Lawyer turned aspiring psych grad student...

[jrose]

hi guys,

I'm an attorney who quit practicing last january to do Columbia's post bac in psych program as well as start volunteering in a lab... im affiliated with a pretty well known lab, and i'm pretty well honed in on my research interests (as well as identifying POI's that also do that kind of work) but im concerned that i just dont have enough lab experience. i have straight A's from columbia, 1400 GRE... and i'll have only a year in a lab by the time i apply in december... do i have a shot at all at the time behavioral neuroscience programs??? i dont think i'll have an opportunity to publish anything before my apps and i'll have limited experience with fMRI analysis, but I'll be participating in a week long extensive training in EEG research... does anyone have any suggestions for me as I am a pretty atypical applicant??

thanks!!!

[windypoplars]

Hi, I'm curious how you ended up with the interviews/acceptance so far. 

I am going along a similar course as you are. I worked as an actuary in the finance field for 6 years, and then in Jan 2013 switched my career to start studying psychology (cognitive) at City College masters program. I plan to apply for a PhD in fall 2014, but by then, I'll prob have only a few months of researching experiences under my belt, although I prob won't have any publications available by the time I apply (in Dec 2013). My GRE scores are similar to yours, GPA around 3.7, and have a masters in stats from Columbia as well. Could you please share how you fared so far? 

[Jon-Jon Johnson]

I am obviously not the first poster, but I have a background similar to the two of you (apologies for keeping it vague here as my story is fairly recognizable amongst those who know me, and I prefer to remain anonymous). When I applied to psych programs, I did not have a ton of research lab experience and no publications, but I was still able to be competitive in some highly selective programs.

 

My recommendation is to definitely build up that research experience as best you can throughout this year, even if it doesn't result in publication. Creating and presenting a poster presentation or conference talk would be a great notch to add onto the CV belt, and you can knock those out much faster than publications (although you still probably want to get the wheels in motion fairly soon so as to ensure you meet conference submission deadlines). Also, really work to build relationships in the academic world via both your personality and work ethic to ensure that your recommendations really stand out.

 

Finally, as for coming from a non-psych background, you picked up skills and experiences that most applicants will not have. Use them to your advantage, including addressing them directly as strengths within your statement of purpose, and you will be able to stand out as someone who could bring a unique skill set to the table.