Pivoting to Clinical Psych PhD from Premed- what are my chances?
Hi there! To make a long story short, I applied to 26 med schools this cycle, and it...didn't go so well. While I earned 6 interviews, including Harvard and NYU, I ended up with 3 rejections (1 post-waitlist), 2 waitlists (odds don't seem great), and 1 acceptance. Since my acceptance is to a newer MD program that just got fully accredited last year (their students match into good residencies though), has a high cost of attendance, and doesn't have many research opportunities, my PI and several other mentors have suggested that I reapply to med school if I don't get off one of my waitlists.
However, I am starting to question whether reapplying to medical school is really the best option for me. Of the 26 schools I applied to, I would have to retake the MCAT to reapply to all but 11. In addition, I have heard that reapplying with an acceptance gets you blacklisted, although I've also heard of people succeeding. Last but not least, one of my interviewers seemed critical of my choice to take 2 gap years between undergrad and med school, so I feel like having 3 would be even worse.
That brings me to my next point: I am starting to feel like my experiences and interests align better with Clinical Psych than they do with Medicine. I've been spending my 2 gap years as an RA in a Psychiatry lab (PI is a Psych PhD), and I really enjoy it because it's fast-paced and a good combination of the scholarly side of research and participant interaction. Plus, since drug-impaired driving research is so interdisciplinary, I learn new things all the time and don't feel out of place even though I did my BA in Public Health and not Psych.
In addition, I know from my premed clinical experience that I like working with patients, and my most memorable stories have been the times when I was able to listen and provide emotional support to patients/families. Even in research, I've always loved outreach and building rapport with participants. Therefore, a career that combines clinical and research work seems like an ideal fit to me.
On a personal note, I have benefited tremendously from seeing psychologists. A psychologist diagnosed me with ADHD at the age of 23 last year, and it was life-changing to get on medication and learn why I struggled with anxiety, depression, organization, and focus for my entire life despite being smart. I've also done quite a bit of talk therapy. I was told not to talk about mental health on my med school applications even though it's been both a huge obstacle and a part of my "why" for pursuing medicine/psych, so I would hope to be able to discuss it more openly on my PhD applications.
The One Problem: I have not taken a Psych class since AP Psych in high school (somehow earned a perfect score on the Psych/Soc section of the MCAT though). However, I have learned a lot about psych at my job, and I was thinking that I could take 2 psych courses at my employer over the summer ($2,400 after employee discount) and then 2 more at community college in the fall ($46/unit; unfortunately summer classes are all full). On the bright side, I already took biostats and epidemiology in undergrad, so all 4 can be psych classes.
Anyways, do you think I have a shot if I take more psych courses? Thank you in advance for any advice; I know this was super long.
Summary of Background and Experiences:
Academics
- BA in Public Health from T20 University, c/o 2024 (4.0 GPA)
- Also took all the premed pre-reqs (e.g. OChem, Biochem, Physics)
Research
- ~2 years RA in Psychiatry at T30 University (~4,000 hours)
- Research Focus: Drug Impaired Driving
- Publications/Posters:
- 4 in-progress journal papers (3 mid-author, 1 second-author), 1 mid-author conference paper
- 2 first-author posters
- Co-author on 6 posters (not sure how much this matters)
- Description:
- Conduct intake and testing visits for participants (involves mental health/substance use interviewing and driving simulator testing, among other assessments)
- Implement new assessments into protocol and handle logistical issues as they arise (study is large and complicated, so there are a lot)
- Lead outreach and enrollment
- Assist PI with grant applications, literature reviews, etc.
- Recently promoted
- 6 semesters Undergraduate Research in Public Health (~500 hours)
- Research Focus: Health Coaching
- Publications/Posters
- 1 in-progress, second-author journal paper
- 2 first-author posters
- Description:
- Provided health coaching for study participants
- Conducted outreach and enrollment
- Earned Summer Research Fellowship
Other Work/Volunteer Experiences
- ~1,200 hours Clinical Experience (interfacility transport and event EMT, ICU and ER volunteering, scribing, shadowing)
- ~100 hours Crisis Text Line Volunteering
- ~500 hours Chemistry Tutoring in Undergrad (was team lead)