what should I do in order to be a strong applicant

[isa.belllllla]

Hi guys. I'm currently an undergrad student in Brazil majoring in psychology, but I was born in the US, so I'm considering applying for graduate school there once I finish my undergrad studies here. I was wondering: in order to be a strong applicant for graduate school in clinical psychology, what are the things I should do during college? I know I must keep a good GPA and get involved in research, but is that enough? What are the "hidden" criteria? Do I have to volunteer, for example? Is it more important to publish a paper or to get a good internship? And about the internship, are some areas more valuable than others? Any information will help. Thanks!

[Ppkitty]

Ideally, publish during your internship! Are you interested in clinical psychology? Even though you are a US citizen, it may be an uphill battle getting into a US PhD program as an international student, so that’s just something to keep in mind. Unfortunately you have to do better than your US peers to stand out.

[HAC]

42 minutes ago, Ppkitty said:

Ideally, publish during your internship! Are you interested in clinical psychology? Even though you are a US citizen, it may be an uphill battle getting into a US PhD program as an international student, so that’s just something to keep in mind. Unfortunately you have to do better than your US peers to stand out.

If she is a US citizen, then she isn’t considered an international student. 

[Ppkitty]

4 minutes ago, HAC said:

If she is a US citizen, then she isn’t considered an international student. 

A misunderstanding on my part! I thought an international student is also one who did their primary undergraduate studies abroad. OP, hope that clarification from HAC helps!

[SocDevMum]

4 hours ago, isa.belllllla said:

Hi guys. I'm currently an undergrad student in Brazil majoring in psychology, but I was born in the US, so I'm considering applying for graduate school there once I finish my undergrad studies here. I was wondering: in order to be a strong applicant for graduate school in clinical psychology, what are the things I should do during college? I know I must keep a good GPA and get involved in research, but is that enough? What are the "hidden" criteria? Do I have to volunteer, for example? Is it more important to publish a paper or to get a good internship? And about the internship, are some areas more valuable than others? Any information will help. Thanks!

Do an internship, preferably with the population you are interested in working in - children, the elderly, addiction.  Participate in conferences, present posters and give oral presentations when you can.  Write and submit to journals for publication. If you have time, AND it will offer something meaningful to you and your app, volunteer with services that are relevant to your degree.  Nail the GRE, and become as proficient a writer as you can - you will want to have excellent writing samples to show you can write in a clear, concise, scientific manner.  And save lot of money for application fees! Cinical psychology is probably the single most competitive program in the country, and it is highly recommended that you apply to several (I was told no less than 7-10) different programs.

It's great that you are planning ahead now, give yourself plenty of time to find the research topics that really interest you so you can formulate effective personal statements and purpose statements.