boston university clinical psychology personal statement

Trainee Psych Scribbles

Doodles, thoughts and reflections from a Trainee Clinical Psychologist

DClinPsy Application Guide: the personal statement

This is part of a short series of blogs about applying for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy). For context, I’m currently a Trainee Clinical Psychologist who began training in 2019. Through this series of blogs I’m hoping to share the insights I’ve gained that might be helpful for prospective applicants.

This is a guide to the personal statement section of the DClinPsy application.

I remember finding it the hardest and most stressful part of the application. Summarising your reflections on such a broad question in 3000 characters (which works out to roughly 3-4 short paragraphs) is not an easy task. While it might seem daunting, it doesn’t need to be perfect and if you write a relevant, reflective piece, you’ll be increasing your chances of getting selected.

A quick disclaimer that these are my own opinions about what might be helpful from my experience.

I’ve attempted to summarise some helpful advice under the headings below.

What resources are helpful?

Below are some resources that I used to help me write the personal statement. An important caveat is that you will not be able to cover everything in these resources. You don’t have to read them all and be selective when thinking about what to include:

• The Leeds Clearing House website (which is a bible of useful information)
• The Core Competencies of a Clinical Psychologist (within the linked document <-)
• Some courses, but not many, publish their selection criteria. The ones I could find were Sheffield , Plymouth (2015) and Exeter (2018).
• The BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct

Where do I start?

I remember having total writer’s block before starting my personal statement! It can be so daunting and difficult to know where to start. Here are a few things I did to get the ball rolling:

• I thought about why I wanted to do this role and what was it about my work experiences that I really enjoyed.
• I thought about how I had begun to develop some of core competencies through my experiences. I drew out a mind map of how I had started to develop them and what I had learned in the process.
• I made a list of my values and personal qualities, where these had developed from and times they had come up in my practice (these could be related to the NHS constitution e.g. equality, or more personal e.g. creativity).
• I thought about times when I have applied ethical principles or where my experiences had taught me about how important they were.
• I listed what I knew about a Clinical Psychologist’s role, what is unique about it and how it fits in with changes and challenges in the NHS.

As you can probably guess, doing these preparation tasks could lead to loads of possible content! Please read on to see my advice on how to be selective.

What do I include?

If you look at the way the question is worded, it is wanting you to reflect on key aspects of your experiences, and how they prepare you for the role. So, in theory, any reflections in relation to this would be relevant. You could use some of the exercises and resources above to help guide you and inspire you about what to include.

How do I make it “reflective”?

No matter what you include, my experience has taught me that it’s important to be reflective . In my second, successful application, I had virtually no descripitve language (in X role I did Y), and instead took every sentence as an opportunity to show what I had learned. Here are a few generic examples:

“When supporting people who experienced X, I found that considering factors such as X & Y (within a X formulation model/theory), facilitated my ability to respond in an empathetic, person-centred way when met with ambivalence to change”.

“I found that my values of compassion and respect helped me build rapport, when faced with challenges such as X… I believe these values developed through my experiences of… ”

“Conducting X research project, I learned X about the research process… Through disseminating the findings to X and listening to feedback, I learned the importance of adapting my communication style flexibly to meet individual need…”

Feeling a bit stuck on reflection? Sometimes it can be helpful to think through an experience using a model like Gibbs’ (1998) Reflective Cycle. Then summarise the key message from this reflection in your personal statement.

How do I structure it?

There doesn’t appear to be any “set” way to structure the personal statement. However, it seems courses might want you to consider both clinical and research experiences. In my second application, I ensured that these experiences were more evenly balanced (roughly a 60:40 split). I reflected on what I learned from these experiences throughout. You could also include personal and accademic experiences.

How do I fit it all in?

You can’t and (please) don’t try to. I made the mistake of tying to include too much. I remember going through draft after draft, stressing about what to cut and keep. Although I was successful, looking back now, I think my application read as a bit disjointed as a result. From my experience, I’d advise by going through your reflections and thinking about:

• How unique or relevant is this skill to the (trainee) Clinical Psychogist’s role in the NHS today? (e.g. Clinical Psychologists tend to do less 1:1 therapy work with low intensity cases, and work more with complex cases, taking on roles in consultation/supervision and leadership)
• Does this show my values/qualities or motives for applying?
• Would this make me stand out (in a good way)?

Once you’ve written your statement, make sure your writing is clear and concise. Then check if you could comfortably fit in any additional reflections, or whether you might need to cut some out.

Well… that was much longer than I anticipated this blog being. I’m not sure if I’ve done a very good job at modelling being concise! However, I hope that there will be something of use to you in here. Keep an eye out for the next one!

– Trainee Psych Scribbles

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• Clinical Psychology

The Clinical Psychology Program adheres to a clinical science model of training, and is a member of the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science.  We are committed to training clinical psychologists whose research advances scientific knowledge of psychopathology and its treatment, and who are capable of applying evidence-based methods of assessment and clinical intervention. The main emphasis of the program is research, especially on severe psychopathology. The program includes research, course work, and clinical practica, and usually takes five years to complete. Students typically complete assessment and treatment practica during their second and third years in the program, and they must fulfill all departmental requirements prior to beginning their one-year internship. The curriculum meets the requirements for licensure in Massachusetts, accreditation requirements of the American Psychological Association (APA; Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242, apaaccred.org , Tel. [202] 336-5979), and accreditation requirements of the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS). PCSAS accredited the program on December 15, 2022 for a 10-year term. APA accredited the program on April 28, 2015 for a seven-year term, which was extended due to COVID-related delays.

Requirements

Required courses and training experiences fulfill requirements for clinical psychology licensure in Massachusetts as well as meet APA criteria for the accreditation of clinical psychology programs.  In addition to these courses, further training experiences are required in accordance with the American Psychological Association’s guidelines for the accreditation of clinical psychology programs (e.g., clinical practica [e.g., PSY 3050 Clinical Practicum, PSY 3080 Practicum in Neuropsychological Assessment]; clinical internship).

Students in the clinical psychology program are required to take the following courses:

• PSY 2900 Professional Ethics
• PSY 2445 Psychotherapy Research
• PSY  2070 Psychometric Theory and Method Using R
• PSY 2430 Cultural, Racial, and Ethnic Bases of Behavior
• PSY 3250 Psychological Testing
• PSY 2050 History of Psychology
• PSY 1950 Applied Statistical Data Analysis in Psychology I
• PSY 1952 Applied Statistical Data Analysis in Psychology II
• PSY 2040 Contemporary Topics in Psychopathology
• PSY 2460 Diagnostic Interviewing
• PSY 2420 Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Psychological Disorders

Students must take at least one course in each of the following areas. 

