Knox

Yes, 90% of them are dead on. Dead. On.

This is super common, it will not be a big deal. Especially since you're not missing the actual interview. Don't fret.

I'm already attending but... definitely my first interview invite. I applied for grad school completely on a whim. Decided to apply somewhere around the first week of October, took the GRE about a week later, and threw together applications in about a month. It all happened so fast that it didn't sink in what I had done until around Christmas. After that I was refreshing my email compulsively waiting for an interview invite from my top choice since the results section said they sent out emails the first week of January. So, one day in early January I was super busy and didn't have time to refresh my email every 2 minutes like normal, so I just happened to notice that I had had an email sitting there for THREE HOURS. I flipped out and opened it, and it was from my top choice with the subject line "Interview Day". Best moment ever. That's when it actually sunk in.

I had three letter writers. Two of them were strictly academic/professional relationships, so I only sent them handwritten thank you cards letting them know where I had decided to attend. The third I had a closer relationship with, so I sent her a Barnes and Noble gift card along with the thank you note.

I'm a single parent with a 3 year old little girl and I'm currently in a PhD program. I got pregnant during senior year of my undergrad, and took all my finals 2 days after she was born. I've been in school full time and working full time since she was born, and I've managed fine. Sometimes it's hard (midterm and finals week in particular), especially since I'm on my own without the help or financial support of a spouse or partner, but we survive. It's definitely doable. Congratulations!

I probably put in around 60-65 hours a week. However, my situation is a bit different as I am a single parent and still work part time at the job I got after undergrad. I'm unlike others in that I'm committed to my program, but I'm happy to put in only moderate time and effort for my degree, because I'm more committed to my kid. I think I find a good balance. But I definitely couldn't get away with less than 60 hours a week and still keep up. If I wasn't a mother, I would have no problem living in the lab and putting in 80 hour weeks. My priorities have just shifted a bit.

ffg, I contacted multiple professors at every school that applied to. There were at least 2-3 at each school that had interests similar to mine. Contact all of them.

I won't be attending the U of U for grad school, but I completed my undergrad there and grew up in Salt Lake. So if anyone has any questions about the area or the school, feel free to PM me! Barring the snow, you'll love it here.

Schools will definitely still consider you. Some schools have cut offs, but that's usually 3.0, and it's just for weeding out unqualified applicants. The other parts of your application will offset the lower GPA. All of the schools that I applied to asked for a cumulative GPA (from all schools attended), major GPA (mine was psych as well), and GPA for your last 60 hours. Psych and upper division GPAs generally carry more weight than overall. Also, if you show an upward trend in grades (freshman year 3.0 to senior year 3.9, etc.) rather than getting progressively lower, that will be to your favor. If you have had struggles in the past, they want to see improvement. Some schools have a section for you to explain any flaws in your application, or you could address it in your SOP, but I wouldn't. The rest of your application is strong, and I wouldn't waste any time making excuses or justifying low grades. Just play to your strengths. I have a failing grade from my very first semester of undergrad, and even though it was for a legitimate reason, I didn't waste a single breath on it. Just talk about all the awesome things you're doing now, not about the things you did wrong in the past. I don't know much about your questions regarding community college, but most schools will want transcripts from every college attended, including CC. All college courses will be used to calculate a cumulative GPA, but like I said, your junior and senior grades will likely matter the most. Truthfully, I think you have a strong application. GRE scores are good, experience is good, LORs should be good. Clinical programs are insanely competitive, so cram as much research in as you can over the next year, and make sure you're picking schools with a good fit. You'll be fine. Good luck!

Ha, nope, although I did apply to Florida. Unless you're really big into college football, I'm willing to bet no one outside of my state knows or cares about this rivalry!

This isn't quite the same situation as I wouldn't call mine a larger family issue, but I definitely factored family into my decision. I'm a single mom to a toddler and received offers ranging from an hour away from my current hometown to the opposite side of the country. My entire family lives within 20ish minutes of me now, so I had to decide whether it was worth it to stay nearby with a lot of support and plenty of free babysitting, or pick up and move across the country on my own with a toddler, where I didn't know a soul. As much as I would have loved to move down to Florida and escape the cold of the Rockies, I decided it just wasn't the best decision for myself or for my daughter. Moving would mean taking her away from her dad, her cousins, and her grandparents, and taking me away from my biggest support. Not to mention the added cost of paying a stranger to watch my daughter. In the end, you have to do what you think is best for YOU long term. If you think you'd be happy in a program in your hometown, it's financially plausible, and there's an added bonus of being there for your family in the event of medical or financial turmoil, then stay. But if you think that you'd be happier in another city experiencing something new, I wouldn't let the guilt of leaving your family hold you back. 4 and a half hours is still close enough that you could get home quickly if you needed to.

