Showing Ivy League Grad School Potencial???

Graduate School
1

<p>Hey Guys! Thank you for viewing.</p>

<p>I am a 19 y.o. Canadian at a smaller tier 2 university in Texas on a generous Track scholarship atm. I am aspiring to attend a top ten grad program in either Evolutionary Psychology or Clinical Psychology. </p>

<p>Standing: going in to my sophomore year, anticipate to graduate a year early.</p>

<p>GPA: 3.9 </p>

<p>Major: Psychology </p>

<p>Minor: Computer Science </p>

<p>Electives: I am taking as many Statistic classes as I can, on top of all the psychology classes I can get my hands on and math, to support my CS Minor. </p>

<p>Work: research psychologists assistant for two doctors of psychology, which whom I am taking upper level classes with. I anticipate to get both doctors to write me my letters of recommendation. </p>

<p>Extra curricular: I run the 400m hurdles and have represented Canada at the World Youth Championship. My free time is greatly consumed by track so to have any other extra curriculars is difficult. </p>

<p>GRE: ... no GRE yet... </p>

<p>I realize I am still young but, would you say that I am on the right path to go to an Ivy League Grad School program for Evolutionary or Clinical Psychology? </p>

<p>What kind of psychology experience do I need?</p>

<p>I know publishing articles are great, I do a lot of writing (pertaining to psychological theories and research), but I really have no idea how to go about getting published. Any advice? </p>

<p>When I graduate in two years, if I do not get in to a top Grad School (I will be 21 at the time) Should I take time off and get research experience? </p>

<p>Or should I take more classes/ attend a two year masters program in the mean time?</p>

<p>Any responses are tremendously appreciated!</p>

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<p>You seem to be on a good track for a PhD program. Graduate schools primarily care about your research experience, so try to get as much quality research experience as you can. Publications are great, but many undergrads do not have them. Sometimes, it can be most related to getting into a research project in the right lab at the right time. If you’d like advice on the topic, the best person to ask would be the PI of a lab your in. You can likely ask your PsyD’s for advice on the subject.</p>

<p>Also, graduate programs don’t really care about extracurriculars outside of your field. It’s great that you’re in track, but don’t sweat not having any other extracurriculars.</p>

<p>If you don’t get into a program when you apply, I would suggest you evaluate your application and see where it could be stronger. You could also contact the programs you applied to, and ask if they have suggestions about how to improve your application. Then spend some time tackling those issues. If you’re lacking in research experience, get more research experience. Getting a master’s degree can be a good way to show that you are capable of graduate level work and research, but keep in mind that they are also unfunded. If you can find a way to strengthen your application with some work experience, that may be preferable, depending on what your financial situation is. But I would cross this bridge if you have to.</p>

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<p>Very informative, thank you! </p>

<p>I was also wondering what are the top masters programs (2 year programs) as pertaining to psychology? </p>

<p>If I dont get accepted to a doctorate off the bat I think it would be best to go seek out a masters to strengthen my weak spots </p>

<p>All the good (top 20) colleges seem to only offer 4 year doctorates, I noticed that Umiami has a good general psychology masters, but what top schools are offering masters? of course I want to have a degree from the most credible schools as possible! </p>

<p>Thanks!!!</p>

4

<p>If you don’t get into a PhD program, you might be better off taking a gap year or two to get more research experience rather than a master’s degree. What the schools are looking for in PhD applicants is potential to do research.
If you don’t get accepted, it really depends on what your weakest area is - whether it’s GPA, course selection, or research experience.
I wouldn’t worry about it too much at this point, though. You seem to be well qualified, and that’s quite a ways off, anyway.</p>

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<p>Thanks Nanotechnology!</p>

<p>I thought about possibly taking a year off.
If I took some time off to get more experience does it matter what state I do the research in?
Would it benefit me to get the experience around the school I want to get in to?</p>

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<p>First of all, the top programs in grad school are often not at Ivy League. I think only 3 of the top 20 clinical psychology programs are at Ivy League universities. In fact, my Ivy League university (Columbia) does not have a top clinical psychology program, and it’s not funded for most students. (Evolutionary psychology I am not as familiar with, as it is a small subfield. I’m a social psychologist, by the way.)</p>

<p>If you don’t get into a PhD program, a psychology master’s degree is - in my opinion - a waste of time. Most PhD programs don’t accept credit from other places. If they do, it’s usually at most a semester. That is the reason most programs don’t offer a terminal master’s. (Also, a small note - most doctorates in psychology are NOT 4 years, not in the U.S. They will take you 5-7 years to complete. In clinical, 6-7 years is more common as most people take 5-6 years to complete the program itself and then an extra year to do the internship.)</p>

<p>You get far more value by doing a research program or job. You can work as a lab manager for 2 years - other titles are research associate, research assistant, lab coordinator, project coordinator and project manager. Not only do psychology professors need lab managers - other professors who may need them are medical professors (psychiatry and neurology may be especially apt) and professors of public health (we have three full-time staff members who are bachelor’s level in my lab at an SPH right now). You could also do a program like the NIH’s post-baccalaureate program, which is designed to prepare students interested in the health sciences for grad school.</p>

<p>What state you do the research in does not matter, but getting some experience close by the school you want to attend may. For example, in my program (social psychology, but similar standards) good lab managers who want to attend our PhD program are typically admitted. Or, if you work at a nearby school with a collaborator of the professor you eventually want to study under, you may have the opportunity to meet them and make an impression.</p>