Biological Bases of Behavior PSY 1202 Modern Neuroanatomy PSY 1325 The Emotional, Social Brain PSY 1355 The Adolescent Brain PSY 1702 The Emotional Mind Neurobio 315QC Human Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology Cognitive-Affective Bases of Behavior PSY 2400 Cognitive Psychology and Emotional Disorders Social Bases of Behavior PSY 2500 Proseminar in Social Psychology PSY 3515 Graduate Seminar in Social Psychology

In accordance with American Psychological Association guidelines for the accreditation of clinical psychology programs, clinical students also receive consultation and supervision within the context of clinical practica in psychological assessment and treatment beginning in their second semester of their first year and running through their third year. They receive further exposure to additional topics (e.g., human development) in the Developmental Psychopathology seminar and in the twice-monthly clinical psychology “brown bag” speaker series. Finally, students complete a year-long clinical internship. Students are responsible for making sure that they take courses in all the relevant and required areas listed above. Students wishing to substitute one required course for another should seek advice from their advisor and from the director of clinical training prior to registering. During the first year, students are advised to get in as many requirements as possible. Many requirements can be completed before the deadlines stated below. First-year project: Under the guidance of a faculty member who serves as a mentor, students participate in a research project and write a formal report on their research progress. Due by May of first year. Second-year project: Original research project leading to a written report in the style of an APA journal article. A ten-minute oral presentation is also required. Due by May of second year. General exam: A six-hour exam covering the literature of the field. To be taken in September before the start of the third year. Thesis prospectus: A written description of the research proposed must be approved by a prospectus committee appointed by the CHD. Due at the beginning of the fourth year. Thesis and oral defense: Ordinarily this would be completed by the end of the fourth year. Clinical internship: Ordinarily this would occur in the fifth year. Students must have completed their thesis research prior to going on internship.

Credit for Prior Graduate Work

 A PhD student who has completed at least one full term of satisfactory work in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences may file an application at the Registrar’s Office requesting that work done in a graduate program elsewhere be counted toward the academic residence requirement. Forms are available  online .

No more than the equivalent of eight half-courses may be so counted for the PhD.

An application for academic credit for work done elsewhere must contain a list of the courses, with grades, for which the student is seeking credit, and must be approved by the student’s department. In order for credit to be granted, official transcripts showing the courses for which credit is sought must be submitted to the registrar, unless they are already on file with the Graduate School. No guarantee is given in advance that such an application will be granted. 

Only courses taken in a Harvard AB-AM or AB-SM program, in Harvard Summer School, as a GSAS Special Student or FAS courses taken as an employee under the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) may be counted toward the minimum academic residence requirements for a Master’s degree.

Academic and financial credit for courses taken as a GSAS Special Student or FAS courses taken as a Harvard employee prior to admission to a degree program may be granted for a maximum of four half-courses toward a one-year Master’s and eight half-courses toward a two-year Master’s or the PhD degree.

Applications for academic and financial credit must be approved by the student’s department and should then be submitted to the Registrar’s Office.

Student Admissions, Outcomes, and other data

• Time to Completion

Students can petition the program faculty to receive credit for prior graduate coursework, but it does not markedly reduce their expected time to complete the program.

2. Program Costs

3. Internships

4. Attrition

5. Licensure

Standard Financial Aid Award, Students Entering 2023

The financial aid package for Ph.D. students entering in 2023 will include tuition and health fees support for years one through four, or five, if needed; stipend support in years one and two; a summer research grant equal to two months stipend at the end of years one through four; teaching fellowship support in years three and four guaranteed by the Psychology Department; and a dissertation completion grant consisting of tuition and stipend support in the appropriate year. Typically students will not be allowed to teach while receiving a stipend in years one and two or during the dissertation completion year.

  Year 1 (2023-24) and Year 2 (2024- 25)

Tuition & Health Fees: Paid in Full Academic Year Stipend: $35,700 (10 months) Summer Research Award: $7,140 (2 months)

Year 3 (2025-26) & Year 4 (2026- 27) Tuition & Health Fees: Paid in Full Living Expenses: $35,700 (Teaching Fellowship plus supplement, if eligible) Summer Research Award: $7,140 (2 months)

Year 5 (2027-28) - if needed; may not be taken after the Dissertation Completion year

Tuition & Health Fees: Paid in Full

Dissertation Completion Year (normally year 5, occasionally year 6)

Tuition & Health Fees: Paid in Full Stipend for Living Expenses: $35,700

The academic year stipend is for the ten-month period September through June. The first stipend payment will be made available at the start of the fall term with subsequent disbursements on the first of each month. The summer research award is intended for use in July and August following the first four academic years.

In the third and fourth years, the guaranteed income of $35,700 includes four sections of teaching and, if necessary, a small supplement from the Graduate School. Your teaching fellowship is guaranteed by the Department provided you have passed the General Examination or equivalent and met any other department criteria. Students are required to take a teacher training course in the first year of teaching.

The dissertation completion year fellowship will be available as soon as you are prepared to finish your dissertation, ordinarily in the fifth year. Applications for the completion fellowship must be submitted in February of the year prior to utilizing the award. Dissertation completion fellowships are not guaranteed after the seventh year. Please note that registration in the Graduate School is always subject to your maintaining satisfactory progress toward the degree.

GSAS students are strongly encouraged to apply for appropriate Harvard and outside fellowships throughout their  enrollment. All students who receive funds from an outside source are expected to accept the award in place of the above Harvard award. In such cases, students may be eligible to receive a GSAS award of up to $4,000 for each academic year of external funding secured or defer up to one year of GSAS stipend support.

For additional information, please refer to the Financial Support section of the GSAS website ( gsas.harvard.edu/financial-support ).

Registration and Financial Aid in the Graduate School are always subject to maintaining satisfactory progress toward the degree.

Psychology students are eligible to apply for generous research and travel grants from the Department.

The figures quoted above are estimates provided by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and are subject to change.

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation American Psychological Association 750 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone: (202) 336-5979 E-mail:  [email protected]   www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

The Director of Clinical Training is Prof. Richard J. McNally who can be reached by telephone at (617) 495-3853 or via email at:  [email protected] .

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The purpose of the Psychology Clinical Handbook is to outline and describe the philosophy and structure of Harvard University’s Clinical Psychology Program and to provide students with information about the courses, research, and clinical training required to earn a Ph.D. degree in clinical psychology.

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Psychology Personal Statement Guide

Writing a personal statement is not simple, as it demands a lot from you. It requires you to be introspective and analytical about your opinions, interests, and motivations. It wants you to show yourself to your best advantage without coming across as arrogant and boastful . It asks you to convince people you’ve never met to offer a place on their course to someone they have little knowledge of. All of this in 4000 characters or fewer? Not so easy.

