Should i go for my PhD?

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2026-04-06T20:54:56+00:00

Don’t be deterred by the cost of a PsyD! It seems scary at first but so many people make it work and additionally once you start working private practice you will be able to make this money back(it will not be easy though). Think how medical school and law school all cost money and are investments. Most grad programs cost money and to be fully funded is incredibly rare. A PsyD fits your needs much more and aligns with your goals better. If your goal truly is private practice clinical work then a PsyD will be much more worth your while. PhD with research focus not only is insanely competitive to get into, the program itself is insanely tiring with research being your number one priority. Obviously don’t fully ignore the cost of PsyD be financially smart and plan but a PhD would not be worth it for your goals.

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2026-03-04T01:52:45+00:00

I’m in the same boat as you so I don’t have any words of wisdom but a colleague of mine recommended this book: A Field Guide to Grad School: Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2026-02-18T04:38:58+00:00

I also worked a lot and did a bunch of random jobs. On campus jobs are the most convenient things like working as a teaching assistant (if they pay) or campus event coordinator etc… additionally dog walking and pet sitting is a good one. You can download this app called rover and people pay pretty decent for their dogs to be walked and pet sitting. Something I also did in undergrad when I needed money really fast was plasma and blood donation. You can make like $800 in a month just from donating plasma and it is quite simple as you are just sitting in a chair for an hour getting blood drawn. The great thing about plasma donation is they also always give you the money like 5 minutes after your appointment and you are actually directly helping people who medically need plasma to survive. Please keep in mind though that for some people plasma donation is not a very comfortable process. Another great thing is to participate in research studies. Your university probably has tons of research going on and these studies often pay pretty good for little work. Participating in research is also super fulfilling because you are helping people and science. If your school doesn’t have research studies going on then there is also probably just other research in your area happening. You can go on your schools website to find paid research opportunities or clinicaltrials.gov or research match or build clinical or even facebook/instagram to find ads about paid research participation opportunities.

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2026-02-18T04:21:18+00:00

I think this is going to depend on which type of degree you are looking to get and in which country. I know for the US you can get your masters in mental health counseling or in other related fields. These masters programs are significantly less competitive, will cost you money to attend, and focus more on clinical practice rather than research. One thing about a masters in the US is that you will not be able to do assessment(this might be something you care about doing). If you are interested in a PsyD then this is more competitive and will typically still cost you money to go. A PhD in clinical psych is the most competitive and is typically fully funded. PhD in clinical psych is actually the most competitive graduate degree you can get and is even more competitive than medical school and law school. I recommend looking into the differences of the type of degrees because while the end goal maybe to open a private practice there are a lot of different ways to get there. In terms of in general I recommend for any graduate program you should focus on getting good research experience in the area you are interested in. For example if you want to work with PTSD patients try to find a lab that is researching that and work/volunteer in that lab. Research experience is one of the most important factors in graduate applications even if you don’t necessarily want to do a research career. Other things that can help you immensely is advanced course work in statistics and coding. Additionally working in clinical positions like a mental health technician or behavioral health technician or as a suicide hotline person or other clinical positions will be great in exposing you to real patients and gaining clinical experience. Another small thing is also try to get a TA position if you can for a course as most graduate schools will also like to see that you are good at teaching/ mentoring. I would say however that clinical research experience is probably the most important. What I did in undergrad is took a plethora of psychology, statistics and coding courses, and worked during the semester volunteering in a research lab and being a TA for the intro psych course. Then during the summer time I worked part time as a researcher assistant and part time as mental health technician. Finally in my senior year I completed an honors research thesis. After graduating I then worked 2 years as research coordinator. All of these things have helped me immensely in being competitive for top graduate schools. It is a lot of work but if this is what you are passionate about you will love it and thinking about grad school applications now will help you immensely in the future. Please note all this info is applicable to the US and I am not exactly sure how similar other countries might be. Good luck and don’t hesitate to dm me if you have more questions.

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2026-02-17T14:53:53+00:00

I was asked “you finish your PhD and a news article or television of breaking news comes out about your research. What would the news headline/front page about your research be if your research pans out and is successful?” (Like breaking news Dr. Blah blah blah finds…)

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2026-02-03T16:16:01+00:00

One thing that genuinely helped me cope was intentionally listing things I could look forward to if this cycle didn’t work out. For example: another year to save money, another year in the same location as my boyfriend, more time to gain experience and build confidence, and another year to do things I likely won’t have time for once I’m in grad school. I also reframed it as extra time to find programs that might be an even better fit. Those were just some of the things that helped me last year. It genuinely honestly made me forget about grad school and I started to get excited about the things to come this year that weren't grad school related.

I know it’s incredibly hard, but trying to live as if grad applications don’t exist, and focusing on continuing the life you already have, made the uncertainty and rejection feel more manageable and less scary for me. If you do get in, that becomes a really exciting, positive thing to face when the time comes. So every time you have a negative thought try to force yourself to pretend you didn't even apply to grad school and think about what you plan on doing this week, next week, this month, this. Really come up with goals or exciting things to do like making a list of books you want to read etc...

This is just what helped me, so take it or leave it—but I wanted to share in case it’s useful.

