To apply or to wait?

[clinicalpsychapplicant]

Hi all, 

I'll be a senior in undergrad this coming year, and I'm debating on whether to apply to graduate school in clinical psychology this year or to get a job as an RA or a Lab Manager for a year or two before applying.

I have a 3.97 GPA from a highly regarded liberal arts school with a psychology major and a lot of coursework in neuroscience and hard science as well. I am taking the GREs soon but have consistently 164-166 Verbal and 161-163 Quant on practice tests. I have experience with clinical research and experience in a research hospital setting with data collection, analysis and manuscript preparation (which might result in a publication, but unclear as of now), and clinical psych research at a well regarded psych lab with a well known PI. I ran an independent study for my research methods class and a qualitative research class, and have presented posters at sessions at my undergrad institution, but not at conferences. I also have RA experience here and there at my home institution. I will complete an honors thesis next year in clinical psych. By the time I attend graduate school if I apply and get in this cycle, I will have had 2 years of research experience, part time during the school year and full time during all 3 summers. I also have experience with tutoring and teaching at my home institution. My letters of rec will be good as I have strong relationships with my professors and my research advisors. I have clinical experience on an inpatient unit co-leading inpatient groups. I also have experience on residential life and peer counseling.

My lack of publications and presentations is my main worry about applying now, and I would hope that if I got a job as an RA this would be stronger in a year or two. I'm really really undecided on whether to apply this cycle or not. On one hand, I feel emotionally and academically mature enough to handle graduate school. I believe I have enough research exposure to be successful in graduate school, however I'm aware that I'll be applying with people who have far more experience than I do. I have a clear sense of my research interests and I've had an easy time identifying programs and mentors in line with my goals and research interests. I think I could succeed as an RA as well, but I would really only do this in order to make my application stronger and gain more technical skills. 

I'm looking to apply to some clinical science programs and some equal emphasis programs depending on the mentor, all of which are highly rated and funded. Please weigh in if you have insights! Hopefully my story might give some clarity to other current undergrads as well!

Edited June 17, 2016 by clinicalpsychapplicant
adding tags

[COGSCI]

Judging by your GPA and past experiences, I would definitely say go for it! Not that many students walk into grad school with publications when they apply. If you have an undergrad thesis that you can turn it into publication with your supervisor, you can mention that in your personal statement. You got nothing to lose and you sound like a strong applicant for sure! 

[pink_freud]

Hi there!

Yes you are qualified! I recently applied to clinical psych grad programs (2016 cycle) as a senior in undergrad - and successfully was accepted to my top 2 programs. I did not have any publications, but had the manuscript in prep like you. I would def include that on your CV, and also consider writing a senior thesis if possible. You have all of the credentials necessary for sure,  it is now all about research fit if you are interested in clinical science programs (it sounds like you are based on your heavy emphasis on research).  

If you definitely see yourself attending graduate school, I would recommend applying! I would say during my interview season it seemed like taking gap year(s) was the new norm, but going straight to grad school is not unheard of, and can make a lot of sense for those who are certain...especially given the internship year tacked on to the end of your program.

Hope this helps!

[St0chastic]

I would go for it, too!  I think you are a *very* competitive applicant.  All you have to lose is money from the application fees, and based on your credentials, applying is a risk well worth taking IMO.  Make sure you apply to as many schools as you would seriously consider attending to up your chances.  Even if you aren't admitted for whatever reason, you will gain familiarity with the application process for the following year.  The things you can do at this point to improve your admission chances are:

1)  Ask your professors to go ahead and write you rec letters in the next few months.  Keep reminding them about this until they complete it.  It sounds like they know you well, so these should be very strong!

2) Narrow down the list of schools and PIs you will apply to.  I would recommend applying to at least 5 programs but not more than 15.  

3) Start working on your statement of purpose.  Highlight the extensive research experience you have.  Honestly, I think this is more important than having your name on some publications.  

Here are some useful guides on how to write a compelling SoP as well as some good (albeit not perfect) examples: 

https://clinicalpsychphd.wordpress.com/the-sop/

http://lauraemariani.blogspot.com/2008/12/applying-to-graduate-school-statement.html

https://sites.google.com/site/gradappadvice/application-essays

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hgchezw2lkcc33g/Mariani SOP Emory.doc

4)  Polish up your CV and make sure it is up-to-date.  Have a professor review it and offer suggestions on how to improve it.

5)  If you have a writing sample to submit (e.g., Honors thesis), polish that and have some professors critique it.

6)  Keep up that stellar GPA!  If you do have to apply again, having a >3.9 GPA is going to help you immensely.  That said, don't be afraid to continue taking challenging courses if they are relevant to your studies.

7) If you have time over the summer, spend a couple of weeks really drilling down and studying intensively for the GRE.  Your practice test scores should be good enough for almost all programs out there, but it never hurts to overstudy if you have the time!  To up your verbal further, keep taking practice tests and brush up on vocab.  For quant, practice as many math problems as you can get your hands on under timed conditions (45 seconds per easy problem, 60-75 seconds per medium problem, 90-120 seconds per hard problem).  Here are the GRE resources I used to prepare:

Official GRE Books (Do ALL of the problems in these books, and make sure you understand why you missed any questions)

Manhattan 5 lb. Book of Practice Problems (Don't waste your time with the sub-par verbal section, but do ALL of the math problems under timed conditions)

For even more preparation, I would highly recommend Magoosh.  A little pricey but well worth it if you are aiming for a top score.  If you don't want to spend so much on GRE prep, check out the Magoosh blog.

If you are aiming for a 170 on verbal, I would use some combination of the Magoosh Vocab app (free I believe), a book like Word Power, and spending lots of time reviewing the countless free GRE vocab lists available online.  Apps like Vocabulary.com and Quizlet are extremely useful for learning vocab.  There are also many free vocab podcasts which you can listen to while commuting, doing chores, etc.  While low frequency words aren't as common in the new GRE, you can still boost your score by 4-5 points just by taking the time and effort to learn them.  You might even discover the inner logophile in you and end up having fun!

TL;DR:  Apply!

Here are three additional websites I found very useful:

Mitch Prinstein's Page on Grad School Advice

Kisses of Death in the Graduate School Application Process

Katherine Sledge Moore's Graduate School Application Advice

Good luck and have faith in yourself!

Edited June 20, 2016 by St0chastic

[TKYU]

Definitely apply! From my own experience, I'd say you are no doubt a very competitive candidate!

I got accepted into 2 clinical psych programs even though I had way less clinical and applied experiences than you. I did however have a handful of conferences and publications but nothing that impressive. As long as your grades (GPA & GRE's) are pretty good, I'm sure you would be able to score some interviews given your current stats.

Best of luck!