This guide is designed to help you navigate this challenging, but hopefully ultimately rewarding, task by taking you through what makes a good and a not-so-good psychology personal statement. It will give you a very good idea of what a personal statement is and isn’t, as well as what admissions tutors are looking for, and how to present yourself in the best light. The guide will lead you through the following points:

• Why are Personal Statements Important?
• What Should I Include in a Psychology Personal Statement?  
• What Should I Avoid in a Psychology Personal Statement?  

Advice on How to Start a Psychology Personal Statement  

Advice on how to finish a psychology personal statement  .

What Should I Avoid in a Psychology Personal Statement ?  

While personal statements should be personal to you, yours should not be about your own psychological or mental health history . Even if some or all of your motivation for studying the subject stems from this, it would be inappropriate to state as much since you should retain a scientifically objective interest in the formal academic subject beyond how it might be relevant to you personally.

You should also avoid talking about how the degree might help you to understand your own mentality or psychological health as this isn’t a guaranteed outcome of the course, and could suggest you’ve misunderstood what it involves.

Remember to maintain a formal, professional, and academic detachment and tone throughout.

Register to access our complimentary e-book "So You Want To Go To Oxbridge? Tell me about a banana…"

The start of your personal statement should set out why you’re interested in the subject and why you’d like to study it at university.

You should always avoid using quotations or clichés as these come across as hackneyed; instead, use simple and straightforward language that is appealing and memorable . You want to create a good impression through your own words, not someone else’s.

If you’re struggling with the first line, it might help to draft some reasons for your interest and motivation separately and incorporate these later. Once you have begun, make sure your statement follows a sensible order and that its structure is clear from reading it.

Like with the initial impression from the statement’s introduction, the final impression made on the reader should be a positive one that excites them and leaves them with a genuine sense of who you are and why you’re applying.

Without repeating what you’ve already said, you should try to emphasise the extent of your interest and why you’d like to study psychology. Plans for how you'd like to expand your academic performance at university can come into this section, as can any ambitions the degree could assist you with further down the line.

The important point to remember is that you want to leave the reader thinking it would be the best course of action to invite you to an interview or make you an offer

• What are some Tips for Writing a Strong Psychology Personal Statement?
• How Long Should my Psychology Personal Statement Be?
• What Kind of Extracurricular Activities Should I Include in my Psychology Personal Statement?
• How Can I Tailor my Psychology Personal Statement to the Oxford/Cambridge Course?

Refine your interests by looking into the broad areas of psychology that most universities will offer, e.g. developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, social psychology, etc. Do some research into what appeals most to you through books and articles, and take notes so you can highlight your own personal informed interests where appropriate throughout the statement. This will give a much better impression than repeating what you know from your school syllabus.

Try to mention in the statement the academic skills you already possess and how these might equip you for success during the degree, e.g. your mathematical competency for dealing with statistics, or your experimental experience in the sciences. If you’ve won any academic prizes or awards, then by all means mention them but only if they’re made relevant to your ultimate study of psychology.

Your statement will be restricted to 4000 characters (including spaces) or to 47 lines of the UCAS form, whichever you reach first. Needless to say, such a limit makes every word count even more than usual, so it’s best to try to use all 4000 characters to express everything you need to. Create a list of points you want to include and tick them off to ensure you don’t omit anything.

So many activities you do outside the classroom will be underpinned by psychology, e.g. playing or coaching sports, gaming, and interacting with animals to name a few. Anything you do mention should go towards establishing your profile as a capable and skilled potential student of psychology, but these activities don’t necessarily need to relate directly – they could teach you different skills that would come in useful during the degree, such as research skills or empathy. Any mention of non-academic pursuits should be kept to a minimum and always related back to the subject you intend to study.

Whilst you cannot make your statement too specific to any one university, there are certain things you can do to ensure Oxbridge tutors know you are thinking of them.

Oxford and Cambridge value intellectual curiosity, an appreciation of interdisciplinary interest, and flexible thinking that allows you to test ideas. It’s therefore advisable to consider what evidence you have of these attributes which you can incorporate into your statement. Good examples of this would be challenging current ways of thinking, going beyond the confines of your school syllabus, or conducting an experiment with surprising results. In addition, given the system of small group teaching at the two universities and the onus they place on independent study, showing some evidence of academic autonomy would help to prove your suitability for their courses.

Book your Psychology Personal Statement Package

You can contact our Oxbridge-graduate Consultants on +44 (0) 20 7499 2394 or email [email protected] to discuss our personal statement packages.  

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• Clinical Psychology PhD

Acquire the skills and training necessary to become a compassionate clinical psychologist.

Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association since 1993, UMass Boston’s program in clinical psychology is based on a scientist-practitioner-activist model. The program prepares clinical psychologists who have an excellent foundation in psychological science and can translate their basic knowledge into practical applications to meet the mental health needs of children, adolescents, and adults from diverse sociocultural groups. Graduates of the program have the requisite skills to advance understanding of key human problems through research, scholarly activities, clinical practice, teaching, professional service, advocacy, and activism.

In this program, you will:

• Develop a solid foundation in clinical psychology theories and research methodologies, enabling you to provide effective treatments for a wide range of mental health concerns
• Acquire advanced clinical skills through supervised practicum and internship experiences
• Cultivate professional competence and ethical decision-making, integrating scientific knowledge, critical thinking, and empathy to promote the well-being and resilience of clients
• Contribute to the field of clinical psychology through research, advocacy, and leadership

Info Sessions

Join UMass Boston Clinical Psychology PhD faculty and staff for an informal one-hour, online info session! Meet the current program director, faculty and student representatives. Learn more about the Clinical Psychology PhD program and bring questions you may have about the programs and/or application process.

Attend an Info Session    --> Start Your Application

Plan Your Education

How to apply.

We review applications comprehensively—looking across all aspects of the application for each applicant rather than having specific cutoff criteria in any one particular area. We no longer accept GRE scores as part of our admissions criteria.

Applicants must meet   general graduate admission requirements in addition to the following program-specific requirements:

