clinical psychology PhD general qualifications

[missmusical]

I am preparing to apply to Clinical Psychology PhD programs for fall of 2016. I didn't actually add the psychology degree in until a few years ago. I am a double degree student now. Because I only recently figured out what I want to do with my life, my research experience and "relevant clinical community service" is lacking. I am signed up to work with a professor in their psych lab the coming semester but I doubt that 6 months of lab work is enough to beef up my application. I have a little experience as a lab assistant for honors psych students but this will be my first teacher led lab assistance work. Is it useless for me to apply to PhD programs? Or are there some PhD programs I have a shot at getting into. I am not too interested in PsyD programs. My GPA is 3.6 and I'm currently prepping for GREs. Do I need to take a gap year in order to gain more research experience? Should I get a masters first in order to beef up my credentials? Do I need to do all this or could I possibly get into a Clinical PhD program with my current credentials?

[Jay's Brain]

Hey, I respond to your other post. I'll say the same things as I did over there, but in more detail.

Given your circumstances, you should really be focusing on what your pursuits will be. If psychology, and more specifically, clinical psychology, is what you hope to pursue, you need to ensure every part of your applicant is in tip top state. Like you, I realized late into the ball game that I wanted to pursue this path. However, fortunately for me, I had been involved with research a lot earlier. So I was lucky in the sense that I was already preparing myself for something that I only knew I wanted to commit to later on! 

Since you don't have that luxury, and due to the competitive nature of the programs you hope to apply to, I firmly suggest you take that gap year you yourself suggested. Even with my experiences, I chose to take a gap year (I graduated in June 2014 to give you an idea of the time frame). Even after completing my GREs the first time around after my third year, and completed my honours thesis (something you should really consider doing by the way), I chose not to apply during my 4th year. At that time, due to the level of work I was doing and my lack of insight onto what I specifically want to do, I decided to make the choice of not committing to an application cycle. 

 

As of now, do your best to start getting more involved with research. Explore your options through volunteering and working in labs. If you're interested in clinical psychology, consider other external opportunities like volunteering for hot lines and crisis centres. Otherwise, reassess where your interests lie. Do you prefer clinical psychology or is counselling psychology/social work something you may prefer. I say this, because these areas are often mixed together in terms of content and research fields. The latter areas, however, tend to be slightly less competitive. Since you pursued a double major in music and psychology, consider whether you would like to combine both of these areas together. Perhaps you can look at music therapy as a gateway to your research interests. Or, you may even leave clinical psychology completely and do something more experimental (e.g. music cognition). Those are some of the things you may want to think about.

Again, if you have any specific questions feel free to send me an inbox message! 

Edited June 3, 2015 by Jay's Brain

[missmusical]

It is no longer an issue that I'm not sure about what I want to pursue. The main issue is that I'm not sure my credentials are good enough to get me where I want to be.

[bsharpe269]

It is no longer an issue that I'm not sure about what I want to pursue. The main issue is that I'm not sure my credentials are good enough to get me where I want to be.

You definitely want more research experience before applying to a PhD programs. A PhD is a research degree so there is no way of knowing that you want to do a 5+ year research degree before even trying research. I think a gap year would be very useful, both in improving your qualifications and also in seeing how much you like research. If you get a PhD then you will spend 5 years of your life (or much more if you get I to academia) focused on research so you probably want a couple years of research experience on your CV before applying.

[_kita]

When it comes to GPA, you'll meet most criteria, gre there's no way to gauge.

However, the ad committee isn't really as concerned with those numbers as much as they are with the rest of the package. Those numbers are funding cut off points, and just say you have the raw skills to pursue a doctoral. They'd like you to show how you fit with your expected plan, not just say you want to do it.

Yes, you could spend the money for this year and sent out 'adequate' applications, or you could spend another year demonstrating you are passionate about your interests so that you're shot at being one of those 3-8 acceptances is much better.

Honestly, I you have the money to take the risk, you can. But it's a heavier gamble. I'd take the year. In fact, I took 7!