Becoming a competitive applicant to clinical psychology doctoral programs (Part I: Preparing) | with Dr. Barry Farber & Daisy Ort

In this episode, I interview Daisy Ort, a 4th-year clinical psychology PhD candidate, and her doctoral advisor, Dr. Barry Farber, about the graduate school application process. We focus mainly on clinical doctoral programs, but also touch on other routes (e.g., PsyD, MSW, MFT, LMHC).  This is Part I of a two-part series. In Part I, we'll be covering preparation: what do you need to do before it actually comes time to apply? In Part II, which is being released next week, we will cover the actual application.

Our guests:

Daisy is currently a 4th year clinical psychology PhD student at Teachers College, Columbia University. Besides having gone through the process herself, Daisy has helped countless students through every stage of the grad school process.

Dr. Barry Farber has been on doctoral admissions committees at TC for over 40 years. He reviews hundreds of applications every single year and really understands what makes for a successful application. He was also the Director of Clinical Training for 25 years.

To read more about Daisy and Barry, go to their lab website here.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology
• Psych Mic Grad School Panel

Topics we cover (see chapter markers to click time stamps)

Overview

• 00:08:36: Overview of PhD vs. PsyD vs. MSW vs. MFT
• 00:13:22: Clinical vs. Counseling
• 00:14:58: MSW vs. Doctorate
• 00:16:10: Are school rankings important?
• 00:17:09: Why you should have this book: Insider’s Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology
• 00:19:03: Career outlook differences (MA vs. Doc)

Preparing 

• 00:23:24: When to start preparing 
• 00:25:33: How much experience is needed before you’re “ready”
• 00:28:41: How to find faculty members in your research areas of interest
• 00:30:00: The important components of your application to prepare for ahead of time
• 00:31:17: GRE  (part I)
• 00:34:06: What can I do while still in college to become competitive?
• 00:38:09: Research vs. clinical experience - both equally important?
• 00:39:48: Clinical experience: why, when, and where?
• 00:43:47: What kinds of research experiences are most valuable?
• 00:45:52: Important skills to learn as an RA
• 00:47:37: Are you only competitive if you’ve published?
• 00:49:37: When is a master’s helpful?
• 00:54:03: How do you find clinical experiences without a license?
• 00:57:11: Does type of clinical experience matter?
• 00:58:10: What makes applicants stand out?
• 01:02:42: What parts of Daisy’s application stood out?
• 1:05:43: Steps to find a faculty advisor

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Music by: Adam Fine