• Prerequisites. A minimum of 6 courses in psychology or a closely related social science field. A course in statistics is required before students enroll in our program, but it is not required at the time of application.
• Background. Highly qualified applicants who have a demonstrated commitment to a career serving the needs of minority and urban populations will be given priority. In keeping with the mission of the university and the particular emphases in the program, individuals from diverse racial, ethnic, and minority backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Research Fit. An important criterion for admission to the clinical psychology program is the fit between student clinical and research interests and the interests of the program’s faculty. We require each applicant to list the faculty research mentors whose team(s) they want to be considered for based on shared research interests. The research mentor works closely with the student, helping to plan course work and select practicum opportunities as well as guiding the student’s research training.
• Describe your personal, academic, and professional experiences and strengths that have led to your interest in clinical psychology and have prepared you for the challenges of graduate school and a career in clinical psychology.
• Describe your interest in clinical psychology and how the UMass Boston Clinical Psychology Program, specifically, will contribute to advancing your academic, career, and personal goals.
• Describe the research that you are interested in pursuing as a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Program at UMass Boston.
• Curriculim Vitae (CV). Please provide as part of your application.
• Letters of Recommendation. You will also be asked to provide three letters of recommendation within the GradCAS portal.
• A list of all undergraduate psychology courses and any graduate psychology courses that you have taken at any time, the institutions at which you took them, and the grades you received for each course.
• A grade point average for your undergraduate psychology courses (and only these courses).
• Course name and grade of any statistics class that you have taken, as well as the institution, semester, and year you took it. (You will still be considered even if you have not taken a statistics class. This question is to help us track who will need to take a statistics class before matriculation.)
• A 2-3 sentence summary of your research and clinical interests.
• The name(s) of the faculty member(s) with whom you would like to work and a sentence or two describing your interest and match for the specific faculty member. Visit our faculty mentors page for an updated list of faculty mentors and their interests.
• Agreement with our ethics policy related to trainees who experience conflicts working with diverse clients (you must agree to our policy for your application to be reviewed further).
• Any notes or comments to the committee to expand or explain any aspect of your application that needs clarification.

Interview Policy

The Clinical Psychology Program receives approximately 600 applications a year. From this applicant pool, we undertake an extensive review of applications and invite approximately 40 finalists for a day-long campus visit and interviews.

The Admissions Committee schedules interviews for all finalists once all applications have been reviewed. Interviews are an important part of the application process. Interviews are usually held in February, and applicants are notified of an invitation to interview in late January or early February.

Unfortunately, due to the size of our applicant pool, our policy is that clinical faculty do not conduct interviews with applicants who have not undergone our review process and have not been invited for an interview. We appreciate your interest in our program.

Deadlines & Cost

Students are admitted to the Clinical Psychology Program to work toward the PhD degree only; the program does not offer a terminal master's degree. Applications are due in the Graduate Admissions Office by December 1 for enrollment the following September. There are no spring semester admissions in the Clinical Psychology Program. The program expects to admit six to eight students each year.

Application Fee: The nonrefundable application fee is $75. UMass Boston alumni and current students that plan to complete degree requirements prior to graduate enrollment can submit the application without paying the application fee.

Program Cost Information: See Bursar's website . Traditionally, we have been able to waive tuition and provide a stipend for students through at least the first four years and, for most, the duration of their on-campus years.

Core Courses (33 Credits)

• PSYCLN 601 - Assessment and Testing I 4 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 610 - Culture and Mental Health ; 3 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 613 - Lifespan Psychopathology 3 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 620 - Intervention Strategies 3 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 641 - Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior: Life Span Development I 3 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 642 - Social and Cultural Bases of Behavior: Life Span Development II 3 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 650 - Clinical Psychology Proseminar I 1 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 651 - Clinical Psychology Proseminar II 1 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 660 - Physiological Psychology 3 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 670 - Advanced Statistics 3 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 675 - Research Methods and Ethics in Clinical Psychology 3 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 680 - History and Systems 3 Credit(s)

Required Practicum Courses (24 Credits)

• PSYCLN 785 - Practicum and Ethics I 6 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 786 - Practicum and Ethics II 6 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 787 - Practicum III& 6 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 788 - Practicum IV 6 Credit(s)

Elective Practicum Courses and Training (4 or More Credits)

• PSYCLN 690 - Introduction to Clinical Outreach and Intervention Practicum 2-3 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 692 - Clinical Research Practicum II 1 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 781 - Assessment Practicum I 1-4 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 782 - Assessment Practicum II 1-4 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 783 - Advanced Clinical Research Practicum I 1 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 784 - Advanced Clinical Research Practicum II 1 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 791 - Advanced Clinical Outreach, Intervention, and Consultation Practicum I 1-4 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 792 - Advanced Clinical Outreach, Intervention, and Consultation Practicum II 1-4 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 893 - Advanced Community Practicum I 1 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 894 - Advanced Community Practicum II 1 Credit(s)

Master’s Research Courses (6 Credits)

• PSYCLN 698 - Master’s Research 3 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 699 - Master’s Research Seminar 3 Credit(s)

Teaching Seminar (3 Credits)

• PSYCLN 891 - Teaching Seminar 3 Credit(s)

Elective Distribution Courses (12 Credits)

Complete four courses.

One course from must be taken from each of the four groups below.

Students may also enroll in additional non-required courses offered through other UMass Boston departments (e.g. language, psychotherapy, statistics, etc.) that may enhance their professional development.

Group 1: Therapy Approaches

• PSYCLN 721 - Child Therapy 3 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 726 - Cognitive Behavioral Theory and Therapy 3 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 727 - Emotion-Focused Psychotherapy 3 Credit(s)

Group 2: Assessment

• PSYCLN 701 - Neuropsychological Assessment 3 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 710 - Child Assessment 3 Credit(s)

Group 3: Advanced Methods and Analysis

• PSYCLN 770 - Advanced Statistics II - Latent Variable Modeling 3 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 775 - Qualitative Methods in Clinical Psychology 3 Credit(s)

Group 4: Diversity

• PSYCLN 745- Psychology and Activism for Social Justice 3 Credit(s)
• PSYCLN 879 - Advanced Community Psychology 3 Credit(s)

Graduation Criteria

Complete a minimum of 82 credits from at least 22 courses including twelve core courses, four required practicum courses, four elective practicum credits, two Master’s research courses, one teaching seminar, and four elective distribution courses.

The program requires a minimum of five years of full-time graduate study that includes three years of residency at UMass Boston, and the completion of an APA accredited internship prior to awarding the doctoral degree. Students are required to complete all coursework and to have completed their dissertation proposal prior to applying for an APA accredited internship.

Doctoral candidacy: Passage of a written qualifying exam. Master’s thesis: Complete an empirical master’s thesis. May be waived if successfully completed at another university. Dissertation: Compose and defend an empirical dissertation. Teaching experience: Students must teach in their fourth year of study. Practica: Students must complete two year-long, part-time practica in their second and third year of study. Internship: Students must complete a one-year, full-time APA accredited internship.

Statute of limitations: Eight years.

Contact & Faculty Mentors

Assistant Director Brooke Craveiro [email protected] (617)287-6340

The Clinical Psychology PhD Program at UMass Boston uses a clinical research apprenticeship model. Each first-year graduate student apprentices with a clinical faculty member who will serve as research mentor and advisor to the graduate student. Mentors for the Fall 2025 admissions cycle will be updated in September.

Psychology Department

Learn more about UMass Boston's Psychology department, our research, and our faculty.

Explore the Clinical Psychology PhD Program

Mission statement.

