Fall 2020 Clinical & Counseling PhD/PsyD

[Clinapp2017]

21 hours ago, clare b. said:

Hi guys, 

I am trying to decide whether or not to retake the General GRE...Most of the schools I am applying to have a Mean score of 158 Q and 160 V. I got a 158 Q, 162 V, 5.5 AWA, however, my Quant percentile is 67th %. I have noticed a couple schools (i.e. Fordham - one of my choices) explicitly state that having any sections below 75th percentile may hurt your admission chances. ? thoughts?

That score is fine. Most schools want around a 320 (which you are at) and increasingly people are recognizing inherent bias that the GRE carriers (such as relationship with SES). Would not worry about it - I also never heard of anyone saying less than 75% hurts. 

[blacklab155]

Hi friends,

I have been planning on applying for Fall 2020 clinical psych PhD programs, but I'm getting pretty worried about my lack of research experience compared to those I would be applying alongside...I went to a small school for undergrad and we didn't have any research labs, so I have no "formal" research experience in a lab environment. I did a senior thesis project and poster, and I have one minor publication and I'm planning to work with my professor to get my senior thesis paper published as well. I graduated with my undergrad in May and I've been trying all summer to get a research assistant position but have not had any luck (currently emailing labs directly asking if they have any openings, even for volunteers). I'm starting to think it might not even be worth applying this round, but also don't love the idea of having to wait a year longer than I've been planning for:/

[cats and psychology]

Hi guys! I'll be applying this cycle straight out of undergrad. Expecting the worst but hoping for the best.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Religious Studies (3.8), GRE is a work in progress
• Various experience in a diverse research settings (designing and conducting an experiment w/ one professor, working on data analysis for another professor, using eye tracking software and fMRI to study cog. neuro w/ another professor)
• Two poster presentations at different (small) conferences, will have one more in the works by the time I send in my application
• Certified crisis counselor
• General Psychology instructor (1.5 years)
• Peer coaching

Programs

Top 3:

• Bowling Green State University (my number 1 choice, 100%. Perfect match, offers the specialization I want, everything else feels like settling)
• Washington State University
• Colorado State University- Boulder

 

I am still working on putting others on the list. My issue is I don't know how picky I should be. In a perfect world, I could apply to BGSU and get accepted there and not worry about anything else. What do you do if you don't get accepted? Go for a masters to get more research experience? I don't really trust that I'd be able to find a job as a research assistant or coordinator.

 

[PsychPhdBound]

On 4/2/2019 at 6:51 PM, krosstheboss said:

I have been making my list for quite some time, and I am still looking for schools to add to my list. My sister is currently in a Counseling Psychology PhD program, so she has been a ton of help during this process! I have an excel sheet with all of the information I need; here is a brief version. Side note: these are all Counseling PhD programs.

University of North Texas 

University of Tennessee - Knoxville 

University of Missouri - Columbia 

University of Missouri - Kansas City

Oklahoma State University

Northeastern University

University of Massachusetts - Boston

Auburn University

I'm also applying to UT Knoxville (tied for my top choice). Who are you interested in advisor wise?

[clinicalpsych1996]

Hi everyone, 

I was planning on applying to John Jay CUNY Clinical Psych program AND Hunter College Clinical-Health Psych, however I just saw a note saying, "Students are not permitted to apply to more than one program within the CUNY Psychology doctoral programs." Does anyone have any intel on this? ? Pretty bummed!

[Jkid]

So I have updated my school list to also include some counseling programs as well as programs in which the professor I am interested in has emailed me back and is interested in my research interests. The new and improved list is as followed... Also wild to think that in six months or less some of us may have offers ?

1. University Nebraska, Lincoln
2. Auburn (Counseling)
3. Texas Tech (Counseling)
4. Clark
5. New Mexico State (Counseling)
6. Souther Illinois U (Counseling)
7. U Cincinnati
8. Wash State U
9. Oklahoma State (Counseling)
10. UMass Boston
11. Virginia Commonwealth
12. University Arkansas
13. San Diego State
14. Florida State U (Counseling)

[readyset123]

On 7/23/2019 at 8:07 PM, clare b. said:

Hi everyone, 

I was planning on applying to John Jay CUNY Clinical Psych program AND Hunter College Clinical-Health Psych, however I just saw a note saying, "Students are not permitted to apply to more than one program within the CUNY Psychology doctoral programs." Does anyone have any intel on this? ? Pretty bummed!

