<p>I'm a high school senior and need to decide which major well be my second. I eventually want to become a clinical psychologist and get my PhD. My question is what major will help me stand out when I send my graduate application? How can I get research experience in college? Should I suck up to my professors so they give me research opportunities? What will make me stand out for grad school other than Good GPA and test scores? And how can I get those advantages?</p>
<p>Neuroscience (or some type of biology) might be a good complement to psychology. I don’t know if it’ll make you stand out, but it would be useful. Beyond that, I’d recommend you double major in just whatever interests you. Or you can ditch the second major and focus more on research and work experience.</p>
<p>Research experience is definitely very important for grad school apps, and I would consider it the most important part of your application package, if you’re applying to research-oriented PhD programs. You can get research experience in many, many ways. There are summer programs you can apply to, or you can email professors and ask if they are willing to take on an undergrad in their lab (department websites usually post professors’ research interests). You may be able to research for credit (or you may be able to get pay as a research assistant, depending on your experience), and if your school has any sort of thesis option, I would recommend you attempt it. My school’s psych department was also very research focused, so they had labs that students could take where they could do research projects.</p>
<p>You also don’t “suck up” to professors. You build relationships with them as a smart, driven, curious student. Go to office hours, ask questions, read up on their research and talk to them about it. This may help you get research experience, and it will help you when you need to ask for letters of recommendation.</p>
<p>Research experience and being able to speak thoughtfully about it are very important for graduate school, but for clinical psychology, you may also want to consider getting some clinical or advising experience (or some other experience where you work directly with people, helping them to access resources or get advice or something). I’m not in the field, so I don’t have very specific advice about the importance of this (this is just my speculation). I do recommend that you ask professors in your field about it. You may want to get some extracurricular or work experience as an RA or peer mentor/adviser, at a crisis hotline (or shelter), or in some sort of health or mental health organization.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s a matter of some other major making your application stand-out. It’s more a matter of your GPA, test scores, research experience, etc.</p>
<p>Quantitative skills are valued in psychology programs, however. So, a second major or a minor in statistics might be valued. </p>
<p>If you’re more focused on what is a good complementary discipline for a second major than on “standing out,” it will depend on what areas of clinical psychology interest you. Eating disorders? Look at nutrition. Health psychology? Consider a bioscience field. Forensic Psychology? Consider criminology. Gerontology? Consider am interdisciplinary human development program. Clinical neuropsychology or brain injury? Neuroscience or communication disorders are the obvious choices. Autism? Special ed or communication disorders are options.</p>
<p>As the others have stated, no major can make you “stand out.” Having research experience, being listed as a co-author on publications, and maybe some relevant internships in clinical psych are what will make your application stand out. </p>
<p>Sucking up will not help you attain any of the above. You need to prove yourself to be responsible, reliable, dedicated, and intelligent. Professors will be happy to include you in their research projects if they believe you have the drive to succeed and are open and honest with them about your goals - not just telling them what you think they want to hear in order to “suck up.” Professors want to help their students succeed, so if you speak up early about your plans, they will help you get there if you are willing to work for it.</p>
<p>It may be better to take classes in a variety of subjects rather than getting a second major. In addition to some mentioned above, I can see applicable classes in subjects like sociology, social work, anthropology, and perhaps linguistics. That seems to be at least 6 or 7 subjects that can help.</p>
<p>Linguistics would be an interesting one to go with psychology; there’s lots of overlap, and it opens new doors in psychology.</p>