(Revised Spring 2017)

Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association since 1993, University of Massachusetts Boston’s (UMass Boston) program in clinical psychology is based on a scientist-practitioner-activist model. The program prepares clinical psychologists who have an excellent foundation in psychological science and can translate their basic knowledge into practical applications to meet the mental health needs of children, adolescents, and adults from diverse sociocultural groups. Graduates of the program have the requisite skills to advance understanding of key human problems through research, scholarly activities, clinical practice, teaching, professional service, advocacy, and activism.

Our clinical psychology training model is biopsychosocial in its scientific orientation, and places special emphasis on the roles of culture and context in understanding the complexities of multiple dimensions of human behavior and functioning. This emphasis includes, but is not limited to, bringing to the study of clinical psychology an understanding of social justice, equity, oppression, systems of privilege and marginalization, procedural and relational justice, and epistemological and methodological marginalization. This includes a commitment to training a diverse workforce of scientist-practitioner-activist clinical psychologists. Among the many skills students learn in our program, we aim to develop within them a lifelong commitment to using clinical psychology to serve the general population and to meet the needs of marginalized individuals and communities by being culturally humble and responsive researchers, mentors, clinicians, supervisors, teachers, leaders, advocates, activists, and community members. The training in our program results from an affirmative commitment by both faculty and students to engage in ongoing personal reflection and reflection upon the practices in our field—to increase our self-awareness and guide thoughtful psychological practice and relevant social justice actions.

Our educational mission is to train scientist-practitioner-activist clinical psychologists who will:

• Engage in social science research, critical scholarly inquiry, and educational activities including scholarly analysis that specifically address social and structural inequities affecting psychosocial health and functioning, including but not limited to inequities based on social class, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, disability, age, language, citizenship, immigration status, and religion.
• Provide affirming and empowering evidence-based clinical services to people across sociocultural groups and statuses.
• Serve as leaders, role models, and change-makers to promote social justice within their organizations, the profession of psychology, and other contexts. We aim to foster students’ capacity to serve as advocates and activists.
• Apply their developed awareness of how the field of clinical psychology is socially situated, reflect critically on the practices and purposes of our field, and understand how it can privilege or marginalize certain identities and lived experiences, treatment and assessment practices, and epistemological and philosophical positions.

Learning Objectives

To achieve these long term goals for our graduates, we have the following Learning Objectives for their time within our program. Our Learning Objectives line up with the longer term goals for our graduates related to Research (1), Practice (2), and Activism (3) above. The fourth aim above reflects our overall approach to how we approach all aspects of our training. It focuses on applying a reflective practice in critical social justice theory across all aspects of the work. In this way, it does not have specific learning objectives associated with it, but rather it serves as the lens through which we view research, practice, and activism.

Goal 1: To produce graduates who engage in clinical psychology research, critical scholarly inquiry and analysis, and educational activities that specifically address social and structural inequities affecting psychosocial health and functioning.

Objectives for Goal 1:

To provide students with:

• 1.1 Foundational knowledge in the science of psychology with specific attention to training in addressing social and structural inequalities with appropriate conceptual, methodological, and culturally sensitive skills.
• 1.2 The basic skills necessary to become critical consumers of the existing research literature, identifying gaps in the literature and developing the skills to design and implement rigorous research projects.
• 1.3 The skills necessary to evaluate research critically in relation to issues of contextual and cultural diversity and to design and conduct research that helps advance the field in understanding and attending to these issues.

Goal 2: To produce graduates who are knowledgeable about and skilled at providing affirming and empowering evidence-based clinical services to people across sociocultural groups and statuses.

Objectives for Goal 2:

• 2.1. Didactic and clinical training needed to become proficient in testing and assessment theory and practice that is both informed by scientific knowledge and is culturally responsive.
• 2.2 Didactic and clinical training needed to become proficient in a continuum of intervention skills in a manner that is culturally informed and responsive, guided by scientific knowledge, and that considers individual assessment performance in the context of developmental and broader systemic factors.
• 2.3 Introductory level knowledge of competencies in supervision and consultation skills, through exposure to the literature on best practices supervision.
• 2.4 Didactic knowledge and skills to understand, recognize, and address the contextual factors, positionality, and power dynamics inherent in co-constructed therapeutic relationships and embedded in clinical settings.

Goal 3: To produce graduates who have the awareness, knowledge, and skills to serve as leaders, role models, and change-makers to promote social justice within their organizations, the profession of psychology, and other contexts. We aim to foster students’ capacity to serve as advocates and activists.

Objectives for Goal 3:

• 3.1 Didactic experiences to provide foundational awareness, knowledge, and skills to engage in activism within clinical practice and research activities.
• 3.2 Training aimed at fostering growth to apply activist-informed awareness, knowledge, and skills across professional contexts.

Program Description

Our program coursework and training experiences emphasize:

• A biopsychosocial approach. Students learn to conceptualize and treat problems in living by considering not only problem behavior and mental disorders but also by considering the person within their physical, psychological, developmental, and social contexts. Research training gives students skills for analyzing problems from a variety of theoretical perspectives.
• Assessment and psychotherapy skills. The program trains students in a broad range of assessment and intervention skills that enable them to promote healthy adaptation, prevent the development of individual and social problems, and treat problem behavior and mental disorders. We teach students to critically reflect upon our field's use of assessments and clinical approaches and guide students to utilize or create culturally responsive, equitable approaches to serve all their clients.
• Sociocultural context. Within a broad understanding of sociocultural factors, our coursework highlights systemic oppression and privilege, power dynamics, and social and cultural approaches to clinical psychology. We emphasize the ways in which these factors affect individual development across the lifespan, relational interactions, and social groups and dynamics for all people-with a particular emphasis on how marginalized and disadvantaged individuals and groups are impacted. As a foundation for developing this understanding, and the ability to apply it to psychological activities, students reflect upon their own personal cultural situations and positionalities to better understand the experiences of others. They examine and develop skills regarding how to best advocate for their professional values in diverse and complex settings.
• Developmental phenomena in typical and atypical pathways. In our program, students learn about the range of lifespan developmental trajectories from infancy through adulthood. This focus helps to elucidate the ways in which relationships and other environmental factors can support or hinder adaptive or maladaptive development, with the recognition that behaviors which are adaptive in one context may be maladaptive in another. Consistent with our biopsychosocial orientation, students embrace the complexity of developmental processes by taking into consideration the dynamic and transactional interplay of physiological, genetic, social, cognitive, emotional, and cultural influences across time.
• Skills toward practice. Students have the opportunity to take coursework and engage in supervised pre-doctoral clinical training experiences that can be used towards attaining licensure in Massachusetts and many other states.

Program Policies

Policy Statement for Clinical Training

Program Policies Related to Trainees Who Experience Conflicts Working with Diverse Clients (Adapted from the Sample APA Policy Recommendations) (see Handbook)

As articulated in our program policy statement, we are committed to a training process that ensures that graduate students develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to work effectively with members of the public who embody intersecting demographics, attitudes, beliefs, and values. In our Counseling Center practica and in the training we provide in our other on- and off-campus practicum courses we are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our community. Consistent with this principle, the Counseling Center policy and our policy for on campus practicum experiences require that trainers and trainees do not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or socioeconomic status in the services provided at the training clinic or practicum site.

