Need help about grad school! Please help!

[dubiousgradschoolseeker]

Hello, this is the first time that I'm putting up a topic because I really need help! I am a psychology major going into my senior year. I have not taken GRE's yet but will in October. Anyway, right now I'm looking for graduate schools. I have a few questions and if someone could answer any I would be truly grateful. My future plans is..to hopefully have my own practice as a therapist of psychotherapist or work in a hospital/school setting. In a nutshell, I want to help people cope with situational and disorder problems. I am looking into clinical psychology programs. My questions are....

1. I'm not sure whether I want to get my MA and then PsyD or PhD. Is it true that I would have to start all over when I start my PhD/PsyD after getting my masters?

2. Even though I don't want to be a counselor, I been thinking on getting MA in counseling and then PhD/PsyD in clinical psychology. Is this possible? Would I have to "start over" when I begin my PhD/PsyD?

3. Can you help me with helpful websites/books that my have helped you as you applied to grad school? Anything would help!

4. Should I consider going into a general MA psychology program?

5. What the best way to start a SOP? (From someone who got accepted into a graduate program, preferably)

6. What about getting licensed as a psychologist. Should I get a PhD/PsyD program in a state where I "see" myself practicing.

[grimmiae]

I am happy to answer your questions. I don't mean for these answers to come off as harsh, but back a few years ago I seriously considered going into clinical psych., and after doing a lot of research I decided it was a very bad idea. Perhaps you will not change your mind as I did, but clinical psych is RIDICULOUSLY competitive. I am not saying that the competition should scare you away, but unless you are prepared for what becoming a clinical psychologist entails, I would advise that you take some time to really examine why you want your Phd or PsyD in clinical psych. if working with clients is what you want to do.

1. I'm not sure whether I want to get my MA and then PsyD or PhD. Is it true that I would have to start all over when I start my PhD/PsyD after getting my masters?

I have found that asking this question will get you plenty of mixed reviews. Getting a masters, for some programs, can either hurt you, do nothing for you, or help you in a very slight way. Chances are that no matter how you utilize a masters program, you would have to start over completely once you got accepted into a Phd program. I am not really sure about how the PsyD programs work with this, but you can easily find out my sending an e-mail to the grad services coordinator for that department. Chances are yes. That is the short version. Masters programs are dwindling down to exceedingly small numbers.

2. Even though I don't want to be a counselor, I been thinking on getting MA in counseling and then PhD/PsyD in clinical psychology. Is this possible? Would I have to "start over" when I begin my PhD/PsyD?

You could. Anything is possible, but more than anything, Phd programs want students with research experience, and lots of it. I've heard that many clinical programs could care less about your experience with "helping" people. In fact, I have heard that saying you want to help people is a BIG no no in your SOP. I would not advise going into a Phd program if you do not love doing research, if you don't love research getting your Phd is not for you. PsyDs tend to be ridiculously expensive. Keep in mind to that Clinical psychologists actually don't make much money at all. Unless you work in LA, have your own private practice, and work a lot to keep up with living expenses.

3. Can you help me with helpful websites/books that my have helped you as you applied to grad school? Anything would help!

4. Should I consider going into a general MA psychology program?

This all depends, if you want to use the MA to get a lot of experience with research, it could be beneficial. But, if you do not know what you want to research, you could end up working with an issue that you don't enjoy.

5. What the best way to start a SOP? (From someone who got accepted into a graduate program, preferably)

I can't answer this question too well, I am working on my own. Check the board where it says "writing an SOP" the link is something like that.

6. What about getting licensed as a psychologist. Should I get a PhD/PsyD program in a state where I "see" myself practicing.

I wouldn't worry about this too much. I would suggest that maybe you should get a job where you directly help people. I think that this puts the job into perspective because if you work in a psychiatric hospital, you realize that a lot of people with mental illnesses don't really "get better". I am not saying that you can't, but it is very difficult, and it is often a process that can take years. Plus, you would get to see the inner workings of how a hospital works, and how the mental health care system works. Also, if you have a professor who also works as a clinical psychologist I highly recommend talking to them about your questions.

But, I bet there is someone on the board who can better elaborate on these questions. I also think that looking into a book, just amazon it, would be helpful. Just make sure that is a book that is about the hoops you have to jump through to get a psyD or to get a Phd to become a practicing clinical psychologist.

