So what's your Plan B?

[sociallyawkard]

On 12/23/2015 at 5:01 PM, MarineBluePsy said:

@Mystic_Fog  Getting a Master's degree was a really good move for me, but I won't really know how much it helped me until this application season is over.  

1)  It did boost my GPA a lot even though my undergrad GPA wasn't horrible.  

2)  My GRE score went up a smidgen, but not enough to brag about.  

3)  It also allowed me to connect the dots among my research and clinical interests in a way that I had not seen otherwise and likely would not have. 

4)  The type of school and its location forced me far out of my comfort zone in a way that equally freaked me out and was intriguing.  This made me more comfortable looking at PhD programs in places I previously would never have considered.

5)  I was able to obtain more clinical experience and land my current job.

6)  I gained more research experience.

7)  I gained access to a lot more professionals in the field including those with a number of years in and recent grads who were happy to share their experiences and regrets about their programs, internships, student loans, etc.

8)  I gained more letter writers.

9)  It reignited my passion for Psychology and reminded me of why I wanted to pursue this career in the first place despite all of the frustrations.

10)  I was able to determine exactly (not broadly or kinda sorta like my first application cycle) what I want to do and do not want to do once I'm a licensed PhD in the field.

11)  I am way more confident in the skills I currently have and my ability to learn, even though I still have my moments of doubt here and there.

And there may be other things that just aren't coming to mind right now

@Mystic_Fog This makes me feel a lot better about the fact that I'm 99% sure my only shots are with the (2) MA programs I applied to.

For the next 8 years, I am pretty much stuck in Northern CA. There are only 3 schools within striking distance that offer a Social Psyc PhD, and even the lowest ranked in the mid-20s. This means I have almost no chance to get in to a PhD program until I can move, or at least have the geographical flexibility to consider programs across the country.

Plan B is an MA program (Alternately called Psyc Sciences and Doctoral Prep at the 2 CSUs where I applied).

Plan C - postbacc, 2nd BA in Sociology?

Plan D - apply to the handful of research labs (at the same schools that I'm not getting into or semi-attached to them...) plus Plan E to pay the bills.

Plan E - get a $14/hr job doing something random...

 

[icantseethespacebar]

The first time I applied for grad school was while I was in my 3rd and final year of college. I applied for mostly social psych phds and a couple masters. Got into a few programs, and ultimately decided I didn't want to do social, so i went to one of the masters programs. Most of the schools I didn't get into told me that it had nothing to do with my application, it's just a competitive process and I was really young (so they're less inclined to commit so much funding to someone who may not know exactly what to do for the future). I also had applied to a bunch of scholarships at the same time as my applications and wound up getting a sweet scholarship that paid all of my tuition (and then some), but then I worked for a couple of years in an unrelated field. This is now my 3rd time applying to grad school, 2nd time for clinical programs. I decided I don't want to leave where I'm at so I only applied to two schools (got an interview at one and haven't heard yet from the other). I have a good job that doesn't pay much, but has great benefits and a flexible schedule where I can volunteer in a lab and also do some work on the side with another research team I've been working with for a few years. I'm also able to acquire more clinical hours towards my license in the volunteer positions I hold, so that will be beneficial long-term. Of course, I don't want to have to reapply next year (how many times can i reword a personal statement??) but I'll probably continue applying to a select number of schools until I get in. Some people say that it's better to cast a wide net and apply to a bunch of schools to improve chances, but being where I'm at is more important to me than settling on a program that doesn't feel like as good of a fit (geographically and program in general). Things like this often have a way of working out, even if it doesn't feel right at first. 

Edited January 21, 2016 by icantseethespacebar

[nevermind]

I'm working full time right now (copywriting), but I just applied to a writing and research assistant job at a top school (in the city where I live). I'm hoping I get it because it could give me another job that directly improves my application + take more (free) classes to fill in gaps in my education (I'm looking at you grad-level stats class). 

So between waiting for Ph.D. responses + job interview phone call (they already replied via email saying they were interested)...I'm learning how to be patient REALLY well.

 

[ickmalion]

On 12/22/2015 at 1:09 PM, Timemachines said:

This is my first application cycle..feeling super nervous about it all. I applied to 14 schools ( originally was 8 but my adviser from my masters told me I needed to "cast  a wider net" which equally translates to casting a wider wallet :l ..). In any case, I'm currently in a research fellowship with the military so I will likely stay here, however, I've also prospectively been offered a spot at the MGH martinos center to work with someone who has a more fine tuned focus on my research interests.

With that being said, I would highly recommend that anyone looking for research experience take a look at the ORISE research program. It's a government contractor position  with a very generous stipend thay is presented as a fellowship award (great thing to add to resume!) in various research outlets, but for example, I work with a neuropsych group that focuses on warfighter cognition as a function of mTBI, PTSD, postconcussive disorders etc. They fund conference travel and you collect field data so more often than not, you get to travel and see parts of the US! 

Thank you, I love you.

I'm in 1st cycle and I only applied to 3 schools, with 2 who already sent out invites (I wasn't one of them).  No one told me how many places to apply to, but then again I'm finishing up my M.A. in School Psych and for most in the profession that's pretty much where academia ends for them.

My Plan B was to toss my hat into the employment market (working as a school psych), and switch track for Ph.D. school psych next year since I'm kind of at a loss for what would preclude me from clinical neuropsych when I'm already versed in administering and reporting on neuropsych evals with children, and expressed the desire to balance practice with research (and have publications, pending manuscripts, textbook contributions, national/state presentations, and a pending poster to my name). So I'm guessing if I do more practice-based experiences I'm going to hear more of the same from clinical programs.

Hence! That is now my Plan C, and this ORISE business is now my plan B. Hearing about the background you have, and some of the other people who have posted, I know (although I already had the gnawing suspicion) that a lack of hardcore research experience is a gaping hole in my apps.  The "craziest" research I've done is paired t-tests on pre- post- surveys and a couple reports on single case studies.

 

[Timemachines]

54 minutes ago, ickmalion said:

Thank you, I love you.

I'm in 1st cycle and I only applied to 3 schools, with 2 who already sent out invites (I wasn't one of them).  No one told me how many places to apply to, but then again I'm finishing up my M.A. in School Psych and for most in the profession that's pretty much where academia ends for them.

My Plan B was to toss my hat into the employment market (working as a school psych), and switch track for Ph.D. school psych next year since I'm kind of at a loss for what would preclude me from clinical neuropsych when I'm already versed in administering and reporting on neuropsych evals with children, and expressed the desire to balance practice with research (and have publications, pending manuscripts, textbook contributions, national/state presentations, and a pending poster to my name). So I'm guessing if I do more practice-based experiences I'm going to hear more of the same from clinical programs.

Hence! That is now my Plan C, and this ORISE business is now my plan B. Hearing about the background you have, and some of the other people who have posted, I know (although I already had the gnawing suspicion) that a lack of hardcore research experience is a gaping hole in my apps.  The "craziest" research I've done is paired t-tests on pre- post- surveys and a couple reports on single case studies.

 

Hahaha well I wish you the best of luck! There are lots of great tips in this thread and I hope you may otherwise find something via ORISE for research experience. 

[lovemc]

I'm currently thinking of backup plans like taking another Master program. Anyone had any experience especially about NYU general psychology MA program (rejected to PhD but admitted to MA)?