In some cases, tensions may arise for a student due to differences in beliefs or values with clients. Because the students will have to navigate these sorts of clinical situations in their future practice careers, the program has a responsibility to prepare students to do so in a safe and ethical manner. The program will respectfully work with students as they learn how to effectively practice with a broad range of clients. Thus, students should expect to be assigned clients that may present challenges for them at some point in training.

If trainees do not feel comfortable or capable of providing competent services to a client because it conflicts with the trainee's beliefs or values, it is the trainee's responsibility to bring this issue to the attention of his/her supervisor. Because client welfare and safety are always the first priority, decisions about client assignment and reassignment are the responsibility of the faculty/supervisors.

Other Policies

You may view our mental health policy as well as our other policies in the clinical handbook.

College of Liberal Arts

Learn more about the faculty, research, and programs that make up our College of Liberal Arts.

Student Handbook

Download the Clinical Psychology PhD Handbook .

Student Admissions, Outcomes & Data

Download documentation on our student admissions, outcomes, and other data.

Accreditation Questions

Questions related to the program's accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation :

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation American Psychological Association 750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002 202.336.5979 [email protected]

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Postgraduate clinical psychology personal statement example.

My initial decision to major in psychology was rationalised with the idea that I could use my degree to help people.

Everyone struggles at one point in their lives and being able to help someone is a great opportunity. Furthermore, studying psychology provided something for me that the other subjects didn’t, such as a deeper understanding of my mind and behaviour.

After finishing my high school, I joined Bachelor of Arts program as I wished to explore which subject I would have a special interest in and the course consisted of several subjects including Geography, Political Science, Psychology, English, Economics and French.

By the end of my first year, I had a fondness towards psychology as it was interesting and chose to learn further about it. 

During my second and third year, I studied about Social Psychology, Abnormal Behaviour as well as Statistics.

I was fascinated by how the human mind works and how it affects a person’s thoughts, feelings and behaviour. I enjoyed learning about the psychological disorders and the models of abnormality.

As I didn’t have an honours in psychology at my college, I decided to take a Master’s degree in Applied Psychology.

My master’s program was a 2 year course where I gained extensive knowledge about the different fields in psychology. During my First Semester, I had courses on educational psychology, cognitive psychology, Research Methodology and Statistics.

I enjoyed research methodology as I gained a deeper understanding of how to conduct research, the different methods in research and the importance it plays in psychology as it gives scientific evidence on the new perspectives of psychology, psychological theories and factors affecting mental health.

In addition to the courses, I did an internship at Agnes Special School where I worked as a special educator for children with Learning Disability, Cerebral Palsy, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism and Mental Retardation.

Through this internship, I got to know more about childhood disorders and the obstacles they face in their everyday lives. It was extremely challenging

During, my second semester I had courses such as physiological psychology, personality theories, psychological testing and positive psychology.

I enjoyed reading about personality theories especially, Alfred Adler’s Individual psychology where he describes inferiority and superiority complexes and also about the birth order and how it influences the style of life.

By learning the theories, I gained insight on how personality influences human behaviour. I also had a practical paper on Assessment of Personality where, I was exposed to the various types of personality tests such as Draw a person test, Eysenck personality questionnaire, locus of control, Neo five-factor inventory and many more.  

During the third semester, I learned about counselling psychology, psychological intervention and psychopathology.

I found psychopathology very interesting as it taught me about the different psychological disorders, their aetiology, diagnosis and the signs and symptoms that make up the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder.

I became interested in relationships between various biological and environmental factors which can induce disorders.

By the end of my third semester, I worked as an intern for two months at two hospitals. My first clinical internship was at XXX for 3 weeks under Dr. XXX. During my time there, I learned how to collect case histories and conduct Mental Status Examinations (MSE).

I conducted various psychometric tests such as Standard and Coloured Progressive Matrices, Seguin Form Board and LD checklist, and also observed various behaviour therapies, parent guidance and counselling, sessions for home training for children with special needs on conditions like mental retardation, learning disability, autism, hearing impairments, cerebral palsy and multiple handicaps.

I also presented a poster on Learning Disability as a part of the academic presentation, defining Learning Disability, the problems children with LD face, the management of LD and the rights these children have.

My second clinical internship was at XXX for four weeks where I worked under the supervision of XXX at the Psychiatric Department. The hospital had in-patient care as well as outpatient care where I could collect case histories and conduct Mental Status Examinations.

I got insights into the numerous disorders. I gained an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a clinical psychologist. I also attended several therapies that the psychologist conducted such as Group Therapy for de-addiction patients, Stress Management and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and various psychometric tests such as Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and Rorschach inkblot test.

I also conducted psychometric tests such as Wechsler’s Intelligence Scale for Children, CAGE questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, Binet Kamat Test etc.

In the fourth semester, I had courses on behaviour modification and counselling children, adolescents and adults. I was trained in numerous psychotherapy techniques such as Jacobsons Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Autogenic Training, Systematic Desensitisation, and Yoga.

I also had to present several case studies that I collected during my internships. I had a 5 days internship at XXX Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts which was aimed at preventing and management of Substance abuse with the focus soon early intervention , community based holistic approach and people’s participation.

During my time here, I interacted with several patients who has problems with substance abuse where I was able to take a session on assertiveness training for the patients and also conducted several relaxation techniques such as JPMR and Autogenic training.

Further, I got to know how the rehab centre worked and the different treatment methods used for the patients. I had another 5 days internship at XXX Palliative care, where I counselled with patients who were terminally ill by giving psychological snd social support to the patients and their caregivers.

Another internship I had was at Riya Hope Farm which was a residential centre for children with special needs. I was assigned to a child who had autism and conducted behavioural assessment of the child. Once the assessment was over, behaviour modification process was started as the child had difficulty in following the instruction that were given to him.

I also had to submit a dissertation as a part of the master’s programme where I presented a research study on “ Marital Adjustment in relation to Life Satisfaction and Gender among Young Adult Married Couples.”

I was interested in this topic due to the increasing divorce rates in India notably among the Young - Adult population and to find out whether life satisfaction influences the marital adjustment between couples.

In addition to my courses, I have attended several workshops on counselling and psychotherapy, basic and advanced hypnosis, “Dementia - Remember me” and Paranormality.

After finishing my master’s in psychology, I am currently interning at a psychiatric clinic for where I am working as an assistant counselling psychologist under the guidance of Dr XXXp. 

During my time here, I have met patients with a wide range of mental health problems that may occur such as mental health disorders including depression, psychosis, personality disorder, negative life events, bereavement, domestic violence, sexual, emotional and physical abuse, traumas and relationship issues.

