WAMC: What Are My Chances

[Psychisfun43]

Education - B.S. Psychology University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a minor in Leadership Studies

• • Cumulative GPA: 3.80
  • Psychology GPA: 3.70

• Research
  • I did some Research for the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago for patient data and program effectiveness.
  • Three years undergrad research position in two different labs and I am joining the third lab for my last year. So in total four years of experience. One focusing on childhood development with math, another with addiction in regards to MJ/Cig. I was doing basic grunt work data analysis, scoring, etc.
  • Clinical Psychology testing experience (Shadowed and Learned): MMPI (Forensics), SIMs (Forensics), and PPVT (For developmental lab).

Internships:

• Two Summer internships at the RIC for chronic pain. In which I shadowed the program itself and learned what the patients learn and saw the therapeutic side. I also did medical history intakes and shadowed Clinical Psychologists, DO's and Observed Bio-feedback. I also sat in group psychotherapy and interacted with patients at the program.
• Internship for a forensic psychiatrist which Reviewed medical/psychiatric/psychological reports and records, Assisted with online case related article research, Attended Fitness to Stand Trial hearing, Sat in on psychiatric depositions, Job shadowed a psychometrician during psychological testing
• Internship at a teen mental health clinic and it was mostly basic intern work. I also hosted a club for students after school as a safe after-school program for at-risk teens. LGBTQ oriented, and I organized a domestic violence project for campers.
• 150 Clinical ER Hours
• GRE:

• GRE I currently have a Q:165 and V:160, W:5.0
• Psych GRE: 730

LOR: This is a hard choice for me. I have two clinical psychologists who are willing to write recs for me from different internship experiences. Although, the third letter is a professor. I didn't do so great in his class, but he knows me very well because I always went to his office hours. I am going to work in his lab starting in the fall. Should I use his letter of rec or should I ask my boss at my job who knows very well for about two years? The job isn't related to the clinical psych, but he knows my work ethic and character. He also said he would write me a rec in a heart beat. Otherwise, I have back up's like Ph.D. student who I TA'ed for his class. We are very close, but he hasn't been doctored yet! I could ask my PI, but our relationship wasn't the best.


Schools I am applying too:
Northwestern University Ph.D. (Feinberg)
Wash U in St. Louis (Ph.D.)
Roosevelt's University PsyD
School of Prof Psych Chicago Psyd
Pal-Alto/Stanford University PsyD
Yeshiva University PsyD
Baylor University PsyD
Indiana State University PsyD
Rutgers PsyD
University of Austin PhD
Drexler PhD
University of Penn PhD
Duke PhD
University of Kansas PhD
Stoney Brook University PhD

Are these schools in my ballpark or am I aiming too high? Also, anymore PsyD programs or even Ph.D. programs recommendations? I am Interested in Humanistic/existential and CBT framework but focusing on Geropsychology and neuropsychological testing. I am focusing on half Ph.D. and PsyD. I would prefer a scientist-practitioner model Phd school like Northwestern or Drexler but PsyD programs like Baylor and Rutgers are also very appealing.

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[psych.meout]

Education - B.S. Psychology University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a minor in Leadership Studies

• • Cumulative GPA: 3.80
  • Psychology GPA: 3.70

• Research
  • I did some Research for the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago for patient data and program effectiveness.
  • Three years undergrad research position in two different labs and I am joining the third lab for my last year. So in total four years of experience. One focusing on childhood development with math, another with addiction in regards to MJ/Cig. I was doing basic grunt work data analysis, scoring, etc.
  • Clinical Psychology testing experience (Shadowed and Learned): MMPI (Forensics), SIMs (Forensics), and PPVT (For developmental lab).

Internships:

• Two Summer internships at the RIC for chronic pain. In which I shadowed the program itself and learned what the patients learn and saw the therapeutic side. I also did medical history intakes and shadowed Clinical Psychologists, DO's and Observed Bio-feedback. I also sat in group psychotherapy and interacted with patients at the program.
• Internship for a forensic psychiatrist which Reviewed medical/psychiatric/psychological reports and records, Assisted with online case related article research, Attended Fitness to Stand Trial hearing, Sat in on psychiatric depositions, Job shadowed a psychometrician during psychological testing
• Internship at a teen mental health clinic and it was mostly basic intern work. I also hosted a club for students after school as a safe after-school program for at-risk teens. LGBTQ oriented, and I organized a domestic violence project for campers.
• 150 Clinical ER Hours
• GRE:

• GRE I currently have a Q:165 and V:160, W:5.0
• Psych GRE: 730

LOR: This is a hard choice for me. I have two clinical psychologists who are willing to write recs for me from different internship experiences. Although, the third letter is a professor. I didn't do so great in his class, but he knows me very well because I always went to his office hours. I am going to work in his lab starting in the fall. Should I use his letter of rec or should I ask my boss at my job who knows very well for about two years? The job isn't related to the clinical psych, but he knows my work ethic and character. He also said he would write me a rec in a heart beat. Otherwise, I have back up's like Ph.D. student who I TA'ed for his class. We are very close, but he hasn't been doctored yet! I could ask my PI, but our relationship wasn't the best.


Schools I am applying too:
Northwestern University Ph.D. (Feinberg)
Wash U in St. Louis (Ph.D.)
Roosevelt's University PsyD
School of Prof Psych Chicago Psyd
Pal-Alto/Stanford University PsyD
Yeshiva University PsyD
Baylor University PsyD
Indiana State University PsyD
Rutgers PsyD
University of Austin PhD
Drexler PhD
University of Penn PhD
Duke PhD
University of Kansas PhD
Stoney Brook University PhD

Are these schools in my ballpark or am I aiming too high? Also, anymore PsyD programs or even Ph.D. programs recommendations? I am Interested in Humanistic/existential and CBT framework but focusing on Geropsychology and neuropsychological testing. I am focusing on half Ph.D. and PsyD. I would prefer a scientist-practitioner model Phd school like Northwestern or Drexler but PsyD programs like Baylor and Rutgers are also very appealing.

Your GRE scores and GPA are good, but you might be a little light on research experience if you were just doing "grunt work" and don't have any productivity (e.g. posters or publications) from it. It's somewhat less about how long you were doing research in a lab and more about what you actually did there. Admissions committees and POIs want to see higher level conceptual work like helping develop the design and protocol or composing the manuscript after analyzing the results.

That said, I would definitely try to get recommendations from your research supervisors, especially if they are psychologists. Clinical experience like your internships can be good, but they are of diminishing returns for good doctoral programs. This is especially the case, because undergrads and those with bachelor's degrees generally can't really do the more advanced clinical work that's on the level of graduate training, which is likely why most of your clinical experience seems to observational in nature. I had a lot of clinical experience when I was admitted earlier this year and got a recommendation from one of the neuropsychologists I work with, but my position is quite unique and rare, so my experiences were relatively rare compared to those of the other students interviewing where I did.

As far as the programs you've selected, I'd get rid of all the PsyD programs, if only due to their lack of funding. Baylor and Rutgers are solid programs, so you can keep them if you like, but I'd still get rid of the rest.

 

[Psychisfun43]

Your GRE scores and GPA are good, but you might be a little light on research experience if you were just doing "grunt work" and don't have any productivity (e.g. posters or publications) from it. It's somewhat less about how long you were doing research in a lab and more about what you actually did there. Admissions committees and POIs want to see higher level conceptual work like helping develop the design and protocol or composing the manuscript after analyzing the results.

That said, I would definitely try to get recommendations from your research supervisors, especially if they are psychologists. Clinical experience like your internships can be good, but they are of diminishing returns for good doctoral programs. This is especially the case, because undergrads and those with bachelor's degrees generally can't really do the more advanced clinical work that's on the level of graduate training, which is likely why most of your clinical experience seems to observational in nature. I had a lot of clinical experience when I was admitted earlier this year and got a recommendation from one of the neuropsychologists I work with, but my position is quite unique and rare, so my experiences were relatively rare compared to those of the other students interviewing where I did.

As far as the programs you've selected, I'd get rid of all the PsyD programs, if only due to their lack of funding. Baylor and Rutgers are solid programs, so you can keep them if you like, but I'd still get rid of the rest.

The main reason why I don't have so much research compared to my clinical experiences is that I didn't know what population I would like to work with. To figure this out, I spent my summers and throughout the year I worked at places with clinical exposure. Some of the Psyd schools I picked are backups just in case if I don't get in. Although, I wouldn't mind going to a Psyd school even if I have to pay more like Yeshiva. What other Phd programs do you suggest and other top tier Psyd programs?

 

[WisNeuro]

The main reason why I don't have so much research compared to my clinical experiences is that I didn't know what population I would like to work with so during my summers and throughout the year I did that. Some of the Psyd schools I picked are backups just in case if I don't get in. Although, I wouldn't mind going to a Psyd school even if I have to pay more like Yeshiva. What other Phd programs do you suggest and other top tier Psyd programs?

If a school is going to run you >200k in tuition, and/or has terrible accredited internship placement rates, they should not be a backup.

 

[Psychisfun43]

Louis

If a school is going to run you >200k in tuition, and/or has terrible accredited internship placement rates, they should not be a backup.

So like a Professional school of psychology? All the Psyd programs I picked at least have an 80% APA accreditation internship and 80% licensing rate.

 

[WisNeuro]

Louis


So like a Professional school of psychology? All the Psyd programs I picked at least have an 80% APA accreditation internship and 80% licensing rate.

