Evaluating Chances in getting into a Graduate Program!

[Risingsoul]

Hello,

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this thread. I am an aspiring student for graduate school in Psychology. I am new to this wonderful forum and I would like to get an honest evaluation of my chances of getting into a graduate program. My program of interest is the PGSP-Standford PsyD consortium, a private school located in Palo Alto. I am looking into other programs too but I would like to stay in the Bay Area.


I have been a family advocate and counselor at a domestic violence shelter for almost a decade. I have always been very passionate about helping people and have decided that it is time to take my education and experience to a higher level. I know that I can excel and greatly contribute to the field of psychology. However, my educational background does not reflect my interest in psychology. I have an undergraduate degree in Advertising (graduated five years ago). I have an interest in clinical or counseling psychology.

Although I do not have an undergraduate degree in psychology, I have almost a decade of experience working with domestic violence victims/survivors with mental health issues. I also have personal reasons to why I want to become a psychologist. Due to the Cambodian civil war "The Killing Fields," A significant amount of people in my community are suffering or vicariously suffering from PTSD, anxiety and depression. They are not getting the help that they need partly because there are not enough psychologists that speaks their language, etc. There are also many milestones and obstacles for higher education due to various factors relating to the post war trauma. My family and I have experience the atrocity that happened only 30 years ago. I was extremely fortunate to be born during the end of it, however, the suffering was not over due to the loss of so many lives (a quarter of the population, one out of four lost their lives) and the aftermath. There is not a single cambodian family that I know who has not lost a loved one to murder, starvation, slave labor,etc. It was a modern day genocide that is only brought to justice now ( tribunal is in progress 30 years later). The only thing to focus now is in the healing process.

Back to the real question!

I am planning to take 5 Psychology classes this semester(I would have a total of 27 units of psych courses), an internship, the GRE, Psych GRE, and prepare for the application process, all by the admissions deadline (01/15/2008). Am I being realistic with my time frame or am I better off waiting until the fall of 2010 to prepare and apply? I am not getting any younger and would like to start in the fall of 2009.

With my background, do I have a decent chance at getting into a good program (even a good private institution)?

I have a cumulative GPA of 3.2. However, I have a 3.6 GPA when I transferred to a university. I didn't do well when I was at a community college (8 years ago) due to lack of resources and personal obstacles. I also worked full time while attending school full time. There were many reasons to give up but I would be the first to go to college and graduate in my family. We are immigrants who were here on asylum so college was not a financial option for my siblings.

I also have a great set of references from community leaders as I have volunteered for many org. Many community leaders see me as a great asset because of my passion and empathy for people who are suffering. They are rooting for me!!! Yeah!

I am overwhelmed, scared, but my passion and empathy for people who are suffering is greater. Although, I have many interests, THIS IS MY CALLING and I think I will be great at it.

Thank you in advance! Your advice and feedback would play a significant role in my planning. Please be honest. I would appreciate any advice to improve my chances from those who are threading the same journey!

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[erg923]

First off, are you aiming for Ph.D. or Psy.D? To be honest, Ph.D. programs will put very little weight into past clincial experiences and jobs. Although you have some good experiences, it really wont help you all that much in gaining admissions to doctoral programs. They will teach you the clincial stuff while you're there, that is their job. The benefit of your experiences will come once you are in somewhere and you find yourself one step ahead of your classmates in terms of basic clinical knowledge/exposure.

First and foremost, you will need the appropriate quantitative numbers (i.e., cumulative GPA 3.5+ and a GRE of 1200+) to even be looked at. Second, you will need heavy research experience (for the Ph.D. programs at least). This is less important for the Psy.D. programs, but you need some research experience for the Psy.D as well. You will also need "glowing" letters of rec, more so from academics than from clincial supervisors. Lastly, private institutions/schools have nothing to do with the quality of a doctoral program in clincial psych. The traditional ranking of the nations most prestigious schools are not important here. The top programs in clinical psych are mostly in large state universities actually (eg., Wisconsin-Madison, Penn, Minnesota, Florida, UC-Berkley, Illinois). This is a level and field where you will want a program that matches your needs and research interests.

Moreover, make sure you explore your options. Can you do the same thing without all the time and stress of a doctoral degree? Did you know that masters level individuals such as MFTs and MSWs can do therapy as well. Although, they are limited to therapy mainly, and they are reimbursed at a lower rate than doctoral level providers for their services. Make sure you understand the field and find out if truly need the doctorate for your personal career goals.

