MsDarjeeling

I agree with lewin. The professor either thought it was a compliment or perhaps wasn't thinking period before speaking, but I don't think you should view it negatively. It sounds like your following up really sealed the deal and removed the concern that this school was just your back up plan. Congratulations!

Well if her advisor saw the comment before you deleted it you can't change that. It doesn't sound like you said anything negative about the application process or made any assumptions about whether you're accepted or not, which is good. Regardless I agree that it is better not to discuss pending matters such as this on facebook or other social media sites because you never know who may be looking or how they'll interpret your comments. Next time you want to chat up your friend and discuss this send her an email instead. Also be prepared for this to be casually be mentioned in conversation with your advisor or someone else of importance. All you need to say is that you were so excited about the next step in the application process you had a brain fart and forgot that it may not be wise to put that information on a public platform. You quickly realized the post may be viewed as unprofessional, promptly deleted it, and will be more mindful of your posts in the future. That's it, enough said. From what you've said it doesn't seem like this will negatively impact your chances with this program. Good luck!

Thanks for saying this. I'm not an advanced graduate student yet, but I swear 95% of the coursework I've done in my Master's program has been busywork. It seriously drives me crazy! I do however spend as much of my free time as I can reading on topics of interest, trying to learn what new research is out there, bios of particular faculty/researchers, etc. It's nice to know now that going into a PhD there will be even more busywork, because I actually thought it would end lol. Silly me =)

Thanks for elaborating.

Would you please elaborate? I'm very interested in additional insights you have since you just made it successfully out of the application process.

I want to apply to 10-12 PhD programs. So far I have 6 that are at the top of my list, 2 safety choices, and 5 that I'm still reviewing. My original list of schools to consider was like 35 so I think I've made good progress lol. Then of course some schools haven't opened up their Fall 2014 applications yet so they may decide not to take students at all, which could affect where I apply.

Why not apply for Fall 2014 and then have a back up plan in place just in case you don't get in anywhere? If you get in great, you'll be on to the next journey. If not then you'll have a plan to strengthen your application for the next round.

Actually I was just going to suggest scrubs as we know they're durable in the wash and they hold up to all kinds of behaviors. You can just buy the tops and pair them with jeans or whatever work pants you decide. When considering jeans make sure they aren't the trendy ones with hanging accessories, rips, etc. The inexpensive ones you find at places like Target or Sears should be fine. Also I'm not sure if there is one where you are, but there are these stores that specialize in uniforms where you can get things like scrubs, construction clothing, work boots, etc. They will definitely have other durable tops/pants options, but they may be a little pricier. If I were in your shoes I wouldn't care if everyone else were wearing scrubs or not, I'd care about my own budget and my ability to keep replacing clothes that get ruined at work. I would not go with the t shirt option largely because t shirts tear really easily.

Thanks for that link. It mentioned an article on application kisses of death that I found quite useful.

Ahhh that is interesting and certainly something for me to keep in mind. Thank you for the insight.

What a great topic and certainly something I've started to ponder as I conduct my own research and ponder the possibility of publishing and presenting at conferences. On the one hand I agree that something presented publicly reasonably makes it "up for grabs", but on the other hand it seems like the appropriate (and professional!) action would be to offer to collaborate with said presenter or cite said presenters work within ones own work. It seems that something like this might be avoided if research was only presented after it had been submitted for publication that way during the conference one could say "and publication is pending." That would nudge members of the audience doing similar work to either suggest collaboration or to cite the presenters work. I do realize that this isn't always possible especially if one hasn't finished writing up their work or the research is in progress. Out of curiosity, is there an advantage to presenting research that is in progress at conferences? As for graduate seminars, yes I would say that in some cases professors use them to generate fresh ideas to further their research. However, when a student comes up with a really good idea the professor wants to use then they can ask that student if they're interested in collaborating on the research. If the student declines then the professor is still free to run with the idea. This has happened in my program, but perhaps not in others.

I'm in an MA program too and am spending my summer taking a few courses, doing research, teaching, studying for the GRE, and writing my SOPs. Wow when I spell it all out it sounds like a ton of work lol.

I'm in a non-cohort Master's program now and love it, but let me state that is because it is a perfect fit for my personality. I can take whatever classes I want each semester based on my own personal needs and establish my own degree completion timeline. New people enter the program constantly so there are always new and old faces. Each student is held to the same standard, but our grades are based on our individual merit. This works for me because I love to work independently. I have no interest in what or how the other students are learning, their future plans, their motivations for being in the program, and I'm not there to make friends. I'd rather focus on my own goals and interests and seek out my own opportunities if I need to be further challenged. There is very little group work required in the program which I like because my experiences with group work in undergrad were horrific. There was always some lazy jerk that did absolutely nothing and got an A because of the hard work of myself and the other group members and somehow professors find that acceptable. No thanks. I will be going the PhD route after this and more of those programs are cohort based which admittedly concerns me. The idea of staring at the same people all the time and hearing the same opinions makes me wonder how that generates new thought processes and perspectives. I don't think it will be so bad if grades are completely merit based, we're allowed to explore our own interests outside of core cohort coursework, we're not forced to make friends with others (that either happens naturally or it doesn't), and there is little group work. I'd like the option to work above and beyond the minimum requirements for my cohort if I choose, but that's probably something I'd have to discuss with an advisor. Of course all of that is my ideal, but if its not the case then I'll figure out a method of adapting without tearing my own hair out lol.

