I am in need of some advice regarding my unique (as far as I can tell) situation. Basically, I am in the middle of a PhD program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, but would like to switch to Clinical Psychology. I have done some reading on Psy.D and PhD programs in Clinical Psych, and feel I would be much better suited for this field rather than my current one. Without getting too deep into personal matters, I essentially no longer find any joy in my current field of work, and I believe I would find much more meaning and fulfillment as a clinical psychologist or licensed therapist. I doubled majored in MCB and Psychology in undergrad (Top 40 school), and the PhD program I am currently in is consistently ranked #1 or #2 for MCB. I have done molecular bio research more or less full-time since my senior year of undergrad, but have ZERO experience in clinical psych. I spent a semester in undergrad working as a research assistant in a Cognitive Psych lab though, and did win a departmental award for my research there. Still, this feels very minor compared to what I imagine other applicants have in terms of research experience.
I have tried to be as honest with myself as I can, and I do not believe this is just a case of getting cold feet as many people experience during their PhD years. My dream has been to get a PhD for a long time, and I do not want to give up on this. I just do not want it to be in a field where I see no future for myself. The reality is, I absolutely do not want to keep doing benchwork science in academia OR in biotech, and I do not want to settle for an alternative career (consulting, teaching) that I am not truly passionate about. For me, the bottom line is I want to help people with mental illnesses live better lives, whether that is through clinical research or as a licensed therapist.
Mainly I am interested in hearing about what a typical to exceptional applicant to Clinical Psych doctorate programs looks like (GRE, research experience, etc.). I would also like to get a feel for what programs I might expect to get into (if any...) if I were to apply literally right now without doing anything else to add to my CV. What were your top choice schools? What do you think I would need to do in order to get into those programs?
Relevant stats:
Education/GPA: Currently a Molecular biology PhD candidate at top ranked university, 3.8 GPA. (Technically I would have a masters if I were to drop out of my program now as I have already passed my qualifying exam). Bachelors in MCB and Psychology, 3.7 GPA overall (Psychology GPA is higher)
GRE: 170 V / 158 Q
Research experience: 7 years of molecular bio, 1 semester of cognitive psych research. Currently in a neurobiology lab (albeit with no particular focus on mental disorders), although I rotated through one lab where my project dealt with genes involved in schizophrenia, and another lab where my project dealt with neurological correlates of depression.
Teaching experience: 1 semester teaching a general biology course to ~100 students. Have also volunteered at elementary and middle schools as a science outreach instructor, as well as a science summer camp one year.
Question
rabbitlocks
I am in need of some advice regarding my unique (as far as I can tell) situation. Basically, I am in the middle of a PhD program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, but would like to switch to Clinical Psychology. I have done some reading on Psy.D and PhD programs in Clinical Psych, and feel I would be much better suited for this field rather than my current one. Without getting too deep into personal matters, I essentially no longer find any joy in my current field of work, and I believe I would find much more meaning and fulfillment as a clinical psychologist or licensed therapist. I doubled majored in MCB and Psychology in undergrad (Top 40 school), and the PhD program I am currently in is consistently ranked #1 or #2 for MCB. I have done molecular bio research more or less full-time since my senior year of undergrad, but have ZERO experience in clinical psych. I spent a semester in undergrad working as a research assistant in a Cognitive Psych lab though, and did win a departmental award for my research there. Still, this feels very minor compared to what I imagine other applicants have in terms of research experience.
I have tried to be as honest with myself as I can, and I do not believe this is just a case of getting cold feet as many people experience during their PhD years. My dream has been to get a PhD for a long time, and I do not want to give up on this. I just do not want it to be in a field where I see no future for myself. The reality is, I absolutely do not want to keep doing benchwork science in academia OR in biotech, and I do not want to settle for an alternative career (consulting, teaching) that I am not truly passionate about. For me, the bottom line is I want to help people with mental illnesses live better lives, whether that is through clinical research or as a licensed therapist.
Mainly I am interested in hearing about what a typical to exceptional applicant to Clinical Psych doctorate programs looks like (GRE, research experience, etc.). I would also like to get a feel for what programs I might expect to get into (if any...) if I were to apply literally right now without doing anything else to add to my CV. What were your top choice schools? What do you think I would need to do in order to get into those programs?
Relevant stats:
Education/GPA: Currently a Molecular biology PhD candidate at top ranked university, 3.8 GPA. (Technically I would have a masters if I were to drop out of my program now as I have already passed my qualifying exam). Bachelors in MCB and Psychology, 3.7 GPA overall (Psychology GPA is higher)
GRE: 170 V / 158 Q
Research experience: 7 years of molecular bio, 1 semester of cognitive psych research. Currently in a neurobiology lab (albeit with no particular focus on mental disorders), although I rotated through one lab where my project dealt with genes involved in schizophrenia, and another lab where my project dealt with neurological correlates of depression.
Teaching experience: 1 semester teaching a general biology course to ~100 students. Have also volunteered at elementary and middle schools as a science outreach instructor, as well as a science summer camp one year.
Thank you in advance for your input!!
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