I have witnessed counselling of both clients and their families, and I have learned to administer and score several psychological tests used in clinical assessment.

I have enjoyed working in the clinic and found it very rewarding, not only because of the idea of helping but also because the work was interesting and challenging, as every patient is different and different approaches of counselling are needed.

As an assistant counselling psychologist, I was able to learn the different counselling techniques and how to guide patients through empathy and unconditional positive regard.

Upon completion of this masters programme, I intend join a Doctoral programme in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) and to practice as a clinical psychologist, where I can provide a positive influence in the lives of people struggling with psychiatric disorders.

My personal characteristics are perfectly adaptable to this profession and I’m highly interested in this field. Moreover, my academic achievements signify my capability to reach the goal of becoming a clinical psychologist.

I’m also interested in research work and understanding the various mental illness, their treatment as well as their effectiveness. My work experience has proven to me how much more I need to learn before I can attain my goal of becoming an accomplished clinical psychologist.

I am interested to join Goldsmith’s University of London for the Masters course in Foundation in Clinical Psychology and Health Services by the strong emphasis on clinical practice and research methodology as it goes particularly well with what I am looking for in a program.

I would be very excited to join the upcoming class for 2018. I feel I am well prepared to enter graduate study, and my strong motivation and career goals are a good match for what the university has to offer.

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December 22, 2023

Five Tips for Writing Compelling PsyD Personal Statements

“What should I include?” “How do I start?” “What will impress the admissions committee?” These are the most common questions PsyD applicants ask about their application essay. What makes this task even more confusing is that different programs refer to this same essay as a “personal statement,” a “statement of purpose,” a “graduate essay,” a “statement of goals,” a “personal history,” and even a “letter of intent.” Some programs might request two or three essays: one that is biographical,  one that addresses the issue of diversity , and perhaps one that serves as a more formal research proposal. As applicants prepare to write their essays, they’re often confounded by questions.

Making your personal statements more dynamic

As you prepare to write your PsyD personal statement, here are five tips to help you make it as persuasive and memorable as possible.

Tip #1: Understand the importance of the personal statement in admissions decisions.

Although your transcript(s), recommendations, and GRE scores (if required) all factor into your target program’s admissions decision, your personal statement is what can really “close” the deal. Adcoms read candidates’ statements very carefully. They use this submission to learn more about your disposition for studying clinical psychology; your educational background; your clinical, academic, and research experience; and your short- and long-term career aspirations. Here is where you have the opportunity to  highlight the strengths  and qualifications you possess that will set you apart from other qualified applicants. These might include the following:

• Your fit with the program
• Desirable qualities and qualifications
• Your ability to articulate your ideas in a clear and engaging way
• How your academic studies, human services experience, field research, and long-term goals have sparked your determination to pursue PsyD graduate studies
• Any influences that have inspired your decision to apply to a PsyD program, if applicable, such as an internship, job, community service experience, acquaintance who works in the field, or a research experience (Make sure you  provide short narratives  about the experience[s] or person[s], which will make you more memorable to the faculty committee.)

Many PsyD personal statement prompts will ask you to share personal experiences. As you relate these experiences, you want to demonstrate your self-reflection skills and that you understand the importance of clear boundaries. Remember that the purpose of this essay to is provide information to the adcom that will help in assessing your qualifications for the program.

Tip #2: Read the prompts carefully, and customize your personal statement for each PsyD program.

Programs can easily spot a template or generic personal statement and will, most likely, place such essays in the “no” pile. It is therefore important to  customize your personal statement for each program  to which you apply.

Each school provides a brief description of the information it is seeking in the personal statement. One program might limit this essay to 1,000 words, in which you must address multiple questions or topics. Another might specify two or three single- or double-spaced pages, while others might limit the number of characters (with or without spaces) with which you can cover certain topics. Pay special attention to each school’s directions. Not following the stated directives will, at the least, irritate the adcom and might even result in your application being placed in the “no” pile. PsyD programs are highly selective and competitive, and if you cannot follow clearly stated directions, it calls into question your ability to manage the academic rigor of the program. Carefully read the entire prompt, and be sure to respond to each part of it.

We suggest creating a spreadsheet that lists each program’s personal statement questions/requirements. This cross-checking tool will help you identify common topics among the programs you’re targeting, which might include the following:

• Academic objectives related to the curriculum 
• Prior research experience and graduate-level research interests (Some schools request a graduate research proposal.)
• Relevant community service, job, or internship experiences
• Short- and long-term professional/career goals

Tip #3: Identify the specific faculty member(s) with whom you wish to work.

Some PsyD programs ask applicants to note in the application the name or names of faculty members with whom they wish to work if they are admitted. Whether or not your target program requests this information, include it in your personal statement, naming the specific faculty members you have pinpointed. To identify these individuals, look at the faculty profiles on the program’s website to see whose work connects with your interests. Read journal articles that match your research and/or clinical interests. In your explanation of why you would like to work with a particular faculty member, clearly present your precise reason(s) (e.g., they focus on a certain population or clinical issue).

Tip #4: Check out the program’s website for special opportunities you could highlight in the “Why this school/program?” portion of your personal statement.

To make a convincing argument for why you are targeting a particular PsyD program, you need to identify aspects of the experience that relate directly to your needs and interests and then name them in your personal statement. These items could include the following:

• Clinical sites, including practica and internships
• Courses, specializations, and/or concentrations that you find appealing 
• Participation/presentations at professional conferences, including APA regional conventions
• On-site and/or off-site research centers
• Graduate student groups of interest
• Theoretical perspective or orientation of the program (e.g., a focus on social justice)

Avoid generic statements about the program’s “excellent faculty” or “strong academic reputation.” The adcom will likely view such statements as cliches or basic pandering. 

#5: Being detailed can help you stand out.

Faculty adcoms work hard to fairly review each candidate before making their admissions decision. As a result, they are seeking. They don’t need to “dig” through the application to find it. Avoid making overarching statements, such as “I did some research.” Provide the details: What was the research? With whom did you work? When did you do it? What did you learn? Was it published? Was it presented at a scholarly event or conference? If you are sharing information on a course you enjoyed, include the “whys,” “whats,” and “hows.” For example, explain why the professor was particularly inspiring,  what  specific course content added to your knowledge base, and/or how the course content reinforced your determination to pursue graduate studies and/or research in this field.

Are there particular populations or clinical issues that you are drawn to? If so, include an explanation of why these are of interest.

After completing your specificity check and before you submit your application, be sure to do the following:

• Conduct a spell/grammar check. Although it might not catch everything, running a simple spell/grammar check is an excellent first step.
• Read your entire personal statement aloud to yourself. You might be surprised by the number of errors and omissions you will notice that the computer-generated spell/grammar check missed.
• Check the word/character/page count to ensure that it conforms to the school’s requirements.
• Ask an unbiased person to read for grammar and spelling errors. A “fresh set of eyes” could notice issues you might have overlooked.
• Review your statement to ensure that its content complements – without duplicating or repeating — information found elsewhere in your application.
• Proofread your statement multiple times.

