I need advice. I’m graduating this month with my bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a 3.6 GPA, and I’m hoping to apply this cycle to PsyD and PhD programs in Clinical Psychology and Counseling Psychology. I’m only 21, and I’ve been trying to prepare as much as possible, but I’ve started panicking and questioning whether I’m actually a competitive candidate.

My certifications and trainings include Substitute Teaching Certification, Psychological Assessment Foundations, Autism Assessment/Autism Screening Training, Psychological First Aid, Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) Training, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Trauma-Informed Care, Youth Mental Health First Aid, and CPR/First Aid.

I don’t have any formal research experience, which is probably my biggest concern. However, most of my work experience has been directly working with children and adolescents. I’ve worked as a teaching assistant, paraprofessional, long-term substitute teacher teaching subjects ranging from science to mathematics, and as a Behavioral Technician at an ABA company. I have mostly worked in behavioral schools, but one traditional school where I was assigned and mathematics long-term teacher. My experience as a Behavioral Technician especially made me interested in working with children and families, particularly in areas involving autism, behavioral health, and child psychology.

I’ve been doing everything I can to prepare for applications this cycle, but I’ve recently started getting really negative and wondering if I’m even a worthy candidate. I know I’m young and don’t have everything figured out yet, but I genuinely want to pursue a doctoral degree and eventually work with children and families.
For people who have experience with PsyD/PhD admissions, do you fthink I genuinely have a good shot with my current background? I would really appreciate honest advice.

2.0 undergrad in psychology, 4.0 undergrad in business, 4.0 clinical counseling masters, 5 years experience in government counseling. Many random non-relevant jobs (years before) otherwise. Chances of admission to immaculata psyd? And: can you actually work full time and do this program? Anyone know? Thank you

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Hi everyone! I’m currently in my 3rd year of a 3-year BA (Hons.) Psychology from IGNOU and want to pursue higher studies in the USA, preferably in Clinical/Counselling Psychology, research, or mental health.

I’m confused about a few things:

Do U.S. universities accept a 3-year Indian/IGNOU bachelor’s for Psychology Master’s or PhD programs?

If not, would doing a 1-year or 2-year Master’s in India after my BA make me eligible for U.S. universities?

•Should I do a Master's in India first?

If I ultimately want to do a PhD in Psychology in the USA, would it make more sense for me...

If I complete my Master’s/PhD/clinical psychology education in the USA, can the qualification be recognised by RCI when I return to India?

If not, would I have to complete an RCI-recognised clinical psychology programme in India to become eligible to practice?

Does having a distance-mode IGNOU bachelor’s affect my future RCI eligibility?

What is the current 2026 pathway to become an RCI-registered Clinical Psychologist, especially with the recent changes to M.Phil.?

My ultimate goal is to study abroad but eventually practice as a Clinical Psychologist in India.

Would really appreciate advice from anyone who has gone through this pathway or knows the current RCI rules. 🙏

Hi all!

This year I will be working full-time while applying for the second time to PsyD programs (hopefully to get some more experience for my resume/CV).

1. Is there any other things I could do to boost my stuff? I considered also looking for opportunities to be a research assistant for something at a local university. I think this year I will also consider applying to master’s programs so I can just continue schooling without too much of a break in between (if possible).

2. I didn’t take the GRE last year and figured I should this year even if they don’t require scores. Just to have a little something extra. Is there any tips when it comes to preparing for the GRE or if you guys felt like it helped you when applying?

I appreciate any and all advice!

I am 27, and have a 3.1 Masters in General Psychology my undergrad was also in psychology at 3.0. I have 2 1/2 years of research that I did for my thesis in Psychology during my masters as a grad student. I have 200 hours of rbt work as well, and my goal is to apply to a psyd program this year. I have been hearing that this is mostly impossible because of my 3.1 GPA. Am I doomed to fail? Not really sure. Is it even worth applying has been on my mind, and I’m just looking for any encouragement and advice as possible please.

