Clinical Psychology PhD Applications

[Steph93]

Hi all,

So after taking two years off after completing my B.Sc. in Canada, I'm preparing to apply for graduate schools for a clinical psychology doctoral program specializing in neuropsychology. I know these sorts of programs are extremely competitive, so I will likely be applying to 18-20 schools, but thought I would post some of my application credentials and get any advice from anyone willing to give it!

 

Education:
B.Sc. with Honor's in Psychology, Minor in Biology. Completed an Honor's Thesis in my final year in cognitive neuroscience. 

GPA:
Overall: 3.3 (first 2 years of B.Sc. were as a Biomedical Science major, which I did not enjoy, and my GPA reflects this). 
Major GPA: 3.8
Last 2 years/60 credits: 3.8

GRE Scores: 

Psychology Subject GRE: 750 (91st percentile)
General GRE (taking this in the next few weeks, likely will be around 156V/160Q/5.0AW)

LOR: 2 clinical neuropsychologists (Honor's thesis supervisor and current work supervisor; both on admissions committees for CN programs at 2 different schools), 1 supervisor who is also a clinical psychologist (supervisor from Developmental Psychology lab mentioned below) 

Experience: 
4 poster presentations 
Honor's thesis (supervised by a clinical neuropsychologist, see LOR above) and Independent Research Project (supervised by Neuroscientist)
Volunteered at 2 hospitals, 3 different research labs in my last 2 years of undergraduate studies
Moved from Toronto, Canada to San Diego, California after graduating with my B.Sc. to work as a Lab Manager in a Developmental Psychology lab and then as a Research Coordinator in a Neuropsychology lab (multi-site project; still currently here - see LOR above). 

 

I guess I am worried that my GRE scores will make my applications less competitive. I feel as though my applications are well-rounded elsewhere and my time off and additional experience has helped me. I do not have any location preferences and will be applying all throughout North America. Any and all advice or insight is welcome!

Also, please don't hesitate to mention any schools that you guys know of which are very reputable for CN! Some on my radar include: SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program, Drexel, Boston University, Northwestern University (Feinberg), University of Florida, University of Houston, University of Wisconsin...

Thank you!!

[TommySotomayor]

Based on the way you described them, your credentials seem excellent.  Given that and the fact that you haven't even taken the GRE yet, I do not see a need to stress about your GRE scores.  Just get plenty of rest the night before, and try to go into it as relaxed as possible.  Good luck!  

[Steph93]

Thanks @Professor2211. I guess I'm just worried that if my GRE scores stay around 156V/160Q that this won't be high enough scores for clinical psychology. Quite a decent amount of schools I am hoping to apply to have admissions outcomes that are up around 161V/160Q. I don't want this to be the only factor to hold me back from being a competitive applicant, and I know they say that graduate schools review your application as a whole and the GRE is only one factor, but it still seems worrisome to me. Am I worrying too much? Will it really hold me back?

[Jay's Brain]

I agree with @Professor2211 that you have an excellent background that will make you a competitive applicant. As someone who has taken the General GRE three times, and ultimately relying on my first set to apply, do not feel pressured to scrutinize your scores. With your current application profile, a solid GRE result will only complement and not affect your application much. The 2 cents I can chime in is for you to take a look at York University and University of Victoria (if you haven't looked at Canadian schools already!). Both have a different teaching perspective, but have been credited for their excellence and competitiveness in ushering students to well-respected internship sites across North America. York, in particular, became the first Canadian university to receive full accreditation for their adult neuropsychology program.

Good luck!

[Steph93]

@Jay's Brain Thank you! This makes me feel a lot better. I think I definitely do have a strong background, especially given that I was flexible enough to relocate and gain additional experience in San Diego in a huge neuropsychology research hub. Not only has it given me more experience, but it's assured me even more that this is the field I want to be in.

I actually did my B.Sc. at York University! I will be applying to University of Victoria. How exactly do York and UVic differ in terms of their teaching perspectives? I am not sure I want to do another 7 years at York, and am leaning towards schools in the US so I can do the combined Master's and PhD (some US schools would allow me to do this in 5 years or so) whereas pursuing a PhD in Canada requires the Master's first which would be minimum 7 years. 

Thank you again!
 

[Jay's Brain]

@Steph93 Main difference appears to be the structure in the programs. Neuropsychology at York is embedded into their general Clinical Psychology program, which means that you are embracing the process-based clinical training that York is quite known for (e.g., EFT). As a student I assume you will be touching on psychotherapy too despite being in the neuropsychology stream. Further, York divides their programs into Clinical or Clinical-Developmental, whereas Victoria does not have this distinction, offering more of a lifespan approach. Those are things to keep in mind when looking for programs, population of focus and the breadth of clinical training you are expecting, and finding the one that fits you the best!

Good luck, and looking forward to hearing about your success this coming application cycle!

[DrGirl]

My advice would be to narrow down your list a bit. While it's fine when your first looking around to have a bigger list like you do now, you'll definitely want to cut it down come application time. This will save you on money and stress/time. Really think hard about each school and if you were accepted, would you actually attend? 

I started with around 15 schools, then narrowed down to 12 when I started my applications. After doing some soul searching while writing my SOPs I realized that 2 of the schools didn't really have what I wanted, so I never finished or submitted those applications. I wound up with 10 but I think I could've cut it down 1 more. The process is so expensive and time consuming, so keep that in mind!

