looking to apply for fall 2021

[prospectivegradstudent21]

hi everybody! im a dual citizen that's hoping to apply to a lot of MA programs in clincial psych within Ontario as well as some in the US. currently im in my 4th year so i hope to graduate in the upcoming winter or spring/summer term! i actually am finishing up my BA in psych at an american university however, i am quite limited when it comes to where i can move due to family concerns (im south asian so moving out is already a huge deal, especially in my family, so im only allowed to move so far. applying to different provinces or states is kind of out of the question). i have a list of schools that i want to apply to: ryerson, western, u windsor, waterloo, mcmaster, UTSC, york, u ottawa, guelph and a couple others within the US. 

i have some research experience but im scared that its not enough. i was in a lab for 6 months and then confirmed to be in a lab in the winter semester of my third year, which just so happened to be a month before COVID happened. that position couldnt be switched virtually and therefore, i had to look for other labs. right now im in a lab for psych and doing lab work w 2 other professors finding literature reviews, annotating, etc. additionally, i dont really have work experience and my campus involvement is in 3 clubs. i dont have any publications although i might be able to this year but in the field of my minor (which is not psych) and i also havent spoken at conferences or done presentations. my gpa is a 3.78/4.0 (3.71 for just my major). additionally, my school doesnt make us write a thesis unless youre an honours student, which i am not, so i dont have a thesis but i do have research interests. 

so after giving all the details i have a couple of questions. i understand that if u do an MA youre expected to finish ur PhD usually from the same school and additionally, accreditation is v important and kids usually apply for grants to help pay tuition. im kind of just nervous because i know it's extremely competitive so i guess any advice would be great or being able to chat with someone who are in these schools graduate programs, just so i can ask some basic questions would be nice. im specifically interested in pediatric psych and would love to one day work in a hospital or clinic alongside doctors and nurses to help a patient with trauma/fear/PTSD. additionally, im really interested in looking at interventions for children, especially those of colour, and how interventions to make trauma or PTSD manageable for both the child but how parents, especially from minority groups, who think mental health is taboo (and might not know how to help their child/could make it worse), can be helped.

i guess my question is do i have a chance? is it really worth it to apply to like 15 schools (mostly MA, american ones are almost all PhD)? all of these schools have faculty that have either worked with children or have done research on PTSD/trauma so my hope is that under advisors from these schools, i can take this knowledge and research it myself and then, apply it to my skills as a practitioner. i hope this makes sense (sorry if its overflowing with rambled sentences and all over the place im quite stressed). if you go to these schools i would love to be able to chat with you about your experience and your application process, etc. id also just love to get a better feel of whether im doing this correctly and whether my credentials make me an applicant theyd even consider.

[alts98]

On 11/3/2020 at 4:25 AM, prospectivegradstudent21 said:

i have some research experience but im scared that its not enough. i was in a lab for 6 months and then confirmed to be in a lab in the winter semester of my third year, which just so happened to be a month before COVID happened. that position couldnt be switched virtually and therefore, i had to look for other labs. right now im in a lab for psych and doing lab work w 2 other professors finding literature reviews, annotating, etc. additionally, i dont really have work experience and my campus involvement is in 3 clubs. i dont have any publications although i might be able to this year but in the field of my minor (which is not psych) and i also havent spoken at conferences or done presentations. my gpa is a 3.78/4.0 (3.71 for just my major). additionally, my school doesnt make us write a thesis unless youre an honours student, which i am not, so i dont have a thesis but i do have research interests. 

so after giving all the details i have a couple of questions. i understand that if u do an MA youre expected to finish ur PhD usually from the same school and additionally, accreditation is v important and kids usually apply for grants to help pay tuition. im kind of just nervous because i know it's extremely competitive so i guess any advice would be great or being able to chat with someone who are in these schools graduate programs, just so i can ask some basic questions would be nice. im specifically interested in pediatric psych and would love to one day work in a hospital or clinic alongside doctors and nurses to help a patient with trauma/fear/PTSD. additionally, im really interested in looking at interventions for children, especially those of colour, and how interventions to make trauma or PTSD manageable for both the child but how parents, especially from minority groups, who think mental health is taboo (and might not know how to help their child/could make it worse), can be helped.

i guess my question is do i have a chance? is it really worth it to apply to like 15 schools (mostly MA, american ones are almost all PhD)? all of these schools have faculty that have either worked with children or have done research on PTSD/trauma so my hope is that under advisors from these schools, i can take this knowledge and research it myself and then, apply it to my skills as a practitioner. i hope this makes sense (sorry if its overflowing with rambled sentences and all over the place im quite stressed). if you go to these schools i would love to be able to chat with you about your experience and your application process, etc. id also just love to get a better feel of whether im doing this correctly and whether my credentials make me an applicant theyd even consider.

You can definitely finish your MA without having to do a PhD... Most MA programs just aren't listed as "clinical psych" but can be listed as psychology, forensic psychology, counseling psychology, etc. Masters programs tend to be less competitive and I think 6 months of lab works along with your current lab is more than what I've seen other students be accepted with and not everyone writes a thesis. You have a really good GPA and if you get strong letters of recommendation and good personal statement you should be a good candidate for acceptance. I don't know if you should apply to 15 schools but if you want to be in the safe side, you can.