By Alice Diamond , former associate dean for career and community service at Lesley University. Alice has a BA from Colgate University, an MA from Bryn Mawr College, and an MS from Cornell University. She has more than 35 years of experience in career and admissions advising for undergraduate and graduate candidates. Alice’s clients have been accepted to top programs in a wide range of fields. Want to work with Alice? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources

• Five Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Grad School Statement of Purpose , a free guide
• Graduate School in Psychology: PsyD or PhD, Which Is Right for You?
• Acing the PsyD Interview: The 3-P Plan

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If you're writing a psychology personal statement, describing your personal insights into the subject or how you've pursued your interest outside the classroom will impress over quoting Freud or Milgram (which might sound a little pretentious). That's what psychology admissions tutors told us when we asked them what they're looking for in your personal statement.

Five things to include in your psychology personal statement

The University of Bristol highlights five elements of a strong, academically focused psychology statement:

• Ensure it is well structured and well written .  
• Give details of any specific interests or ambitions you have that relate to the content of the course.
• Demonstrate your enthusiasm for psychological research as a focus for academic study.
• Provide evidence of when you have pursued your interest in psychology outside the classroom (see above!)
• Give examples of non-curricular activities you are involved in which indicate the contribution you are likely to make to university life. Any relevant work experience you have under your belt is also worth talking about. But if you haven't gained experience in the field directly, think creatively - there might be ways to link observations from your part-time job, voluntary work or extra-curricular activities to psychology. One successful applicant finished her statement with a short paragraph about her Saturday job on a supermarket fish counter, describing the satisfaction she got from knowing how to gut and fillet a mackerel. Linking her experience to psychology in an innovative but relevant way was a lot more interesting than just saying it had improved her teamwork or communication skills, which are a bit broad.

Psychology tutors tell it like it is

Here are some more points to avoid:

• A lack of understanding: ‘Some applicants display a misconception of what psychology is. We want to know that you understand the importance of scientific elements of the course and the importance of statistics and experimentation’.
• Not enough engagement with the subject: ‘Some applicants are rejected because of a lack of commitment to the subject, especially in cases where it appears that they’ve applied for a mixture of courses rather than five psychology ones’.
• Making it too personal: ‘Some applicants expand too much on personal circumstances, such as mental health issues or life events. Studying psychology may not necessarily help, so don't overplay personal stories’.
• Getting the tone wrong: don’t just say you ‘want to help people’ and don’t use inappropriate language like ‘less fortunate people’. Also, avoid inserting sophisticated language or phrases if you don’t fully understand them – ‘straightforward language is never a bad thing’.

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Clinical psychology personal statement

• Reading time: 3 minutes
• Price: Free download
• Published: 2nd November 2021
• Word count: 720 words
• File format: Text

I have always found my-self intrigued by human behaviours and tendencies, often asking the question of “why?” I am greatly intrigued by the workings of the brain and how it is capable of contributing to factors such as mental health issues and disorders. To this day I am still fascinated by psychology and how we still cannot explain every little occurrences of behaviour, as well as how much we still have to understand about mental illnesses and child Psychology.

College has taught me to that in order to do well, being focused, determined, and hardworking are key to achieving good grades. College has also helped me develop skills which will be useful for university and my chosen pathway.

For example, Maths has helped me develop skills and proves challenging in an academic sense. Maths has helped me work in teams and take on leadership within roles as well as encouraging me to work independently and find solutions by myself. It encourages tactical problem solving. One area of Maths which I find interesting is calculus, this topic shares a theme with Psychology in that one equation can be solved in multiple different ways, such as how one behaviour can be explained by multiple different factors.

Fine art allows me to be technical yet creative which allows me to work passionately. It has helped expand my creative skills and taught me how to work in different ways. it is a subject which requires precision, passion and a keen eye to detail, this subject has opened my eyes to these skills and has influenced me greatly.  Abstract paintings are of great interest to me as different people perceive these images differently, just how the same illnesses and disabilities can be seen in many different ways.

Psychology is a subject which is academically challenging and enjoyable; it is a subject which requires a lot of hard work and perseverance.  It is by far my most enjoyable subject as it questions a lot about society and the people within it. Many core studies which we have learnt about have proven to change my views and help understand certain aspects of behaviours more. For example, Baron-Cohens study has helped explain why people such as one of my friends who suffers from Asperger’s may struggle in understanding sarcasm within jokes and may not understand when someone shows emotions towards them. Debates in psychology such as the nature nurture debate have been of great interest to me as it sheds light on the fact that nature, being genetics, and things you are born with can affect your behaviour and can cause disorders. However, the nurture side shows that behaviours can develop as we grow due to environmental factors, and things such as taking drugs such as amphetamines and cannabis can have an effect on your mental state. Upon learning about the historical connect on mental health I has further gone and researched as to why the views held were there in the first place, and I believe this has added to my interest in the subject.

In 2014 I won the princess Diana award for my efforts in helping with charity work. I also regularly attend rock climbing at the leisure centre, which I immensely enjoy. These activities help me gain skills such as; confidence, and communication. As well as this, I have learnt to appreciate that we are in a fortunate position to help others. I enjoy watching shows such as ‘the secret life of 4-year olds’ which is a series where children up to the ages of 6 are studied, and their behaviours are analysed and given a reason as to why they behave in such ways. This is of interest to me as it looks at behaviours which you wouldn’t normally analyse and picks them apart, thus helping me gain knowledge into child psychology. During busy times and over the summer, I assist the shop floor at Dr Kruger, a clothes shop, in the town city. This job has enabled me to gain valuable skills in interacting with people which has made me feel more organised as a person. The importance of being punctual and time keeping was another valuable lesson which I learnt.

For this reason, I believe I would thrive as a clinical psychology student going onto becoming a fully qualified clinical psychologist.

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Boston University’s Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences offers great opportunities for conducting research alongside leading faculty.  U.S. News & World Report ranks Boston University #37 in the world (tied with Cornell University) for the strength of its combined psychiatry/psychology faculty research strength—a ranking to which BU psychological and brain sciences faculty contribute greatly. 

The department offers doctoral degrees in a variety of research areas. For general information about the Graduate Program, please see the Graduate Handbook . To apply, visit the  Graduate School of Arts & Sciences  website. Boston University’s institution code for submitting GRE scores is 3087.

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Clinical Psychology personal statement

Hi! Im doing a project on letters of intent / personal statements for a class im in and need to make mock-LOI for a school I'm interested In applying to. Does anyone know the word limit for the clinical psych graduate LOI?

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