University of Maryland PhD Counseling Psychology - should I apply?

[hpomales]

Hi! I would appreciate any feedback, especially from anyone who has applied/been accepted into the UMD (College Park) PhD Counseling Psych Program!! 

I was previously in a PhD clinical psych program, but unfortunately had to leave the program due to financial constraints (an essentially non funded program). I did very well academically in the program, so my transcript is strong. 

I have now been working in the field (counseling and research positions) for the last 4 years since then. I was working in the field prior to my first program, so I have a solid CV. Aside from a high GPA and good transcripts, lots of research and applied experience, I have solid LOCs and can write a good statement. My one challenge is the GRE - I didn’t perform exceptionally the first time, although I was accepted into several programs. I looked into UMD’s Counseling Psych program, and noticed it says that they have no GRE cut off scores and don’t provide averages or means of their students. I will have to retake the GRE since mine has expired. I cannot imagine doing better than I did last time, as I’ve been out of school for a little while. My scores were something like: 

Verbal: 85th percentile 

Quant: 25th percentile 

Writing: 5

Does anyone have any insight as to scores like this for this specific program? I honestly don’t anticipate scoring higher than this on the quant. 

Thanks!! 

[Jung&Psyched]

On 6/6/2019 at 7:50 PM, hpomales said:

Hi! I would appreciate any feedback, especially from anyone who has applied/been accepted into the UMD (College Park) PhD Counseling Psych Program!! 

I was previously in a PhD clinical psych program, but unfortunately had to leave the program due to financial constraints (an essentially non funded program). I did very well academically in the program, so my transcript is strong. 

I have now been working in the field (counseling and research positions) for the last 4 years since then. I was working in the field prior to my first program, so I have a solid CV. Aside from a high GPA and good transcripts, lots of research and applied experience, I have solid LOCs and can write a good statement. My one challenge is the GRE - I didn’t perform exceptionally the first time, although I was accepted into several programs. I looked into UMD’s Counseling Psych program, and noticed it says that they have no GRE cut off scores and don’t provide averages or means of their students. I will have to retake the GRE since mine has expired. I cannot imagine doing better than I did last time, as I’ve been out of school for a little while. My scores were something like: 

Verbal: 85th percentile 

Quant: 25th percentile 

Writing: 5

Does anyone have any insight as to scores like this for this specific program? I honestly don’t anticipate scoring higher than this on the quant. 

Thanks!! 

I don't have any experience regarding UMD (I am from the DC metro area though and UMD has a good reputation); however, I would say that with your experience and solid verbal and writing scores, I would not let your quant score stop you from applying.  Schools will look at your whole application and having one low score should not be a HUGE barrier unless you are applying to extremely competitive counseling psych programs. I also recommend the Magoosh app for studying for the GRE.  It helped me a lot on the quant section (brought my score from the 19th percentile to the 45th) ....it gives a lot of testing strategies and tips and tricks for how to approach the quant questions.

 

Good luck! 

[JoePianist]

That quant score is pretty rough — for a Counseling Psychology PhD program you need to be around 50th percentile 

[psychology_student_]

On 6/6/2019 at 4:50 PM, hpomales said:

Hi! I would appreciate any feedback, especially from anyone who has applied/been accepted into the UMD (College Park) PhD Counseling Psych Program!! 

I was previously in a PhD clinical psych program, but unfortunately had to leave the program due to financial constraints (an essentially non funded program). I did very well academically in the program, so my transcript is strong. 

I have now been working in the field (counseling and research positions) for the last 4 years since then. I was working in the field prior to my first program, so I have a solid CV. Aside from a high GPA and good transcripts, lots of research and applied experience, I have solid LOCs and can write a good statement. My one challenge is the GRE - I didn’t perform exceptionally the first time, although I was accepted into several programs. I looked into UMD’s Counseling Psych program, and noticed it says that they have no GRE cut off scores and don’t provide averages or means of their students. I will have to retake the GRE since mine has expired. I cannot imagine doing better than I did last time, as I’ve been out of school for a little while. My scores were something like: 

Verbal: 85th percentile 

Quant: 25th percentile 

Writing: 5

Does anyone have any insight as to scores like this for this specific program? I honestly don’t anticipate scoring higher than this on the quant. 

Thanks!! 

It's literally their first FAQ on their website:

"The typical applicant who is competitive has (a) GRE scores over the 50th percentile, (b) a GPA of 3.5 or above for the last 60 hours of the baccalaureate degree, and (c) a graduate GPA of 3.75 (if a previous master's degree has been earned). We look for experience in both research and counseling, and we are committed to training a culturally diverse group of students. Mean GRE score percentiles for students admitted in recent years typically fall between 75-90."