Worth a shot or better to give up this cycle? (Clinical Ph.D program without clinical experiences)

[ICDI777]

I have been interested in clinical psychology since the beginning of my journey in the psych field. In fact, my initial goal was going to clinical a Ph.D program.

However, when I took a social psychology class during my junior-senior year, my interest shifted dramatically and I have built my research experience in social psychology field ever since.

I do have a relatively good amount of research experience -- 3-4 years of RA experience from 2-3 different (social psych & neuroscience) labs and 1.5 year as a lab manager (in social psych lab). Also, I do have lots of clinical courses (A-~A) taken during my undergrad although I am not sure if these will help at all. GPA is okay (almost 3.9 and psych GPA is above 3.9). Good LoRs but all from social faculty. I also do have clear ideas of what I want to study during my grad years as a clinical grad student.

On the other hand, unfortunately, no publication and only one poster presentation at a conference (social). Also, I do not have any clinical experience at all.

Do you think I should take another year to build some clinical experience and related research experience? or it is worth a shot to apply this cycle?

Here are some programs I have been looking at: USC, Stony Brook, Washu, Rochester.

 

Please share some of your thoughts based on your experience and knowledge in the clinical field! Thanks!

 

Edited September 29, 2020 by ICDI777

[Rerun]

If you don't have financial constraint, try out and have an application experience. It's not bad to just try out and see what the odd is like. I suggest to try 1-3 programs that you can really see a fit, those that have professors in your area of research interest, or the schools that accept people with an overall department match. Find that research fit and write your story well. I think your research experience as a fresh undergrad looks solid and prepared for a PhD. I've asked some professors whether they actually ask for clinical experience or publication, and most of them said not necessarily. You can ask the school admission about that to have a better view. I haven't been accepted so this is probably not valid, this is just a general suggestion from my experience applying two years in a row. I think being competitive with a solid experience is one thing, but knowing what you want and write that story well is another thing. The great point is you know what you want to do. Not everyone has that. I hope that helps.

[SoundofSilence]

6 hours ago, ICDI777 said:

I have been interested in clinical psychology since the beginning of my journey in the psych field. In fact, my initial goal was going to clinical a Ph.D program.

However, when I took a social psychology class during my junior-senior year, my interest shifted dramatically and I have built my research experience in social psychology field ever since.

I do have a relatively good amount of research experience -- 3-4 years of RA experience from 2-3 different (social psych & neuroscience) labs and 1.5 year as a lab manager (in social psych lab). Also, I do have lots of clinical courses (A-~A) taken during my undergrad although I am not sure if these will help at all. GPA is okay (almost 3.9 and psych GPA is above 3.9). Good LoRs but all from social faculty. I also do have clear ideas of what I want to study during my grad years as a clinical grad student.

On the other hand, unfortunately, no publication and only one poster presentation at a conference (social). Also, I do not have any clinical experience at all.

Do you think I should take another year to build some clinical experience and related research experience? or it is worth a shot to apply this cycle?

Here are some programs I have been looking at: USC, Stony Brook, Washu, Rochester.

 

Please share some of your thoughts based on your experience and knowledge in the clinical field! Thanks!

 

I have some experience with a couple of the programs you mentioned. They are competitive, but previous successful applicants have mostly similar experience. So I say you might have a shot. Honestly, it might be more about how your interests and previous experience match with the POIs there. 

Some clinical POIs do have a lot of crossover to social psych, so your experience might be more valued there. Having non-clinical referees is not an issue, as long as they can speak about your academic and research experience. 

Most programs don't really expect clinical experience (since it's hard to get meaningful experience as an undergrad, it's a catch-22 situation). However - clinical experience can help you clarify if you enjoy doing clinical work and if it's a good fit for you. I've seen cases where people went to a lot of trouble getting into clinical, just to realize they don't really want to practice. I mean it's fine, since the field still needs a lot of good researchers that stay in academia, just that if you hate clinical work your practicums and internships will feel like a drag.

Let me know if you have other questions. Best of luck!

[PsyDuck90]

As previous posters have said, your lack of clinical experience shouldn't be a big deal, especially for schools like Stony Brook. While you can get your license and practice after graduating Stony Brook's program, they pretty much train academic researchers (as can be depicted on their website and I've heard from graduates/current students). Not super familiar with the other programs on your list. Programs that are PCSAS accredited are going to value research experience above all else.