Myth Busters
Myth: "Writing about my experience as a psychotherapy client in my personal statement will help me get in because it shows I have a unique perspective.”
Busted: People are often inspired to enter the mental health field because of a positive experience in therapy and want to pay it forward. And having experience being in the client’s position could potentially give you a perspective that may be helpful as the therapist. However, writing about it in your personal statement should be avoided, as this may raise red flags with admissions committees. They may question your judgment of personal boundaries if you reveal such personal information to people whom you’ve never met. Furthermore, they may question your ability to separate your own issues and work professionally with clients—not everyone experiences depression, anxiety, grief, etc., in the same way, and recognizing individual differences among clients and ways their experiences may be different from yours is important. If you can’t avoid discussing this, be very careful about how much you reveal about yourself and remember to keep it professional.
Myth: “I have to go to a ‘top tier’ school to be successful.”
Busted: The ranking of the institution you go to makes a huge difference in many fields (such as law or business). So, for friends going into those professions, schools are judged by which “tier” they are in. The students who come from “top tier” schools (Yale, Harvard, etc.) tend to be more successful that those who go to “lower tier” schools (State schools). However, specific rankings such as these do not generally apply to psychology doctoral programs. Ranking lists are published for graduate schools in psychology by magazines, and can provide very general information about program quality, but psychology graduate school doesn't have "ranks" the way Law Schools and Medical Schools do. The truth is that there are many great programs at state schools or “lesser-known” schools. Published ranking lists will actually tell you very little about a program’s reputation within the psychology community. Instead, look at other factors (e.g., having well-regarded faculty, having strong clinical and research opportunities, producing graduates who go on to be successful).
Myth: “If I don't get in anywhere my first time applying, I will never get in.”
Busted: Most psychology doctoral programs are very competitive, and applicant pools tend to look fairly different from year to year. It is not uncommon for applicants to go through more than one application cycle to gain admission. However, you should keep in mind that applying multiple times may not increase chances of eventually getting in, as admission will still be competitive. It may be a good idea to get extra feedback on your application and interviewing skills, and try to gain additional research/clinical experience.
Myth: “It's not appropriate to contact professors or schools with questions about applying.”
Busted: Many people find the idea of e-mailing a professor of interest before sending in the application to be somewhat awkward. This is understandable, but professors are not usually bothered by such e-mails and many applicants do so. Common questions include asking if the professor is taking a student that year (if this info is not on his/her website), questions about his/her research, or questions about the program. It is also perfectly acceptable to simply introduce yourself and your interests (briefly – professors are busy people!), and to ask that they look out for your application. Some may answer your e-mail, some may not. However, you should not feel shy about this.
Myth: “Counseling psychology is for people who want to do clinical work, and Clinical psychology is for people who want to do research.”
Busted: Most programs have a wide range of outcomes for students. Both clinical and counseling psychology students end up in both clinical and research settings (as well as in many other roles!). The best way to learn more about what graduates of programs are doing is to find out from individual sites. Many times programs post "first job site" data for their students, or that information can be obtained by contacting program training directors. This information is important to your making an informed decision about where to apply, so you should look for it on program web sites, and if you can't find it, contact a department secretary or the training director to get an idea.
Myth: “PsyDs are for people who want to do clinical work, and PhDs are for people who want to do research or go into academia.”
Busted: Programs have a wide range of outcomes for graduates. Indeed, many people with both PhDs and PsyDs end up in clinical or practice settings, primarily. It's important to consider what options are available at each program to determine how good a fit it is. If you are thinking of clinical work, does the site have good relationships and ongoing practicum placements are strong training sites in hospitals, Veteran's hospitals, counseling centers, community mental health agencies, etc? If you are interested in research, does the program have good relationships with sites to collect data (hospitals, VAs, community organizations), and do faculty members publish often in quality journals?
As well, there's a myth that PsyD programs offer more clinical training than PhD programs, which is untrue. APPIC data (such as these results, for 2011) consistently indicate that PhD and PsyD students get about the same amount of direct clinical experience.
