r/psychologystudents

So I will be graduating undergrad with a degree in Psychology and minor in English next spring from a SUNY. I'm in PSI CHI, have a solid 3.9 gpa, and will be doing an independent study with a prof my last semester. I know it will be more challenging to get into a program that will provide me with the pipeline to get a masters and then PhD right out of undergrad, but this is my goal and I want to do anything I possibly can to have an appealing application to grad schools. And I want to get a PhD in social psychology, specifically.

I know research experience is looked at heavily for PhD programs, but the opportunities have been slim to none since Ive been working full time so I can afford rent etc along with being a full time student. This is actually why I'm doing an independent study, because I haven't been able to get into any labs outside of the mandatory labs in the school's curriculum.

Does anyone have any advice on either finding research opportunities or other ways to have a more desirable or appealing application? Such as taking GRE exams? Or other jobs to look out for that may help give me an edge against other applicants?

I think it's also important to note I'm 31, and not the typical age of someone graduating with a bachelor's. I've also been consistently employed in management positions for at least 10 years now, as well as working as an independent contractor for a company for around 4 years, on top of being a veteran. I'm not sure if any of that helps or changes anything, but figured it's worth sharing on the off chance it does.

Any advice is greatly appreciated, as well as any suggestions.

I've been stressing myself out a lot because I fear I'll be facing a lot of rejection letters in my future due to applying pretty fresh out of undergrad, which I understand is probably less than ideal when applying to PhD programs.

I originally applied for a PhD in clinical psychology to 16 schools and didn’t get in to a single one, not even an interview. I was disheartened and decided to get a job in psychology. I got one in ABA working with autistic children and decided to pivot. I found some EdS programs in school psychology to apply to. I got accepted to some and even got into a PhD program in School Psychology!! I’m just so grateful

I am considering applying to a Counseling Psychology PhD program at 40 years old. I have reason to believe I’d be considered for admission, however I am struggling with the idea that I will likely be much older than the rest of my cohort and not finished with the entire process until closer to 50. I have a toddler and a lot of student loan debt already, but this program will be nearly fully funded. I am not concerned with the money too much, however I feel silly being in school for some long to not even be making a lot of money by the time I’m done. I also already have a license to practice counseling in my state and my plan would be (post graduation) to work as an associate professor/ researcher, however it would be nice to know I could also fall back on my counseling license. Any insight is welcome.

I'm 44, a primary parent to a young child, and my husband has a very demanding career that makes him unavailable for school pickups, sick days, etc. This means I need fully online or low-residency programs. Cal State schools, as much as I love the price tag, simply aren't an option for my situation. I'd also like to start in January or Spring 2027, and nearly all the CS programs are fall only. I'm graduating from undergrad with a BA in psych in Dec with a projected GPA of 3.8- if that matters.

I need the program to be BBS approved (California licensure track), which narrows schools considerably.

I'm already aware that "where you get your LMFT doesn't matter" and also that everyone dunks on the programs I'm considering. Just need to find the right program for my personal situation.

Here's where I'm at:

Pepperdine ($120-130k)/ USC ($140k+)/ Northwestern ($160k) - legitimacy is unquestionable, but the cost is ridiculous. Northwestern isn't even BBS approved, but it's my dream program. Pepperdine has less clout outside of the LA area. USC only has a summer start date (and I'm aiming for January/Spring start date)

Antioch LA ($87k) - seems respected in the local mental health space, but reviews are all over the place for students. Love the social justice slant, but they seem highly disorganized

Alliant ($65k) - most affordable, but the mixed reviews online make me nervous

Fair Oaks ($81k) - less name recognition than Antioch, but generally seems more organized than Antioch. Program is 2.5 years with synchronous night classes.

Given my age and the long road to licensure, start dates and length of the program matter a lot to me. I need to be earning as soon as possible, which could make a more expensive school actually make more sense for me in the long run.

I plan to be in PP, as my husband's salary can bear the brunt of running a home/cover health insurance, etc and I can be around for my daughter until she gets older.

Other schools I've ruled out: Anything with a religious slant (Pepperdine's GESP isn't affiliated with the church), National, Sentio, Walden, Touro, any straight up diploma mill school. But open to hearing about others if I'm missing a good one!

I just finished my second year of a psychology degree, and I still have no idea what I want to use it for. Any advice for this?

Hi so I just got back my final grades for my second to last semester as an undergrad (very hard semester for me) and my cumulative gpa is now a 3.434. I want to apply to counseling or clinical psych programs (interested in adolescent depression and risks/prevention) and I know its general knowledge you should have a 3.5 gpa at minimum but unless my next semester is perfect, i’m not going to get there😭

I’m a little stressed but I do have some research experience. I’ve worked in 3 labs, I have 2 posters so far. 2 more incoming this summer and maybe I can get more next semester. I’m thinking of taking a gap year before I apply to PhD programs and applying to post-bacc programs or paid research assistant jobs.