Good luck.

[neuropsych76]

I agree with grimmiae said but I would also add to stay away from online clinical psychology degrees. Getting high in debt will be very tough for the uncertain times of clinical psychology.

[jynx]

Happy to lend my experience here. I got accepted to a clinical psychology PhD program that I will be starting in a couple weeks (yikes!)

1. It is almost definitely true that if you get an MA first, you will have to start over again when you do your PhD. There are some rare exceptions to this - for example, I think Pepperdine's doctoral program requires an MA prior to admission. But, generally speaking, the only reason to get a master's if you intend to pursue a doctorate is if you have a mediocre GPA or letters of rec, because those years during your MA program would give you a chance to get better grades/make relationships with faculty.

2. See above. Also, what makes you sure you don't want to be a counselor? Helping people cope with "situational problems" is basically what they do. Also, if you're interested in working in a school setting, counseling is probably the way to go. I'm not recommending one path over the other since I don't know your interests very well, but it's important to thoroughly consider all of your options.

3. YES! Get The Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology. This book is a lifesaver. It has extensive information on every aspect of the process, from deciding what kind of program to go into, to choosing a particular program, to interviews, to thank you letters, to accepting an offer. I don't know how I would have made it through the process without it.

4. Depends on what your goals are. As a stepping stone to a PhD program, I would again say no, unless you have weaknesses you need to make up. As a terminal degree, maybe? I don't really see how an MA in general psychology would help you, but if your interest is primarily in working with clients, you might want to consider MSW and MA programs in counseling. This is not an area I know a whole lot about, but I know you can have a career working with clients without a doctoral degree, and if you're not interested in research, a doctoral degree is probably not worth it.

5. This is hard. My advice: make friends with a grad student or faculty member who will read your SOP for you and give you feedback. I think my SOP bounced back and forth between me and a grad student friend of mine for 7 iterations before it was done. Having someone to help who knows what's up is absolutely invaluable. They're also super helpful for all the other aspects of the process. More general advice: remember the purpose of the SOP is to distinguish you as an applicant. Talk about the specific experiences you've had and how they have affected you. SOPs usually have pretty stringent word limits, so make every word count. This is surprisingly difficult!

6. You don't really need to worry about this at this point. Doctoral programs in clinical and counseling psych (excluding freestanding professional schools, which I strongly recommend against) are so competitive that you can't really afford to be picky about geographical location.

Other advice:

Again, if you're not strongly interested in research (like, at least 50/50 research/practice), a PhD is probably not for you. Programs only want to admit students who really want to do research, and even if you do get in, you won't be happy, because you'll be spending a ton of your time doing research. A PsyD is a good option to consider, but be careful to do your homework and apply to reputable schools. PsyD programs at freestanding professional schools often have lax admission standards, huge class sizes, and poor internship match rates. On top of that, they don't provide funding, so students end up $100,000-200,000 in debt for a degree that, frankly, does not provide enough earning power to make it worthwhile. If you're going into a doctoral program, I would recommend only applying to fully funded programs, unless you have a wealthy family that's going to put you through school or something.

To echo what grimmiae said, doctoral programs in this area (particularly clinical) are absurdly competitive. You hear how competitive it is, but it doesn't really sink in until you're halfway through the process, and you get a sense for what a 3-5% acceptance rate really means. I'm not trying to discourage you, but it's important to be realistic about this. You will need to work hard, not only on your applications, but also using the remaining time in undergrad to make yourself as attractive an applicant as possible. That means building at least one good relationship with a professor (usually by working in his/her lab), getting some clinical experience, getting a high GRE score, and maintaining a high GPA. If you're planning on applying to PhD programs, at least about a year of research experience is absolutely necessary. Also, narrow down your interests: what population in particular are you interested in and why? I realize you're applying in the next few months, so there may not be enough time left for you to get that experience and build those relationships if you haven't already. If that's the case, I would actually recommend making the most of your senior year, and waiting to apply until next fall. Applying to grad school is very expensive and time-consuming, and it is definitely worth it to wait a year if it will significantly help your application.

I hope this wasn't too discouraging, but I didn't want to sugarcoat it. For what it's worth, although the whole application process pretty much sucks, it's totally worth it If you have any other questions, feel free to send them my way and I'd be happy to answer them!