Duyen Trang, graduating IMSD Scholar, recently attended the Diversifying Clinical Psychology (DCP) Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Duyen has recently applied to Ph.D. programs in Clinical, Counseling, and Developmental Psychology and has received invitations in each of those disciplines. Upon receiving an Outstanding Research Poster award at the DCP Conference, the IMSD Program staff asked her to write about her experience at the conference:
Duyen said that although she had already applied to graduate programs and received invitations to interview, the conference “still offered wonderful resources” to continue her learning experience. She believes that participating in opportunities like the DCP is important, as its overall goal is to increase underrepresented groups in Clinical Psychology doctoral programs and provide support for them. The networking and exposure to important contacts is one of the most beneficial aspects of participating in this conference: Duyen shared with us that she “had a chance to deliver a poster presentation to an audience consisting of Clinical Directors from across the nation. It was a wonderful experience to showcase my research, receive feedback from experts within the field, and network with Clinical Directors to increase my chances during the graduate school admission process.”
After presenting her research, Duyen was selected for an Outstanding Research Poster Award. Duyen ended our interview by stating that she “highly encourages all students to seek opportunities to present at student, regional, and national conferences to get a scholarly experience, in which they learn to speak eloquently about their research, network with others, and get exposed to various exciting research projects that align with their interests.” If you or someone you know is interested in applying to to present at the DCP, one could expect to attend different workshops to enhance students’ academic profiles (i.e., getting into grad schools, letter of recommendation binder, tips after you have applied, APA Graduate Student resources).
