Question 1. I am interested in applying to the UA doctoral program in clinical psychology and, in particular, working with you. Will you be admitting a new student to join your lab to begin work in the the Fall of 2024.

• No, not this year, I am sorry! I have accepted a new graduate student who started working with me in the Fall of 2024. I am not in a position to be recruiting a new student for next academic year.

Question 2. What kind of experiences do you look for in an applicant?

• I am interested in working with students who have had substantial research experiences in the years prior to coming to graduate school. Typically, this means that most successful have worked in at least two different laboratories and have gained a variety of different experiences relevant to conducting psychological science (including, but not limited to, working with one to several of the available statistical software packages, using REDCap info management system, learning about the IRB process and human subjects consenting, having a familiarity with the basic procedures of human data collection, and/or working on poster presentations or manuscript preparation-- honors thesis, master's thesis, or something else, etc.). Some of our work involves the assessment of autonomic physiological indicators, so any applicants with experience in autonomic psychophysiology would be especially welcome. In addition, we look for people with strong quantitative reasoning skills (backgrounds in math, statistics, computer science, etc.) who would like to pursue ideas related to the quantitative assessment of psychological change.

Question 3. I have taken the GREs twice and can't seem to crack 160 on either section, should I still apply to work with you?

• Yes! The GRE is optional for our graduate program and we hardly give it any consideration. We're looking for a demonstrated research fit with our program and lab. The GRE is not the best way for us to assess your potential research fit or demonstrated experiences.

Question 4. I have read your response to FAQs. #1 and #2 (above), and it seems like you're pretty into research. I know you're a licensed clinical psychologist, too, and although I find the idea of research appealing, I see myself (right now) as wanting a primarily practice-oriented career. Can I still apply to work with you?

• Of course, but you're wasting your time. I am interested in working with people who want careers as producers of psychological science. This does not mean the people who work with me need to be research-oriented college professors, but this does mean that we look to train people who want to conduct research as their primary occupation. I realize that interests change over the course of graduate school, but you have little chance of being admitted here if you do not have a demonstrated background in research and a definite interest in pursuing a research-oriented career. There are many fine places you can go to graduate school to pursue a clinically-oriented Ph.D. (click this link to find out more).

Question 5. I have read your response to FAQ. #4 (above), and I REALLY want to express how much I want to be a clinician/therapist. I know you won't work with, but will another faculty member in your program?

• Highly unlikely. Many of our students also REALLY want to be therapists, but they want to do so in the context of conducting clinical science research. If you're unsure of our general program-wide philosophies, click this link.

Question 6. Do you accept people who are about to receive their master's degree? What about people straight out of college?

• Yes, and yes! We're looking for accumulated, relevant experiences combined with demonstrated academic potential. If you have these qualities, I don't really care how you've gotten to this point.

Question 7. What would you say is the single best thing I could do to prepare myself for a research-oriented graduate school?

• Before I answer this question, let me make several qualifications. First, this is just my opinion, and I am sure other people much smarter and more experienced than me may advise you differently. Second, I think there are probably a handful of different activities that provide excellent experience and will prepare you well for graduate school (e.g., completing a senior honors thesis in lab of an established researcher, taking a graduate statistics course, being a lab manager, being an intern at NIH during the summer, co-authoring a research paper, traveling South America by raft, etc., etc.). If I were to name just one thing that I believe is the best thing to do in preparation for graduate school, it would be this: Major or minor in math or statistics (or, connect yourself to a research program that specializes in research methodology); minoring in psychology and spending your undergraduate time majoring in an applied science is a great way to prepare for graduate school in clinical psychology. In my book, a very close second would be to spend over 12 months as the project coordinator on an R01-level research grant. This would provide tremendous relevant experience.

Question 8.  I was born and raised in Tucson (or, I am relocating to Tucson), and after a period of being away at college, I want to return to graduate school. I really like the UA program and want to apply. What do you think my chances are of getting accepted? I have no other options because I MUST be in Tucson, but I also really want to go to graduate school.

• If you're qualified and have an interest in a clinical science graduate program, your chances are good. If you do not have too much relevant research experience, your chances of being accepted with us are slim. Being a Tucson native does not provide you with any special benefit when you apply to our program.

Question 9. Why are you so negative, and why are you trying to make it so hard for me to go to graduate school in clinical psychology?

• I am sorry you feel this way; it's not my intention to be negative. By providing you with a sense of what we're looking for in applicants to our program, I am trying to save you time down the road. I see no reason why you should waste your hard-earned money applying to the UA Graduate College if we're not a good fit with your experiences and interests. Beginning around September of each year, I receive about two emails a week from folks who want to apply to our graduate program. In the end, only about 6% of these people are admitted. Therefore, I am hopeful that you can read these FAQs and decide for yourself if the UA and my laboratory are the right place for you study clinical psychology.