gap year student deciding between masters, psyd, or phd - help!!

[chl0e]

hi everyone! i recently graduated from TCNJ with a 3.922 gpa with decent research (independent study and senior honors thesis included) and clinical experience (hotline volunteer and counseling intern), as well as leadership roles in clubs. i am currently taking a gap year and trying to decide what programs i want to apply to. keep in mind, i would be happy doing anything in the clinical field - therapy, academia, or research - i honestly love it all! my issue is that i could not obtain a job as a research assistant and my professor said it is rare to get into a phd program without outside research experience (as in, additional research outside of undergrad). this makes me feel like applying to phd programs right now would be useless, knowing how competitive they are - if i couldn't even get a job as an RA how am i to get into a phd program? this revelation led me to the psyd programs, which i think i would love, but i am wondering how cost efficient these programs are. i know there is a lot of debt involved and i am not sure if the resulting salary would be worth it. i do live in nj and would ideally go to rutgers, which does have a partially funded psyd program. then, after considering expenses, i thought about masters degrees. if i were to get my lpc, i would be in and out of school in two years, which is enticing, although i wonder how much i would enjoy this. i feel as though i would prefer being able to do administration and assessment, which i would not be able to do without a doctorate degree. then, i thought about potentially going for my masters in psychological sciences and then applying to phd programs afterward when i have more experience. truthfully, i am all over the place and would appreciate any advice or experience anyone could give me. i was premed up until my senior year and thought i would be attending medical school until i realized that's not what i wanted to do, so i'm still navigating the world of psych grad school. there is a lot of back and forth online concerning all of these degrees, so i wanted to put my stats out there and see what people in the field thought. feel free to tell me about your experiences and thoughts with these programs, it's much appreciated ... thanks!

[PsyDuck90]

The difference between reputable PsyD programs, such as Rutgers, Kean, and William Paterson compared to balanced PhD programs is negligible. Also, most students entering those programs have similar research experiences to students entering scientist-practitioner model PhD programs. I would keep trying for RA positions-look on listservs, cold email researchers who you are interested in working with, and ask your advisor if they happen to know someone (use your network). If you can't find a paid RA position, would you be able to dedicate some time volunteering in a lab of your interest? Honestly, a master's is usually best for people who maybe didn't have as great of a GPA and need to make up for it. However, there are some, like Wake Forest, which are fully funded and have a strong record of placing graduates into PhD programs. While research experience (especially products like conference posters/presentations and publications) is an important part of the application, so is research fit. You want to be applying to programs that have a strong mentor fit, as you often apply to work with a specific individual or lab. So you also want to spend some time really thinking about what you want your research to focus on and your career goals after graduation, and it's ok if these change over time--its incredibly common. 

[SendMeAnEmailPlz]

I would highly recommend not doing a psyd or a masters. They are not worth the cost to you and psyds come with a stigma that you’ll carry your whole career.

If it’s feasible try to publish your independent research from undergrad while searching for an RA position (paid or volunteer). Finding an RA position now and then applying in one or two years is your best bet. Your gpa and honors thesis are big helps to your app.

[chl0e]

thank you both for your help! i could volunteer in a lab, but was trying to avoid it. maybe i'll try cold emails and if that doesn't work out i'll try to volunteer. thanks again for the advice!