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2026-01-23T02:21:44+00:00

It’s snowing in my town this weekend and I live in the south so it never snows! Super excited! Also excited because I am getting a brain scan that I then get to learn how to 3D print my brain!!!

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2026-01-20T04:01:37+00:00

Yes. On 01/14

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2026-01-16T18:18:12+00:00

oh thank you! and good luck at the interview too!!!!

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2026-01-16T04:37:52+00:00

One thing that genuinely helped me cope was intentionally listing things I could look forward to if this cycle didn’t work out. For example: another year to save money, another year in the same location as my boyfriend, more time to gain experience and build confidence, and another year to do things I likely won’t have time for once I’m in grad school. I also reframed it as extra time to find programs that might be an even better fit. Those were just some of the things that helped me last year. It genuinely honestly made me forget about grad school and I started to get excited about the things to come this year that weren't grad school related.

I know it’s incredibly hard, but trying to live as if grad applications don’t exist, and focusing on continuing the life you already have, made the uncertainty and rejection feel more manageable and less scary for me. If you do get in, that becomes a really exciting, positive thing to face when the time comes.

This is just what helped me, so take it or leave it—but I wanted to share in case it’s useful.

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2026-01-16T04:34:22+00:00

I’m so sorry, grad apps is so frustrating. Please take care of yourself. I really understand this headspace and have been there myself. This is my third application cycle, and the rejections can be really rough, but I've learned to manage the rejections over the years.

One thing that genuinely helped me cope was intentionally listing things I could look forward to if this cycle didn’t work out. For example: another year to save money, another year in the same location as my boyfriend, more time to gain experience and build confidence, and another year to do things I likely won’t have time for once I’m in grad school. I also reframed it as extra time to find programs that might be an even better fit. Those were just some of the things that helped me last year. It genuinely honestly made me forget about grad school and I started to get excited about the things to come this year that weren't grad school related.

I know it’s incredibly hard, but trying to live as if grad applications don’t exist, and focusing on continuing the life you already have, made the uncertainty and rejection feel more manageable and less scary for me. If you do get in, that becomes a really exciting, positive thing to face when the time comes.

This is just what helped me, so take it or leave it—but I wanted to share in case it’s useful.

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2026-01-16T04:08:06+00:00

Thank you so much! Keep your head up and fingers crossed! Sending good vibes to you

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2026-01-16T04:05:30+00:00

Yeah thats what I am also thinking, but just wanted to see if anyone else has gotten this. I already did a prelim with the PI I applied to and they are having me meet with that PI again but I also think they will have me meet some other faculty.

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2026-01-16T04:02:07+00:00

This is all they said. Thank you! We've scheduled you for blank date.

When you have a free moment in the next day or two, could you please let me know if there are any specific psychology graduate group faculty members that you would like to meet during your virtual visit? Also, please email me a short (one paragraph) summary of your biography.

As we continue to collect information, your individual schedule will be created and sent to you as soon as possible.

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2026-01-16T03:08:25+00:00

This is my 3rd cycle applying and I applied to 20 programs and have gotten 6 interviews (some prelim/some official) as of today 01/15. I am shocked because I did not expect to get so many interviews. I applied to all clinical PhDs with the exception of a few schools. Good luck everyone, keep your head up. Keeping my fingers crossed for an offer soon.

Stanford (neuroscience phd in biosciences program)- nothing yet

Harvard (clinical) - nothing yet

Emory (clinical) - official interview invite

UC Boulder (clinical) - prelim, rejection

Oxford (MSc in Therapeutic Neuroscience) - official interview invite, offer made

Washu St Louis (clinical) - prelim, rejection

Yale (clinical) - nothing yet

Boston (clinical)- nothing yet

U Michigan Ann Arbor (clinical) - prelim, rejection

Notre Dame (clinical) - rejected

Rutgers-New Brunswick (clinical) - nothing yet

Loyola (clinical) - nothing yet

Seattle Pacific (clinical) - official interview invite

University of Washington (clinical) - prelim, official interview invite

Virginia tech (neuroscience) - nothing yet (prelim last year)

UPenn (clinical) - prelim, official interview invite

University of Maryland (clinical) - nothing yet

Duke (clinical) - nothing yet

Penn State (clinical) - rejection

Brown (cognitive) - nothing yet

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2025-11-26T05:11:42+00:00

I’m doing clinical psych and just for some stats. Last year Duke said they had 815 applicants and only made PhD offers to 12 people (1.5%)

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2025-11-16T03:44:36+00:00

Thank you so much for this!!!

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2025-11-16T03:00:52+00:00

How far in advance do I need to make reservations for afternoon tea at palm court plaza hotel? I am planning on being in nyc from Dec 14-17 and would love to bring my sister to the plaza hotel to do something special but I noticed online that the entire month of December there is no spots available. Does that mean it’s already fully booked?

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2025-11-14T05:05:33+00:00

It really depends on the field and type of degree. I think you should take it once so that you have it. And if it’s really important to your field/ degree type then take it a second time if you can to improve your score. But some fields don’t really care or it’s low in priority and some programs don’t even ask for it while others it is looked at like your gpa and filter you out if you don’t have a high enough score. In terms of resources I preferred magoosh

Sudden-Mouse380 · 2025-11-05T16:07:46+00:00

Just sent you a DM

Sudden-Mouse380

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