working with professors as colleagues. You will
likely be responsible for organizing and run-
ning large projects. You will be expected to
balance these duties with your coursework.
You will be expected to actively participate in
most of your classes, some of which may have
only a handful of students. In many clinical
psychology programs, you will likely begin
conducting assessments and/or therapy with
real clients very early in your graduate training
(possibly at the end of your first year).■ It can be challenging to apply to graduate
school while balancing college coursework and
perhaps a senior honors thesis. Applying once
out of school (especially if working a“9to5”
job) may allow an applicant more time to
complete applications.
■ Working in a psychology lab after college may
be necessary for admission to a top clinical
psychology program if you received little
research training as an undergrad.
■ Working in a psychology lab or a related
organization after college can help you refine
your research interests, figure out what you
want to study in graduate school, and figure
out which type of graduate program might be
best for you.
■ Applying to graduate programs after complet-
ing all undergraduate coursework and projects
allows applicants to discuss their completed
undergraduate honors thesis (if applicable)
during the application process (e.g., in personal
statements and during interviews).
■ Working a full-time job before graduate school
may allow applicants to save up money that can
be very helpful to have as a graduate student.
■ It is not a good idea to enter graduate school
immediately following college“just to get it
done.”In the larger scheme of your life, it
probably will not matter if you get your doc-
toral degree at age 28 or age 30, and you will
probably not be a happy graduate student if
you try to race through graduate school with
the goal of justfinishing.
Taking Time Away from School: Cons
■ Some people do not want to lose momentum:
They are ready to begin graduate school and
have no interest in taking time off in between.
■ Trying to find a psychology-related job for the
year or two in between college and graduate
school may be challenging and stressful.
■ If you apply to graduate school while still in
college, you will be able to consult professors
and graduate students in person as you decide
which schools to apply to, work on your per-
sonal statements, and complete your
applications.
■ If you apply to graduate school while still in
college, you will be able to distribute materials
for letters of recommendation in person, pick
up transcripts in person, perhaps visit your
college’s Writing Center for help with your
personal statement, and have access to all the
resources a college campus offers.
■ It is easier to defer student loans if you remain a
full-time student without a break in between.
■ If you go straight through from college to
graduate school, you will finish grad school
earlier; if you graduate from college at age 22,
you could have your Ph.D. by age 27. This is
very appealing to many people.Before You Apply: Enhancing
Your Application
Years before you submit your application to doc-
toral programs in clinical psychology, you can
accrue experiences that will help build your creden-
tials. Two such opportunities are discussed next:
research and clinical experience.
Obtaining Research Experience. Perhaps the
single most important thing you can do to improve
your chances of graduate school admission is to
obtain research experience. However, note that
research experiences can vary considerably. As an
undergraduate student, you may have opportunities
to become involved in a faculty member’s lab and572 APPENDIX