3. Who is a good fit as a graduate student in my lab?
This list is not exhaustive, and sometimes “fit” is not entirely quantifiable (much to my chagrin). With those caveats aside, some general indicators of good fit are below. However, please note that my review process is holistic. Competitive applicants don’t have to have all of the indicators below. If you have most of the below indicators, I’d encourage you to apply!
1. You want a research career focused on eating disorders and/or suicide. i.e., you want to publish papers, you want to be savyy with stats/methods, etc., and you want your expertise to be in eating disorders and/or suicide. This is a necessary criterion for competitive candidates. If your interests are not primarily related to eating disorders or suicide, I will not have the necessary expertise to give you the graduate training and experience you need.
2. You have relevant experience. For example, you completed a senior thesis, worked as a post-bacc research coordinator, OR you have experience doing other things that required systematic adherence to a procedure or protocol (e.g., you did computer coding, you managed an extremely difficult scheduling system, etc.)
*Please note that historically, I’ve received applications from a pool of extraordinarily talented and qualified candidates. There are far more talented applicants than I can interview, so I have to make tough cuts. (And FWIW, I really feel for those applying. This process is seriously so competitive and hard.) The applicants I’ve invited to interview have often had 3+ years of relevant research experience, with 1-2 years being full time. These experiences have often resulted in first-authored papers (under review or published). These are not hard and fast cutoffs but I’m sharing these stats for transparency. If you’ve had fewer than 3 years of research-relevant experience but you’ve had other experiences that have substantially prepared you for a research-intensive degree, please describe in your statement of purpose what these experiences are and how they expanded your research skillset and readiness.
3. You are already savvy with stats and want to get even more savvy, and you want to apply your stats skills to topics like suicide and/or eating disorders. Stats interests and/or skills are especially desirable, given the intensive longitudinal data I’m currently collecting and plan to collect in the future. If you have these interests and/or skills, please highlight them in your statement of purpose!
Examples of stats savviness include (but are not limited to):
- using R
- data wrangling and management
- writing and using syntax
- big data
- multilevel data
- ecological momentary assessment data
- longitudinal and time series data/modeling
- idiographic methods
- machine learning
- data visualization
4. You can balance multiple demands and projects at once.
5. You don’t give up easily. I think lots of people drawn to clincal psychology are naturally curious. You’re always going to want to learn more about new topics, learn new methods, ask new questions, etc. In order to learn all this new stuff, you’re probably going to have to fail a lot. There’s going to be stuff you don’t know, stuff you messed up because you didn’t know, etc. Recovering effectively from those failures is crucial, if you’re to be successful in my lab (or most others). Recovering from those failures means being open to learning more, being open to fixing mistakes, being open to feedback, and persisting despite struggling. For instance, midway through grad school I taught myself how to use R. That learning curve was steep. There were many times when I didn’t know how to do something and spent hours googling to find the solution (which is still true…to use R is to google using R!). Even though the struggle is not enjoyable in the moment, finally figuring out the solution is so rewarding to me. I wouldn’t get that reward if I didn’t persist. I think that type of mentality will serve you well in my lab.
6. You want to do this work because you care about people and want to contribute to making the world a better place. The conditions my lab studies are devastating. People participating in the lab’s research studies or seeking treatment for eating disorders or suicidal thoughts and behaviors are often going through the worst times of their lives. My lab wants to contribute to a better understanding of these conditions and better treatment for these conditions, to help people get closer to their lives worth living.
7. You care about reducing health inequities. I am not an expert on health inequities or disparities. But as I continue growing and learning, I’m realizing more and more just how far clinical psychological science (and society more broadly) has to go in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. My research is increasingly trying to understand and represent the experiences of groups who have been excluded from research, with a specific current focus on suicidal thoughts and behaviors among sexual minority individuals.
8. You’re a go-getter and you go over and above. I am meticulous, conscientious, and I like pushing myself to do challenging things. I work well with people who approach their work similarly. For example, I read and reread drafts numerous times. I tinker with figures 20+ times until they’re conveying exactly what I want them to convey. I applied for grants early in grad school and as faculty, even when the grants were intimidating (some still are!). When I don’t know the answer to something, in many cases I try to figure out the answer by myself before asking someone what the answer is.