I honestly don’t want to get my masters because it’s money I can’t afford. Also, as ambitious as it is, I’d like to be accepted into a fully funded program.

Anyways I’m just wondering if anyone thinks I still have a chance? Or any tips to maximize my chances? Thank you!!

Ps i am a recent statistics minor which is probably what is dragging my gpa down but i thought it would help

Hi everyone,

I’m an undergraduate junior at Boston University majoring in psychology. I have a 3.9 GPA and am currently an RA in multiple clinical/research labs. I also have a few other relevant experiences: I’ll be working on an honors thesis, I volunteer with Crisis Text Line, and I may be TAing for a Family Violence course this fall.

My long-term goal is to become a clinical-forensic psychologist, possibly with a stronger emphasis on forensic psychology than clinical work. This field genuinely excites me more than anything else I’ve explored. I had originally planned on pursuing a PhD, partly because I do enjoy research, but also because of the financial burden associated with PsyD programs. Recently, though, I realized I may have been trying to convince myself that a PhD was the better fit when, in reality, a PsyD may be what I truly want for my doctoral training.

To get to the point, I’m feeling at a bit of a crossroads. I want to be financially prudent, but across the 75+ Clinical PsyD programs in the U.S., the median tuition plus living costs seems to be around $335,000, assuming no tuition waivers, scholarships, assistantships, etc. I know the earning potential for psychologists can be strong, especially with private practice, specialization, and a niche area like forensic work, but I don’t want to take that for granted. I also keep thinking about the opportunity cost: money spent on tuition and living expenses is money that could otherwise be invested and compounding in the S&P 500 over time. Youth feels like both a blessing and a curse 🫠

I know this is the field I want to pursue, but I’m unsure how much financial freedom I realistically have. Some PsyD programs seem much more reasonable than others. Right now, I’ve shortlisted Baylor University, Indiana State University, Georgia Southern University, Appalachian State University, Marshall University, Xavier University, University of Indianapolis, and William Paterson University. That said, I know admissions can be extremely competitive.

At this point, I’m thinking it may be wise to take a year or two to build up my skills, strengthen my résumé, and gain more clinical experience before applying. What I’m really hoping for is to hear about people’s personal experiences, especially regarding finances. I’d also love to hear from anyone who was once in a similar position: whether you’re happy with the path you chose, whether you would do anything differently, and how you thought through the financial side of doctoral training.

I appreciate any advice or perspective. Thank you so much.

Hey! I am currently applying for master’s programs in clinical psychology and I wanted to know whether I could ask my previous psychiatrist and/or psychologist to be my referees? I am considering them because I have asked all my lecturers who have since left the university and some just do not respond and I really do not want the reason I do not apply be that I did not have referees. My current employer is absolutely not an option. Please advise? Thanks.

Hi, I'm a highschool student considering of doing psychology in uni. I understand that it is a VERY long and competitive process to become a registered psychologist but I'm really fascinated and passionate about it especially in the area of neuro psych. But I'm wondering is the long study and large amount of debt really worth it in the end? - considering work life balance, salary and demand in aus?

Or, considering that the amount of study is similar to completing med school, would becoming a psychiatrist be more worth it in the end?

Hi there, I'm an international student wanting to apply for a PhD in clinical psychology program in Canada. My partner currently has a PR, so I was wondering if there will be any difference in the application/acceptance/funding/literally anything of my application and of my life as a student there if I choose to get married to him before and get a spousal PR versus if I just apply as an international student.

This spring I will graduate with my associates degree in psychology and transferring to a university in the fall. What is a good part-time job to have as a psychology student? I unfortunately don't have a lot of experience and while searching on Indeed, I am, realistically speaking, underqualified. Any advice and or recommendations would be appreciated!

Hey everyone! I’m currently struggling with deciding whether to stay at my current school, KPU, where I currently have a 4.15 GPA, or transfer to UBCO or UVic to finish my undergrad in Psychology and Indigenous Studies.

My long-term goal is to pursue a master’s in Counselling Psychology and eventually work with Indigenous populations focusing on trauma, addictions, intergenerational trauma, and Gladue-related work.

I’ve been hearing a lot about the importance of attending a school that has a stronger “pipeline” into graduate programs through research opportunities, honours supervision, faculty connections, etc.

I was wondering if anyone here completed their undergrad at UBCO, UVic, or another school and then successfully got into a counselling psych master’s program. Do you feel attending a more research-focused university helped your chances compared to staying at a smaller school?

Would really appreciate any insight or personal experiences. Thanks so much!

Quick question...

I graduated with my BS in Psych in December and am taking a gap year to build my application and try to get some practical experience/volunteer hours/shadowing in for my CV. The volunteering/shadowing has proven to be... tough lol, as in, I have not landed that opportunity yet.

