Applying Doctoral VACES12

8/13/2019 Applying Doctoral VACES12

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Applying to DoctoralPrograms: An Insiders

PerspectiveThom Field, M.Ed., NCC

Doctoral student, James Madison University

VACES 2012, Lynchburg, Virginia


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IntroductionO 1styear, 3rdsemester doc student @ JMU

O Completed my masters studies at LC in

May 2011O Began preparing my doctoral application

after my first semester at LC

O I learned some important lessons along

the way, and had to make difficultdecisions


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OverviewO Whats Your End Goal?

O Educating Yourself

O Maximizing Your ChancesO The Interview

O Final Decisions


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1. Whats Your End Goal?Begin with the end in mind(Covey, 1989)


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1. Whats Your End Goal?

O Start with a funnelapproach

O Long-term planning facilitates short-term

decisionsO So

O What is important to you? (Salary?

Avoiding loans? Marriage/parenting?

Academic enjoyment?)O What options are notimportant to you?


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Your desired work tasks will guide yourdirection. What work tasks are you mostinterested in?

O Counseling? (therapist etc.)

O Educating? (professor, speaker,consultant, supervisor)

O Psychological testing? (clinical/school

psychologist)O Leadership? (principle, superintendent,

director, dean of students)


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Ask yourself some challenging questions

OAm I prepared for another 3-5 years in

graduate school? Is my family/partner?OHow will I feel if I have to compromise my

dreams? Will I resent this?

OAm I prepared to move? Or commute?

ODo I need a doctorate to perform mydesired work tasks?


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Remember, bad habits learned in mastersprograms only get worse in doctoral programs!

OAre you a

Procrastinator? Workaholic? Non-note taker?Slow reader? Perfectionist?

OThe truth: you wont have time to complete allof your assignments perfectly.

ODissertations take a lot of time & energy awayfrom your other commitments

OMy personal struggle: cognitive room


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2. Educating Yourself


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2. Educating YourselfOnce you have decided on long-term goals,begin researching career options first.Sources of information:

O Websites (Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobdescriptions on webcrawlers)

O Interviews with people engaging in yourdesired activities (professors,

psychologists)O Consider buying/loaning books on career

options (E.g., Career Paths in Psychology;Sternberg, 2006)


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2. Educating YourselfWhy start there?

O Does the job description look appealing?O Is it a good fit for your personality?

O Job outlook?

O Do other people in the field enjoy doing

that work activity? What are thepros/cons?


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2. Educating YourselfFinancial considerations

You are making an investment.

O How much will you earn in theprimeof

your career?

O Doctoral salaryMasters salary = ?

OCost of not working FT for 3-5 years?

OAnticipated loan amount?


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2. Educating YourselfO Where are the jobs? Bernard (2006)

analyzed doctoral-level jobs for doctoralgraduates in counselor education, clinical

psychology, and counseling psychology:O 40% of faculty openings were advertised

specifically to counselor educatorscompared to 10% for counselingpsychologists

O 78% of clinical positions were advertisedexclusively to psychologists compared to


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Different ProgramsSpecifics to Each

Program

ODU W&M

PhD

PsyD

EdD

PhD in

CounselorEducationat W&M

Different Types ofPrograms

The Investigative Process


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2. Educating YourselfThen begin researching particular programs

in your area of work activity

OBecome knowledgeable about thevarieties of programs

O PhD vs.EdD vs.PsyD vs.DPC

O Counselor Education and Supervision vs.

Counseling Psychology vs.Clinical

Psychology vs.Leadership Studies vs.

Professional Counseling


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2. Educating YourselfBecome knowledgeable about the programsthemselves, through the same sources ofinformation as before

OWebsites of programs

OInterviews with current students atdifferent types of programs (Counselor Ed.,Clinical Psych, Leadership, etc.)

OBooks (Insiders Guide to Clinical andCounseling Psychology; Norcross &LaFayette, 2011)


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2. Educating YourselfLook for their relevant requirements/pre-

requisites for admission

O

CACREP or APA accredited?O Require 60 CACREP credits?