 

[Risingsoul]

Thank you Erg923 for taking the time to respond and for the valuable advice.
I have thought about it carefully. I would prefer a PsyD over a Ph.d, mainly because of my background. I think I also have a better chance at getting into a PsyD program at a private institution than at a competitive university program. When I was younger, my goal was to graduate with an BS and never thought that a doctorate would be a possibility. I will apply to some Master's level program as well. However, my heart is set on getting a Doctorate. I have done a lot of research, including reading a lot of posts on here.

I do have some good letter writers that can illuminate my skills. I plan to apply around the Bay Area, and the schools available that truly fit my interests are private institutions. I think PGSP is probably ideal since I have heard more positive things about it than other private institutions like Argosy. I am interested in PGSP's PsyD program.

I guess I am fooling myself to think that I can complete all the prerequisites courses, study and get a good score on the GREs, and complete application packages. I have heard from mental health professionals with doctorate degrees tell me that I would be a great psychologist. It sucks to have great potential and yet, look bad on paper.

I think I will try to do all that I mentioned above and see where I am in Dec. If the scores do not look good, then I can re-take it again and apply in 2010. Or should I just apply anyway (assuming I meet all the prereqs, etc.) just in case I get into the program. There is always next year! *sigh*

Again, thank you and I hope you have a great weekend!

 

[erg923]

PGSP's Psy.D program is pretty solid with a good rep, BUT, the price tag is killer. I would encourage you too look at the full range of programs. There are good, financially supported, Ph.D. programs that are pretty balanced. I would advise you to not limit yourself to just CA either, as the competitive nature of clinical program admissions makes it hard to stay local, or even within the same state.

However, before you get ahead of yourself, you will need to get your prereq classes, boost your GPA some, and take the GRE. You have to do this first to have a realistic shot to get your foot in the proverbial door. You should still try to get involved in some clincial research before you apply. This will help with apps to both PhD and PsyD programs. If you know anyone conducting resesrch, you should poke around and see if they need some help. Also check out the local hospitals or academic med centers. All this preparation may take a couple more years, but be patient. And again, make sure you are not going overkill. There's is nothing worse than someone who wants to the doctorate just for the sake of the doctorate and the prestige it might give. It's not worth the headache. Make sure you are getting your doctorate because your career goals necessitate it.

 

[Risingsoul]

I have my heart set on PGSP-Standford Consortium. I love being in school. I remember getting A's and B's while I was working a 8-10 hr. a day job at a crisis center. I was also taking 5-6 classes at a time. I know I will do well in school but I just regret not knowing how important your GPA is. Again, I didn't expect to apply for grad school. I am hoping my credentials is enough to apply to the PGSP program. I'm not sure how competitive they are and if I have a good chance after I meet all of the requirements.

Thank you so much!!!

 

[erg923]

Then I would suggest making it your top priority, but it is not wise, nor pragmatic to set your heart on any one program in this field. This is setting yourself up for disaster.

 

[deleted176373]

Hello,
I am new to this wonderful forum and I would like to get an honest evaluation of my chances of getting into a graduate program. My program of interest is the PGSP-Standford PsyD consortium, a private school located in Palo Alto.

I think your chances are actually quite good but...

I have been a family advocate and counselor at a domestic violence shelter for almost a decade. I have always been very passionate about helping people and have decided that it is time to take my education and experience to a higher level.

This is not a bad reason, but be careful in only acknowledging the emotional aspect of attending graduate school. There are costs associated and benefits that you are trying to achieve. While it is fine to be generally altruistic remember that you are important too. People who enter this field with the goal of helping people are at risk for compassion fatigue especially when there is significant transference/counter-transference. (Figley, 2002)

I know that I can excel and greatly contribute to the field of psychology. However, my educational background does not reflect my interest in psychology. I have an undergraduate degree in Advertising (graduated five years ago). I have an interest in clinical or counseling psychology.

Although I do not have an undergraduate degree in psychology, I have almost a decade of experience working with domestic violence victims/survivors with mental health issues. I also have personal reasons to why I want to become a psychologist. Due to the Cambodian civil war "The Killing Fields," A significant amount of people in my community are suffering or vicariously suffering from PTSD, anxiety and depression. They are not getting the help that they need partly because there are not enough psychologists that speaks their language, etc. There are also many milestones and obstacles for higher education due to various factors relating to the post war trauma. My family and I have experience the atrocity that happened only 30 years ago. I was extremely fortunate to be born during the end of it, however, the suffering was not over due to the loss of so many lives (a quarter of the population, one out of four lost their lives) and the aftermath. There is not a single cambodian family that I know who has not lost a loved one to murder, starvation, slave labor,etc. It was a modern day genocide that is only brought to justice now ( tribunal is in progress 30 years later). The only thing to focus now is in the healing process.

