am I doomed?

[spctle342]

Hi everyone, I'm new to these forums and trying to soak up all the advice I can as I prepare to apply for admission to graduate programs for Fall 2012. I posted a question on the social work forum last night, but was hoping to get some advice from a broader audience, as well, since my question isn't necessarily field-specific.

About me:

Graduating in December; B.S. in psychology

4.0 GPA

Interested in social work MSW/Ph.D programs (focus on policy, specifically the intersection of policy & practice in child welfare systems)

Haven't taken the GRE yet, but anticipate scoring high in general with a somewhat lower score on the quantitative section (working to improve the latter)

Have an equivalent of 6 years full-time experience in social work (3 years exclusively in child welfare)

Should have stellar LoRs from thesis advisor, research methods prof, and internship supervisor (MSW) in a social work policy setting

Only beginning to craft my SoP/personal statements but not too bad with words--this should be a selling point for me

My major disadvantage is that I come from an undergraduate institution where research isn't a huge priority. I've been repeatedly denied the opportunity to participate in any research (despite faculty who were willing to serve as advisors) because the dean feels his faculty are too busy to be bothered with this. As a result, I have nothing to my name except a 25-page literature review. Excellent quality, but still ONLY a literature review. I have no doubt that I'm capable of performing research, and I have no greater passion than research, but I have been pathetically unsuccessful in finding an avenue in which that would be a possibility.

Will this hold me back from graduate programs? Is it unheard of for a student to be accepted into a joint masters/Ph.D program with no original/publishable research at the undergraduate level? My college keeps telling me that I'll have plenty of time to do research when I get into graduate school, but I feel like their logic is a bit flawed, considering they're essentially asking me to invite a university to take a risk in funding a student's "practice" at research.

What on earth can I do to improve the odds of getting into a good program? I hate to think that a stubborn dean could be the deciding factor in how my future pans out, but I feel as though my lack of research is the only thing really holding me back. Do I just accept that I'm not going to be a suitable Ph.D candidate and shell out the cash for an unfunded MSW with the faint hope that I can get the experience necessary to propel myself into a Ph.D program?

[neuropsych76]

Hi everyone, I'm new to these forums and trying to soak up all the advice I can as I prepare to apply for admission to graduate programs for Fall 2012. I posted a question on the social work forum last night, but was hoping to get some advice from a broader audience, as well, since my question isn't necessarily field-specific.

About me:

Graduating in December; B.S. in psychology

4.0 GPA

Interested in social work MSW/Ph.D programs (focus on policy, specifically the intersection of policy & practice in child welfare systems)

Haven't taken the GRE yet, but anticipate scoring high in general with a somewhat lower score on the quantitative section (working to improve the latter)

Have an equivalent of 6 years full-time experience in social work (3 years exclusively in child welfare)

Should have stellar LoRs from thesis advisor, research methods prof, and internship supervisor (MSW) in a social work policy setting

Only beginning to craft my SoP/personal statements but not too bad with words--this should be a selling point for me

My major disadvantage is that I come from an undergraduate institution where research isn't a huge priority. I've been repeatedly denied the opportunity to participate in any research (despite faculty who were willing to serve as advisors) because the dean feels his faculty are too busy to be bothered with this. As a result, I have nothing to my name except a 25-page literature review. Excellent quality, but still ONLY a literature review. I have no doubt that I'm capable of performing research, and I have no greater passion than research, but I have been pathetically unsuccessful in finding an avenue in which that would be a possibility.

Will this hold me back from graduate programs? Is it unheard of for a student to be accepted into a joint masters/Ph.D program with no original/publishable research at the undergraduate level? My college keeps telling me that I'll have plenty of time to do research when I get into graduate school, but I feel like their logic is a bit flawed, considering they're essentially asking me to invite a university to take a risk in funding a student's "practice" at research.

What on earth can I do to improve the odds of getting into a good program? I hate to think that a stubborn dean could be the deciding factor in how my future pans out, but I feel as though my lack of research is the only thing really holding me back. Do I just accept that I'm not going to be a suitable Ph.D candidate and shell out the cash for an unfunded MSW with the faint hope that I can get the experience necessary to propel myself into a Ph.D program?

It would be really tough to be accepted into a PhD program with minimal research experience. You could take time off and work in a lab for a few years.

But if you want to do clinical work, do you want/need to get a PhD? There are some social work masters programs that are funded and I think that may be a better option for you.

[spctle342]

It would be really tough to be accepted into a PhD program with minimal research experience. You could take time off and work in a lab for a few years.

But if you want to do clinical work, do you want/need to get a PhD? There are some social work masters programs that are funded and I think that may be a better option for you.

I don't want to do clinical work, actually. Anything but! I guess I don't feel that a 2-year program of any calibur can really prepare me for in-depth research and policy analysis, which is why I'm looking primarily at joint MSW/Ph.D programs. It seems that social work is more forgiving than other professional programs and social sciences in terms of previous research, placing a greater emphasis on practical experience, but I don't know how much this holds true for MSW/Ph.D candidates.