Presented by
Mike Parent, M.S.
University of Florida
 Mike
Parent
 BA (hnrs) in Psych, U Manitoba
• Advisers: Dr. Wendy Freeman (now at McMaster) &
Lisa Seymour, M.S.W. (SCCC, U of M)
 Accepted
to Counseling Psychology PhD
program at the University of Florida, Sept. 2007
• Adviser: Dr. Bonnie Moradi
• M.S., 2009
 Most
students in Canada don’t know
about all their options for Grad School
 Students tend to start their application
prep too late
 You’re
not my competition anymore
 Why
go to grad school in psych?
 What is grad school?
 Applying in the US?
• Money, Counseling Psych, PsyDs
 Being
a competitive applicant
 Hoop-jumping
• Picking schools, personal statements,
interviews…
Section 1
 What
can you even do with a BA in
psych?
 Picking your end goals
• These might change… pick something that let
you be flexible
• Therapist? Researcher? Consultant?
A
Clinical/Counseling PhD is one of the
most versatile degrees
• Therapy, research, consultation, administration,
teaching…
 But
there might be other routes too…
 Therapist
• Most clinicians with a PhD/PsyD have a higher
income than those with other degrees (M.S.W.,
Masters, LCSW, etc)
• Can develop unique specializations
 Clinical neuropych, forensics, more
• Specialized training in assessment
• Important for Counseling Centre jobs
• Many alternative routes for therapy (counseling
certification, MSW, masters-level, more)
 Researcher/Prof
• Grad school is prettymuch essential
 Consultant
• Working with organizations
• HUGE variety
 Organizational streamlining
 Executive coaching
 Personnel selection
 Executive selection
 Merger streamlining
• Many alternative routes (e.g. MBA), but psych
offers some edges (e.g. assessment)
 Syntheses
• You can find awesome work in intersections of
some of these things
• E.g., assessment and therapy with substance
impaired executives
Section 2
Ultrabrief overview….
 5-7 (or more…) years total
 4-6 years in class from BA to internship
• Classes
• Teaching
• Practicum
• Reearch
 1 year internship (required to graduate)
• More on this… fraught with perils…
 (+ postdoc, maybe, or sure sure for neuro r clinical
practice)

Section 3
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Education: 2-4 years in masters program psychology
Program: clinical work heavy, research thesis typically
required, some coursework
Acceptance based on: clinical experience, GPA, research
experience
Can often go on to a PhD afterwards
Pros: Minimal amount of post-grad work to allow you to do
therapy, can transition fairly easily to PhD program, easier
to get into masters programs than PhD programs
Cons: Rarely funded, typically quite costly, not all are good
quality
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Typically 4-6 years (or more) in a program, plus 1 year
clinical internship.
Program: typically research projects for masters thesis and
dissertation, lots of coursework, clinical work, teaching,
additional research.
Acceptance based on: Research experience, fit with
program, clinical experience, letters of recommendation,
GRE, GPA.
Very versatile degree
Pros: Often fully funded (tuition waiver + stipend), allows
great versatility in career, many areas of specialization
Cons: Research focus is undesirable for some (choose a
different career). Not all programs are funded. Not all
programs and mentors are high quality. Hugely
competitive. Relocation typically required for grad school,
internship, post-doc, and job.
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Typically, 4-8 years program + 2 year research
post-doc
Program: Research focus. Little coursework, no
clinical work
Acceptance based on: Research experience, fit
with program, clinical experience, letters of
recommendation, GRE, GPA.
Pros: Great for people into hardcore research,
often many fewer applicants. Potentially
spectacular pay (IO psychology/consultation)
Cons: Degree is not as versatile as
clinical/counseling
 Typically
4-6 years in program + 1 year
internship
 Program focuses on clinical work, research
required for dissertation
 Acceptance based on:…
 Pros:…
 Cons: Massive crushing debt. Often low
internship match rates. Often poor student
outcome data. Often massive class sizes.
 Undergrad
 Grad
school
 Internship
 Post-doc (?)
 Licensure (?)
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Psychiatrist (MD, sometimes MD/PhD)
Typically, 4 years medical school + 4 years psychiatric
residency, maybe more for specialization
Acceptance based on: MCAT, GPA, Extracurriculars,
research experience, interview, letters of rec.
Psychiatrists do not typically do therapy
Primarily work in medication management
CAN do therapy, but may require additional training as
many medical schools no longer teach it
Pros: Highest likelihood of best pay. Versatile degree.
