Clinical Psychology Information Night!

Not for Seniors OnlyAre you a Freshman, Sophomore or Junior

considering Graduate Study in Clinical Psychology?

WHEN? Thursday, October 4, 2012WHERE? Science I – room 149TIME? 7:30 PMWHO? Professor Stephen Lisman

Distinguished Teaching Professor BU Department of Psychology

Selected topics• Differences between M.A., Ph.D, PsyD, Clinical

and Counseling programs• How to prepare for graduate study in

Psychology• The application process• Life in graduate school• Frequently asked questions and

misconceptions• Income of Psychologists• Whatever else you want to ask about

Useful Resources(click on hyperlinks)

General sources of interest• http://psyccareers.apa.org • http://psych.hanover.edu/handbook/applic2.html• http://www.psywww.com/careers/index.htm • https://fp.auburn.edu/clinicalpsychgradprogs/

Psi Chi’s excellent resources• http://www.psichi.org/pubs/search.aspx?categor

y1=7

• http://www.psichi.org/Support/ ….enter search term

(continued)

Useful Resources (continued)

• Differentiating PsyD/PhD, Clinical/Counseling, etc.

• http://www.psichi.org/pubs/articles/article_171.aspx

Topics to be covered• Considering a master’s? (below)

• The Unvalidated Graduate School Potential Test• Important factors in graduate admissions

Conceptions and Misconceptions

• Is grad school just 4-6 more years of “going to school”? (what is life in grad school like?)

• Is it more difficult to get into clinical psych grad programs than to get into medical school?

• What will my income be?• Should you even bother to apply?

(see the Unvalidated Grad School Potential Test)

Decisions

• PhD or PsyD?

• Counseling or Clinical?

• Affordable?

• The student with the Top 10 list

• A master’s degree?

c Clc

CcounCouCol

Cl

Clinical Counseling

No. of programs (2009)

Acceptance rates

234

8%

66

6%

Where “housed”

Assessment training

Therapy orientation

Employment

Dept of Psychol.

IQ, Projectives, Pers., Objective, etc.

CBT, Psychodynamic

Private practice (Cl>Co)

Psych, Counseling, Ed.

Career, vocational, etc.

Rogerian

UCC (Co>Cl)

Clinical and Counseling Psychology Programs(differences most often are in emphases and are relative, not distinct)

PsyD or PhD(from Norcross et al.)

[ Differences are more quantitative – not qualitative, ]http://www.psichi.org/pubs/articles/article_171.aspx

• Research skills• Length of training…….• Acceptance rates ……. • Financial assistance• Loan debt • Licensure exam scores

• The student with the Top 10 list

• A master’s degree?

pros and cons:Should You Get a Master’s First?

Master's and Myth: Little-Known Information About a

Popular Degree

• where?

Other good Master’s programs

• Villanova

• St. Joseph’s

• University of North Carolina Wilmington

• Ball State

• Connecticut College

What to look for…

• Read the program data (“Truth in Advertising”)

• Characteristics of recent classes (e.g., BU) http://www2.binghamton.edu/psychology/graduate/clinical-

psychology/applicant-data.html

• Research/practice (e.g., “Insider’s Guide”)

• APPIC data -- match rates for internship

• “Fit”

I read your application folder…

• The data on what counts most (see next two slides)

• Domains of excellence/accomplishment• Uniqueness• Skills• Letters of recommendation

• From whom?• How to help letter writers to help you

• You worked part time

FAQs

• What should I be doing when? (timelines)

http://www.psichi.org/Pubs/Articles/Article_801.aspx

(continued)

FAQs

• How much weight is given to the GRE?• http://www.psichi.org/Pubs/Articles/

Article_818.aspx  (GRE revisions)

FAQs

• What if my grades were not so good one semester (year/2 years)?

• What if my research was not clinical?

• What if my recommendations are not from clinical psychologists?

• What if my statistics grades are weak?

• What if I don’t get in?

THE UNVALIDATED GRADUATE SCHOOL POTENTIAL TESTDeveloped by Patricia Keith-Spiegel

This exercise is developed to assist you in exploring whether graduate school is for you. Although this 'test' has not undergone any validation evaluations (i.e., checking to see if the answers one gives are indeed reliable predictors of graduate school success or failure) the items are based on knowledge of the graduate school experience and have 'face validity.' The items are so transparent that anyone could 'fake' a 'successful' profile. However, unless you answer each question in a completely honest fashion, the results will be of no use whatsoever. Remember, no one will see the results except you, so you aren't trying to perform for or impress anyone!

 

Answer each question according to how it applies to you using the following scale:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

 Strongly Disagree Slightly No Slightly Agree Strongly

Disagree Disagree Opinion Agree Agree 

 

1. Living on a strict budget for 4 to 7 years while studying most of the time does not bother me at all.

2. I enjoy writing term papers.

3. I hate giving verbal presentations in front of class.

4. I enjoy reading books about psychology even if they are not assigned reading. .

5. I put off studying for a test as long as possible.

Grad School Potential Test (cont’d)

6. On many occasions I have given up desirable social opportunities to study instead.

7 . I expect to earn a very good salary (i.e., $50,000 per year or more) soon after I get my graduate degree.

8 I hate to study.

9. I have trouble concentrating on my studies for hours at a time

10. I read over recent issues of professional journals on a fairly regular basis.

11 I dislike spending lots of time in the library.

12. I have a tremendous drive to enter a profession in psychology.

13. There are other careers besides one in psychology that are also of great interest to me.

14. I intend to work full-time at my career for most of my lifetime.

15. I’m sick of school right now.

16. I get good grades.

17. My grades are far below the capacity I actually have.

18. I have a flair for statistics.

19 I think a PhD would be valuable to have primarily because of the social status it provides (e.g., being addressed as 'Doctor').

20. I like doing research projects.

21. I dislike being in competition with other students.

22. I can carry out academic projects without direction and assistance.

23. I will have to work at a job during the graduate school years in order to support myself.

24. I am already comfortably competent (or well on my way) with computer skills

and word-processing technology.

25. I get along very well with professors.

 

Grad School Potential Test (cont’d)

• SCORING

• Add up your total score of points from the scale. For items 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, and 23, REVERSE your scoring (i.e., give yourself 7 points for a I answer, 6 points for a 2 answer, etc.).

•  

• KEITH-SPIEGEL'S INTERPRETATION OF TOTAL SCORE

• 156+ Good graduate school material. Your goals, attitudes, accomplishments, and habits

• appear to coincide with what is usually necessary to succeed in grad school.

• 130-155 You can probably make it if you also make some changes before you start.

• 78-129 Cause for concern. You may be bright enough, but there are other problems.

• 26- 77 Carefully reconsider going to graduate school at this time. The picture of a satisfied & successful student just isn’t there.

•  

• Keith-Spiegel adds that she gives the above breakdown because that's what tests like this usually offer, but that your total score gives only very general guidance. She goes on to say that 'personally, I think that an analysis of your response to each item individually is far more useful than any overall generalizations based on a total score.