Busted: People are often inspired to enter the mental health field because of a positive experience in therapy and want to pay it forward. And having experience being in the client’s position could potentially give you a perspective that may be helpful as the therapist. However, writing about it in your personal statement should be avoided, as this may raise red flags with admissions committees. They may question your judgment of personal boundaries if you reveal such personal information to people whom you’ve never met. Furthermore, they may question your ability to separate your own issues and work professionally with clients—not everyone experiences depression, anxiety, grief, etc., in the same way, and recognizing individual differences among clients and ways their experiences may be different from yours is important. If you can’t avoid discussing this, be very careful about how much you reveal about yourself and remember to keep it professional.
Myth: “I have to go to a ‘top tier’ school to be successful.”
Busted: The ranking of the institution you go to makes a huge difference in many fields (such as law or business). So, for friends going into those professions, schools are judged by which “tier” they are in. The students who come from “top tier” schools (Yale, Harvard, etc.) tend to be more successful that those who go to “lower tier” schools (State schools). However, specific rankings such as these do not generally apply to psychology doctoral programs. Ranking lists are published for graduate schools in psychology by magazines, and can provide very general information about program quality, but psychology graduate school doesn't have "ranks" the way Law Schools and Medical Schools do. The truth is that there are many great programs at state schools or “lesser-known” schools. Published ranking lists will actually tell you very little about a program’s reputation within the psychology community. Instead, look at other factors (e.g., having well-regarded faculty, having strong clinical and research opportunities, producing graduates who go on to be successful).
Myth: “If I don't get in anywhere my first time applying, I will never get in.”
Busted: Most psychology doctoral programs are very competitive, and applicant pools tend to look fairly different from year to year. It is not uncommon for applicants to go through more than one application cycle to gain admission. However, you should keep in mind that applying multiple times may not increase chances of eventually getting in, as admission will still be competitive. It may be a good idea to get extra feedback on your application and interviewing skills, and try to gain additional research/clinical experience.
Myth: “It's not appropriate to contact professors or schools with questions about applying.”
Busted: Many people find the idea of e-mailing a professor of interest before sending in the application to be somewhat awkward. This is understandable, but professors are not usually bothered by such e-mails and many applicants do so. Common questions include asking if the professor is taking a student that year (if this info is not on his/her website), questions about his/her research, or questions about the program. It is also perfectly acceptable to simply introduce yourself and your interests (briefly – professors are busy people!), and to ask that they look out for your application. Some may answer your e-mail, some may not. However, you should not feel shy about this.
Myth: “Counseling psychology is for people who want to do clinical work, and Clinical psychology is for people who want to do research.”
Busted: Most programs have a wide range of outcomes for students. Both clinical and counseling psychology students end up in both clinical and research settings (as well as in many other roles!). The best way to learn more about what graduates of programs are doing is to find out from individual sites. Many times programs post "first job site" data for their students, or that information can be obtained by contacting program training directors. This information is important to your making an informed decision about where to apply, so you should look for it on program web sites, and if you can't find it, contact a department secretary or the training director to get an idea.
Myth: “PsyDs are for people who want to do clinical work, and PhDs are for people who want to do research or go into academia.”
Busted: Programs have a wide range of outcomes for graduates. Indeed, many people with both PhDs and PsyDs end up in clinical or practice settings, primarily. It's important to consider what options are available at each program to determine how good a fit it is. If you are thinking of clinical work, does the site have good relationships and ongoing practicum placements are strong training sites in hospitals, Veteran's hospitals, counseling centers, community mental health agencies, etc? If you are interested in research, does the program have good relationships with sites to collect data (hospitals, VAs, community organizations), and do faculty members publish often in quality journals?
As well, there's a myth that PsyD programs offer more clinical training than PhD programs, which is untrue. APPIC data (such as these results, for 2011) consistently indicate that PhD and PsyD students get about the same amount of direct clinical experience.