From what I understand, you can apply to multiple programs within the CUNY system but not multiple psychology programs within CUNY graduate center. So you can apply to John Jay, Queens College, City College, etc but you couldn't apply to both the education psychology and health psychology programs at CUNY graduate center. Unless they've changed something in the last year?

[clinicalpsych1996]

8 hours ago, readyset123 said:

From what I understand, you can apply to multiple programs within the CUNY system but not multiple psychology programs within CUNY graduate center. So you can apply to John Jay, Queens College, City College, etc but you couldn't apply to both the education psychology and health psychology programs at CUNY graduate center. Unless they've changed something in the last year?

I was interested in applying to John Jay clinical psych and Hunter clinical-health psych.... Do you think that is allowed?

[PsyDuck90]

2 hours ago, clare b. said:

I was interested in applying to John Jay clinical psych and Hunter clinical-health psych.... Do you think that is allowed?

You can only apply to one. The website says "We have ten different areas of study, and prospective students may apply to only one area of study at a time in a current admissions cycle. For admissions and other info, please click on each area of study below"

https://gc.cuny.edu/Page-Elements/Academics-Research-Centers-Initiatives/Doctoral-Programs/Psychology/Admissions-Prospective-Students

The CUNY Grad Center is a school in and of itself, so even though the programs are primarily housed in several of the colleges, they are also technically all part of one large program. Hence, applying to multiple is akin to applying to multiple tracks at other universities, which is often not allowed. 

[xChrisx]

On 7/30/2019 at 2:25 AM, Skidkid said:

So I have updated my school list to also include some counseling programs as well as programs in which the professor I am interested in has emailed me back and is interested in my research interests. The new and improved list is as followed... Also wild to think that in six months or less some of us may have offers ?

1. University Nebraska, Lincoln
2. Auburn (Counseling)
3. Texas Tech (Counseling)
4. Clark
5. New Mexico State (Counseling)
6. Souther Illinois U (Counseling)
7. U Cincinnati
8. Wash State U
9. Oklahoma State (Counseling)
10. UMass Boston
11. Virginia Commonwealth
12. University Arkansas
13. San Diego State
14. Florida State U (Counseling)

Hey,

Can you share your email format? I wrote long emails and now I'm sure nobody will respond to me using those.

[ilobebrains]

On 7/10/2019 at 7:40 PM, blacklab155 said:

Hi friends,

I have been planning on applying for Fall 2020 clinical psych PhD programs, but I'm getting pretty worried about my lack of research experience compared to those I would be applying alongside...I went to a small school for undergrad and we didn't have any research labs, so I have no "formal" research experience in a lab environment. I did a senior thesis project and poster, and I have one minor publication and I'm planning to work with my professor to get my senior thesis paper published as well. I graduated with my undergrad in May and I've been trying all summer to get a research assistant position but have not had any luck (currently emailing labs directly asking if they have any openings, even for volunteers). I'm starting to think it might not even be worth applying this round, but also don't love the idea of having to wait a year longer than I've been planning for:/

I do think you should postpone. I think the most important thing clinical psych PhD programs will be looking for is research experience/publications. In the short-term, waiting a year or two seems rough, but time passes by quickly and this will immensely improve your application if you wait. Think of it as an investment rather than wasting time. 

[Na_arf]

Good luck, all! I am a Canadian applicant, looking at clinical PhD programs in Canada. I am finishing up my masters degree this year, haven't taken the GRE yet but have scheduled both the general and the psych subject test for September & October respectively. My dream programs are:

1) UofA: School & Clinical Child Psychology
2) UofT (OISE): School & Clinical Child Psychology
3) Guelph: Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology
4) UBC: Clinical Psychology
5) YorkU: Clinical Developmental Psychology
6) Ryerson: Clinical Psychology

I do have volunteer and work experience in positions working with children, but I am curious how I can integrate practicum placement experiences into my application, particularly where it would belong on a CV? And would it be appropriate to get a practicum supervisor to provide a "clinical" reference, or do references for clinic experience need to come from non-academic sources (i.e. work/volunteer supervisors)?

