What are my chances?

[GradSchoolNerves]

Hello all! 

I am a Psychology major whose goal is to further my education by obtaining a PhD in Clinical Psychology. I am super stressed and worried about whether or not I am qualified enough to get in to any programs and was wondering if any of you who have been through the experience or is going through it currently would be able to give me some feedback/tips on what your experiences were and what you think got you in to the program that you were applying to (any details as to your stats, how many schools applied, the number of interviews obtained, number of acceptances, anything you feel comfortable sharing would be appreciated as I am very very nervous about my chances!) I want this so bad so I really want to make sure that I do all that I can to get in.

Let me tell you guys a bit more about me:

1. I am currently in 3 research labs. One is in the clinical department while the other two in a different psych department. I am currently gaining some valuable knowledge and have been trained in neuroimaging technology and data analysis for this as well as working with other valuable softwares and gadgets. There are moments where some aspects such as softwares/technology used do overlap amongst the labs.  I will be having 1.5 years of experience in each lab at the time of the application deadline (so by Fall of 2016) but more than 2 years by the start of the program <--I'm not sure if that timing even matters or is it just what you have when they are reading your application?

2. I will be having about a 3.6 gpa when I graduate (I know it's bad  I was going through some personal issues one semester that did effect my gpa which I was planning to touch on in my personal statement a bit...)

3. I intend to take my GRE latest by the summer (goal is to get ATLEAST a 315)

4. I will have my undergrad thesis completed by the time I apply

My goal is to apply to at least 10-12 PhD programs for entrance in Fall of 2017.

ANY feedback is appreciated. Thank you! 

Edited March 6, 2016 by GradSchoolNerves

[Guitarman12]

We have some pretty similar backgrounds (in terms of GPA and research experience) except I am applying to social psych programs.  All I know about clinical psych from my friends that applied to PhD programs is that they really value experience and research in the field.  Good luck!

[GradSchoolNerves]

@Guitarman12 Thank you for your response. Yes, my plan is to just build on the clinical and research experience. Good luck to you as well! 

[ForensicPsych93]

Hey, Thats awesome that your gaining research experience. It's important to note that faculty love seeing that you can take initiative and run your own research. I was working as a research assistant for over 2 years until I finally entered a lab and told the leading professor that I was looking to put together a group of students to help me with MY research. I have 2 college poster conferences this semester and 1 regional conf. coming up during the Fall along with a Masters Thesis. I'm also submitting it all for publication even if they get denied faculty will appreciate the effort!. I think the experience in the lab is definitely necessary for mentorship, Letters of Recommendation , learning the basics and etc; But if you really want to exceed and make your application all the more competitive, try working towards presenting and getting at least one publication. A big tip, look at the CV's of current students there and contact them if they have similar interest, look for places they've presented if at all, there research interest, their POI, etc. Goodluck

[clinpsy]

On 3/5/2016 at 2:58 AM, GradSchoolNerves said:

ANY feedback is appreciated. Thank you! 

It looks like you're on the right track!

1. I don't think the time you've worked in labs matters as much as the quality of your experience -- see if you can hop on bigger projects as an independent researcher (e.g., get in on a manuscript, poster presentation, etc.) in order to show initiative beyond RA duties.

2. Your overall GPA isn't as important as your last two years (at least in Canada, I'm not sure about the US). If your GPA in your last two years is higher than 3.6, you're golden.

3. In terms of the GRE, the most common regret I hear is that people don't start practicing for it early enough. If you can afford it, find a prep course and get started now! Also, take a practice test BEFORE you start prepping, as you'll be able to identify your main weak areas and you can then focus on those specific areas whilst prepping - trust me, this will save you a lot of time. 

4. Hopefully you're currently working in labs that conduct research you're truly interested in, because that sets you up really nicely to fit with POIs who investigate that area. There's nothing better than being able to talk about research in common during an interview, and to do so coherently and excitedly!

5. Another piece of advice I can give you is to practice interviews -- do mock interviews with mentors, grad students, or even your parents/siblings/partner. It's important to be prepared for interviews and to practice talking about your research and answering questions on the spot! 

Hope this helps; feel free to PM me!

Edited March 26, 2016 by LabyrinthianMind

[The_Old_Wise_One]

Everything you said looks great! I have one issue:

Why are you currently in 3 labs? 

If you are not prepared to answer this question, PIs may see this as a reflection of your uncertainty in choosing a research topic of interest. If you make sure to explain why you are in these labs and how they all fit together into your future, you should be well off.

Best of luck!

PS what are you interested in, anyway?

[eternallyephemeral]

I didn't apply to clinical psych, so maybe it's different there, but I can tell you that no one had any problems with me being in multiple labs. Currently, I am in two, but I have worked in five different labs over three years of my undergrad. Professors only saw it as a positive that I had so much research experience.

But of course, being able to explain what you are learning that is unique to each lab is important. However, maybe this is different across areas of psych, because in cognitive/perception/industrial-organizational psych, I haven't had any issues. Even in business PhD programs I applied to, they didn't have a problem with it (they were just glad I had research experience).

I'm pretty sure undergrad is the place to try out different mentors and supervisors, to learn techniques, and to gain as much experience as possible so that you know what you're doing when you get to grad school. It would be very unfortunate if schools didn't understand that.

[Plasticity]

The biggest piece of the puzzle is fit, so what are your interests? 

Why do you want to go the clinical route?

Are you more interested in the clinical side of things or research?

What are your research interests?

Why 10-12 programs? Are there programs you have in mind already and do you "fit" there?

 

The reason I ask is because I was in a very similar boat the first time I applied in terms of research and stats. And I ended up going into a master's program because I really did not know what I wanted to do research and career wise.