Yeah, the Chicago school of professional psych is usually well below 50% on that one. Other than that, I always advise people against anything that would put them near or over 6 figures in debt. Run the loan repayment numbers against median income and see how much you have left after taxes and paying loans to live on.

 

[SKI+SUN]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum and have been reading a lot of stickied threads and other advice. My situation is a bit different, and I'm looking for maybe some suggestions/advice along with my chances. I'm on the older side of most applicants. My high school GPA was something like a 3.6, SAT 1330, graduated with a bachelor's degree in a different field (3.51 GPA - I could have done better if I put more effort in), worked for a few years in my field, didn't like the low pay and little challenge it offered, so I moved West to pursue my "passion" career of music. I worked several part-time and temporary jobs, some in a corporate office setting, some challenging, some not while trying to make it as a musician. After some years, I did have a bit of success, and toured regionally with a couple of artists but found that as I got older and deeper into the business, the lifestyle was not sustainable for me. At the time, my interest had already been sparked in psychology and having always been considered an intellectual, I decided to complete my undergraduate psychology pre-requisites at local community colleges and a local state university. After applying to a 3 doctoral programs, interviewing at one, and ultimately getting rejected, I accepted a spot at a FSPS for a part-time Master's degree as a gateway to the PhD. At this time, I am reconsidering whether that was a wise decision or whether I should have searched for research work instead, but I will have my Master's next year and will be applying to School Psychology programs this Fall and am hoping to include some competitive and funded programs. I love testing and assessment, as well as working with kids and am confident of the School Psychology path. I'd like to have options to practice in other settings or teach as an adjunct on the side, so the doctoral level programs are the ones I'm looking at. An academic or pure research career is not for me, but I would like to do some research at least at the doctoral level if not afterward, and be able to be an informed consumer of published research while practicing.

TLDR - Applying to School Psychology doctoral programs

Education: B.A. in a different field, 10+ years ago, 3.51 GPA
Undergraduate GPA in Psychology: ~3.9
FSPS Master's program GPA: ~3.9

Test scores: GRE-V 163 (650) 92%ile, GRE-Q 159 (740) 71%ile, GRE-AW 5.0 93%ile, GRE Psychology 650 (I'm sure this would be higher if taken again. Should I?)

Work experience: Post-B.A., mostly temp and PT work for years while pursuing a music career. Worked more recently with kids and teenagers as a youth mentor and substitute teacher.

Research experience: Just recently completed a 2-month temp position as an RA collecting data (1-1 assessment of preschool children) for a project at a non-profit. Currently looking for another research position in educational psychology. I'll be completing courses in research and statistics this Fall through next Spring which may include a research paper as a component. Would it be wise to include with my application? Should I aim for publication?

Programs I'm considering:
UVA (combined clinical/school)
James Madison University (combined clinical/school, not NASP approved)
UMD
UNC Chapel Hill
NC State
Univ. of South Carolina
Univ. of Tennessee Knoxville
Univ. of Florida
Univ. of South Florida
UMass Amherst
Rhode Island
Univ. of Utah
Cal Berkeley (not NASP approved)

Edits: Added a program, corrected GRE scores, added the following text.

I'm more strongly considering programs that will give credit (or waive the requirements for credit) for courses taken while earning my Master's degree. Anyone have experience with that?

 

[wtfook]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum and have been reading a lot of stickied threads and other advice. My situation is a bit different, and I'm looking for maybe some suggestions/advice along with my chances. I'm on the older side of most applicants. My high school GPA was something like a 3.6, SAT 1330, graduated with a bachelor's degree in a different field (3.51 GPA - I could have done better if I put more effort in), worked for a few years in my field, didn't like the low pay and little challenge it offered, so I moved West to pursue my "passion" career of music. I worked several part-time and temporary jobs, some in a corporate office setting, some challenging, some not while trying to make it as a musician. After some years, I did have a bit of success, and toured regionally with a couple of artists but found that as I got older and deeper into the business, the lifestyle was not sustainable for me. At the time, my interest had already been sparked in psychology and having always been considered an intellectual, I decided to complete my undergraduate psychology pre-requisites at local community colleges and a local state university. After applying to a 3 doctoral programs, interviewing at one, and ultimately getting rejected, I accepted a spot at a FSPS for a part-time Master's degree as a gateway to the PhD. At this time, I am reconsidering whether that was a wise decision or whether I should have searched for research work instead, but I will have my Master's next year and will be applying to School Psychology programs this Fall and am hoping to include some competitive and funded programs. I love testing and assessment, as well as working with kids and am confident of the School Psychology path. I'd like to have options to practice in other settings or teach as an adjunct on the side, so the doctoral level programs are the ones I'm looking at. An academic or pure research career is not for me, but I would like to do some research at least at the doctoral level if not afterward, and be able to be an informed consumer of published research while practicing.

TLDR - Applying to School Psychology doctoral programs

Education: B.A. in a different field, 10+ years ago, 3.51 GPA
Undergraduate GPA in Psychology: ~3.9
FSPS Master's program GPA: ~3.9

Test scores: GRE-V 650, GRE-Q 740, GRE-AW 4.5, GRE Psychology 650 (I'm sure this would be higher if taken again. Should I?)

Work experience: Post-B.A., mostly temp and PT work for years while pursuing a music career. Worked more recently with kids and teenagers as a youth mentor and substitute teacher.

Research experience: Just recently completed a 2-month temp position as an RA collecting data (1-1 assessment of preschool children) for a project at a non-profit. Currently looking for another research position in educational psychology. I'll be completing courses in research and statistics this Fall through next Spring which may include a research paper as a component. Would it be wise to include with my application? Should I aim for publication?

Programs I'm considering:
UVA (combined clinical/school)
James Madison University (combined clinical/school, not NASP approved)
UMD
UNC Chapel Hill
NC State
Univ. of South Carolina
Univ. of Tennessee Knoxville
Univ. of Florida
Univ. of South Florida
UMass Amherst
Rhode Island
Univ. of Utah
Cal Berkeley (not NASP approved)

Edited to Add: I'm more strongly considering programs that will give credit (or waive the requirements for credit) for courses taken while earning my Master's degree. Anyone have experience with that?

Edit 2: Added a program

You might need to take your GRE again? If your scores are reported via the old system, how long ago did you take the test? The scores expire within 5 years, but maybe you're still good? I think they need to still be ok by the time you apply.

 

[SKI+SUN]

2014 for the general, and 2015 for the psychology subtest. My reported scores were actually 163V and 159Q according to the new scoring system, but I used a table to convert to the 200-800 format because that's what I've seen on this forum. That was my second time taking the general, and I actually just double checked and realized that my AW score was a 5.0! (I'll edit my previous post to correct and make it clearer.)

 

[wtfook]

2014 for the general, and 2015 for the psychology subtest. My reported scores were actually 163V and 159Q according to the new scoring system, but I used a table to convert to the 200-800 format because that's what I've seen on this forum. That was my second time taking the general, and I actually just double checked and realized that my AW score was a 5.0! (I'll edit my previous post to correct and make it clearer.)

Oh ok I was confused. Yeah you don't need to post the old scoring system. Pretty much all the recent WAMC posters have been using the new scoring system. 2014 is totally fine. I think the general consensus for most is that if you can get something published or present in some way it looks better than not doing it. It just shows there's a product you can present from your research, rather than just number crunching or something.

School Psych is a little different from clinical or counseling though. I'm unfortunately not as well versed in what the admissions criteria are for that area. Although, I do think research fit will continue to be relevant. Your GRE scores are good so it wont get in your way most likely. However, even strong candidates can get turned away if their fit with the advisor they're applying to isn't great. So think less about the school you want to go to but the person you want to work with and if what you want to do is where their research is going or is currently exploring.

 

[JenNeuro]

Hey all!

I am a psychology major finishing my B.A. in psychology in the fall at California State University, Sacramento. I am in the process of deciding on applying to a predoctoral master's program or a PhD. I am interested in clinical psychology programs and/or neuroscience. I haven't made my decision yet, but will soon. Hoping I can just get some opinions on my stats as an applicant:

Overall GPA:3.55
Sac State GPA 3.7 (I was a transfer student from community college so this is my GPA for the last two years)

I have taken all required statistics and advanced statistics & research methods and received As in all of them. I am second author on a couple posters that I have presented at the Western Psychological Association conference this past spring as well.

I have been a research assistant in 2 labs for the last year and will finish out being in them for a year and a half each by graduation. One in neuroscience and one that focuses on data collection and SPSS entry. Non academic work wise I do not have any previous experience as I have been a veterinary technician for 11 years and as you can now guess, I am not a traditional student.

My extra curriculars also include being a peer mentor in the psychology department, being a lead mentor in the peer mentoring program, as well as putting on psychology workshops for students in the major, and volunteering at a youth crisis line.

Is it worth it to apply to PhD programs right now? Obviously, I know how competitive these programs are and I do not have the GPA numbers to hang. I am currently about to study this summer for the GRE. If I did stellar on the GRE is there any chance I might be considered a candidate?

Thank you so very much for your time! I cannot express my appreciation enough!

 

[SKI+SUN]

I think the general consensus for most is that if you can get something published or present in some way it looks better than not doing it. It just shows there's a product you can present from your research, rather than just number crunching or something.

I've heard about poster presentations here on this forum. What does one have to do in order to present a poster (or present in some other way) at a conference? Does your research need to be published in order to present it? Do you need to apply or be invited?

 

[PsychPhDone]

I've heard about poster presentations here on this forum. What does one have to do in order to present a poster (or present in some other way) at a conference? Does your research need to be published in order to present it? Do you need to apply or be invited?

