych fitting in with that. as your interests (to me) sound like they would more fit in to the generalist clinical psychologist training model. 

[ne0224]

15 minutes ago, Clinapp2017 said:

Also, as a neuropsych trainee I am curious why you are interested in neuropsych if your main inteests are depression and anxiety and what distinguishes why two people of the same background will or will not go on to develop that disorder. I am wondering how you envision neuropsych fitting in with that. as your interests (to me) sound like they would more fit in to the generalist clinical psychologist training model. 

@Clinapp2017 I am not interested in research as a career. Classes I took such as physiological psych and sensation & perception really got me interested in brain-behavior relationships and how those can be damaged, so as a career i'd like to work with people who have brain damage; figure out where the damage is, what it is, how they're affected, and what can be done to help. 

I can't get there without a doctorate, and with that, research. Like I said, my interests are broad and I have always found myself wondering why person a has this while person b doesn't, so that is just a general idea of what I could do I guess. I know that I won't get into grad school without a pretty defined interest and I'm just trying to figure out what that is. 

If you don't mind me asking, how did you get to where you are, what are you interested in, etc? 

[Jay's Brain]

8 hours ago, nebou said:

@Clinapp2017 I am not interested in research as a career. Classes I took such as physiological psych and sensation & perception really got me interested in brain-behavior relationships and how those can be damaged, so as a career i'd like to work with people who have brain damage; figure out where the damage is, what it is, how they're affected, and what can be done to help. 

I can't get there without a doctorate, and with that, research. Like I said, my interests are broad and I have always found myself wondering why person a has this while person b doesn't, so that is just a general idea of what I could do I guess. I know that I won't get into grad school without a pretty defined interest and I'm just trying to figure out what that is. 

If you don't mind me asking, how did you get to where you are, what are you interested in, etc? 

One other possibility is to look for PsyD programs that emphasize on the clinical training and less/no research. There are pros and cons, with one being that you are not usually funded. The upside is that you can avoid the doctorate degree and pursue a degree where you can receive quality clinical training immediately from the onset. 

 

[Clinapp2017]

7 hours ago, Jay's Brain said:

One other possibility is to look for PsyD programs that emphasize on the clinical training and less/no research. There are pros and cons, with one being that you are not usually funded. The upside is that you can avoid the doctorate degree and pursue a degree where you can receive quality clinical training immediately from the onset. 

 

I agree with this... although a PsyD is a doctorate degree. It’s debatably, however, not presently viewed as high as a PhD by people within the research field.

[PsyDuck90]

Also, any well-respected PsyD program will require research and a dissertation. 

[nycgrad14]

21 hours ago, nebou said:

@Clinapp2017 I am not interested in research as a career. Classes I took such as physiological psych and sensation & perception really got me interested in brain-behavior relationships and how those can be damaged, so as a career i'd like to work with people who have brain damage; figure out where the damage is, what it is, how they're affected, and what can be done to help. 

I can't get there without a doctorate, and with that, research. Like I said, my interests are broad and I have always found myself wondering why person a has this while person b doesn't, so that is just a general idea of what I could do I guess. I know that I won't get into grad school without a pretty defined interest and I'm just trying to figure out what that is. 

If you don't mind me asking, how did you get to where you are, what are you interested in, etc? 

hey there,

I think you have great research questions and interests. I would definitely seek out research opportunities that will give you experience in depression and anxiety research (luckily those are very common). Take some time and figure out how you want to explore those two different areas and apply it to neuro psych research/clinical implementations. I did a lot of research on personality disorders in my masters, but ended up finding an interest in substance abuse research, so took a job for 3 years solely looking at behavioral research in substance abuse (somewhat on your lines of thinking of why does person A differ from person B when they use the same amount of substances) and am now attending a great clinical psych PhD program. I think that you definitely can use Anxiety and Depression in a neuropsych setting. I worked in MRI for a year and we had multiple studies looking at placebo effects of SRRI's in depression, ECT for MDD, etc. Neuropsych doesnt always have to be extremely "non clinical"and only testing - so I would say, chase your dream of bridging those two worlds and run with it... that's actually how you will get into a doctoral program.... it's how I did. 

Best of luck!

Also on a side note - the PhD vs PsyD... really look into this - a lot of doctoral PhD programs will want you to be interested in research. This doesnt mean that you have to say - I want to be a professor and work in a research lab for the rest of my life. But you need to have the drive to want to work in a lab, do the day in and day out of research, and be willing to put clinical work on the back burner in some cases. You will definitely get clinical exposure in PhD programs and a lot of people end up going into FT clinical work post graduation, but if you dont like research, maybe PsyD will be more beneficial to you... you may just not get the exposure you are wanting when examining why person A is different from person B in a exploratory factor.