[acceptme]

On 7/14/2017 at 9:30 AM, Steph93 said:

Thanks @Professor2211. I guess I'm just worried that if my GRE scores stay around 156V/160Q that this won't be high enough scores for clinical psychology. Quite a decent amount of schools I am hoping to apply to have admissions outcomes that are up around 161V/160Q. I don't want this to be the only factor to hold me back from being a competitive applicant, and I know they say that graduate schools review your application as a whole and the GRE is only one factor, but it still seems worrisome to me. Am I worrying too much? Will it really hold me back?

I can only speak from my experience, but I wouldn't worry too much.  I scored 157V/160Q/5.0AWA and got into a top 20 clinical program whose average were around 160/160.  There are so many other things that make up your application.  What I've casually heard from professors/clinical directors is that if all your scores are at least at the 75th percentile your application will be read (rather than just thrown away based on your score alone).

[Steph93]

On 7/18/2017 at 11:22 PM, DrGirl said:

My advice would be to narrow down your list a bit. While it's fine when your first looking around to have a bigger list like you do now, you'll definitely want to cut it down come application time. This will save you on money and stress/time. Really think hard about each school and if you were accepted, would you actually attend? 

I started with around 15 schools, then narrowed down to 12 when I started my applications. After doing some soul searching while writing my SOPs I realized that 2 of the schools didn't really have what I wanted, so I never finished or submitted those applications. I wound up with 10 but I think I could've cut it down 1 more. The process is so expensive and time consuming, so keep that in mind!

If you wouldn't mind me asking @DrGirl, what were your credentials like? A lot of mentors and other students I work with have consistently told me apply to between 10-20 schools if I want to cast a wide net and not take the chances of getting rejected everywhere and having to take another year off to reapply.

Thanks!

Edited August 7, 2017 by Steph93

[DrGirl]

22 hours ago, Steph93 said:

If you wouldn't mind me asking @DrGirl, what were your credentials like? A lot of mentors and other students I work with have consistently told me apply to between 10-20 schools if I want to cast a wide net and not take the chances of getting rejected everywhere and having to take another year off to reapply.

Thanks!

Hi @Steph93, I totally understand that because that was my worry as well.  I hope this helps somewhat!

GPA: 3.75

GRE: 157V, 156Q, 4.5

Research experience: I had about 3 semesters of research experience between two labs in undergrad and then had a 2 year lab manager position after graduation. 

[Steph93]

4 hours ago, DrGirl said:

Hi @Steph93, I totally understand that because that was my worry as well.  I hope this helps somewhat!

GPA: 3.75

GRE: 157V, 156Q, 4.5

Research experience: I had about 3 semesters of research experience between two labs in undergrad and then had a 2 year lab manager position after graduation. 

Hi @DrGirl, awesome, thank you! Was that your overall GPA or major GPA? And if you don't mind me asking, how many schools out of the 10 did you receive offers from? Our credentials seem pretty similar so I'm just trying to get a better idea of how your experience was with similar credentials to me! 

Thanks!

[DrGirl]

@Steph93 sorry I'm just seeing this now! I'm going to PM you! 

[Steph93]

@Professor2211 @Jay's Brain Hi! I finally took the GRE yesterday, and ended up with a 151V/158Q. I unfortunately was pressed for time in the verbal section, which I believe makes up for part of my score. I also found that as time passed with my studying and practicing, my scores started to decrease (I think this was the result of burnout and mental exhaustion). I know you both said earlier not to worry until I took it, or not to worry at all, but I am wondering if now that my scores are lower than anticipated, do I need to worry? Should I retake it, or should I dedicate the next 3 months on making the rest of my application the best it can be? 

[Jay's Brain]

@Steph93 Congrats on completing your GRE for the first time! It is an exhausting process, and does take a lot out of you. So, first of all, good job! 

Now, to answer your trickier question...there really isn't a solid answer, unfortunately. It is always the hardest when dedicated students (and everyone here is!) end up performing lower than they thought they would, and you're stuck with not knowing whether it is good enough. Your scores for the VR does seem to be low(er), but that isn't to say you won't get in to a program of your choice. Remember, you have a SOLID application in all other aspects. In general, the GRE is not the end all and be all; unless you bomb it considerably (which you didn't really do), it won't affect you as much as limitations to other parts of your app (e.g., if you had no research experience, poor GPA, etc). 

The GRE is the most uncomfortable part of the application, in my opinion, because it is the only part we can only quantify and compare ourselves. And when we underachieve based on our self-criticism, that makes it all the more stressful. Will having a low GRE score affect your chances? I can't really say, especially with American schools, which I've heard considers the GREs more heavily, but I also know that I have colleagues who performed worst than your VR and QR scores that were accepted. Other areas of your application can, and will, supplement an average GRE score. After all, your experiences are more important than how you perform ONCE on a standardized test.

One important question is to ask yourself whether you think you'll have time to properly study and complete the GRE again. Do you think it will tamper with giving yourself the most energy and time to make the rest of your app amazing? That might be your deciding factor.

Always happy to chat!

[TommySotomayor]

@Steph93 In order to gauge the competitiveness of your GRE scores, one thing you should probably do (if you haven't already) is look at the average GRE scores for admitted applicants in recent years at the programs you intend on applying to.  If your GRE scores in all sections tend to be very close to or exceed the mean scores of recently admitted applicants, then you are probably in good shape.  When I was applying, I remember that many schools included this information somewhere on the department's website.  Also, annually, the APA releases a large book titled Graduate Study in Psychology that, among other things, includes these scores for most schools.  I was able to find these books at my  undergrad university's library.   Finally, if you decide that you need to retake it, it may not be a bad idea to reduce the number of schools you're applying to (initially you said 18-20, which is a lot but not unheard of) since this would allow you to focus on the GRE to a greater degree.  Anyway, good luck!