(Reposted from another community). I do not have any professional connections to the field or know anyone in a doctoral program, so any advice is appreciated here.

I was planning on applying for Clinical Psychology PhDs this cycle (Nov/Dec) but do not know if my application is strong enough at this point to spend the time and money. I recently had an interview for an RA position at a Vanderbilt lab working with ICU delirium and they expressed interest in me, recommending I delay my applications to work with them for two years and publish with them. I have listed my “application info” below:

I am currently 22 and graduated with my BA in Psychology from the University of Miami in 2022, GPA of 3.5. I did two years of psych research assistant work in undergrad, then worked for a year post-grad on a perinatal depression/anxiety study grant in a psychiatric hospital. I have a coauthorship credit on an abstract that’s been sent out for publication. My letters of recommendation would be from two of my close supervisors from the undergrad research positions, and one from a more distant supervisor/professor, as I left my most recent position due to interpersonal team conflicts.

Should I still try to apply this cycle and pass on the position? Should I take the position (or continue further interviews, as there’s no offer yet) and bolster my CV before applying? Please, any perspective is appreciated.