O Require 18 undergraduate credits in

Psychology? (APA) including statistics?

O GREs? Psychology Subject Test?

O Length of program?

O Length of doctoral internship? Out of

state?


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2. Educating YourselfConduct research into various programs

OWhat is the program focus? (e.g., Crisis @

JMU)

OWhat theoretical orientation will you be trained

in?

O2 years of post-masters experience?

OTuition costs? (e.g., PsyD vs. PhD)

OFinancial aid/support?

OLikelihood of admission?

OUnique entrance requirements (e.g.,

videotape?)


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2. Educating YourselfCreate a timeline for yourself, and consider:

O When will I be graduating?

O

When will I have time to work on theapplication?

O Do I anticipate any major life events inthe future? (marriage, etc.)

O Do I need to retake or order copies of the

GRE? Psychology Subject Test?O When are the application deadlines?


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3. Maximizing Your

Chances


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3. Maximizing Your ChancesO Begins with expanding your CV!

(a) Scholarship

O Presentations

O Statewide: VCA, VACES

O Local: Student scholar showcases orsymposiums

O

Research experienceO Some programs place heavy emphasis on

publications (particularly Ph.Ds in psychology)

O Consider assisting faculty research


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3. Maximizing Your ChancesO Use the resources available to you:

O Show your CV to a career counselor at yourcollege/university

O Ask your advisor about letters ofrecommendation

O Seek out a mentor to guide you through theprocess (may or may not be your advisor)

O Ask current doctoral students about their ownpreparation


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3. Maximizing Your ChancesThe Ugly Truth: Retaking the GREs

O Some doctoral programs still require theGREs, even though you have a graduatedegree

O If you are unsure of the weight given to theGREs, ask the program director

O For Clinical/Counseling/School Psychologyprograms, GREs < 1200 = the discard pile

O Most doctoral psychology programs alsorequire the Psychology Subject Test


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3. Maximizing Your ChancesO Choosing your internship is important

O Some programs have internshiprequirements (e.g., 60 direct face-to-face

hours for Radfords Psy.D in CounselingPsychology)

O Your site supervisor should hopefully writeone of your Letters of Recommendation(you need 3)

O It can be matched with the programsfocus (which should be your own interest,also!) E.g., Crisis @ JMU)


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3. Maximizing Your ChancesO Face recognition

O When you have decided on the programsyou are interested in, meet with program

directors (better than phone callswhy?)O Sit in on classes

O Ask to meet with current students

O Bring all the questions that you would like

answered, preferably written down (why?)O Send a thank-you note afterwards.

Consider scheduling a second follow-upmeeting


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3. Maximizing Your ChancesExamples of questions to ask:

How much weight is given to the (GRE,

personal statement, letters of reference,research experience, clinical experience) whenreviewing applications?

How many days/week on campus? How manyhours/week are devoted to study?

What are the main training emphases?


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4. The Interview


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4. The InterviewO The application is in, and you get the

call!!

O Doctoral interviews are intimidating affairsO Prepare as you would for a job interview.

Do mock-interviews the week before.

Dress conservatively (I bought a suit!)

O Be able to articulate: (a) why you want togo to thatprogram, (b) why you want to be

a doctoral student, (c) why they should

admit you [instead of the other

candidates!]


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5. Final Decisions


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5. Final DecisionsO Best case scenario = you have more than

one offer!

O This is when your previous in-person

interviews and visits help you the mostO Discuss the matter with your family; it takes a

village to earn a doctorate!

O Return to your initial planning: What enddidyou visualize?

O What funding does each program offer? Youmay be able to haggle if they want youenough


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ReferencesBernard, J. M. (2006). Counselor education and counseling psychology: Where are the jobs? Counselor Education & Supervision, 46,68-80.

Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 habits of highly effectivepeople. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Norcross, J. C., & LaFayette, M. A. (2011). Insiders guide to clinical and counseling psychology: 2012-13 edition. New York: Guilford.

Sternberg, R. J. (2006). Career paths in psychology: Where your degree can take you (2nd ed). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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Applying Doctoral VACES12