[psycstudent2018]

Okay, here's a question:

I'm in the process of sending those annoying "Are you accepting students" emails.

Now, if a professor lists on the website that they're accepting students, do I still send them an email asking so that they know my name or does that make me come off like I can't read a website?

[Jkid]

1 hour ago, psycstudent2018 said:

Okay, here's a question:

I'm in the process of sending those annoying "Are you accepting students" emails.

Now, if a professor lists on the website that they're accepting students, do I still send them an email asking so that they know my name or does that make me come off like I can't read a website?

I would still send the email but word it differently. Mention that you read the website and that you just wanted to know if you should apply due to your interests and whether the mentor thinks your interests will align with the labs.

[PsycUndergrad]

16 hours ago, Na_arf said:

Good luck, all! I am a Canadian applicant, looking at clinical PhD programs in Canada. I am finishing up my masters degree this year, haven't taken the GRE yet but have scheduled both the general and the psych subject test for September & October respectively. My dream programs are:

1) UofA: School & Clinical Child Psychology
2) UofT (OISE): School & Clinical Child Psychology
3) Guelph: Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology
4) UBC: Clinical Psychology
5) YorkU: Clinical Developmental Psychology
6) Ryerson: Clinical Psychology

I do have volunteer and work experience in positions working with children, but I am curious how I can integrate practicum placement experiences into my application, particularly where it would belong on a CV? And would it be appropriate to get a practicum supervisor to provide a "clinical" reference, or do references for clinic experience need to come from non-academic sources (i.e. work/volunteer supervisors)?

When I applied to Canada programs, I had a section at the end of my CV for relevant work/volunteer experience. I didn’t mention it much in my interviews or statements, I just used it as support for why I want to work with a particular population. 

Another piece of advice- be careful when deciding to apply to MA vs. PhD programs. It’s not so relevant for school psych, but a lot of clinical programs will only accept MA level applicants, even if they technically accept PhD applications. Ive heard of people really hurting their chances by applying to PhD instead of MA. Also, when I applied a couple of years ago, Ryerson did not accept MA students with a previous masters in psychology, so I would check into this unless your degree is in another field. 

[Na_arf]

7 hours ago, PsycUndergrad said:

When I applied to Canada programs, I had a section at the end of my CV for relevant work/volunteer experience. I didn’t mention it much in my interviews or statements, I just used it as support for why I want to work with a particular population. 

Another piece of advice- be careful when deciding to apply to MA vs. PhD programs. It’s not so relevant for school psych, but a lot of clinical programs will only accept MA level applicants, even if they technically accept PhD applications. Ive heard of people really hurting their chances by applying to PhD instead of MA. Also, when I applied a couple of years ago, Ryerson did not accept MA students with a previous masters in psychology, so I would check into this unless your degree is in another field. 

Thank you! That lines up with what I had set up in my CV so far—I have my practicum experience written in my relevant work section.

Also, to clarify, I am currently finishing my master's in clinical psych  

[Schy]

Hello All! This is my second year applying to PhD clinical psych programs and I'm hoping this will be the LAST year! My GRE was really low (140s for V and Q and a 4 in writing) I'm currently in the throws of studying and recently purchased a program from MAGOOSH so.... fingers crossed! 

 

So far I have a list of programs I'm interested in applying and I'm hoping to find more with researchers that have a similar interest! My research focus is evidence based health interventions for trauma victims (ptsd), substance abuse, contingency management, and CBT. I also have a new interest in the behavioral economics of when people make the switch from abusing prescription opiates to abusing illicit ones. 

