2022 clinical psych psyd/phd CHANCE ME

[korsakoff23]

Hi everyone,

I am currently applying to clinical PsyD/PhD programs and am wondering my chances. My end goal is neuropsych. I am trying straight out of undergrad and am not sure of my competitiveness..

- 3.8 GPA in Honors Program | Psych Major with tons of psych classes 

Involved in 2 research labs on campus one RA experience as a visiting RA at Stanford, currently conducting my own research now but won't be done by app deadlines. No publications

Clinical internship working at mental health outpatient facility and have one on one client interactions. Ran a special needs camp this summer and lots of early childhood experience as I want to work with kids. Was also a TA for psych stats. 

Right now, I am finalizing my own research and am working on 2 posters that I'll present at a conference in April.  Don't love research and would rather PsyD but not opposed now that no GRE. Do i bother applying to phd with no publications?? HELP!!!!

[Clinapp2017]

22 hours ago, korsakoff23 said:

Hi everyone,

I am currently applying to clinical PsyD/PhD programs and am wondering my chances. My end goal is neuropsych. I am trying straight out of undergrad and am not sure of my competitiveness..

- 3.8 GPA in Honors Program | Psych Major with tons of psych classes 

Involved in 2 research labs on campus one RA experience as a visiting RA at Stanford, currently conducting my own research now but won't be done by app deadlines. No publications

Clinical internship working at mental health outpatient facility and have one on one client interactions. Ran a special needs camp this summer and lots of early childhood experience as I want to work with kids. Was also a TA for psych stats. 

Right now, I am finalizing my own research and am working on 2 posters that I'll present at a conference in April.  Don't love research and would rather PsyD but not opposed now that no GRE. Do i bother applying to phd with no publications?? HELP!!!!

If you don't want to do research at all, a PsyD might be better fit (but way more expensive). PhD programs are highly competitive, and even more so for neuropsych or other speciality concentrations of clinical psych. 

 

My two cents: I would apply to RA jobs and work for 2 years and then apply. If you will have 0 posters and 0 publications on your resume right now, you may be competitive in other areas (GPA, volunteering) but you are not very competitive on the research front. Many people work 2+ years in paid full-time research roles, which gives you some invaluable experience and also gives you more time to present posters, maybe even co-author or first-author some pubs. 

 

Just my two cents. I did come straight into my program after undergrad but was fortunate to have a very active mentor in my undergrad so I had already presented several posters and had what would become my first first-author pub in revision by the time I applied to grad school. 

 

 

[PsyDuck90]

To piggy back off what @Clinapp2017said, even PsyDs require research. Any PsyD program requires an original dissertation at the very least. The majority of university-based PsyDs (think Rutgers, Baylor, etc.) have a similar research expectation as balanced PhD programs. Some even have a mentorship model, with applicants applying to work with specific faculty. In order to be a good evidence-based practitioner, you need to be able to read and understand research. The best way to have a strong grasp of research methodology and stats is by doing. These skills are especially important in neuropsych because you need to be very familiar with psychometrics to be able to evaluate the reliability and validity of different assessments to make sure you are using appropriate tools (not every published assessment is created equal). 

[PsyberPsych3311]

I agree - you can't escape research with a doctorate, PsyD or PhD. 

Do you have a strong research fit with the PhD (or PsyD for mentor match programs) professors you are applying to? And will your application clearly show that fit? If not, I would probably wait and apply later. It's not 100% impossible to get in to a PhD or competitive PsyD without research posters/pubs, but the people who manage it are going to have extremely good fits and big bonuses elsewhere in their application (like skills and experiences, not scores/grades). 

An unsolicited personal aside - I think there's great benefit to waiting and not going straight out of undergrad. Of course there are people that go straight in and do great, but having a couple (or more) years to really refine your interests, gain more experiences, etc can make grad school more productive. I know it can feel like there's a ticking clock, but I promise there isn't. It's a personal decision, but something to keep in mind if you decide not to apply or don't get in this round. Everyone I know that had to or chose to wait will tell you that they're better for it (myself included).