Back to the real question!

You're personal reasons need to be about YOU. While it's great to identify a population you wish to serve, think about why this population is important to you. The best therapist is not always the one who has experienced the trauma first hand and other times that unique world view can be an important asset. However you want to focus on other reasons why you might be a good therapist... would you only be good at treating Cambodians who have experienced genocide? Further, you state that you could excel and contribute greatly to Psychology, how do you see yourself contributing? (expect this as a question at an interview if you state that you feel that you will be a great contributor.) These are not questions for you to answer publicly, but rather things to think about as you begin your journey.

I am planning to take 5 Psychology classes this semester(I would have a total of 27 units of psych courses), an internship, the GRE, Psych GRE, and prepare for the application process, all by the admissions deadline (01/15/2008). Am I being realistic with my time frame or am I better off waiting until the fall of 2010 to prepare and apply? I am not getting any younger and would like to start in the fall of 2009.

You might as well CLEP intro to psychology. Also I would ask if the Psych GRE would be accepted at PGSP in lieu of prescribed coursework. If they say yes, then maybe just killing the psych GRE would be sufficient. I don't think that such a course load is inappropriate, it's about the same as what you'll experience at graduate school.

I would take the GRE first and determine if your scores are high enough to get in... then if they are, I would probably push hard and if they are not, I would consider waiting for the 2010 cycle.

With my background, do I have a decent chance at getting into a good program (even a good private institution)?

I have a cumulative GPA of 3.2. However, I have a 3.6 GPA when I transferred to a university. I didn't do well when I was at a community college (8 years ago) due to lack of resources and personal obstacles. I also worked full time while attending school full time. There were many reasons to give up but I would be the first to go to college and graduate in my family. We are immigrants who were here on asylum so college was not a financial option for my siblings.

I also have a great set of references from community leaders as I have volunteered for many org. Many community leaders see me as a great asset because of my passion and empathy for people who are suffering. They are rooting for me!!! Yeah!

Yes, it sounds like you have decent chance so far. The 3.2 isn't enough to end your chances and with the additional coursework increasing your GPA, you should be able to make the case that the community college work was not representive of your current performance.

I am overwhelmed, scared, but my passion and empathy for people who are suffering is greater. Although, I have many interests, THIS IS MY CALLING and I think I will be great at it.

"THIS IS MY CALLING" <- Red Flag... Save this for your inside voice!!!

You seem to have a good heart but remember, you are doing this for YOU as well... and you need to know why YOU want to do this.

Even in my admissions essay, I admitted that I was being a little selfish and that I wanted the things that came with being a military psychologist.

I got to work with a special population, I am getting great pay (as a student and later as a therapist), and I was able to secure a retirement on 6 years post graduate.

So don't lose track of who you want to work with, but remember that you need to take care of you first (Figley, 2002)

Mark


* Figley, C.R. (2002), Compassion fatigue: Psychotherapists' chronic lack of self care, Journal of Clinical Psychology 58(11), 1433-1441

 

[Risingsoul]

Mark,

Thank you so much for taking the time to relay words of encouragement. Your feedback was really helpful and gave me greater hope in getting into a good program. I just started to do my research and decided that grad school is an essential step in taking me closer to my ultimate goal of becoming a psychologist. You are right, aside from having good intentions and wanting to help people (that is obvious for why many choose to venture into this field), I have my personal selfish reasons too. I want more credibility and more power as a minority and a woman. I want to gain more knowledge and understanding of the mind/issues. I have always craved more knowledge and information about many psychological issues. I didn't realize this until now, but I have a room full of books that I collect over the years and many are related to psychology. As a family counselor/advocate for victims of Domestic violence, I wanted to learn and research the root causes of DV ( low self esteem, conditioned association, learned behavior, etc). I have many personal reasons of why I would like to be a psychologist and wanting to help people is one of the greatest reasons. I will def. take your advice. Yes, PGSP allows you to skip the course prereqs if you do good on on Psych GRE. Classes are starting in on the 22nd so I have to take them anyways just in case I don't do too well on the Psych GRE. If I do well, it wouldn't hurt to have taken those classes.

I haven't started working on my personal statement yet, mainly because I have to prepare for school and begin studying for the GRE and Psych GRE. I will order some books, etc to help me prepare. I plan on not having a life for the next few months. lol


Mark, again, thank you for taking the time to give me real and honest feedback. I hope I can still write to you for more guidance in the future. Have a great weekend!