You don't need to have published; usually posters happen once you have results from a study. You apply to present. I suggest you see where your PI usually presents at conferences and ask them what you can do to increase the odds of getting on a poster. National conferences are best but regionals are ok for undergrads (like Eastern/western/Midwest psychological association).

 

[PsychGal70]

Hi everyone!

Looking for some insight into my chances of being accepted to a phd program in counseling or clinical psychology this next round. I did apply last year and wasn't accepted to any doctoral programs.

I graduated with my bs in psychology and neuroscience in may 2016 with a cumulative of roughly 3.5 and major gpa of about 3.6 though my gpa my last 60 credits was more like a 3.85. I'm currently in a MS program in Psychological Research with a GPA of 3.95 for my first year set to graduate in may 2018.GRE of 65th % quant, 80th% verbal and 4.5 analytical.

Research experience: roughly 3 years with applied and basic research experiences in counseling psych, social psychology, community psych, and health psych.

Research outcomes: currently three pubs, with 4 more in prep which should be under review throughout the summer. 6+ oral presentations and 12+ poster presentations.

Clinical experience: two internships, one in an outpatient mental health clinical and one in a hospital based domestic violence program for survivors of domestic violence. We also worked with the prison and jail systems as well.

Work as a TA for undergrad Research Methods and graduate statistics.

 

[studentofthemind]

Updated further in the thread!

 

[LittleC]

Hey everyone,

B.A. honors-psychology 3.49/4 (2013)
-Independent research project
-Lab Assistant
-Teacher's assistant
M.A psychology 3.59/4 (2014)
-Lab Assistant

Worked as an RA one year at a non-profit (2014-2015)
-Unfortunately, my personal life fell apart which led to my doing very poorly in my job here. A golden opportunity most likely wasted.

English teacher in China (2015-2017)
-got my personal life together

GRE (2016)
Verbal 157 (75th; 560)
Quant 157 (67th; 730)
Total 314 (1290)
Writing 5.0 (93rd)

I was looking to apply for a Psy.D., Ph.D. in counseling or become a mental health clinician if there is a 99% chance I won't get in anywhere. I was even thinking of taking 6 months to work at a licensed orphanage in India at the end of the summer as a volunteer. Would this be considered beneficial to a committee or should I suck it up and find work at a hospital or another lab. However, I would still be in India for the application time in December 2017 and I don't want to wait another year.

Thanks for your help!

 

[psych.meout]

Hi everyone!

Looking for some insight into my chances of being accepted to a phd program in counseling or clinical psychology this next round. I did apply last year and wasn't accepted to any doctoral programs.

I graduated with my bs in psychology and neuroscience in may 2016 with a cumulative of roughly 3.5 and major gpa of about 3.6 though my gpa my last 60 credits was more like a 3.85. I'm currently in a MS program in Psychological Research with a GPA of 3.95 for my first year set to graduate in may 2018.GRE of 65th % quant, 80th% verbal and 4.5 analytical.

Research experience: roughly 3 years with applied and basic research experiences in counseling psych, social psychology, community psych, and health psych.

Research outcomes: currently three pubs, with 4 more in prep which should be under review throughout the summer. 6+ oral presentations and 12+ poster presentations.

Clinical experience: two internships, one in an outpatient mental health clinical and one in a hospital based domestic violence program for survivors of domestic violence. We also worked with the prison and jail systems as well.

Work as a TA for undergrad Research Methods and graduate statistics.

Well, it looks like you've got a lot of great research experience with substantial productivity, though what exactly were your duties in these projects and how do you talk/write about your responsibilities and contributions? You should probably retake the GRE to get a higher quant score, but you also need to reevaluate how you applied to programs this past time to see if there's anything you have done differently. Did you geographically restrict your applications? Did you apply to enough programs, e.g. >12? restricting your applications in these ways hurts even the most competitive applicants. How good was the fit between you and your prospective lab, program, and POI?

Hi there!!

I'm hoping to be accepted into a Psy.D. or Counseling Psych Ph.D. program for fall 2018.

So far, I'll be applying to:

Auburn (Counseling Psych)
University of Denver (Counseling Psych)
Indiana State University (Psy.D.)
Florida Tech (Psy.D.)
University of Central Arkansas (Counseling Psych)
Georgia State University (Counseling Psych)

Adding more to the list, too!

I'm 26 years old, a senior is undergrad, and have a 3.65 GPA. Have not taken the GRE yet, but am preparing! I'll be graduating with honors.

RESEARCH: I am part of a research lab at a nearby university. We investigate internalizing problems, empathy, and children's responses to their mother's emotions. I work with the kids by running them through our study! I also do coding, data entry, and recruitment.

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE: I work full-time for an outpatient addiction treatment center. I'm helping to build and implement another program that uses a completely different recovery model. I'm the admissions coordinator, and also run four groups: Relapse Prevention, Family Orientation, Step Group, and Recreation Group. I attend weekly supervision, collaborate with various professionals, am experienced with our EMR system, and guide the patients through admission. I also work for a sober-living house on the weekends.

What do you think? There's a lot more I could talk about but figured I would condense my post!

Firstly, you need to apply to more than six programs.

Secondly, why are you seemingly restricting your applications to PsyD and counseling PhD programs? What are your professional goals and aspirations and how do these kinds of programs help you achieve them? Are you applying to these programs based on your fit with them and your prospective labs and POIs? Have you considered funded PhD program in clinical psychology?

Thirdly, how long have you worked in this lab? Recruiting participants and running them through a study are pretty good, but data entry and coding are pretty basic, menial tasks. Doctoral programs want to see more substantial contributions (e.g. study development and manuscript prep) and with some kind of productivity, especially peer reviewed publications, over a longer term, preferably from start to finish of a study. Do you have any other research experience?

Hey everyone,

B.A. honors-psychology 3.49/4 (2013)
-Independent research project
-Lab Assistant
-Teacher's assistant
M.A psychology 3.59/4 (2014)
-Lab Assistant

Worked as an RA one year at a non-profit (2014-2015)
-Unfortunately, my personal life fell apart which led to my doing very poorly in my job here. A golden opportunity most likely wasted.

English teacher in China (2015-2017)
-got my personal life together

GRE (2016)
Verbal 157 (75th; 560)
Quant 157 (67th; 730)
Total 314 (1290)
Writing 5.0 (93rd)

I was looking to apply for a Psy.D., Ph.D. in counseling or become a mental health clinician if there is a 99% chance I won't get in anywhere. I was even thinking of taking 6 months to work at a licensed orphanage in India at the end of the summer as a volunteer. Would this be considered beneficial to a committee or should I suck it up and find work at a hospital or another lab. However, I would still be in India for the application time in December 2017 and I don't want to wait another year.

Thanks for your help!

It might be a good idea to reevaluate your goals, priorities, and interests. Based on what you've written, it seems you're more focused on getting things done as soon as possible rather than doing them the most rigorous way possible. You don't even seem that enthusiastic about graduate school. You seem more interested in working abroad, which is great, than getting a job which would get you the tangible experience needed to get into a quality grad program. If getting a psych-related clinical or research job is "sucking it up" to you, maybe this is not really what you want.

Regardless, teaching English in China or working at an orphanage in India wouldn't help your application much. You need to retake the GRE, as your scores, BA GPA, and MA GPA are all middling. You need more applicable experience, primarily research, especially as you can't use one of your previous research experiences as a reference, because you performed "very poorly." This additional experience will need to be more than the five or six months you have until applications are due, and that's assuming you get a position immediately.

 

[deleted343839]

I was looking to apply for a Psy.D., Ph.D. in counseling or become a mental health clinician if there is a 99% chance I won't get in anywhere. I was even thinking of taking 6 months to work at a licensed orphanage in India at the end of the summer as a volunteer. Would this be considered beneficial to a committee or should I suck it up and find work at a hospital or another lab. However, I would still be in India for the application time in December 2017 and I don't want to wait another year.

You'll be more competitive with experience as a paid research assistant (and a letter of recommendation that attests to strong performance). Volunteer work would not carry nearly the same weight.

Do you have a specific reason for wanting to be a psychologist versus another type of mental health clinician?

 

[ClinicalMan]

Hey everyone,

I'm from Canada and have been entertaining the idea of becoming a School Psychologist. My GPA through two years of undergraduate university (honours degree in psychology) is 3.9 out of 4.0. What kind of grades will i need to receive to get into a PhD program in either Canada, the USA or Europe, and what else will help my application?

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Hey everyone,

I'm from Canada and have been entertaining the idea of becoming a School Psychologist. My GPA through two years of undergraduate university (honours degree in psychology) is 3.9 out of 4.0. What kind of grades will i need to receive to get into a PhD program in either Canada, the USA or Europe, and what else will help my application?

Mod Note: I've merged this into the WAMC "sticky" thread.

Quick answer--for the US and Canada, if you maintain a 3.9, you'll be fine. I believe 3.6+ tends to be around the average at most programs. Other factors that will help (and there are other stickies about this as well, related to getting into grad school for clinical/counseling/school psychology) include a high GRE score, a couple years' worth of research experience (particularly if with accompanying poster presentations or a manuscript publication), and strong letters of recommendation from psychology professors. Even with all that, you'll want to cast a wide net when applying (e.g., apply to 10+ programs), and will want to focus on maximizing the "match" between your research/clinical interests and those of your potential doctoral advisors.