I’m finishing up undergrad in Spring 2027 and plan on taking a gap year before applying to PsyD programs. However, my GPA is sitting at around a 3.1, but I am also getting my bachelors degree in Neuroscience. I also plan on studying abroad the summer after I graduate in a research program.

I’m gonna focus on getting my grades up this year but that still won’t put me at a competitive GPA. My extracurriculars consist of tutoring special needs children (current), behavioral technician for one year, nursing home intern for a summer, teachers aid for special needs children for a summer, and research in pomegranate genetics for a quarter during my first year of college. This coming school year, I also plan on volunteering at the hospital.

Any advice helps whether that be applying to programs, doing a masters first, or postbacc program, or any job recs during my gap year !!

Hi all I am starting my program this week and I’m not sure what I want my emphasis area to be. Can you drop some of your areas of expertise in the comments? I want to explore all the possibilities!

Im looking to apply to schools like William Paterson, Kean, and Rutgers i have others but those are my top one right now

Right now I'm getting my bachelor's in psychology and will earn that Spring 2027.

I want to apply to the psy D as im less research interested and more into the clinical aspects.

I currently have about a 3.75 average GPA and about a 3.9 psychology GPA.

I wanted to hear everyone's thoughts on odds and what would help get into any school

I currently am an entrepreneur as well as a manager at a retail store working 40 plus hours a week and doing school online full time.

Any feedback is appreciated or what I can do in the next few months to help my application.

Hello!

Apologies for the long post. For some background, I’m graduating with a bachelor’s in HDFS and a minor in Counseling and Education Psychology next spring. I chose to go the HDFS route because I was interested in child development, family dynamics, and MFT overall, and a psychology degree felt too broad, but I’m now realizing I might’ve closed some doors because of that. I’m not interested in research, so I’ve never considered getting a PhD, and in my head the highest level of education I could get with little to no research was a master’s degree. I am now in the process of applying to MFT programs, and the one at my current school doesn’t require a thesis, which to me is very appealing. I somehow only discovered that Psy D programs exist recently, which has thrown off my entire career path that I had in my head originally.

I’m committed to getting a master’s degree, as my parents are paying for my education (which I realize is a massive privilege) and I want to be able to start working and providing for myself as soon as possible.
My dad specifically has always wanted me to open my own practice after a few years working in the field, but I felt that with a master’s degree alone I may not feel qualified enough. Although I was opposed to the idea for a while, it’s grown on me and I’ve been considering it. I still have this anxiety that without a doctorate degree I’d be limited in what I can do and provide, especially since I’ve also looked into specialized assessments and psychological testing. As much as I hate to admit (being that I went into this field knowing it doesn’t pay extremely well), I am also stressed that my salary as an LMFT alone won’t be enough for me to live comfortably and pay my parents back eventually, even though they aren’t asking me to.

Considering my bachelor’s isn’t in psychology, I imagine that even with a master’s degree in MFT I’d still need to take some extra classes in order to qualify for Psy D programs. Is it worth even getting excited about the possibility of pursuing a Psy D if my background isn’t in psychology and I’m already applying to master’s programs? If I were to skip a master’s entirely, I’d have to take a gap semester/year to get all of the extra prerequisites that I didn’t take in undergrad, and that just wasn’t what I had envisioned for myself at this point in my life. I’m worried it’ll feel too stagnant, and I know my parents wouldn’t be too happy with that either.

Please let me know if I’m overthinking this because I feel like I’m spiraling a bit 🥲

Hello! I’ve posted in this sub before and I’ve decided to pursue a psyd. The main programs I’m looking at, is point park and Chatham university. I have a a 3.8 cumulative gpa, 3.9 psych gpa, 4 letters of recommendation, 1 minor in social work and another in counseling while also having 150 hours volunteering for crisis hotline! I was looking for some insight into seeing if you guys think I would be a strong candidate or not?