I feel like I goofed. My degree is from a state university, but I took it fully online because it is my 2nd degree, and I work full-time using my 1st one, so the online format was necessary for my schedule and my bills. I haven't connected with any faculty members due to the online format, so I don't have any available to write letters of recommendation. The university I was at offers an MSW and CMHC program that I am interested in, but the application requirements state that the letters should be from faculty members you have worked with who can attest to your character, quality of work, and whatnot. As all of you know... All graduate programs have this requirement.

I reached out to the program director and explained my situation. They were nice enough to respond and explained that applications are reviewed as a whole, and that if one area of an application is weak, the rest of the application can be strong enough to balance it out and remain competitive.

But I will still need letters, of course.

I'm looking for general advice on whom I can ask for a letter that carries weight and that keeps that portion of my application as strong as possible. As it stands, I have my direct supervisor in my current job (medical lab tech), and maybe a fellow/PhD student that I worked with in my current job for some time (but they are just now entering into a PhD program, and it is in an unrelated field.... still clinical...but not related).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated and cherished.

I [23F] have decided to apply to get my Masters. I am concerned about the financial planning of it all. I know that FAFSA doesn’t give too many scholarships for Grad school students. I have heard so many horror stories of people being stuck in student loan debt and that is NOT what I want for myself. Not to mention I’ve been reading in this subreddit that a Masters degree is essentially useless in the realm of psychology. So I’m worried even if I get a job immediately I still won’t make enough to live comfortably AND pay off student loans debt.

I would appreciate if anyone has any real world experience and realistic words of encouragement or advice!

I'm a grad student in psych and would really like to improve my stats knowledge and skills. My knowledge is scattered and there's probably some basic concepts I don't understand, but I need stats for my research. Honestly I'm really not that good at stats and I get confused easily

Are there specific resources that any of you have used that have been genuinely helpful?

Hello, I am starting my fourth and final year in my undergraduate psychology program, and I plan to apply to Clinical Psychology PhD programs this fall. Research compatibility is emphasized a lot, so I am wondering how common it is to reach out to potential advisors in advance of submitting an application. Most schools have not updated this information for the Fall 2027 application cycle yet, and I would like to plan ahead.

Do people reach out to faculty months in advance of application deadlines to ask if they will be accepting applicants and inquire about their research? When is too early or too late? What should be included in this type of message?

Additionally, does anyone have suggestions for finding faculty who advise graduate students? I realize that schools normally publish a list of faculty accepting students. However, I often find other faculty who more closely align with my research interests but do not act as advisors to graduate students. Does anyone have suggestions for this situation?

Hi everyone. I’m currently studying an online [University of London]and my first semester will end around April this year. My modules are Biological Psychology and Research.

Recently I’ve been seriously considering moving to an on-campus university next year instead because I feel like I want a real campus environment, better interaction with professors and students, research opportunities, networking, and overall a more immersive university experience.

I’ve realized I’m especially interested in cognitive neuropsychology/neuroscience-related areas, but I’m also interested in the clinical side of psychology. Long term, I can see myself wanting to pursue both clinical training and eventually a PhD/research path.

That’s why I’m questioning whether staying fully online is the best choice for me, especially since neuroscience and clinical psychology seem very research heavy and experience oriented.

I’m confused about whether I should:

try transferring credits after this semester,

continue online longer and transfer later,

or restart from Year 1 in an offline university next year.

I’m okay with restarting if necessary, but I don’t know how realistic international psychology credit transfers are, especially for modules like Biological Psychology and Research.

Would really appreciate honest advice from people in psychology, neuroscience, clinical psych, or academia.

I [23F] have decided to apply to get my Masters. I am concerned about the financial planning of it all. I know that FAFSA doesn’t give too many scholarships for Grad school students. I have heard so many horror stories of people being stuck in student loan debt and that is NOT what I want for myself. Not to mention I’ve been reading in this subreddit that a Masters degree is essentially useless in the realm of psychology. So I’m worried even if I get a job immediately I still won’t make enough to live comfortably AND pay off student loans debt.

I would appreciate if anyone has any real world experience and realistic words of encouragement or advice!

Hi! I am a student intending to go into the field of neuropsychology. I was wondering whether it would be more beneficial to major in neuroscience with a minor in psychology or major in psychology with a minor in neuroscience. To those currently working in/pursuing the field, which would you say would provide a better foundation?

I am not in the psychology practice, so I am confused as to why these are important to the point that they are tested rigorously in board exams. Forgive me if this is a dumb question as I am not versed in psychology knowledge

I question how they help us perceive people when we ourselves have our own opinions as to how those people act. We have our own theories. For example, if someone is crying, we immediately think ah the person is going through something or depressed, etc

The theories are also theories so by definition, the theories of personality can be challenged

Why study them if they aren’t hard evidence that is 100% correct and is subject to change depending on the person?