<p>so, im having some problems deciding what major(s) i want to choose/keep as an undergraduate. i have thought about becoming a child clinical psychologist. can anyone give me background information on getting a phd in psychology? like prerequisites, what is actually done to obtain the phd, etc? thanks!</p>
<p>Clinical child psychology is an extremely hard field. Hundreds of applicants apply to the same programs and often 1-3 get in. In other words, it's tougher than med school. To improve your chances at getting into a program, you should have solid research experience (2-3 years volunteering in a lab, some poster presentations at psych conferences, a published paper in a peer reviewed journal, etc). Your GPA should be at least 3.5 and your GRE no lower than 1300. Of course, there are exceptions but do not underestimate the extremely competitive nature of clinical psychology. It helps if you are male, non-white, gay, or otherwise "underrepresented." It's also a major boost if you come in knowing exactly which aspect of a specific childhood disorder you want to study. For example, you need to know whether you're going to study physiology in ADHD or attentional biases in ADHD from pretty much day one.</p>
<p>Once you make it in, you can expect to have a full schedule. You'll have: clients to treat, classes to take, classes to teach, red tape to cross, lab meetings to attend, undergrad research assistants to command, year-long projects to conduct, talks to give, grants to apply for, accreditation courses to take, a dissertation to write, an internship to find, etc. In short, the life of a successful clinical psychology grad student is not easy.</p>
<p>If what you want to do is help kids face to face, you don't want a PhD - you want a PsyD. PhDs in this field are meant for people who are serious about becoming a professor and/or becoming a researcher working with the government (usually the National Institutes of Health.) If you don't choose carefully, you'll be wasting lots of time and money (not all of which will be yours...)</p>
<p>Of use:</p>
<p>thanks dobby! yes, i think a PsyD would probably be better for me. although it seems like its less preferred than a PhD. i guess its something to think about...</p>
<p>Clinical psych is easily one of the most competitive programs to get into, with the vast majority of schools admitting less than 10% of applicants.</p>
<p>Here is one of the best resources with useful information:
<a href="http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=57&order=desc%5B/url%5D">http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=57&order=desc</a></p>
<p>dobby and huskem, are you psychologists?</p>
<p>flutist~ you also need to remember that AFTER all your studies, and completion of the dissertation, you'll need to , if you want it, get licensed in a particular state. those requirements vary state to state. so in case licensure is in your future, be sure whatever school you attend has curriculum that fulfills licensure mandates. by the way, the actual NAME of the doctorate depends on the school or dept. from which it comes,ie, an EdD is out of a school of education. PhD usually out of CAS and the PsyD, the newest is supposed to be less research based, BUT in my state, at least, they MADE the PsyDs do scientific dissertation anyway! good luck!</p>
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in my state, at least, they MADE the PsyDs do scientific dissertation anyway!
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<p>Well, yes. But the type of research required of PsyD students is, in my opinion, considerably less rigorous than the research required for PhD students.</p>
<p>For example, as part of its requirements for the PsyD, Pacific University in Oregon requires a "doctoral dissertation." This dissertation can apparently take the form of a case study or a literature review. </p>
<p>I think it's safe to say that if a PhD student in clinical psychology proposed to do a case study for her dissertation, she would be laughed out of the department. Clinical psychology research nowadays is based on group data and highly complex statistical methods. [Indeed, many "clinical psychology" programs are renaming themselves "clinical science" program to emphasize the quantitative nature of the research they promote.]</p>
<p>i could be wrong, but here on the east, a REAL dissertation is required, regardless of program,ie, introduction/hypothesis, critique of existing research, data collection,data analysis..statistical in nature, and complex to the point where you can hire a stat consultant to help/advise during this part, and finally discussion. i'm only aware of case studies for masters level programs.</p>
<p>Psychology grad school love research, so I would definitely make that part of your curriculum (if that's the path you choose). Also, I second what dobby said. My advisor told me that I lot of departments have "secret" cut-offs. Basically, my psych graduate programs go through applications and eliminate people who don't have a 3.5 GPA and a 1300 GRE. Not all programs do this, but it's a common enough practice that my advisor knows about it (FYI, I'm at Ohio State... just to give you an idea where this info came from). Good luck with everything! :)</p>