Hope this is helpful :)

 

[pataka]

I agree with other posters here that a PsyD might be a better option for you if you don't like research but want a doctoral degree. I want to ask, though - have you considered Master's programs? Your question (about why some people express disorders while others don't) could be explored through fields like epidemiology/Master's in public health. You could pursue a Master's in psychology, psychological sciences, mental health, mental health counseling, clinical psychology, marriage and family therapy, etc. which would allow you to work with different populations of people. There are Master's programs that allow for licensure. 

More to the point of your post: I don't think your research needs to be in any specific, narrow field of interest; the fact that you've done research in psychology will be a huge help regardless. However, it is never a bad idea to look for RA opportunities prior to applying to graduate school. For reference, I have 2.5 years of RA experience in neuromodulation science and neuropsychological assessment administration, and I was admitted to a Counseling Psychology PhD program with a focus in multicultural mental health. I don't have high-percentile GRE scores or anything either; I just demonstrated that my interests, personality, and other experiences (volunteer, etc.) are a good fit with the lab and program. 

[ne0224]

53 minutes ago, pataka said:

I agree with other posters here that a PsyD might be a better option for you if you don't like research but want a doctoral degree. I want to ask, though - have you considered Master's programs? Your question (about why some people express disorders while others don't) could be explored through fields like epidemiology/Master's in public health. You could pursue a Master's in psychology, psychological sciences, mental health, mental health counseling, clinical psychology, marriage and family therapy, etc. which would allow you to work with different populations of people. There are Master's programs that allow for licensure. 

More to the point of your post: I don't think your research needs to be in any specific, narrow field of interest; the fact that you've done research in psychology will be a huge help regardless. However, it is never a bad idea to look for RA opportunities prior to applying to graduate school. For reference, I have 2.5 years of RA experience in neuromodulation science and neuropsychological assessment administration, and I was admitted to a Counseling Psychology PhD program with a focus in multicultural mental health. I don't have high-percentile GRE scores or anything either; I just demonstrated that my interests, personality, and other experiences (volunteer, etc.) are a good fit with the lab and program. 

I have thought about Masters programs, but hesitant to add an extra year before a doctoral program since I am already taking a year off. However, if I don't get an RA position, that will probably be the best route. I won't have super strong LORs either, so maybe I should go that route regardless - more research experience and more time to make valuable connections? Also, don't get me wrong, I don't mind doing research, I just don't want to make a life and career out of it. 

PsyD was my first interest for graduate school, and I checked out multiple, but I do not think it is worth it to accumulate an incredible amount of debt. I do know there are funded PsyD programs out there, but it seems that they are not much easier to get into than a PhD program - they still are looking for that research experience. I have a decent amount I feel, but I don't think it's "good enough" if I don't have publications.

It is definitely a lot to think about, and thank you for addressing my initial question about specific research interests, as that was a big worry of mine! 

 

 

[PsyDuck90]

What is it specifically that you envision yourself doing when you have your clinical license? I think what the previous poster was getting at is if you would be better served doing a license eligible masters instead of a PhD/PsyD. 

[ne0224]

11 minutes ago, Hk328 said:

What is it specifically that you envision yourself doing when you have your clinical license? I think what the previous poster was getting at is if you would be better served doing a license eligible masters instead of a PhD/PsyD. 

I want to be a clinical neuropsychologist. Assess, diagnose, treat, rehabilitate, etc., those with brain damage. The only way to get there is through a doctoral program 

[pataka]

22 hours ago, nebou said:

I want to be a clinical neuropsychologist. Assess, diagnose, treat, rehabilitate, etc., those with brain damage. The only way to get there is through a doctoral program 

Have you considered medical school? A good number of neuropsychologists have MDs, and it sounds like psychiatry might be of interest to you as well which would also be an MD pursuit. 

[lebasi]

Hi All,

I am planning on applying to clinical psychology PhD programs for Fall 2019.

I am currently an undergraduate at Columbia University with a 3.97 GPA. I have worked in a clinical practice for children's mental health as a Program Assistant for a year and as an RA at a children's psychiatric hospital for one year as well. Once I will have applied, I will have presented at 3 conferences. I am also working on an independent research project on racial bias in clinician diagnosis.

