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[grad_student]

Hi
I am in my final semester of completing my masters degree in rehabilitation counseling.  I have applied to a doctorate program in counselor education with a focus in community counseling.  I have 4 years of experience as a rehabilitation counselor working with disable individuals within the community.  I have research experience and one manuscript is currently under review for publication submission.  I have submitted one article for a newletters publication and is currently under review.  I am currently working on another research project that I want to get publish.  I currently have a 3.72 GPA in my masters program and have a 2.67 GPA in my undergraduate degree.  I have a very strong desire to get my doctorate degree and my desire to teach college is equally strong.  what are my chances of getting admitted into the doctorate program in counselor education?  If you were on the committee would you accept me?

[hegemony]

Your situation looks fairly good, but I think a lot of it would also depend on the strength of your statement of purpose, your writing sample, and your recommendations.  The scores alone don't tell everything.  Given what you have here, if I were on the admissions committee I'd want to know more about your undergrad degree and why your g.p.a. was that low.  I'd also want to know more about your specific areas of interest, what kinds of problems you're interested in, and your general literacy and energy levels.  So I don't think you've given us enough to decide, here; but there's also nothing that's a deal-breaker.

[grad_student]

As a young undergraduate student (B.S. in Social and Rehabilitation Services) I wasn't serious about school nor did I know what I wanted to be.  It wasn't until I got a job in my field and started networking with other professions that I became serious about school and began to want to get involved in my profession and pursue a higher degree.  Now that I am older I am really into my career.  My interest in the counseling field involves learning how to incorporate spirituality into counseling, disability adjustment, multicultural counseling, and college campus hazing.

[der_gadfly]

Like many others, some of us partied a bit too much as an undergrad, and this should not be a major concern.

Statement of purpose will be KEY. I might go so far as to look up the research foci of the department faculty and try to make linkages between their work and your interests. Of course, your research interests and what you do on the job may be mostly exclusive.....

BTW, college hazing is a HUGE issue - look at what profs do to their students every semester!

[hegemony]

For me, though, the "spirituality" would raise concerns -- I would be looking at your application to see if you are dogmatic, proselytizing, etc.  I don't mean to offend you personally; I'm just saying that this would be a concern with an application that said this.  I would also want some awareness of data that showed a connection between "spirituality" and improvement in those areas -- what the actual mechanism is.  It would have to be something more concrete and evidence-based than "they will develop an awareness of how we are all one," kind of thing.  Hope that helps.

[sinatra]

I agree with hegemony on the "spirituality" issue. There are a lot of problems with "evangelization" in higher ed these days. If by spirituality, you refer to a particular research focus on your part, that's a whole different matter, but it needs to be made clearer that this was your intention if so. On a more positive note, from what you write, it seems like you should be emphasizing the way in which you can identify with the people whom you would be counseling and so stand to be able to connect with them and build rapport with them better than others could. I would certainly pay more attention to an application that emphasized that aspect of your background.

[racerboy]

Based on your posts--spellcheck and grammarcheck EVERYTHING you send out...

[takapa]

There are significant differences between CACREP accredited doctoral programs in terms of acceptance rates and student profiles.  Apply to a broad array of programs and you'll likely score a hit regardless.  Do not overlook rehabilitation counseling/rehabilitation psychology doctoral programs either.  You would likely not be in the running for the rehabilitation psychology program at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, but a strong program such as that at the University of Arizona (which is rehabilitation counseling and not rehabilitation psychology) would consider you regardless of the undergrad GPA is the other materials were spot on.  Also important will be the amount of research methods and stats courses you have taken in your master's programs.  I am not in a counselor ed program, but in a related allied health field.  I work with people in such programs and the rehabilitation counseling program here is in the same school.  In the case of a rehab doctoral program, and in many cases in counselor education, the spirituality aspect will not draw any undue evaluation.  The topic is openly active in many such programs and a current hot topic more generally within the literature as well.  Your supporting materials will need to be strong.  Have your major professor in your masters program walk you through the process.

[grad_student]

I thank all of you for your advice that you have given.  I still feel the same from when I ask the question in the beginning.  I still do not have any conformation that I will have a chance of getting into the doctorate program from the answers that was given.  I originally said that I did not want to pursue a doctorate degree in rehabilitation counseling but I keep switching back and forth from rehab counseling to community counseling.  My background is all in rehabilitation counseling including professional organizations and service.  Majority of my research is tailored toward rehabilitation counseling except for one publication that is under review.  Again I thank all for your advice and any other criticism that you may have but please be nice.

[peppergal]

I'll preface this by saying counseling is not my field, so I have no idea about any specifics.  However, from your posts there is a really big red flag counting against you for admission to a PhD (any PhD).  To be blunt, your written English skills are extremely poor.  I suspect you are not a native speaker of English, which would account for the poor quality of your writing.  But if, as an admissions committee member, I saw an application written like this, I would question whether you had the skills to write a dissertation, or if you would be one of those who get so frustrated by the writing process that they leave ABD.  Furthermore, you are going into a field in which communication skills are extremely important.  If you want to pursue a PhD in an English-speaking country, you need to get a lot better at expressing yourself in English.

My advice to you is that before you apply to PhD programs, you should brush up on your language skills.

[sibyl]

You may also get better responses if you post in the "Grad School Life" forum.  Your question does not fit the subject matter of this forum.