Prospective Graduate Students

Please read through Dr. Davis's answers to the following frequently asked questions for more information about applying to the lab. If you have a question that is not answered below, please email her.

What do you look for in prospective student?

Admission to the VT Clinical Science is very competitive, and admitted students have excellent academic records, at least one year of research experience, and strong letters of recommendation. If you feel your application is lacking in any of these areas, please address it in your personal statement or ask one of your trusted letter writers to do so.  For the program at large, and my lab in particular, it is not required that applicants have authorship on scientific publications. However, experience with scientific writing through senior honors theses, independent research projects, and conference presentations - even if unpublished! -  is viewed very favorably. 

For my lab, applicants are encouraged to include the following in their personal statements as part of the VT Clinical Science program: (1) Statement of interest in working with me, (2) A detailed set of reasons why they are interested in the SEED lab, (3) What experiences they have had in their undergraduate or postbaccalaureate training that would enable them to be successful in the SEED lab, and (4) What interests or project ideas they might like to pursue as a graduate student in the SEED lab.

In terms of personal characteristics, students who are self-driven, curious, and not afraid to ask questions that deepen their understanding and improve their work are likely to be successful in my lab. If you are excited about your work, enjoy collaborating with your colleagues, and are eager to learn and grow, you will likely fit in well! 

Importantly, students of all backgrounds and identities are encouraged to apply. I seek to recruit students who respect diversity and multiculturalism, and are reflective about how their cultural background and identities influence their beliefs, work, and social interactions. My lab is a safe and welcoming space for students of all backgrounds and identities.

What is your mentorship style?

My mentorship style can best be described as collaborative and goal-driven. My mentees and I work together to help develop their interests, clarify their goals, and take steps toward achieving established goals. I find this is best accomplished with frequent meetings, encouragement, and feedback regarding progress. I strive to help my students gain increasing independence throughout our work together, such that they feel more autonomous and confident at the conclusion of our work than they did at the start.

Do I need to have research experience specifically in eating disorders to apply?

Nope! You only need to have research experience (at least one year) in a psychology lab. Though it is important to establish your interest in a topic area before comitting to study that topic for the next 4+ years, I absolutely understand that not every student will have the opportunity to gain research experience in the area they wish to study in graduate school. I encourage applicants without formal research experience in eating disorders to instead describe their specific research interests in their personal statement and discuss any academic or professional experiences they have had that have helped solidify that interest. Applicants are also encouraged to expand upon the research experiences they have accumulated outside the field eating disorders that would translate well to their work in the SEED lab.

Can we set up a meeting to talk before I apply?

Although I would love to meet with each student that is interested in applying to my lab, I unfortunately do not have the time to do so, and I must prioritize my limited time for my current graduate students and research assistants. In addition, and importantly, I use a standardized rubric and interview to evaluate applicants to my lab during the VT Clinical Science program formal interview process. I worry that pre-application interviews may bias my impressions before this process even begins. Because pre-application interviews may systematically disadvantage students who are not aware of the option to ask for them, I prefer not to do them and instead wait until the interview season begins to meet applicants.

Should I email you before I apply?

It is not required that you email me before applying. Students that email me before applying do not have an advantage over students who do not email me before applying. You are absolutely welcome to email me if you have specific questions about the SEED lab, Clinical Science training program, or Virginia Tech in general.

Information about applying to the Clinical Science PhD program at Virginia Tech is available here. 

A very comprehensive guide to applying to PhD programs in Clinical Psychology, written by Dr. Mitch Prinstein, is available here.

An excellent set of resources for navigating academia, especially for students from backgrounds underrepresented in academic, is available here.