Hello all!
I am a Psychology major whose goal is to further my education by obtaining a PhD in Clinical Psychology. I am super stressed and worried about whether or not I am qualified enough to get in to any programs and was wondering if any of you who have been through the experience or is going through it currently would be able to give me some feedback/tips on what your experiences were and what you think got you in to the program that you were applying to (any details as to your stats, how many schools applied, the number of interviews obtained, number of acceptances, anything you feel comfortable sharing would be appreciated as I am very very nervous about my chances!) I want this so bad so I really want to make sure that I do all that I can to get in.
Let me tell you guys a bit more about me:
- I am currently in 3 research labs. One is in the clinical department while the other two in a different psych department. I am currently gaining some valuable knowledge and have been trained in neuroimaging technology and data analysis for this as well as working with other valuable softwares and gadgets. There are moments where some aspects such as softwares/technology used do overlap amongst the labs. I will be having 1.5 years of experience in each lab at the time of the application deadline (so by Fall of 2016) but more than 2 years by the start of the program <--I'm not sure if that timing even matters or is it just what you have when they are reading your application?
- I will be having about a 3.6 gpa when I graduate (I know it's bad :( I was going through some personal issues one semester that did effect my gpa which I was planning to touch on in my personal statement a bit...)
- I intend to take my GRE latest by the summer (goal is to get ATLEAST a 315)
- I will have my undergrad thesis completed by the time I apply
My goal is to apply to at least 10-12 PhD programs for entrance in Fall of 2017.
ANY feedback is appreciated. Thank you!
I did not go into clinical, but my PhD is in psychology and I am familiar with the clinical process.
The first thing I want to say is…relax! I know that’s rich coming from someone who’s already finished with the PhD 
but seriously, try to relax. The grad school application process can actually be kind of fun.
Second of all, I advise against asking for other people’s stats and where they got in. The thing is, admission to graduate schools is so variable that comparing other people’s stats and admissions to your own stats and trying to draw conclusions is a bit meaningless. For example, you might have a 3.42 GPA and everyone you talk to has a 3.7+ because of small sample and pure chance, so you start to feel disheartened without taking into account that the rest of your application is outstanding. Trust me, from experience, comparing other people’s stats to your own has the tendency to make you focus on small details rather than the bigger picture. Not everyone is going to agree with me on this one, which I acknowledge. At most I would say having averages from PhD programs is okay, but not all programs report that kind of information.
Here are some other thoughts:
- Believe it or not, clinical psych is so competitive that 1.5-2 years is probably the bare minimum amount of experience you need to be competitive. Lots of clinical psych hopefuls spend 2-3 years after college as research assistants or lab managers to gain a couple extra years of experience (after having already spent 1.5-2 years in college on it). I think given that you are working in 3 labs and you're learning some unique skills (neuroimaging, software) that may give you an edge. I would definitely still apply - lots of people get in with 1.5-2 years - but do keep in mind that you might need to take a year or two to gain more experience. This isn't a bad thing; it is a very common thing.
- It pains me that I have to say this but *a 3.6 GPA is not bad by any stretch of the imagination.* It's good. Please do not "explain" your 3.6 on your statement; there is nothing to explain, and at worst it'll make you look a bit neurotic.
- Don't think about your GRE as a combined score; the combined number is kind of meaningless anyway. Think about it as separate sections. Aim for a 155+ plus on each section; ideally, you'd get a 160+ on each section, and slightly higher scores on the quantitative.
10-12 programs is a really good number.
The most important thing, other than your research experience, is going to be FIT with the department. If there are 2-4 professors in the target department whose research intersects with/complements yours, and you can articulate that eloquently in a statement, that’s going to go a long way. Letters of recommendation are important too; you need strong letters from professors who can attest that you not only are an excellent student who will succeed in a PhD program but also a strong researcher who is hungry for scholarship and can think of your own independent research ideas (or at least is ready to begin doing semi-independent work). Letters are honestly another reason that some students do a lab manager job for 2-3 years after college. Having three glowing letters from the same institution is good; having three glowing letters across two or even three institutions is excellent. It shows that no matter what environment you’re in you can impress your research mentors.
What are your career goals? Would a PsyD satisfy them?
Juillet, thank you for your response. Yes, I am aware that 1.5-2 years seems to be the minimum. I am hopping that all the knowledge and experience I have the opportunity of gaining will be able to fully be expressed in my statement. I will definitely be integrating the experience I have gained and my areas of focus throughout my undergraduate career into the SOP wherever I see fit. Thank you for the feedback! And if I may ask, what program have you received your PhD in? I’m sure that once I get into a program I will reminisce about the application process! 
brantly, the reason I am shooting for a PhD rather than a PsyD is that I like the versatility a PhD in Clinical Psychology offers. I have done a lot of research and gone through the pros and cons of both programs and have concluded, especially after gaining some research experience that I actually do have interest in research. I definitely want to be a practitioner and II like the idea that down the road, if I wanted to conduct research or work in academia I have the ability and experience to do so. All in all, I like the flexibility a research-practitioner model offers.
I got my PhD from Columbia - in the GSAS psychology department. (Columbia’s clinical program is housed at Teachers College.)
Congratulations Juillet! I hope to be like you one day!