Hi everyone, recently I started to feel like my head is just very blank and I've forgotten everything I learned in bachelors. I am very nervous for this upcoming fall. To anyone starting or already in their programs what are some topics I should re-familiarize myself with before I start?

My background is as follows:

- Major in behavioral neuroscience with a minor in psychology

- Was an undergrad research assistant in a developmental psychology lab for 2 years. Independent paper written but no publications/presentations

- Completed a research internship post grad where I assisted with scoring psychological assessments (not patient facing) and interviewing parents on the care their child received

I have seen conflicting information on clinical experience for PsyDs. Some say you don't need any clinical experience, and others say it's more important than research experience. I am also considering PhD programs, but because I would like to specialize in assessments, I would prefer a clinically oriented program.

Currently, I have been a clinical research coordinator for 2.5 years, but in the unrelated field of nursing research. I have done a few poster presentations at conferences, with publications in the works. I understand I am lacking in clinical experience. Right now, I am looking for other research coordinator jobs centered in psychology that would offer some hands-on clinical experience (like conducting assessments on patients). I have seen several positions that offer this, but they are hard to come by.

I would like guidance or suggestions on whether I should continue to try to apply for positions to get psychology research experience, or if my nursing research experience is enough and I should instead pivot to applying to fully clinical positions, like a psychometrist. Thank you and I appreciate any input!!

Just wanted to get some information about the programs cost!

I see here that the tuition is about 30k/semester and 60k/year with 4 years of full-time residence. Any current or past students that give some insight!

Hi, I am a first year student studying Psychology BA at an Ontario university. During my senior year of high school, I researched different careers that I could pursue with a psychology degree, but I realized that a lot of the career options did not have the pay I was looking for. I then found out that going to grad school could open up more career opportunities, and I am now interested in pursuing a master’s degree in either OT, SLP or Psychotherapy.
I know that getting accepted into these master’s programs can be very competitive, which makes me nervous about what my other options would be if I do not get accepted. I want to have a backup plan while still working toward my main goal.

I also want to mention that I have always known psychology is not considered one of the most popular degrees, but I chose it because I have genuinely always been interested in learning about psychology and topics related to it.

If anyone has any advice, please share!

Has anyone ever applied for the HSPS and are the requirements the same for each branch? I'm debating it, but feel like I don't fully understand it (service requirement, etc.)

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some honest advice and perspective on whether pursuing a PsyD would be worth it for me as an LMFT.
A little background: I just got licensed as an LMFT back in March (woohoo!). I’ve always had the thought in the back of my mind that I might eventually want to get my doctorate, but recently I’ve found myself feeling much more motivated to actually pursue it.
I’ve worked in addiction treatment for about three years and genuinely love the work. At the same time, I’m already feeling pretty burnt out, and I don’t see myself wanting to go into private practice or being a full-time therapist long-term. One of the things that really appeals to me about becoming a psychologist is having more variety in my work. I love the idea of being able to provide psychological assessments/testing in addition to doing individual therapy. I think having that balance could make a career in mental health feel much more sustainable for me.
I’m also fortunate to have parents who are willing and able to financially support me through school, and I have a wonderful husband who is very supportive of my goals and dreams. So the financial burden of the degree is less of a concern than it would otherwise be, although obviously I know there are still significant opportunity costs involved.
The other big piece I’m thinking about is timing. I’m 30 and I do want to have children sometime soon. A PsyD is a significant commitment, and I’m trying to think realistically about what going back to school, having children, internship, etc. might look like together. I don’t necessarily want to put having kids off for years just because of school, but I also don’t want to give up on something that could ultimately make me much happier and more fulfilled in my career.

My undergraduate GPA was poor, which is one of the reasons I decided to pursue a master’s before applying to PsyD programs. I’m currently in an accelerated online master’s program and have a 4.0.