Cons: Often dependent on health care system issues.
Experience significant scope creep from other providers.
Some people don’t want to do med school
 Med
School
 High debt
 Super high pay after
 Highly structured
 No
direct mentor
typically
 Can spend lots of time in
rotations you aren’t into
 Grad
school
 Should be fully funded
 Decent pay after
 Virtually unstructured
to highly structured
 Based on mentorship
 Can
spend all day
doing what you want
 Completion
of, typically, MSW, 2-6 years
 Coursework, clinical work, advocacy, research,
teaching
 Acceptance based on: GPA, clinical
experience, advocacy experience
 Pros: Powerful lobbies, gaining scope. Good
degree for applied counseling work. Excellent
degree for advocacy work.
 Cons: Pay generally not so hot.
 Psychiatric
Nurse Practitioner
 Occupational therapy
 Pastoral counseling
 Rehab counseling
 School psychologist
 Pharmacist
 Research
• University, Research center, hospital, VA
 Clinical
• Private practice, university counseling center, hospital,
VA, group practice
 Teaching
• University (SLAC, 4-year college, community college,
university, R1)
 Advocacy
 Administration
Section 4
 More programs!
• A greater number of programs = more chance of a
good “fit”
 Different Programs
• PsyD (not many in Canada…)
• Counseling Psych
 FUNDING (for PhD programs)
 ADMISSIONS (PsyD programs
students)
 …there
though
accept more
are some challenges to be aware of
 Greater
Number of Programs
• The simple fact that there are more Universities
and Colleges, and thus more programs,
increases the likelihood of finding a Prof. you
have a strong “fit” with!
 PsyD
Programs
• “Fit” with a professor isn’t as important as “fit”
with a track in the program. Most schools offer a
generalized degree with the option to specialize
in a specific area.
• Although this is an option, consider two things:
 1. Cost
 2. Internship match rate
 Advantages
 Disadvantage
• More people are
• Harder to gain a
accepted
• More clinical
experience
position as a prof
• No tuition waiver, can
have VERY high tuition
(over $100k)
• Larger classes
• Many programs have
low internship match
rates
 Counseling
Psych MA/PhDs
• Very few of these programs in Canada

Advantages:
• (often) more emphasis on
non-pathological psych
• (often) more interest in
vocational, minority,
therapy process work
• (often) just as funded as
clinical counterparts
• (can be) a little like school
psych, if you’re into that

Disadvantages
• Some are in Ed.
departments, which can
limit program size and
some opportunities
Cost?
 But
wait!! A HUGE advantage of applying
to a US University is a TUITION WAIVER!
 Not
Applicable to (nearly all) PsyD
programs.
 Available
primarily to PhD applicants,
Tuition waivers or remissions cover your
ENTIRE tuition.
 Yes, all
of it.
 No, really.
 Supported
by government and private
funding (and undergrad tuition), many US
institutions waive tuition for graduate
students. You might be left with a paltry
$500 in fees to pay. Or nothing at all.
 No, really. I
mean it.
 Waivers
are not offered by every
University (CHECK!!). If you are pursuing
a PhD, though, they are offered at
ENOUGH that you can probably restrict
your applications to only schools that
offer them, and still be able to apply at
dozens of places!
 Aside
from waivers, other funding sources
exist:
• Research Assistantships: toil as a researcher! Get
paid to be fifth author! (really, get a TON of
experience as a researcher and prepare to be a
prof!)
• Teaching Assistantships: teach Intro Psych to
unappreciative first-years, some of whom will
probably hit on you! (actually, can be a BLAST if you
want to teach)
 FELLOWSHIPS: Free
money! Competitive
programs offering money to grad
students for… well… nothing. Often
MUCH more money than assistantships,
but harder to get. You still get to do
research all year and teach in the
summer!
 CIHR/NSERC!
 Your Timeline!
• Deadlines are EARLY– we count as International
• As early as November
• …but, the selection process doesn’t start any
earlier for International students. Missing some
info? Make arrangements and you can usually
get around it
 Financial
Statements
• Many schools need you to demonstrate financial
support. This often comes in the form of some sort of
statement saying you (or your parents) have/have
access to anywhere between $10 000 and $50 000
($40 000 - $125 000 for PsyD programs).
• …but, this isn’t always an absolute necessity (wait till
we talk about funding)!
