Embedded Files
Getting into Graduate School
Getting Into Graduate School
This part of the site is intended as a general resource for all those applying to graduate school in a mental health field and so resources are provided here that are more global in nature.
Step 1: Once you've decided you want a career in a mental health field, how do you know which path is right for you?
This is a question I get ALL THE TIME from undergraduates. There are so many different options including Master's of Social Work, Master's of Mental Health Counseling, Psychiatry (e.g., an M.D.), PSY.D., or Ph.D., that it is often hard to students to sort through them all and figure out which one fits best with their goals. The thing I emphasize is that these are indeed different "paths" and the first job of a prospective student is to figure out where they want to go. To extend the analogy, if you are going for a hike at your local state park you will have to decide which trail you want to take. One question then is where do you want it to take you and what do you want to see? Up the mountain? Down the river? Through the forest? These are all valid choices, but you need to choose the trail that is going to the place you want to visit! Similarly, there are other considerations including the amount of time or distance you intend to hike and whether you are well prepared (e.g., your physical fitness) for the various paths. Choosing a path for graduate study is similar, except the number of different choices are much more vast than your typical park.
So a necessary first step is to sit down and figure out where you want to go and then try to sort out the type of program that will best take you there. Some considerations:
Do you want to be able to prescribe medication?
How much time do you want to spend working directly with clients (e.g., as a therapist)?
How much time do you want to spend doing research?
How long do you want to be in graduate school?
Do you have geographic or financial limitations?
How well prepared are you for various options?
One of the absolute most helpful resources in making these decisions is Mitch Prinstein's Uncensored Grad School Advice, which can be found on his website: https://mitch.web.unc.edu/professional-development/. Take a look at it to learn about distinctions between these types of programs and how their various aims might align with yours.
Conversely, one of the biggest mistakes I see is when students choose a path that they know, in their heart of hearts, is not well aligned with their goals. For example, students who are certain they want a career in clinical practice often prefer to apply to Ph.D. programs even though those have a heavy research emphasis (often primarily becuase such research focused programs offer greater funding). If those students manage to get admitted into one of those programs, they often find that they are unhappy with the volume of research expectations. These situations are unfortunate for both the student and the program, because they are often avoidable with careful selection early in the process. These situations aren't often so clear cut and it is perfectly acceptable for students to change their mind or end up traveling down a different path than the one they started down. However, what should be clear is that the path one starts down should be leading to a place you truly want to go.
Step 2: You've decided on the TYPE of degree you want (e.g., Ph.D vs. MSW), but now need to narrow down the specific programs
This is a challenging step for many students as its hard to get detailed information about each program in terms of the "path." Historically, one of the common resources I've recommended (and used myself) is the book "Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology," by Norcross and Sayette (link). You likely can find this book in your library. If you are looking at non-doctoral programs and want more information, then looking at websites for programs and faculty members at those programs is a good step.
A major distinction within clinical psychology doctoral programs is the degree of emphasis on research training versus clinical training. Clinical Psychology is a unique degree type in that all programs will train you to do both. The differences emerge in terms of the amount of additional training you get, beyond basic competence. Thus the programs are often rated along a dimension of how research intensive they are.
Among Research-Intensive Clinical Psychology programs, the admissions process functions like an apprenticeship model in that admissions decisions are often made by the one faculty member that is agreeing to serve as direct research mentor to that one student. In less research-intenstive programs, there may be an admissions committee that selects the best applicants on criteria other than match with a mentor.
Step 3: Gain the experiences that are MOST helpful for a given program type
At the risk of oversimplying this, prospective applicants should seek to gain as much as experience as possible with the type of activities that are most central to their chosen path. Those who plan to apply to more applied programs (and ultimately work in a more clinical role) should seek to gain experience in more clinically-oriented activities such as volunteering at a local crisis line or seeking employment at local mental health facilities. Given they aren't yet trained or licensed, these jobs will not be providing treatment. However, gaining experiences with how mental health systems operate and getting exposure to those who receive services as well as those the clinicians who provide those services can be extremely valuable.
On the flip side, those who want to apply to more research intensive programs should seek out research experience that is broad and deep. For those who are undergraduates at large universities, such as Purdue, there will often be offically sanctioned research experiences that are offered for course credit (See for example: https://hhs.purdue.edu/psy/undergraduate-research-opportunities/). I encourage students interested in the research path to get involved in research labs early on (even as freshmen!) and then to try at least 2 different ones. Ultimately, they should also seek depth by sticking around one lab for a series of semesters. In many labs, staying in a lab for multiple years also opens up opportunities to go beyond simply assisting with research and to work directly with the professor to develop a more independent research project. At Purdue, the Research Focused Honors Program is a fantastic option for those who are determined to pursue the research path (but not necessarily recommended for those who want a non-research path).
Step 4: Application Time
Applying to graduate school is explicitly asking the school/mentor to take you on as a trainee. In doing so, you want to make the basic argument that you are a "great bet" for them to invest their time and training opportunity. It is a lot of work to train a student and so programs want to be sure they are selecting students who a) have interests that closely align with the training program offered, b) have the requisite skills and aptitudes to take advantage of the training program, and c) are likely to have the capacity to "do good" in the world when armed with the training provided.
Resources on writing application materials are available elswhere and so links are provided here for things like creating a CV or writing a personal statement:
https://mitch.web.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4922/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/job_search_writing/resumes_and_vitas/writing_the_cv.html
https://online.uky.edu/blog/how-write-compelling-grad-school-personal-statement
https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/splat-lab/prospective-students/
Application Fees: It is also worth noting that almost all universities will charge a fee for applying to their graduate programs. However, there are a number of ways to get this fee waived. For those applying to Purdue, please consider this list:
https://www.purdue.edu/academics/ogsps/admissions/how-to-apply/apply-fee.html
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse