dondraper

Thought i'd chime in here... I don't think you need to re-take it. You already have very strong scores and I don't think being two points off from the average (or whatever percentile that puts you in) is much of a big deal. Remember, it's an average... So some successful applicants have higher scores while others have lower scores than yours i'm sure. If your grades, LOR, and personal statement are already strong then I don't see any use in spending your time, effort, energy, and money to go up two points, when that time can be better spent elsewhere. My 2 cents.

Thanks for such a detailed response! Very appreciated.

I have a question re: applying to clinical psych grad programs. How exactly does the scientist-practitioner model work? I mean, if your PI and yours research focuses on depression, does that mean your clinical training will be geared toward this population? Or are individuals who go through clinical training able to diagnose/treat a host of mental health illnesses while focusing their training and practice on certain populations. Any clarification on this would be helpful! thanks.

Hey guys, Thanks a lot for your responses. As NicholasCage pointed out, when admitted to psychology Master's programs in Canada, it is usually with the expectation that the student will continue on to the PhD program if they complete the Master's satisfactorily. I believe that this is the case because the institutions invest considerable resources into the students, both financially and personally in terms of time and effort. That being said, they do not like to officially "guarantee" the spot, so students must still technically "apply", but it's more of a formality than anything else. As for the reasons why I want to switch programs, this has to do with current funding and job prospects. The other institution would have provided me more funding and co-op opportunities where I could gain experience, and much better job prospects post-graduation. I'll have the opportunity to go into academia or industry right off the bat, without having to do a post-doc. I also enjoy the content material and the PI who accepted me is exactly what I would want to study if I was doing I/O research. The particular school I was accepted to for my Master's was also in a terrific city I would enjoy living in. My current school, while it is great and I love my PI and is also in a great city, the funding and job opportunities are very bleak. I'm not sure if my PI will even have funding in the coming years (for RA funding, conferences, running studies, etc). and I already know he is very resistant to allow his students to do any applied work while completing their degree. I'd also most likely have to do a post-doc after obtaining my PhD and then face a very competitive job market. I'm not sure I'd want to spend the next 5 years or so earning a PhD while I'm practically broke and working my ass off, just to have to do a post-doc and then facing a job market where I'll continue being broke or having to move to the middle of no where, or both. Anyways, hopefully that clarifies things a bit. I'm thinking now I should apply to a number of I/O programs for my PhD and just tell my PI in September when I need to start thinking about applications. While there is no guarantee I'll even get into a I/O PhD program however, so I'm not sure what I'd do if I wasn't accepted to any programs... But i'm trying not to think about that and what a terrible mistake I made. Thanks

Hey guys, I've been having a bit of anxiety over this predicament and I thought I'd come here to ask for some guidance. Btw, I'm a Canadian student and this is in regards to Canadian programs Long story short: I applied to several Master's programs in Social and I/O Psychology. I got accepted to two schools, one for Social Psych the other for I/O psych. After a very stressful period of deliberation, I decided to do my Master's in social psych as I had a better relationship with my PI and I thought I would enjoy the content material more. I just completed my first year and will be completing my Master's this coming academic year. Having completed my first year, I feel I made a mistake in the school I chose. I think I should have opted to go to the school I was accepted to for I/O psychology. I believe I have very valid reasons for wanting to do this that most people would agree with. My question is: Should I re-apply to the school I was accepted for I/O psych for the PhD program? This has been giving me a bit of anxiety because: (1) I may not get accepted again, for the PhD (2) I'd have to get LOR from my current PI who believes I have intentions to complete my PhD at my current institution. In other words, I'd be effectively cutting myself out of a pretty much guaranteed spot in the PhD program at my current school so long as I complete my Master's (which I intend to do). (3) If I don't get accepted at the other school and I cut off my options at this school, I may be left with nothing... Anyways, if anyone can provide their experience with a similar situation, or their thoughts and suggestions, that would be great. Thanks a lot, A bit stressed out.