 Exposure
to new ideas!
• No undergrad-MA-PhD-Post Doc all at the same
institution for you!
• By being willing to move, you can make yourself
available to programs that fit YOU, where you can
spend 5 (or 8) years doing something you LOVE!
Section 5
 Application
statistics for PhD programs
are basically the same as in Canadian
programs
• (but, US students tend to do worse on the GREs!)
 Hey, you
count as International! They like
that! (sometimes)
 PhD-
Many U.S. programs do not require
an honours degree. Virtually all Canadian
programs will instantly drop anyone
without those magical letters after “BA”.
• BUT the programs (especially well-funded ones)
still place UTMOST emphasis on research
experience.
GPA scales are all wonky in the States. When you
compare your own to the school’s disclosure data, be
sure to check out their scale.
 GRE scores that are outstanding (combined 1400 and
higher on general, over 700 on the subject) will make
up for a less-than-stellar GPA, and vice versa.
 No one cares how you did in your first year foreign
language elective. Your psych marks and your last 2
years typically count more
 For all programs, your “fit” with the program trumps
EVERYTHING, both ways.
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Why not buy this?
Lists over 300 Clinical,
Counseling, and PsyD
programs in North America
Lists faculty interests, program
admission stats, and FUNDING
info (including tuition waiver
stuff)
Has GREAT general advice on
the whole process!
Cheap! (it’s like $20)
Similar variations exist for
other programs in Psych
PhD applicant? You might have heard that you should
contact some prospective mentors at some of the
schools you’re applying to. This is wrong.
 E-MAIL THEM ALL!!
 You don’t know if a prof is retiring, moving to another
school, on sabbatical, pregnant, just died (it’s
happened), or is simply not taking a student in the
coming year.
 If any of that is the case, there goes your fit with the
program!
 Tip: the effort you put into your contact will
determine the effort the prof returns. A “Hi, are you
taking a new student?” will get you less than
demonstrating your interest in their work through
your e-mail.

1)
2)
3)
4)
Is the program what you’re looking for?
Does the school accept Canadians?
Do the professors have similar
interests?
Do I have the right experience to make
this process worth it?
 General
GRE
• The minimum score
for most schools is 500
on each section
• Put aside about $200
for each exam to pay
for it and to send
scores to additional
schools.
 Subject
GRE
• Do your schools
require this exam?
• Put aside another
$200.
• Offered every April,
November, and
December.
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Do I send this in one package or
multiple packages?
The application fee: $25-$100+
Transcript & GRE scores
Writing sample?
 Letters
of Recommendation
• Find out what the focus needs to be.
• Give your profs at LEAST 4 weeks to complete the
letters; they’re busy people.
 Letter
from your bank to verify your funds
(sometimes bank statements are
requested too).
 CV
 300
words – 10 pages long
 Focus on:
• Your interests
• Professors who share your interests
• Your research experience
• Your clinical experience
• Strengths
• Weaknesses and how you’re turning them into
strengths
• Your excuse for low GRE scores or a low GPA
 Use
anything that you can TRACK if you
want to spring for it
• Priority mail
• Expresspost
 These
methods may be more expensive,
but you don’t want to have your
application lost
 Start
your research during the summer.
Make a spreadsheet and contact
professors and admissions officers.
 Give yourself a few months to put your
application materials together.
 Try to mail your application at least 1
month before the due date in case you’re
missing something.
 If
you’re applying to multiple schools,
you’ll end up paying anywhere from $800
- $1500+
• Exams, transcripts, application fees, mail, etc.
 Keep
in mind… if you get interviews, it
will cost you a lot more… Think $1000 for
any in-person interview
 I’m
sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.
 Costs: flights, taxi, hotel, and food
• Some schools will put you up with a current
student, pay for your hotel, or give you some
money back.
• Or you might get jack.
 Prepare
yourself by reading about the
school and coming up with questions.
 Reread your personal statement.
 Be
honest, be yourself!
 They’re trying to get you to choose their
school as much as you’re trying to get them
to accept you.
 Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions.
 Look for an internship match rate of at least
80% (the national average).
 Get to know the prospective students, the
current students and the professors.
 Allow
plenty to time to study for the GREs
and to complete your applications.
 Save your money! You’re going to need it!
 Remember to research your schools to
find your “fit”.
 If
you think of any questions, feel free to
e-mail me.
 Michael
Parent:
 michael.parent@ufl.edu