Reddit reviews Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology: 2018/2019 Edition (Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Psychology)

Okay, well you don't need a doctorate to talk to people and help them. You can get any number of master's degrees (LCSW, LMFT, LCPC, etc...) in 2 years to do talk therapy v. 4-6 years + an internship year(+ a dissertation most likely, too). There's a big difference in the price and purpose of these programs, as well as the years it takes to complete.

My recommendation is that you start with this book: Career Paths in Psychology: Where your degree can take you to get an overview of all the different kinds of opportunities are out there in the field and what best fits your interests/life plan. Intel drives ops, right?

Then check out The Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology (if clinical or counseling psych is what interests you) to find the program that best fits you.

Undergraduate prestige is an issue but one that can be overcome. You definitely need to do research with somebody - and that means having some kind of in-person connection. Doing an MS after undergrad and/or working in a lab for a couple of years is the most common path to a PhD program now, so really you're asking about what will get you into somebody's lab.

And if you're sure you want to be a therapist, consider other paths to being a therapist - PhD isn't the only (or necessarily the best) path. See here for a good discussion.

Very cool, congrats on your acceptance!!

Because it's a more competitive school, you may have some trouble securing an opportunity for independent research. I went to a pretty non-competitive undergrad institution, so I basically just showed up and asked and professors were happy to have me. Unfortunately I don't think grad programs care much about how competitive it was to obtain your research position. I was very open in my grad school interviews that my less competitive school allowed me to just show up and ask to do independent research, and they just agreed that that gave me an advantage and moved on.

I would recommend pursuing the lab work you're planning on doing. In addition to that, I would make a point to make a good impression on your new psychology professors with the intention of approaching them about research at the end of a semester. Look into professors' research and determine who you match well with, then approach them about it. Never just go up to a professor and ask what their research is in and if you can join their lab. They're interested in research assistants who are actually interested in their work. (It is also important to note here that, while it is absolutely ideal to find research positions related to your long term goals, what's most important is that you conduct independent research, so make sure you prioritize this above all else.)

I would strongly recommend purchasing a copy of this book I've heard it referred to as "The Bible," and for good reason. It has everything you need to know and is an invaluable resource. And use your resources at your new school - professors are there to help, so identify someone who has a background you're interested in and utilize their knowledge!

The "Insider's Guide to Clinical/Counseling Psychology" was really helpful to me for looking at all the schools https://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Graduate-Programs-Counseling-Psychology/dp/146253211X

There are stats listed on each school, like how practice/research oriented is, average GRE scores, cohort sizes, etc.

Get good scores on the GRE quant and verbal. Some schools don’t even require the analytical reasoning portion where you write essays. If that’s the case, then just skip it entirely to save brain cells.

I would highly recommend buying the insiders guide to clinical and counseling psychology programs.

https://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Graduate-Programs-Counseling-Psychology/dp/146253211X/ref=nodl_

What it really comes down to is a finely balanced cocktail of elements where you first and foremost “fit” the program and specific mentor, followed by getting scores on the verbal and quant of at least 155, and some strong letters of recommendation. Research experience is a plus, of course. Clinical experience is basically not a factor at all, unfortunately.

Sad to say that what matters most is licking boots and getting good scores on a piss poor predictor of academic achievement that nonetheless serves to make the school more “appealing” by only letting in the people who did well in high school math and English. This is part of the reason why social work and counseling programs are becoming so popular. I’ve known a few really academically gifted PhD students who were absolute shit in the consulting room.