University of California at Irvine

University of Memphis

Utah State University

Utah State University

UCSD &SDSU joint program

University of Texas at Austin

University of Montana

[Yep]

On 6/16/2019 at 6:23 PM, Psychcat23 said:

Hi there! I'm very glad this forum was started early as I have been narrowing down my school list! This will be my second time applying to clinical psy. PhD programs. My school choices as of right now (these may change based on who is accepting students when that is announced): 

- Syracuse University

- U. Rochester 

- Vanderbilt 

- UC San Diego 

- Case Western 

- Rutgers

- Binghamton

- Old Dominion

- Hofstra 

- U. Georgia - Athens 

- Drexel

My biggest question is, if anyone can answer: what seems to be the general consensus among schools regarding GRE scores..? I know this differs among schools but I am looking for any information overall..... I have a very strong research background, but HORRIBLE GRE scores (I'm retaking the regular GRE and the psych. subject GRE - but I don't have much hope for myself). For reference, I have 2 publications, 9 poster presentations, an oral presentation at EPA, I completed an undergrad. research thesis, I will have completed my masters research thesis next year.., 3.5 under grad GPA and currently in a clinical psychology masters program with a 3.9 GPA from an Ivy League school. I also have been awarded grants, I have worked in four labs now with experience as a lab manager, MRI/fMRI training, clinical exposure.. I will have great letters of recommendation as well.

While I have all of these good attributes, I have taken the GRE twice and the best I have scored is a 30th percentile on Verbal, literally 16th percentile on quant. and 85th percentile in writing. I am extremely aware of how terrible these scores are, and I would like some input on: if these are as good as my scores can get, will they keep me out of programs regardless of my other experience/grades..?

Any input/tips for the GRE would be SO helpful  Good luck everyone! 

Hey! It sounds like you have all the pieces to succeed but you most likely wont get many offers with your GRE scores. Just based on your GPA & experience, I assume you have issues with standardized tests or you didnt study. I highly suggest you grind and take the GRE again.

[episome1996]

Hi all, good luck to everyone!

Does anyone have any input on applying for clinical psych programs this cycle when all 5 years of research (1.5 in current lab and 3.5 in undergrad, two different labs) have been in genetics and not psychology? I have a lot of conferences and awards to show for my strength in research and I want to apply genetic factors in psych research but I'm worried programs will skip over me since my experience is not psych-related. 

[PsyDuck90]

39 minutes ago, episome1996 said:

Hi all, good luck to everyone!

Does anyone have any input on applying for clinical psych programs this cycle when all 5 years of research (1.5 in current lab and 3.5 in undergrad, two different labs) have been in genetics and not psychology? I have a lot of conferences and awards to show for my strength in research and I want to apply genetic factors in psych research but I'm worried programs will skip over me since my experience is not psych-related. 

As long as you can tie in your experience well in an SOP, and your interests align with those of the faculty, you should be fine. The research skills are still transferable.

[psycstudent2018]

On 6/16/2019 at 9:23 PM, Psychcat23 said:

Hi there! I'm very glad this forum was started early as I have been narrowing down my school list! This will be my second time applying to clinical psy. PhD programs. My school choices as of right now (these may change based on who is accepting students when that is announced): 

- Syracuse University

- U. Rochester 

- Vanderbilt 

- UC San Diego 

- Case Western 

- Rutgers

- Binghamton

- Old Dominion

- Hofstra 

- U. Georgia - Athens 

- Drexel

My biggest question is, if anyone can answer: what seems to be the general consensus among schools regarding GRE scores..? I know this differs among schools but I am looking for any information overall..... I have a very strong research background, but HORRIBLE GRE scores (I'm retaking the regular GRE and the psych. subject GRE - but I don't have much hope for myself). For reference, I have 2 publications, 9 poster presentations, an oral presentation at EPA, I completed an undergrad. research thesis, I will have completed my masters research thesis next year.., 3.5 under grad GPA and currently in a clinical psychology masters program with a 3.9 GPA from an Ivy League school. I also have been awarded grants, I have worked in four labs now with experience as a lab manager, MRI/fMRI training, clinical exposure.. I will have great letters of recommendation as well.

While I have all of these good attributes, I have taken the GRE twice and the best I have scored is a 30th percentile on Verbal, literally 16th percentile on quant. and 85th percentile in writing. I am extremely aware of how terrible these scores are, and I would like some input on: if these are as good as my scores can get, will they keep me out of programs regardless of my other experience/grades..?

Any input/tips for the GRE would be SO helpful  Good luck everyone! 

Get Magoosh, take the ETS practice tests, and make this your ONLY priority for the next month. You absolutely have to get your scores up and that comes with practice. You need to be studying every single day. 

[379337933793]

A couple questions; 

1. Are there any drawbacks to submitting applications (for Clinical Psych PhD programs) this early? Do some faculty members review applications on a rolling basis? I'm in a lull in my day research job and would like to use the extra time to submit applications in the next 2-3 weeks. 