jbean are you in touch with any of your professors from undergrad? If so (or if you can reasonably reaquaint yourself) ask them if they are working on any funded research projects you can assist with. Sure they may not be able to pay much more than a small stipend (if anything at all), but they may be willing to let you assist them on a part time basis so you can keep your day job. Let them know that you'd love to work on something that will be submitted for publication so further boost your phd applications as well. If they aren't working on anything perhaps they have a colleague that would love the assistance of an eager phd hopeful? I am currently doing this with one of my professors in my Master's program. She has a multi year funded research project and agreed to let me take ownership of a portion of it (which is really 2 research projects within her big umbrella project) in exchange for her guidance, a lor, publication submission assistance, and a possible conference presentation. She isn't paying me, but she'll cover any necessary expenses and I get to work from home on a part time basis as long as I regularly update her and meet her deadlines. This allowed me to accept a teaching position, which I also wanted to boost my phd application. This arrangement is working so well for me that I contacted another professor to find out what she's working on and am hoping to get started with her soon.

A lot of this will depend on the schools you apply to for PhD programs. When I researched this very question each school told me they review applicants applying with Master's degrees on a case by case basis. They do take into consideration if say undergrad gpa was lower with less experience and the Master's gpa is much higher and more experience was gained. What they want to see is that you have improved in multiple areas (gpa, research, teaching, internship, thesis, etc) and can actually handle PhD level work. They also look to see that your Master's degree is in line with your long term plans as are your research interests. If your Master's degree shows no improvement from undergrad and no new skills were developed then they'll wonder why you bothered and will still question your ability to handle PhD level work. From what you've said of what you're doing it sounds like you've more than demonstrated the ability to handle PhD level work, you've improved your gpa, and gained thesis and teaching experience. All of that certainly looks good based on the advice from my research on this matter. I did not inquire about any algorithms within the actual application, but I'm wondering if the application would immediately be flagged for review because a Master's degree is listed in addition to a BA/BS. That would make sense if schools are to review them on a case by case basis. Or perhaps the initial algorithm just checks gpa (in which case your Master's one would be listed) and GRE scores, then it goes to the next stage for more indepth review.

First let me say that I did not do an MFT program. I did however consider one years ago and I had the same fears you did so I did a lot of research before commiting to anything. 1) I started talking to people in the field, including just starting, been in a few years, and been in over a decade. I interviewed them about all aspects of their job including hours, current/past/projected pay, likes, dislikes, ease of finding a job, types of clients, paperwork/billing, work options other than therapist, job perks, burn out, work/life balance, ability to expand interests, continuing education, license requirements, etc. I also asked them how long it took them to get through school, where they went and how they liked/disliked the program, how they paid for it, if they have loans how they're doing paying them off/when they'll be fully paid off, etc. 2) I did a lot of research online about MFT related jobs, MFT degree programs, and licensure requirements both in California (where I live) and other states (in case my life shifts and I want/need to move). 3) I spent 2 years volunteering for an organization that provided therapy to a variety of clients to get more of a behind the scenes look at what they do. After all of that I decided that the MFT (or even LCSW/LPC/etc) route wasn't for me. Out of everything I had learned about the field I liked less than 10% of it and I knew after a year in the field I'd be miserable and ticked off over the amount of loans I had to pay back while so unhappy. I tell you this not to discourage you, but to encourage you to thoroughly research this option before you start your program. Yes your program starts in the fall, but you still have the summer to do some research and then decide if this is the right direction or the wrong direction. You don't want to dive in head first and then find out after the fact that you hate what you're doing, are up to your eyeballs in debt, and can't find a way out. You may do some research and fall madly in love with the field. You may do some research and stumble upon a slightly different path and then can better target your graduate education to meet your new/expanded goals. You may do some research and come to the same conclusions I did and then start from scratch figuring out what you want to do.

I'm applying for PhD programs in Clinical Psychology for Fall 2014.

I think this is largely going to depend on how you feel as you try out this schedule. When I was in undergrad I preferred to have classes all day Tues and Thurs so I could work the other days. School days sometimes started at 7am and ended at 9pm and I usually had at least 1 hour free for a meal. I loved this schedule. I was able to work as much as I needed and study as needed. Now in my Master's program day classes aren't an option. So I have classes 2 weeknights until 10pm and all day Saturday. The Saturdays are a drag. Even with a lunch break they drone on forever and I frequently ask myself what the heck I was thinking. I do however have time to work 30+ hours during the day and keep Sunday as a day off. On weeknights I have a 30 minute break between the two classes and it is absolutely necessary. I can eat dinner, clear my head, get some exercise to stay awake, etc. If possible I think you should try to schedule at least one break between your classes, but if that's not an option then make sure you pack some snacks.