None of this directly applies to Europe, though. Europe has different credentials and training for practicing psychologists relative to the US and Canada, and which I would imagine also has different entry exams and average incoming student characteristics. If you plan ultimately plan on practicing in Canada or the US, I would train in Canada or the US. Same goes for Europe. If you aren't sure and want to maximize flexibility, I would tentatively say that training in the US or Canada would do so more than training in Europe.

 

[LittleC]

You'll be more competitive with experience as a paid research assistant (and a letter of recommendation that attests to strong performance). Volunteer work would not carry nearly the same weight.

Do you have a specific reason for wanting to be a psychologist versus another type of mental health clinician?

I've always enjoyed helping people and am super good at being non-judgemental, listening, and find my deepest satisfaction in helping people grow. This has always been the case and if If I didn't think this career was right for me I would go back to being a teacher in a heartbeat. Being a psychologist makes the most sense in the field because it allows for better pay with less debt (if any) along with a more competitive edge since I hear there is now an oversupply of mental health clinicians and psychologists in the field. I think it would be better to wait another year and build up my experience rather than try to get into a program as a mental health clinician.

My personal areas of interest would be related to anxiety, depression, self-esteem/efficacy/motivation, and personal development since I have personally struggled in these areas and feel it would better suit me to help people who are going through similar processes as I can understand them better.

If you have a better idea for what you think would suit me I'm all ears.

Thank you

 

[undertoad]

Backstory: Non-trad (mid-30s, career changer). Currently working full-time, going to school full-time, and putting in approximately 10 hours research a week. Applying for clinical PhD programs this fall.

First undergraduate degree (earned over 10 years ago): B.A. English, 3.8 GPA

Second undergraduate degree (in progress): B.S. Psychology, 4.0 GPA

Taking the GRE in September. I expect quantitative to be weaker than verbal, so I’m focusing on this as I study.

I'm geographically flexible. Funding is a major concern.

Current research experience:

Two years (10-15 hours a week) with primary lab. Contribute to: administering research protocol, data collection/cleaning/analysis, lit reviews, study development, manuscript writing/prep, conference presentations.

Two years auxiliary work with secondary lab (this lab and the primary lab were somewhat intermingled at one point). Mainly running research protocol and conference presentations.

Past research experience:

Eight months (approx. 5 hours a week) with lab. I tried it out for two semesters because one aspect of the research appealed to me. However, it turned out to be a poor match. Mutually parted ways under good terms.

Research productivity:

Honor’s thesis (in progress)

Third author, one manuscript (in press)

Fourth author, one manuscript (under review after R&R)

First author, one poster, national conference

Third author, one poster, national conference

Fourth author, one poster, national conference

Third/fourth author of symposia, national conference

Second author, one poster, state conference

Current work experience:

One year full-time in residential services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Provide both direct services to individuals supported and supervisory/admin support to staff.

Past work experience:

One year part-time in residential services for adults with ID/DD.

Six years active duty military. Advanced to E-6 in four years. Held leadership roles. Honorable discharge.

Four years stuff that doesn’t matter (admin), but paid the rent.

Research interests:

Moral emotions, moral injury, PTSD. Trauma and stressor-related disorders among military and first responder populations. Resilience and adaptation to extreme conditions/circumstances (e.g., civil unrest, natural disasters, austere/harsh environments). Some interest in working with rural (United States) populations.

My end goal is to work with the VA or DoD, either as a clinician or research (unknown which I’d prefer at this point).

Questions:

Will the fact that I’ve never worked full-time as an RA make me less competitive? I’m hoping that my unpaid experience as an undergrad research experience, plus my professional history, will compensate.

Is there any point in applying to some experimental master’s programs as a backup? I’ve heard mixed opinions. Getting into a PhD program would still be the end goal.

School list (I plan to apply to 15-20 of these):

Auburn University

University of Arkansas

University of Colorado – Colorado Springs

University of Colorado – Denver

University of Connecticut

University of Delaware

Florida State University

Northern Illinois University

University of Kentucky

USUHS – civilian track

Washington University – Saint Louis

University of Missouri – Kansas City

University of Southern Mississippi

University of Mississippi

University of Montana

University of North Carolina – Greensboro

University of New Mexico

University of Nevada – Reno

Case Western

Kent State

Miami University

Ohio University

University of Toledo

University of Tulsa

University of South Dakota

University of Memphis

University of Houston

University of Utah

George Mason

University of Vermont

University of Washington

University of Wisconsin – Madison

University of Wyoming

 

[singasongofjoy]

My personal areas of interest would be related to anxiety, depression, self-esteem/efficacy/motivation, and personal development since I have personally struggled in these areas and feel it would better suit me to help people who are going through similar processes as I can understand them better.

It's not uncommon for people to be drawn to things that have some degree of personal relevance, but be very careful about putting the above into a personal statement in an admissions application to be read by people who don't know you. Best of luck figuring out your path. If you primarily want to do therapy you could work directly with folks around those areas as an LPC or LCSW, both of which would require master's degrees, not doctoral degrees. That's why the question of why psychologist over other avenues of providing services.

 

[singasongofjoy]

Backstory: Non-trad (mid-30s, career changer). Currently working full-time, going to school full-time, and putting in approximately 10 hours research a week. Applying for clinical PhD programs this fall.

First undergraduate degree (earned over 10 years ago): B.A. English, 3.8 GPA

Second undergraduate degree (in progress): B.S. Psychology, 4.0 GPA

Taking the GRE in September. I expect quantitative to be weaker than verbal, so I’m focusing on this as I study.

I'm geographically flexible. Funding is a major concern.

Current research experience:

Two years (10-15 hours a week) with primary lab. Contribute to: administering research protocol, data collection/cleaning/analysis, lit reviews, study development, manuscript writing/prep, conference presentations.

Two years auxiliary work with secondary lab (this lab and the primary lab were somewhat intermingled at one point). Mainly running research protocol and conference presentations.

Past research experience:

Eight months (approx. 5 hours a week) with lab. I tried it out for two semesters because one aspect of the research appealed to me. However, it turned out to be a poor match. Mutually parted ways under good terms.

Research productivity:

Honor’s thesis (in progress)

Third author, one manuscript (in press)

Fourth author, one manuscript (under review after R&R)

First author, one poster, national conference

Third author, one poster, national conference

Fourth author, one poster, national conference

Third/fourth author of symposia, national conference

Second author, one poster, state conference

Current work experience:

One year full-time in residential services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Provide both direct services to individuals supported and supervisory/admin support to staff.

Past work experience:

One year part-time in residential services for adults with ID/DD.

Six years active duty military. Advanced to E-6 in four years. Held leadership roles. Honorable discharge.

Four years stuff that doesn’t matter (admin), but paid the rent.

Research interests:

Moral emotions, moral injury, PTSD. Trauma and stressor-related disorders among military and first responder populations. Resilience and adaptation to extreme conditions/circumstances (e.g., civil unrest, natural disasters, austere/harsh environments). Some interest in working with rural (United States) populations.

My end goal is to work with the VA or DoD, either as a clinician or research (unknown which I’d prefer at this point).

Questions:

Will the fact that I’ve never worked full-time as an RA make me less competitive? I’m hoping that my unpaid experience as an undergrad research experience, plus my professional history, will compensate.

Is there any point in applying to some experimental master’s programs as a backup? I’ve heard mixed opinions. Getting into a PhD program would still be the end goal.

School list (I plan to apply to 15-20 of these):

Auburn University

University of Arkansas

University of Colorado – Colorado Springs

University of Colorado – Denver

University of Connecticut

University of Delaware

Florida State University

Northern Illinois University

University of Kentucky

USUHS – civilian track

Washington University – Saint Louis

University of Missouri – Kansas City

University of Southern Mississippi

University of Mississippi

University of Montana

University of North Carolina – Greensboro

University of New Mexico

University of Nevada – Reno

Case Western

Kent State

Miami University

Ohio University

University of Toledo

University of Tulsa

University of South Dakota

University of Memphis

University of Houston

University of Utah

George Mason

University of Vermont

University of Washington

University of Wisconsin – Madison

University of Wyoming

Hard to say exactly w/o GRE scores but your background looks competitive I think. geographic flexibility also works in your favor. Were research experiences/pubs related to your current research interests? Good luck whittling down that list of places to apply-- I found that part of the application process to be rather difficult!

 

[Swan_13]

Another career-changer here. Would you retake GRE to up the Q score? I'll address the GPA in SOP---did my first two years as a wayward teen, finished last two years as a responsible grown-up! (ETA I left college after two years, took a 15+ year break, and finished recently so last two years are indicative of current performance.)

GPA:
Last two years: 4.0
Psych: 4.0
Total: 3.2 (ETA might be 3.3)

GRE: V 167 (98%), Q 158 (70%), AW probably 5ish

One paper published, 2nd author
One paper accepted, pending publication, 1st author (designed and implemented study)

Poster and presentation at a division symposium at APA conference, student poster award winner
Poster at regional conference
Poster at state-wide university conference (nominated by professors)

One year volunteering at program for teens with socioemotional issues (developed assessment tools, conducted interviews, compiled/coded data, taught instructional courses)

Misc work: small business owner, freelance editing, tutoring

Applying to funded programs in the fall; assuming some fit with faculty

 

[psych.meout]

Another career-changer here. Would you retake GRE to up the Q score? I'll address the GPA in SOP---did my first two years as a wayward teen, finished last two years as a responsible grown-up!