The schools I would like to apply to are: BU, Columbia Teachers College, Northwestern, Fordham, NYU, Rutgers

Do you think I have a shot? I am feeling a little nervous since many applicants have a Master's degree and I will be applying right out of undergrad. I would really appreciate your thoughts.

[SarahTonin]

On 5/13/2018 at 12:42 AM, lebasi said:

Hi All,

I am planning on applying to clinical psychology PhD programs for Fall 2019.

I am currently an undergraduate at Columbia University with a 3.97 GPA. I have worked in a clinical practice for children's mental health as a Program Assistant for a year and as an RA at a children's psychiatric hospital for one year as well. Once I will have applied, I will have presented at 3 conferences. I am also working on an independent research project on racial bias in clinician diagnosis.

The schools I would like to apply to are: BU, Columbia Teachers College, Northwestern, Fordham, NYU, Rutgers

Do you think I have a shot? I am feeling a little nervous since many applicants have a Master's degree and I will be applying right out of undergrad. I would really appreciate your thoughts.

I got into a clinical psych PhD program this cycle, so I can tell you a bit about what the other applicants who also got interviews were like. I wouldn't say that many applicants had Master's degrees. There were a few applicants straight out of undergrad, but the majority (myself included) had taken about 1-2 years off after undergrad to pursue full-time research. I think that is something you should consider, although your experience thus far sounds great. I would aim to have about 2 years of research experience, as the programs you intend to apply to are relatively research-intensive (or at least half-half). Also just FYI, NYU does not have a clinical psychology PhD program. If you haven't yet, I would get the Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology book. It's very helpful in comparing and choosing programs, and taking you through the process.

 

I was advised to apply to at least 10 programs by my mentor, and I ended up applying to 15. I was a very good applicant, and I only got into 2 of those 15 programs. So I would recommend you expand your list if you can find more programs that are a good fit for your interests, especially since a lot of those programs are very competitive. Boston University, for example, gets on average 700 applicants and accepts about 8 people. The odds are against you no matter how good of an applicant you are, so try to stack them a bit more in your favor if you can. I don't say that to scare you; I do think you seem like a competitive applicant! I just think that for me, personally, it helped to have realistic expectations. So if you want to apply to only 5-6 very competitive programs, then just keep in mind that the odds may be a little against you and you may have to go through a cycle or two of applications before you get in.

 

Feel free to direct message me if you want to talk more specifics. I know the application process is stressful and confusing. 

[nycgrad14]

On 5/14/2018 at 10:15 AM, SarahTonin said:

I got into a clinical psych PhD program this cycle, so I can tell you a bit about what the other applicants who also got interviews were like. I wouldn't say that many applicants had Master's degrees. There were a few applicants straight out of undergrad, but the majority (myself included) had taken about 1-2 years off after undergrad to pursue full-time research. I think that is something you should consider, although your experience thus far sounds great. I would aim to have about 2 years of research experience, as the programs you intend to apply to are relatively research-intensive (or at least half-half). Also just FYI, NYU does not have a clinical psychology PhD program. If you haven't yet, I would get the Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology book. It's very helpful in comparing and choosing programs, and taking you through the process.

 

I was advised to apply to at least 10 programs by my mentor, and I ended up applying to 15. I was a very good applicant, and I only got into 2 of those 15 programs. So I would recommend you expand your list if you can find more programs that are a good fit for your interests, especially since a lot of those programs are very competitive. Boston University, for example, gets on average 700 applicants and accepts about 8 people. The odds are against you no matter how good of an applicant you are, so try to stack them a bit more in your favor if you can. I don't say that to scare you; I do think you seem like a competitive applicant! I just think that for me, personally, it helped to have realistic expectations. So if you want to apply to only 5-6 very competitive programs, then just keep in mind that the odds may be a little against you and you may have to go through a cycle or two of applications before you get in.

 

Feel free to direct message me if you want to talk more specifics. I know the application process is stressful and confusing. 

@lebasi I definitely agree with this poster here. You should really try and see if you can get some work experience in research under your belt. You're applying to extremely competitive schools and it will take more than working in undergraduate labs to impress some of the faculty in those programs. I took 3 years off to work full time as a research manager and found that interviews were such a breeze. When you come into interviews already having working knowledge of what you want to study, you're a much different candidate than someone coming straight from undergrad. There are some applicants who are coming straight from undergrad, but it only works in your favor to work. Also you can save some money up for applications, moving, flying, etc... I also graduated in nyc, so I know there are plenty of research jobs and you really can use the city for your success (recommendation letters, friends !! Best of luck!! Also - I just got into a PhD program this year too, so if you would like to message me any questions, feel free!!