Heaven'sMaiden Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 Hi, So, like a large majority of my fellow psychology students I applied to clinical Ph.D. programs and was rejected. I was wondering if getting a masters is worth it? Would it be better for me just to take a graduate level stats class and continue to do research with my mentor (even if it is grunt work)? My plan if I didn't go for a masters was to work full time, take a sas class ( I have already taken a grad stats class so I was going to take a sas class next), increase my GRE scores, apply for the NSF and ford fellowship, and submit an idea of research to my mentor then if it is good hopefully submit something for publication. If he says no I plan to continue to do grunt work.
FinallyAccepted Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 When I went to an interview at one of the programs for social psych, all three of us who were hoping for the spot with a specific POI had at least some graduate training. My masters is finished, and the other two were working on theirs. I have a masters, am on the waitlist for 2 schools, and am probably rejected from 9 others. Take that for what you will. I haven't been accepted anywhere, but I don't know what the situation would be if I didn't have a masters. So I can't say yet how much it's helped.
yellowmint Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 Hi, So, like a large majority of my fellow psychology students I applied to clinical Ph.D. programs and was rejected. I was wondering if getting a masters is worth it? Would it be better for me just to take a graduate level stats class and continue to do research with my mentor (even if it is grunt work)? My plan if I didn't go for a masters was to work full time, take a sas class ( I have already taken a grad stats class so I was going to take a sas class next), increase my GRE scores, apply for the NSF and ford fellowship, and submit an idea of research to my mentor then if it is good hopefully submit something for publication. If he says no I plan to continue to do grunt work. It is helpful if you have a low undergrad GPA and need to demonstrate you can do graduate level work. Or if you need to defer your loans ...If your gpa is fine, your plan B sounds better.
EastCoasting Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 It depends on the professor. Some will only accept masters students, some prefer it, and others don't care.
Heaven'sMaiden Posted March 9, 2015 Author Posted March 9, 2015 Thanks you guys. I was wondering about that. I have good grades and one publication that is under review and another that is being prepared to submit. So I am hoping that both get in.
TheMercySeat Posted March 9, 2015 Posted March 9, 2015 (edited) I met a bunch of kids who got in without even a BA-- they were still finishing it up. With a master's, rejections become more insulting. Edited March 9, 2015 by TheMercySeat FinallyAccepted 1
UnfortunatelyUpstate Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 Don't waste your money on something that won't necessarily help you!! Master's programs are very expensive and don't necessarily help you get into school. This is my first time applying, and I was accepted to 4 programs in clinical psychology. I think the most important thing for my success was my research experience. Having experience in leadership and administrative duties definitely helped. Work on trying to get some more senior research experience and save up your money!!
TheMercySeat Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 If you do decide to take the plunge for a MA, I strongly encourage you to seek out funded programs. They're few and far between, but they're out there.
yellowmint Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 It's like a car - a lot of return for the investment!
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