GPA:
Last two years: 4.0
Psych: 4.0
Total: 3.2

GRE: V 167 (98%), Q 158 (70%), AW probably 5ish

One paper published, 2nd author
One paper accepted, pending publication, 1st author (designed and implemented study)

Poster and presentation at a division symposium at APA conference, student poster award winner
Poster at regional conference
Poster at state-wide university conference (nominated by professors)

One year volunteering at program for teens with socioemotional issues (developed assessment tools, conducted interviews, compiled/coded data, taught instructional courses)

Misc work: small business owner, freelance editing, tutoring

Applying to funded programs in the fall; assuming some fit with faculty

Your research experience looks pretty good, but a 3.2 GPA might hold you back. Your GRE scores will help compensate for this somewhat, but some programs might still screen you out, because of your GPA. Discussing it in your SOP might not help you, as it could easily be argued that other applicants were also "wayward teens" or otherwise from disenfranchised backgrounds, but did not let it affect their undergrad GPAs. The issue is that it's difficult to tell which programs and people within these programs would count your GPA against you and which would balance it against your other accomplishments.

If you wanted to play it safe, you could complete a master's program where you would get additional research experience and a 4.0 GPA.

 

[atroposlachesis]

Alright, another career-changer. I know I have two huge ticks against me: a low undergrad GPA and a low Quant score. I would have to study like hell to get my Quant score to a competitive place. If I were to get my Quant score WAY up, is there any chance a PhD program or good PsyD program would take me given my higher Master's and Post-Grad GPA?

GPA
Undergrad GPA: 3.2
Graduate GPA (For Master's in Counseling): 3.9
Post-Grad GPA: 4.0
Total: About 3.5

GRE
Verbal: 169
Quant: 144
AW: 5

Chapter co-author in textbook published by APA.
Four years of writing literature reviews, assisting in experimental design, grant writing, and interpreting data as a Research Associate for a community mental health organization.

3 years as a clinical therapist, focused primarily on treatment of First Episode Psychosis and ADHD.

Thank you all!

 

[psych.meout]

Alright, another career-changer. I know I have two huge ticks against me: a low undergrad GPA and a low Quant score. I would have to study like hell to get my Quant score to a competitive place. If I were to get my Quant score WAY up, is there any chance a PhD program or good PsyD program would take me given my higher Master's and Post-Grad GPA?

GPA
Undergrad GPA: 3.2
Graduate GPA (For Master's in Counseling): 3.9
Post-Grad GPA: 4.0
Total: About 3.5

GRE
Verbal: 169
Quant: 144
AW: 5

Chapter co-author in textbook published by APA.
Four years of writing literature reviews, assisting in experimental design, grant writing, and interpreting data as a Research Associate for a community mental health organization.

3 years as a clinical therapist, focused primarily on treatment of First Episode Psychosis and ADHD.

Thank you all!

Your verbal score is fantastic, but you definitely need to retake the GRE to boost your quant score. The 17th percentile is just too low to be competitive, especially when you are trying to overcome your lackluster undergrad GPA.

Furthermore, your research experience is going to be a point of contention. Sure, you have quite a bit of experience in terms of time, which is generally an asset, but this may actually be somewhat of a detriment. Being a research associate for four years and not having a publication or poster presentation to show for it may throw up red flags during the admissions process. The admissions committees and your POIs might think that you are inflating your contributions to the research, which is why you were not made a co-author on anything published, or that the research you were part of was not good enough to get published. It will all be highly variable depending on how you discuss your research work in your personal statements and during interviews, as well as the perceptions of the admissions committees and POIs at the programs to which you are applying.

My current position primarily has clinical duties, but we also do some clinical research. I didn't have any publications or presentations for it at the time when I applied or interviewed, but these studies are particularly massive (especially in terms of participant numbers) and very long-term (3+ years each), so it didn't really hurt my chances of admission. Well, at least I think it didn't, because I did get multiple offers of admission.

 

[atroposlachesis]

Thanks so much for the response, psych.meout! Very appreciated! Interesting point about the research experience!I actually have had a co-author publication, several conference posters, written white papers for SAMHSA, and have a few manuals on topics like early psychosis published by various behavioral health divisions. So it's more extensive than I listed. But. Being involved in community mental health research duties is a bit different. The funding for gold standard experimental design just isn't there. Most of my work has been in writing-based projects for government agencies. If I do go this psych route, I think taking on a RA position in a different setting for awhile would help refurbish my skills - not just to make me competitive, but to an effective researcher/practitioner.

Glad you had several offers! I've read extensively about how competitive the process is. Do you mind if I ask if you've found your doctoral program to be a good investment? I'm a bit worried about over-inundation and encroachment on psychologists' turf. While I know many psychs who are doing very well, I've heard a few also get very concerned about declining salaries, limited postdocs, etc. Sorry if this is too many questions, thanks again for your insight!

 

[singasongofjoy]

Another career-changer here. Would you retake GRE to up the Q score? I'll address the GPA in SOP---did my first two years as a wayward teen, finished last two years as a responsible grown-up! (ETA I left college after two years, took a 15+ year break, and finished recently so last two years are indicative of current performance.)

GPA:
Last two years: 4.0
Psych: 4.0
Total: 3.2 (ETA might be 3.3)

GRE: V 167 (98%), Q 158 (70%), AW probably 5ish

One paper published, 2nd author
One paper accepted, pending publication, 1st author (designed and implemented study)

Poster and presentation at a division symposium at APA conference, student poster award winner
Poster at regional conference
Poster at state-wide university conference (nominated by professors)

One year volunteering at program for teens with socioemotional issues (developed assessment tools, conducted interviews, compiled/coded data, taught instructional courses)

Misc work: small business owner, freelance editing, tutoring

Applying to funded programs in the fall; assuming some fit with faculty

Awesome for you going back to school after 15+ years! the life experience will likely be looked at as an asset by many programs. I think your quant score is reasonably strong. I prob wouldn't pay the money to retake it unless you were pretty sure you could bring it up significantly. Others may have different opinions but that would have been fine for the program I graduated from, particularly with the high verbal. FYI with your good verbal and writing scores, if you enjoy writing (especially if you enjoy writing manuscripts!) that would be worth mentioning at some point during the interviews.

 

[JStiz]

Looking for advice on whether or not I would make a competitive applicant, planning on applying to University of Cincinnati Ph.D. or Xavier Psy.D.

Graduated with a BS in neuroscience (took many psychology classes)
GPA: 3.4
Hispanic male
Average GRE scores

No authored publications, but was acknowledged in a manuscript pertaining to neuroscience (researched with this lab for about 6 months).
Worked as a home health aide for a boy with autism and for a man with quadriplegia for 2 years.

Also considering a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling as a stepping stone to beef up my resume for Ph.D./Psy.D. (however I would obviously prefer to go in directly).

What do you think?

I also have around 5 months before I would need to submit an application, so if anyone has any suggestions on things I could do in that time frame to improve my above resume, let me know.

 

[mgraceg1]

Hi all!

I'm wondering what my chances of getting into a clinical psych Ph.D. are.

I am currently an undergrad (just finished Junior year) at Stanford University.
Undergrad GPA: 3.94
Research experience:
2 years in a clinical research lab, staying on for Senior year
Writing an honors thesis for next year
Name on conference poster, presented my own posters, likely a part of a couple other pending publications
GRE:
So this is the part I am worrying about. I take it next Tuesday, and I've been scoring between 155-157 in Quant and 157-161 in Verbal. I realize these are above average scores, but I am still concerned that they are too low. I have a very high GPA from a very good university, so I am thinking that will balance it out, but I am really unsure. Are these scores okay enough for good, top 10 programs? If I take it again, will I be discredited?

*Note: I'm not actually planning on applying for another couple of years, but I have to take the GRE for the coterm program I want to get into, and would like to use that GRE score for psych as well. This does mean that I will likely have more research experience/publications under my belt by the time I am applying.

Thanks!

 

[ebuddy]

Hi there!
I'm a non-traditional applicant and would greatly appreciate insight from you all!

In my mid 30's & career changing from similar work. A little complicated, but I was in a MD/PhD program, finished the PhD but not the MD (now definitely regret not pursuing psychiatry, but can't be changed). Since then I've been a preschool teacher and spent time volunteering (+ considerable amt of time seriously considering career options).

Undergrad (top 5-10 school)
General Honors Program
Biology and Psychology double major (thesis and honors in each major)
Overall GPA: 3.6
Psych GPA: ~ 3.9


Top 5 medical school/ combined MD/PhD program
PhD Neuroscience
-basic science research but developed an animal model of autism
-10 publications
-Presented talks and posters in US, Europe, & Asia (plus numerous co-authorship on posters)
-aided advisor as peer reviewer for sev journals and in grant writing
-awarded NIH fellowship (my own proposal for funding on top of that provided by program)


GRE
Psychology: 850 (99%)
Studying for gen w/ practice scores: V: 164-169 Q: 162-166
- will probably take in Aug when I'm more confident with quant score

Current volunteer work: suicide hotline

Goal school: Rutgers PsyD

Reasoning: I want to be a practicing therapist, most likely private practice w/ a group in a major city in NE, but with the option of academics (leaving door open for a research component as a possibility). I don't want to do another PhD (w/ full dissertation), but want thorough training in clinical psychology in a strong academic setting. I know a masters is an option, but I'm not at all interested in the social work part of it and prefer in depth study of psychology as a foundation for my future practice. I have no loans, and due to family circumstances, a non-funded program and low earning for several yrs after degree is not an issue.

Plan: Apply for fall 2018- Rutgers PsyD, maybe Yeshiva. Willing to re-apply & inc # schools next cycle if not admitted.

Questions:
1) WAMC for Rutgers PsyD?

