Hi everyone,
I’m trying to figure out if I should apply directly to Clinical Psych PhD programs after graduating this December, or if I should wait a year or two to strengthen my application. I’d really appreciate your thoughts. Aiming to be a child psychologist.
I’m currently at one of the top 5 most prestigious universities in the USA , majoring in Psychology (BS) with minors in Child Policy and English. My GPA is 3.63, and I’ve been a research assistant for 3+ years across two different labs:
One is a moral psych lab where I conducted my own study, collected a large amount of data, and presented at SPSP.
The other is hospital-based, where I interact with patients and handle eye-tracking, fMRI, REDCap, data analysis, and participant coordination.
I’ve received 3 grants from my university for research and travel.
I’ve also completed three independent projects:
The moral psychology research mentioned above.
A lit review on emotional abuse and child development, which I’m presenting at a school conference.
An independent study on parentification, which I’ll be turning into a poster for presentation.
Outside of research:
I’m working with a child abuse nonprofit this summer and will continue supporting their data work in the fall.
I co-host a podcast focused on child maltreatment and trauma.
I’m part of a competitive pre-health/PhD track program at my school.
That said, I had a difficult first year in college due to personal/family issues, which impacted my GPA a bit early on.
Would love any insight from folks in or applying to clinical psych programs. Do I seem ready to apply this cycle—or would waiting strengthen my chances?
Thanks so much in advance!
Comments
You’re obviously a competitive candidate, and if you genuinely think you aren’t, you may need to spend some time seeking perspective. But the wildcard right now is the lack of federal funding. Nobody can predict whether universities can reliably support grad students in the next few years.