I applied for Clinical Neuropsych programs as well. The competition is insane. Hopefully it all works out for you this round, but if it doesn't, I wouldn't bother with a Master's degree. Maybe if you could find one that was fully funded, but those are few and far between. From what I understand, a lot of the coursework won't roll over into a PhD Neuropsych program, so you'd essentially be starting from scratch. And you already know there's very little you can actually do with a Master's in our field. You'd be much better off getting in another year of heavy duty research and beefing up your application. I know that sucks, but application season is already only 6 or so months away, and I think you'd be happier waiting for a PhD program than settling for a Master's. (Not that I feel getting a Master's degree is settling by any means, but in the field of neuropsychology, it's a waste, let's be honest.) Hopefully this is all moot and you get that spot...good luck!

I just accepted an offer at my alma mater's rival school. And I'm talking like, huge, evil, people would die for this kind of rivalry. So I definitely won't be purchasing any clothing or notebooks sporting the school's name. I'm extremely loyal to my undergrad institution (ha, except the fact that I'll be spending more years at our rival than I did there...), so I'd feel like a huge traitor in their clothing. I'm kind of sad, cause if it were any other school, I'd be going crazy at the bookstore right now. It's unfortunate that my undergrad school didn't have the program I wanted or POI's who interested me, and our rival happened to match up with my goals perfectly. I guess my loyalty lies only with football and not academia.

Yes, apply. Your stats are actually quite good. Programs are not going to care that you got an F and a couple C's in your first 2 years. They want to see that you have shown progression and improvement and worked to bring up your grades, which you have. Sounds like you have great research experience and letters of recommendation under your belt, so study like mad and kill the GRE. I have no doubt that your application will get you into a program, if you apply wisely. I have an almost identical background. I was pre-med my entire undergraduate career, and I switched to psychology at the last minute after realizing medicine wasn't quite where I saw myself. I have one E (equivalent to F) and a few W's on my transcript for my very first semester, due to some medical issues. I have good research and clinical experience, and decent GRE scores. I didn't even bother explaining or justifying my poor first semester grades, I just worked my butt off and got my crap together, and the admissions committes could see that. If you show consistent improvement, that's all they care about. As others have said, it's not all about GPA. Make sure you're applying to programs that will be a good fit, research-wise. Study for the GRE. Keep up the research. I applied to 8 Clinical Psychology PhD programs, and was accepted into 4. They aren't Harvard or Stanford, but they're all great programs with faculty and research that complement my interests perfectly. If they weren't deterred by my application, I assure you they won't be by yours.

Definitely have a LOT of questions prepared. My interviews were so laid back, that there were several interviewers who literally sat down and said, "Ok, so tell me what questions you have about the program." Then I had to fill the entire 20-30 minute period asking my questions. It doesn't matter if you repeat the exact same questions to different people - just have a lot of them ready. Also, don't lie. Don't pretend to love addiction or mood disorders or whatever they're studying if you're really interested in Autism. Be completely honest about what you're looking for in an advisor and program because that's how you find the best fit. If you're interviewing for Clinical Psych, dress in business attire. Suit, tie, slacks, blazer, skirt, etc. Be confident, but not arrogant. Know the school. Know the department. Know the faculty. Ask questions. Relax.

Have you checked the results section for your schools? http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/ I'm applying to Clinical Psych programs and all of them interview. Most of the ones that I've already interviewed at said they wouldn't accept students without an in-person interview. However, I have heard of applicants being alternates or waitlisted without an interview. Not often though. I don't know how different it is for Clinical programs, but as far as I know, most Psychology programs in general interview.

I'm a single mom to a 2 year old girl, and I've gotten mixed reviews about this as well. I had kind of assumed that it would be detrimental to mention her, as she will obviously always come first, before a PhD or anything else. Plus, if I have to move across the country alone with a toddler, that can obviously be seen as a risk to such a big commitment. Some faculty members that I spoke with at my alma mater said that they would not personally care that I had a child, but that I should not give admissions commitees any reason to turn me down. Others told me that it would show motivation and tenacity that I still graduated Magna Cum Laude while working full time as a single parent. In the end, I briefly mentioned the fact that I had a daughter in my SOP, but only because it directly related to my interests/goals and pertained to the questions asked. I was extremely nervous to submit it, and I know I took a huge risk by virtually saying that I would be moving to a new city, alone with a 2 year old, and into a rigorous PhD program. So far, I've been invited to interview at one of my reach schools and top choices, so it obviously didn't leave too bad of an impression. I'm feeling a little better about it now, so hopefully other schools will follow suit.