2) Presently I'm not working and am considering options for a job for the next year. I'm open to a few different directions.

a) do I need clinical research in psych for Rutgers PsyD?
-Did some in cardiology as undergrad and am very familiar w/ evidence based practice (interpreting & utilizing clinical research) from medical school.
-This is not my first option if not required. I think it would be tricky as a kind of post-doc but not really since I haven't done clinical research in the field.

b) would a position as a case worker at a shelter help for experience?

c) do I need to immediately find a position or is it OK to take the summer to finish studying for GRE & volunteer while focusing on other parts of my life (will start IVF- requires sev doc appts/wk, learning to cook, taking a random acting class, etc.).
I've done the 80-100 hrs/wk in lab & med school, am prepared to work like crazy again, but knowing what I'm getting into, would love to enjoy extra free time that I won't have again until I'm like 70 yrs old!

d) A research position at Rutgers might be an option (positions listed as available). This would be a long commute that I'm willing to do for school, but would only want to do for a job if it would significantly help my chance for admittance. Is it worth it?

3) Anything else anyone could suggest to help my application for this cycle?


Thanks for taking time to help!

 

[singasongofjoy]

Looking for advice on whether or not I would make a competitive applicant, planning on applying to University of Cincinnati Ph.D. or Xavier Psy.D.

Graduated with a BS in neuroscience (took many psychology classes)
GPA: 3.4
Hispanic male
Average GRE scores

No authored publications, but was acknowledged in a manuscript pertaining to neuroscience (researched with this lab for about 6 months).
Worked as a home health aide for a boy with autism and for a man with quadriplegia for 2 years.

Also considering a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling as a stepping stone to beef up my resume for Ph.D./Psy.D. (however I would obviously prefer to go in directly).

What do you think?

I also have around 5 months before I would need to submit an application, so if anyone has any suggestions on things I could do in that time frame to improve my above resume, let me know.

I'm not real familiar with those two programs in particular but my initial thoughts are - why are you only appyling to either/or? And even if you were going to apply to both I'd be asking why only 2? That's very seriously limiting your chances. How do your GRE and GPA compare to the published averages in their program 9all APA approved programs should publish this info, or at least the GRE, I can't recall if GPA is also req to be reported). Again not speaking to these programs specifically, but in general, I'd suggest trying to bring up your GRE if it's squarely average (~50th percentile on all areas), try to get some pubs or posters.

 

[JStiz]

I'm not real familiar with those two programs in particular but my initial thoughts are - why are you only appyling to either/or? And even if you were going to apply to both I'd be asking why only 2? That's very seriously limiting your chances. How do your GRE and GPA compare to the published averages in their program 9all APA approved programs should publish this info, or at least the GRE, I can't recall if GPA is also req to be reported). Again not speaking to these programs specifically, but in general, I'd suggest trying to bring up your GRE if it's squarely average (~50th percentile on all areas), try to get some pubs or posters.

Thanks so much for your response! I have established my family near these two schools and unfortunately I am unable to relocate for this reason. Thanks for the information on published averages, I was unaware that those statistics were released!

 

[psych.meout]

Thanks so much for your response! I have established my family near these two schools and unfortunately I am unable to relocate for this reason. Thanks for the information on published averages, I was unaware that those statistics were released!

That's fine, but just remember that you are severely limiting your options and your chances of admission. Applying to only two programs limits the kinds of research, the clinical training opportunities, and many other important factors to rounding out your training and experience. It's difficult enough to get into a good doctoral program without sabotaging yourself by restricting your applications.

It's understandable that you don't want to relocate your family, but relocating is really part and parcel of doctoral training in clinical psychology. At the very least, you will likely need to relocate for your internship. If you restrict your internship applications like you are with your graduate program applications, you will be on the fast track to not matching with an APA-accredited site, which will severely limit your career opportunities and earning potential.

 

[psych.meout]

Hi there!
I'm a non-traditional applicant and would greatly appreciate insight from you all!

In my mid 30's & career changing from similar work. A little complicated, but I was in a MD/PhD program, finished the PhD but not the MD (now definitely regret not pursuing psychiatry, but can't be changed). Since then I've been a preschool teacher and spent time volunteering (+ considerable amt of time seriously considering career options).

Undergrad (top 5-10 school)
General Honors Program
Biology and Psychology double major (thesis and honors in each major)
Overall GPA: 3.6
Psych GPA: ~ 3.9


Top 5 medical school/ combined MD/PhD program
PhD Neuroscience
-basic science research but developed an animal model of autism
-10 publications
-Presented talks and posters in US, Europe, & Asia (plus numerous co-authorship on posters)
-aided advisor as peer reviewer for sev journals and in grant writing
-awarded NIH fellowship (my own proposal for funding on top of that provided by program)


GRE
Psychology: 850 (99%)
Studying for gen w/ practice scores: V: 164-169 Q: 162-166
- will probably take in Aug when I'm more confident with quant score

Current volunteer work: suicide hotline

Goal school: Rutgers PsyD

Reasoning: I want to be a practicing therapist, most likely private practice w/ a group in a major city in NE, but with the option of academics (leaving door open for a research component as a possibility). I don't want to do another PhD (w/ full dissertation), but want thorough training in clinical psychology in a strong academic setting. I know a masters is an option, but I'm not at all interested in the social work part of it and prefer in depth study of psychology as a foundation for my future practice. I have no loans, and due to family circumstances, a non-funded program and low earning for several yrs after degree is not an issue.

Plan: Apply for fall 2018- Rutgers PsyD, maybe Yeshiva. Willing to re-apply & inc # schools next cycle if not admitted.

Questions:
1) WAMC for Rutgers PsyD?

2) Presently I'm not working and am considering options for a job for the next year. I'm open to a few different directions.

a) do I need clinical research in psych for Rutgers PsyD?
-Did some in cardiology as undergrad and am very familiar w/ evidence based practice (interpreting & utilizing clinical research) from medical school.
-This is not my first option if not required. I think it would be tricky as a kind of post-doc but not really since I haven't done clinical research in the field.

b) would a position as a case worker at a shelter help for experience?

c) do I need to immediately find a position or is it OK to take the summer to finish studying for GRE & volunteer while focusing on other parts of my life (will start IVF- requires sev doc appts/wk, learning to cook, taking a random acting class, etc.).
I've done the 80-100 hrs/wk in lab & med school, am prepared to work like crazy again, but knowing what I'm getting into, would love to enjoy extra free time that I won't have again until I'm like 70 yrs old!

d) A research position at Rutgers might be an option (positions listed as available). This would be a long commute that I'm willing to do for school, but would only want to do for a job if it would significantly help my chance for admittance. Is it worth it?

3) Anything else anyone could suggest to help my application for this cycle?


Thanks for taking time to help!

You seem to have great qualifications, but as I replied to JStiz, applying to only one or two doctoral programs is seriously going to hurt your chances of admission. Competition for the few spots in clinical programs is so fierce that you are really limiting yourself by only applying to a couple of programs, regardless of your stellar background. This is compounded by geographically limiting yourself to the Northeast (i.e. Rutgers in NJ and Yeshiva in NYC), which is a highly sought after location for doctoral programs, thereby increasing the competition.

All of this is not to mention that limiting yourself to one or two programs limits you training opportunities. These two programs might not have the practicum opportunities in which you are interested or may not have faculty doing research in your chosen area. Do you want to miss out on these things? It may seem like not a big deal and that you can just slog through it so you can get your degree, but doctoral programs are hard enough when you're super passionate about what you're doing for half a decade, let alone trying to do it when you are just tolerating it at best.

Furthermore, if you are inflexible about moving for graduate school, how flexible will you be for your internship and/or post-doc? Do you want the best training possible or do you want to limit your chances of getting an APA accredited internship at all?

And you say you want to work in a major city in the Northeast? Join the club. The competition is fierce in most metropolitan areas, but moreso in the same highly sought after areas for graduate school. If you don't have the best training and credentials possible, it will limit your job opportunities and earnings potential.

Finally, your backup program, Yeshiva, is not a great option.

https://www.yu.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/2016_clinical_program_statistics.pdf

The cost is huge, being over $37,000 in tuition alone before accruing compound interest. The modal time to completion is five years and if you are paying full tuition for at least four of those, then it will be nearly $150,000 for tuition. Then, you need to factor in living expenses, insurance, books, travel, etc. You're probably looking at paying at least $200,000 in tuition alone. Beyond costs, if we look at their APA internship match rate, it's not great. Sure, some years they have a match rate >90%, but every other year seems to fall off, with 68% matching in 2014-2015.

Overall, I'd apply to many more programs, at least 10, and spread them out to programs across the country and with varying admission rates (e.g. not all those who admit less than 5%). I'd also recommend looking at PhD programs too. I know you don't want to do another full dissertation, but the programs who don't have you do one are probably those without good training, mentorship, etc.

 

[ebuddy]

You seem to have great qualifications, but as I replied to JStiz, applying to only one or two doctoral programs is seriously going to hurt your chances of admission. Competition for the few spots in clinical programs is so fierce that you are really limiting yourself by only applying to a couple of programs, regardless of your stellar background. This is compounded by geographically limiting yourself to the Northeast (i.e. Rutgers in NJ and Yeshiva in NYC), which is a highly sought after location for doctoral programs, thereby increasing the competition.

All of this is not to mention that limiting yourself to one or two programs limits you training opportunities. These two programs might not have the practicum opportunities in which you are interested or may not have faculty doing research in your chosen area. Do you want to miss out on these things? It may seem like not a big deal and that you can just slog through it so you can get your degree, but doctoral programs are hard enough when you're super passionate about what you're doing for half a decade, let alone trying to do it when you are just tolerating it at best.

