Advice for college junior interested in school psych?

[schoolpsych2b]

Hello wonderful people,

Was wondering if any school psychology applicants/students/etc. have any advice for a college junior interested in school psych doctoral programs, and if people think I have a decent shot at getting into doctoral programs right out of undergrad.

I'm extremely passionate about both special education and school-based mental health, particularly the intersection among the two. I love schools and education, and love the idea of getting to work with teachers and administrators to make school climates better for students' mental health. I would love to work in a middle or high school and get to do a balance of psychoeducational testing as well as individual/group counseling.

I'm a psych and women's, gender, & sexuality studies double major at a fairly well-regarded liberal arts school with a 3.92 GPA (3.83 in psych). I took the GRE general test in September and got a 159 on quant, 163 on verbal, and 5.5 on AW, and plan on taking the psych subject test next fall (I know I took it super early but my advisor suggested I spend one summer studying for the general test and one studying for the psych test so it was more manageable).

In terms of research experience, I've completed a handful of research projects in undergrad so far, will potentially be an RA next semester while studying abroad (interviewing this week), and plan on completing a senior honors project next year. I'm also looking into summer research internships/RA positions as well. In terms of clinical/applied/non-research experience, I'm a crisis counselor for Crisis Text Line, staff the 24-hour hotline at a local domestic violence shelter, work seasonally/during the summer with individuals with special needs, teach students with special needs at a religious school, and intern with my school's Title IX office. I'm also a member of my school's chapter of Psi Chi, Alpha Lambda Delta (first-year honor society), and National Society of Leadership & Success.

I'm looking at both Psy.D and PhD programs. I definitely want a doctorate so that I also have the option of practicing in a hospital/clinic/private practice/etc. and not only a school. I know about the differences between Psy.Ds and PhDs - I am interested in research and would love to do program evaluation type research while practicing in a school, but would not be interested in doing research full-time. I've found some PhD programs that are strongly weighted towards research and have thrown those out the window and am only looking at PhD programs that seem to balance research and practice fairly evenly. And as we all know, PhD programs are generally much more affordable.

Sooooo...if anyone has any tips/advice about what types of experiences to get, how to be more competitive, or thoughts on if I can get into doctoral programs straight out of undergrad, please share! Thank you

[Sigaba]

1 hour ago, schoolpsych2b said:

any advice for a college junior interested in school psych doctoral programs,

https://www.apa.org/education/undergrad/research-opportunities

I recommend that you see what you can do to participate in a summer program that will allow you to develop further your expertise as a researcher as well as relationships with graduate students and professors who may mentor you and/or write you strong letters of recommendation.

I also recommend that you take a second pass at the schools you want to attend. Delve deeper into each program's perceived balance between research and practice. Do they generally favor practitioners or academics? (Do current faculty members have substantial experience as clinicians or just enough to do more research? Do programs place graduates in the type of jobs you want?) 

Additionally, please consider the advantages of cutting "etc." from your intellectual vocabulary for the next decade or two. Look at it this way. You've written a winning piece that has the POI reading it on your side-- until she realizes that her practice falls under the category of "etc."

Finally, give some thought to figuring out if words like "love" and "passion" are appropriate for your field. Do words that convey emotion help or hinder aspiring graduate students seeking admission? Are such words appropriate for professional communication? Are there other words that generally convey the same level of drive?