2. In last year's thread, it seemed like some people got interviews as early as mid-December. I recall seeing someone who got cold-called by their potential PI on roughly December 20th. Is this something I realistically need to prepare for? How would you approach being 100% unavailable for a week in mid December? I've thought about emailing program coordinators in advance and will set an automatic email reply, is this advisable or will it appear unprofessional?

[PsyDuck90]

2 hours ago, tomatotomahto said:

A couple questions; 

1. Are there any drawbacks to submitting applications (for Clinical Psych PhD programs) this early? Do some faculty members review applications on a rolling basis? I'm in a lull in my day research job and would like to use the extra time to submit applications in the next 2-3 weeks. 

2. In last year's thread, it seemed like some people got interviews as early as mid-December. I recall seeing someone who got cold-called by their potential PI on roughly December 20th. Is this something I realistically need to prepare for? How would you approach being 100% unavailable for a week in mid December? I've thought about emailing program coordinators in advance and will set an automatic email reply, is this advisable or will it appear unprofessional?

1. No drawbacks or real benefits. While there may be 1 or 2 programs that may review material prior to the admissions deadline, rolling admissions is not common in clinical PhD programs. Right now, everyone is getting back into the swing of things in the semester and also making sure that the most senior cohort is ready for internship apps and dissertation defenses. 

2. You don't need to make yourself 100% available if a program reaches out. They understand you have responsibilities. Make sure your voicemail message is updated and professional. You don't need to set up an automatic reply for your email. That's usually for out-of-office notifications for work. If you really want to, I don't think that will derail your chances of getting in. It just may confuse the person sending the email, as they may assume you are unavailable or they typed in the email address wrong. You don't need to answer within 2 minutes of getting an email. Replying within 24-48 hours is a generally accepted standard. There may be the occasional person who teaches out December 20th or so. The vast majority are focused on the holidays with their families and getting final grades posted for the end of fall semester. 

[psycstudent2018]

How bad is it to go over the word limit on your personal statement? I'm at 544 right now for a school that requires 500.

[Aghhhhh]

Hi there everyone, new poster here! I am applying to clinical psych PhD programs this fall, and have my list of schools (this is my first time applying, so I have a list of 12 schools to better my chances of getting in the first time).

My list of schools are:

University of Missouri - Saint Louis (UMSL)

University of Colorado - Colorado Springs (UCCS)

Northern Illinois University

University of Kentucky

University of Delaware

Pennsylvania State University - University Park

Temple University

Vanderbilt University

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Emory University

University of Wisconsin-Madison

University of Minnesota

For some background, I graduated with a B.S. in Psychology in 2018 (I also graduated with a B.F.A in fine art). My cumulative GPA is a 3.9, and my Psych GPA is a 4.0. GRE scores are 162 V/160 Q/5 W, and I just took the GRE psych subject test (I anticipate it will be around 730-750, since my practice tests were around those scores). I took 2 years after graduating to gain some research experience in addition to working as an undergrad RA for 2 years--currently a research coordinator at a hospital, working on a validation study for a PTSD/Dep screener, and I am also a research coordinator at a behavioral genetics institute, working on a study analyzing PTSD, Alcohol abuse, and fear acquisition. I'm also 3rd author on a publication that has been submitted to a journal, I have 3 poster presentations (1st author on only one) , and 3 oral presentations (1st author on all). No real "clinical" experience although I do conduct clinical interviews with patients at the hospital, so not sure if I could spin that.

I'm hoping I could get some insight about a couple things: 1) obviously, I have a ton of research experience with trauma and PTSD and therefore, I'm applying to 8 schools that have faculty specifically working with PTSD; however, I am really interested in Schizophrenia-Spectrum DO & psychosis, and would love to study trauma risk factors. 4 of my schools have faculty working specifically with psychosis, but they are all top schools and I'm wondering what my chances would be to get into them? How can I word my personal statement to make me a competitive applicant without having any experience working with psychosis or schizophrenia? 2) I know for a fact all of my potential PI's are accepting students, so should I still email them? Is it too late to email them now?

Sorry for long post, and thank you in advance! ?