Furthermore, if you are inflexible about moving for graduate school, how flexible will you be for your internship and/or post-doc? Do you want the best training possible or do you want to limit your chances of getting an APA accredited internship at all?

And you say you want to work in a major city in the Northeast? Join the club. The competition is fierce in most metropolitan areas, but moreso in the same highly sought after areas for graduate school. If you don't have the best training and credentials possible, it will limit your job opportunities and earnings potential.

Finally, your backup program, Yeshiva, is not a great option.

https://www.yu.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/2016_clinical_program_statistics.pdf

The cost is huge, being over $37,000 in tuition alone before accruing compound interest. The modal time to completion is five years and if you are paying full tuition for at least four of those, then it will be nearly $150,000 for tuition. Then, you need to factor in living expenses, insurance, books, travel, etc. You're probably looking at paying at least $200,000 in tuition alone. Beyond costs, if we look at their APA internship match rate, it's not great. Sure, some years they have a match rate >90%, but every other year seems to fall off, with 68% matching in 2014-2015.

Overall, I'd apply to many more programs, at least 10, and spread them out to programs across the country and with varying admission rates (e.g. not all those who admit less than 5%). I'd also recommend looking at PhD programs too. I know you don't want to do another full dissertation, but the programs who don't have you do one are probably those without good training, mentorship, etc.

Thanks for your input!
I was already a little wary about Yeshiva, so I will definitely take what you've said into account.

Rutgers, on the other hand, appears to be a perfect match for me with regards to practica, internship match sites, several faculty focusing on research within my interest, as well as courses offered.

I understand your point about competitiveness in the NYC area. Yet, it would be difficult moving my family for 5 years of school- my husband is in the NY bar (not sure of terminology) and would be willing to go through whatever needed to be admitted to practice in another state, but we would greatly prefer to stay in the city. His family is also in the NE, and due to illness of a parent, it is important for us to remain nearby. Also, we are starting a family soon and have priorities for the type of environment, particularly the educational opportunities, we want to provide for our children.
That said, moving for a year would be manageable for internship or post-doc if necessary.

I think I'm willing to take the risk with not getting in this cycle and then broadening my choices to 10 or more schools if required for the next cycle.

But thanks, I do understand you're point that I'm limiting my chances of getting in the first try.

I appreciate the time you took to respond!

 

[ebuddy]

Thanks for your input!
I was already a little wary about Yeshiva, so I will definitely take what you've said into account.

Rutgers, on the other hand, appears to be a perfect match for me with regards to practica, internship match sites, several faculty focusing on research within my interest, as well as courses offered.

I understand your point about competitiveness in the NYC area. Yet, it would be difficult moving my family for 5 years of school- my husband is in the NY bar (not sure of terminology) and would be willing to go through whatever needed to be admitted to practice in another state, but we would greatly prefer to stay in the city. His family is also in the NE, and due to illness of a parent, it is important for us to remain nearby. Also, we are starting a family soon and have priorities for the type of environment, particularly the educational opportunities, we want to provide for our children.
That said, moving for a year would be manageable for internship or post-doc if necessary.

I think I'm willing to take the risk with not getting in this cycle and then broadening my choices to 10 or more schools if required for the next cycle.

But thanks, I do understand your point that I'm limiting my chances of getting in the first try.

I appreciate the time you took to respond!

***your point

For some reason I wasn't allowed to edit after I hit send too quickly. I hate seeing that typo!

 

[psych.meout]

Thanks for your input!
I was already a little wary about Yeshiva, so I will definitely take what you've said into account.

Rutgers, on the other hand, appears to be a perfect match for me with regards to practica, internship match sites, several faculty focusing on research within my interest, as well as courses offered.

I understand your point about competitiveness in the NYC area. Yet, it would be difficult moving my family for 5 years of school- my husband is in the NY bar (not sure of terminology) and would be willing to go through whatever needed to be admitted to practice in another state, but we would greatly prefer to stay in the city. His family is also in the NE, and due to illness of a parent, it is important for us to remain nearby. Also, we are starting a family soon and have priorities for the type of environment, particularly the educational opportunities, we want to provide for our children.
That said, moving for a year would be manageable for internship or post-doc if necessary.

I think I'm willing to take the risk with not getting in this cycle and then broadening my choices to 10 or more schools if required for the next cycle.

But thanks, I do understand you're point that I'm limiting my chances of getting in the first try.

I appreciate the time you took to respond!

Ok, but are any of the things limiting you now going to change in a year? Why is it that you'll be willing to apply to 10+ schools in a year, but not now? Is your husband suddenly going to be licensed to practice law in other states or will his family suddenly live somewhere else? Why not apply to Rutgers and 10 others this year?

And again, remember that moving for graduate training is part and parcel of doctoral programs in clinical psychology. If you can't move somewhere for five years, how are you going to move somewhere for just one year of your internship?

Ultimately, these are the choices you have to make and the consequences you have to live with. Good luck with everything.

 

[Lurking Oracle]

I am at one of the NYC R1 AMCs that everyone here has heard of, and I have a lot of experience with graduates of the two programs that you are considering. Rutgers is definitely the stronger program IMHO, but I wanted to throw in an additional observation that I have had over the years that might be helpful in explaining (in part) Yeshiva's internship performance history. Rutgers, Baylor and a few others (i.e., single digits - sorry) are arguably the best of the PsyD programs. They attract and matriculate applicants from all over. They are in the category of PsyD programs that are, IMHO, as competitive as many funded PhD programs. While Yeshiva certainly has many national (and international) applicants, it has been my observation that most of their actually matriculated students are fairly local, i.e., native NYC'ers or the proximal NY/NJ/CT area, who have never truly lived or studied anywhere appreciably different for a significant period of time (a summer, or even a year, abroad does not cut it in my book) and they never intend to leave the locality (or they have adopted and proclaimed NYC as their permanent locus to live/train/work/retire/die). This latter part is particularly important. That may not seem to be an issue while in grad school classes or externships (because those experiences are almost exclusively local anyway), but things become very competitive at internship application time when one sees a concentrated number of folks applying only within a very geographically limited area. I mean VERY limited. I have had students state to me in total seriousness that Philly or even New Haven would be "too far away" to consider, even for a one-year internship or two-year postdoc residency. The bolus of local interns only applying to the finite number of internship positions in the immediate NYC area is at a disadvantage. Although there is no written mandate for geographic diversity, as someone who recruits for an APA-accredited internship, postdoctoral fellowship, and is an accreditation site visitor for APA, I will assert that many, MANY (Dare I opine most?) programs at least rank non-locals higher than the local talent, even if the training is comparable. Don't get me wrong: I have hired interns, postdocs and psychologists from Yeshiva's PsyD and PhD programs. The ones that I have hired have been exceptional and outstanding. They had to be, to even have a shot at being considered for an interview. Again, this is all anecdotal. I wish the OP all the best but would encourage flexibility in training options. I moved, and moved my family, multiple times at various levels of training and then career growth, and that flexibility delivered for me both professionally and financially (how else could I afford NYC?)... and this approach continues to deliver.

 

[singasongofjoy]

I am at one of the NYC R1 AMCs that everyone here has heard of, and I have a lot of experience with graduates of the two programs that you are considering. Rutgers is definitely the stronger program IMHO, but I wanted to throw in an additional observation that I have had over the years that might be helpful in explaining (in part) Yeshiva's internship performance history. Rutgers, Baylor and a few others (i.e., single digits - sorry) are arguably the best of the PsyD programs. They attract and matriculate applicants from all over. They are in the category of PsyD programs that are, IMHO, as competitive as many funded PhD programs. While Yeshiva certainly has many national (and international) applicants, it has been my observation that most of their actually matriculated students are fairly local, i.e., native NYC'ers or the proximal NY/NJ/CT area, who have never truly lived or studied anywhere appreciably different for a significant period of time (a summer, or even a year, abroad does not cut it in my book) and they never intend to leave the locality (or they have adopted and proclaimed NYC as their permanent locus to live/train/work/retire/die). This latter part is particularly important. That may not seem to be an issue while in grad school classes or externships (because those experiences are almost exclusively local anyway), but things become very competitive at internship application time when one sees a concentrated number of folks applying only within a very geographically limited area. I mean VERY limited. I have had students state to me in total seriousness that Philly or even New Haven would be "too far away" to consider, even for a one-year internship or two-year postdoc residency. The bolus of local interns only applying to the finite number of internship positions in the immediate NYC area is at a disadvantage. Although there is no written mandate for geographic diversity, as someone who recruits for an APA-accredited internship, postdoctoral fellowship, and is an accreditation site visitor for APA, I will assert that many, MANY (Dare I opine most?) programs at least rank non-locals higher than the local talent, even if the training is comparable. Don't get me wrong: I have hired interns, postdocs and psychologists from Yeshiva's PsyD and PhD programs. The ones that I have hired have been exceptional and outstanding. They had to be to even be considered. Again, this is all anecdotal. I wish the OP all the best but would encourage flexibility in training options. I moved, and moved my family, multiple times at various levels of training and then career growth, and that flexibility delivered for me both professionally and financially (how else could I afford NYC?)... and this approach continues to deliver.