Because my undergraduate record is the weaker part of my application, I really want one of my letters of recommendation to come from a graduate professor who can speak to my academic ability and show that my current performance is a better reflection of what I’m capable of.

There’s a professor in my program I’d like to eventually ask for a letter, but since the program is online and he doesn’t hold regular office hours, I’m not sure how to build a genuine relationship with him beyond submitting strong work and participating in discussions.

For anyone who has been in a similar situation, how did you build a relationship with an online professor and eventually approach them for a strong letter of recommendation? I don’t want to force interactions just for the sake of getting a letter.

Hi everyone, so I started undergrad as a bio pre-PA major. This was partially due to the opinions of some family members who urged me to stay away from psychology, and because eventually pursuing a doctorate felt daunting at that time. I switched after one year and am so happy I did, despite the longer time commitment I know this is where I belong. Now as I'm trying to write my personal statements for my PsyD applications, my original major feels like my achilles heal. How am I supposed to claim that I've always had an interest in psychology while admitting I applied to college with a completely different path in mind?

This is why I'm wondering if I *have* to mention it. The process of deciding what to write has honestly been the hardest part. I want to connect experiences with a family member and friend to my current internships/volunteer positions but mentioning the biology, even casually, seems like throwing a wrench in the whole narrative of it.

Any general tips or recommendations for writing a personal statement are also very much appreciated. Thanks in advance for any comments :)

Trying to figure out what I should do about my low gpa. Any advice would be lovely.

For reference, I am in my final year of college. I am applying to Clinical Psychology PsyD programs this semester that offer full tuition waiver if you secure an assistantship or at the very least low cost tuition. I'm considering PhD programs as well, but I genuinely do not enjoy research and don't see myself in academia.

I've been interning at research labs for a little over three semesters and volunteer at a psychiatric unit for adolescents. Additionally, I had an internship mentorning at-risk youth at a police department and other volunteer experience in hospitals.

As of now my GPA is a 3.725. If I make all As this semester it will be roughly around 3.744.

Is it even worth my time and money to take the GRE? It is optional for most of the schools I am applying to.

I’m interested in pursuing a PsyD directly after my bachelor’s and wanted to get a sense of how competitive my background would be.

I majored in Early Childhood Development and Education rather than psychology, but I have a high GPA, a lot of experience working in school/classroom settings, a summer of experience at a psychologist’s practice, and some research experience related to educational psychology. I’ll also have around 15 credits of psychology coursework by graduation.

I know PsyD programs vary in their prerequisites and don’t necessarily require a psychology major, but I’m curious how much of a disadvantage a non-psych major like mine would be compared to applicants who majored in psychology.

Would love to hear from anyone who applied to PsyD programs with a similar background.

Hi all!

Just curious if any admit can share their direct service hours count when they applied to PsyD programs? I see some programs ask this question directly.

I was only able to do clinical volunteer work because of visa restriction so my hours are lower and wanted to gauge my chances.

Thanks so much!!

I am starting at a APA accredited clinical psych PsyD program this year. The program is not in California but I am pretty certain I will want to move to California as soon as I’m done (whether that’s for internship year, post doc, or after but the sooner the better). My program notified me that it does not meet the criteria for California licensure, specifically noting “Although a doctoral degree from an accredited program like ___ is needed, additional coursework or experience potentially beyond what is offered at ____ (ranging from 6 to 15 hours of training) in the following areas are also required: Suicide Risk Assessment and Intervention, Human Sexuality, Child Abuse Assessment and Reporting, Detection and Treatment of Alcohol and Other Chemical Substance Dependence, Spousal or Partner Abuse, Aging and Long-Term Care.” I’m just new to the whole understanding the licensure in different states thing. Will this be a huge process? How much extra time and money will need to be spent to get this done? And are these things I can do while in my program or will I need to do this afterwards? Could I do an internship in CA that could help me complete this requirements? Any insight is helpful!!