It is nice to hear from someone who actually is/has been on the admissions side of things that geographic diversity is, in fact, appreciated in applicants. I've found myself making the same point to potential applicants rather frequently lately. I moved around a pretty good bit between college, masters, and doctoral programs, spending significant amounts of time in major metros, places too small to have a stoplight, and a lot of places in between spanning the country. Some places I didn't expect to love but totally did; others, I'm glad I spent the time to delve into exploring the pretty quirky local culture but now that I've moved on I have no desire to go back even to visit, and that's OK - I'm still thankful for the opportunity. I understand folks being loathe to move several times for various reasons, and you certainly incur costs each time you move (you learn to minimize and get efficient; save ideas of having nice things for after graduation). However, the practice of really delving in and getting to know places that are so different than the ones you're familiar with is great practice for getting to know people on an individual level clinically in any location, I think; having had all those different experiences makes it much easier to connect with people who come into my clinic. I think it makes it easier to find things in common and build rapport quickly. The geographic flexibility in applicants also speaks to the fact that they are willing to follow the best training they can get, prioritizing their formal training (which is time-limited; you've got the rest of your life to live in wherever place you pick after you're finished training). I think applicants more quickly grasp the idea of needing to be flexible in where they apply in order to actually up odds of acceptance just because of the statistics, but I think folks should also consider that if you're at the point in your life that you can move for a few years, just the act of being in a different and unfamiliar place is enriching both personally and with regard to your training. Even if it's definitely not a place you want to live the rest of your life. And if you end up in a place like that, embrace it, withhold the stereotypes and judgment that maybe you didn't even know you had about that geographic location/culture, and try new things. At the very least it'll give you some good stories and life experience, but you'll be probably surprised at how it enhances your professional work in the future as well. And you might even love it (I thought I would hate the midwest, but turned out to be one of my favorite places I've ever lived).

tl,dr: applicants- keep an open mind geographically, not only because it ups chances of acceptance, but because training in a variety of locations is professionally and personally enriching (and valued by those looking at your applications in the future) -even if it's a location you don't like all that much. Be willing to go adventuring and be surprised.

 

[ebuddy]

It is nice to hear from someone who actually is/has been on the admissions side of things that geographic diversity is, in fact, appreciated in applicants. I've found myself making the same point to potential applicants rather frequently lately. I moved around a pretty good bit between college, masters, and doctoral programs, spending significant amounts of time in major metros, places too small to have a stoplight, and a lot of places in between spanning the country. Some places I didn't expect to love but totally did; others, I'm glad I spent the time to delve into exploring the pretty quirky local culture but now that I've moved on I have no desire to go back even to visit, and that's OK - I'm still thankful for the opportunity. I understand folks being loathe to move several times for various reasons, and you certainly incur costs each time you move (you learn to minimize and get efficient; save ideas of having nice things for after graduation). However, the practice of really delving in and getting to know places that are so different than the ones you're familiar with is great practice for getting to know people on an individual level clinically in any location, I think; having had all those different experiences makes it much easier to connect with people who come into my clinic. I think it makes it easier to find things in common and build rapport quickly. The geographic flexibility in applicants also speaks to the fact that they are willing to follow the best training they can get, prioritizing their formal training (which is time-limited; you've got the rest of your life to live in wherever place you pick after you're finished training). I think applicants more quickly grasp the idea of needing to be flexible in where they apply in order to actually up odds of acceptance just because of the statistics, but I think folks should also consider that if you're at the point in your life that you can move for a few years, just the act of being in a different and unfamiliar place is enriching both personally and with regard to your training. Even if it's definitely not a place you want to live the rest of your life. And if you end up in a place like that, embrace it, withhold the stereotypes and judgment that maybe you didn't even know you had about that geographic location/culture, and try new things. At the very least it'll give you some good stories and life experience, but you'll be probably surprised at how it enhances your professional work in the future as well. And you might even love it (I thought I would hate the midwest, but turned out to be one of my favorite places I've ever lived).

tl,dr: applicants- keep an open mind geographically, not only because it ups chances of acceptance, but because training in a variety of locations is professionally and personally enriching (and valued by those looking at your applications in the future) -even if it's a location you don't like all that much. Be willing to go adventuring and be surprised.

Thank you very much- and you as well, Lurking Oracle! I do appreciate that moving can be part of the training and can add a great deal to the overall experience. This is coming from someone who spent the first 10 yrs of life in Texas, then Atlanta, Philly for college, NYC for med school/PhD and had to move to Europe for a few yrs with my lab when my advisor decided to relocate back to a German speaking country half way through my PhD! I'll be 40 in a few years, so I'm more than ready to settle in a place that finally feels like home. I have a better idea now of the types of environments that more readily allow me to flourish, both academically and personally. So the 1-2 yr sacrifice of "home" for internship or post-doc is something that would be much easier for me compared to leaving for 5 yrs for grad school (and I would eagerly go to well regarded training programs in New Haven or Philly, so I'm not quite that rigid!).


One concern I've had is wanting to start to establish professional connections early on. In your opinion, when is it best for networking with colleagues to be located in closer proximity to your desired future location? Grad school, or later yrs for intern and post-doc?

Also, I've seen some rankings, but what other psyD programs, besides Rutgers and Baylor, are held in high esteem?

It is definitely important for me to obtain the best training possible. And while I'm (admittedly still) resistant, what you all are advising does make a lot of sense and has given me a lot to think about! I think I'm slowly starting to come around!

I really appreciate it!

 

[gene_halpert]

Hi everyone,

I am posting to get a sense of my chances (obviously) and see what deficiencies I may have regarding pursuing a (funded) PhD in clinical psych. I am focused specifically on clinical health psychology. I have a lot of experience, passion, and interest in this area.

My background, briefly:

Currently work as a full time genetic counselor. This primarily includes talking to patients about testing and screening options, helping with decision-making regarding important life events (like pregnancy termination) and making psychosocial assessments and providing patient centered counseling. I also am involved in a few different social/behavioral science research projects.

Education:
ScM genetic counseling, well known research institution (GPA 3.75)
BS biology and writing, top 25 university (GPA 3.37)

Tests:
GRE Verbal: 163
GRE Quant: 162
Writing: 4.5

Research
One publication submitted
Multiple poster presentations
Masters thesis; original data focusing on patient-provider communication

I truly enjoy my job as a genetic counselor, and I find it rewarding. But, I'd like to pursue a PhD for two reasons; 1. To broaden my research capabilities and expertise, and 2. To conduct psychotherapy.

Concerns
I don't have a classic "psychology" background. My related coursework has been focused on clinical theory and orientations, abnormal psychology, grief and loss counseling, and of course stats/research methods.

Any insight greatly appreciated!!

 

[Temperance]

[redacted]

 

[PsychPhDone]

Hi! Seeking some advice for the upcoming application cycle.

BA psychology, GPA 3.40
MA clinical psychology, GPA 3.70

GRE General Test, practice: 164-167V (94th-98th), 158-160Q (70th-76th), 4.5AW (82nd)
GRE Psychology Test: 780 (96th)

Research experience:

• 1 year in Lab 1 conducting independent research as part of undergraduate team; two posters (one first author)
• 4 years in Lab 2 analyzing and collecting EEG and EKG data, recruiting subjects (subject pool), training new RAs; five posters (one first author)
• 1 year in Lab 3 analyzing and collecting EEG data, recruiting subjects (community), training new RAs
• currently lab supervisor in Lab 4 analyzing and managing data, training new RAs, launching new project this fall; one poster to be presented, manuscript in preparation

Teaching experience:

• 1 year as TA in undergraduate research methods, presented two guest lectures; additional summer in introductory psychology, created midterm exams
• currently doing one-term community college teaching internship

Clinical and human services experience:

• 2 years of CBT practicum
• 1 year of assessment practicum
• 6 months as bilingual crisis counselor on suicide crisis line
• 5 months as crisis counselor on general crisis line (currently)

I'm applying primarily to clinical science programs (scoring 5-7 in Norcross & Sayette's book), looking at ~10 applications with no geographic restrictions. What are the chances that my application will be screened out for my GPA? Are there any concerns that I should address? Apart from my empirical thesis, none of my research experience is in my area of interest; I plan on mentioning it in my statement of purpose.

I'd appreciate any insights you have. Thanks in advance!

I think your GPA is fine. Depending on the program, 3.7 is a little low for a masters, but with good letters, it should be fine. My recommendation is to spend your time (1) moving that publication along, and (2) crafting really good personal statements and cover letters to explain why a clinical science program is your goal now and what you hope to gain from training. I'd also encourage you to apply to closer to 15 programs, if possible. Good luck!

 

[Temperance]

I think your GPA is fine. Depending on the program, 3.7 is a little low for a masters, but with good letters, it should be fine. My recommendation is to spend your time (1) moving that publication along, and (2) crafting really good personal statements and cover letters to explain why a clinical science program is your goal now and what you hope to gain from training. I'd also encourage you to apply to closer to 15 programs, if possible. Good luck!

Will definitely work on those recommendations. Thank you so much for your input!

 

[Fali1991]

Hello! I wanted to get some input.

I am 26 years old, finishing up my BA in Psychology at a UC, work in 3 research labs currently and have been for the past year.
GPA: 3.82
GRE's are in progress but am not a good test taker so that might not be competitive
Have received 2 research grants so far. Authored 3 UROPS, first author on 2 of them.
Will have 3 excellent letters of recommendation.

Thank you!

 

[deleted760483]

My input is that you might want to be more clear on what you are wanting, as this appears to just be a list of your accomplishments with no question or context

 

[Fali1991]

My apologies, the question is in the title. What are my chances of being accepted into a UC Clinical Psychology PhD program.