FinallyAccepted

We'll see if this topic works out, but I thought it might be nice to set up a thread for anyone with questions related to the results search, since there's not always much info included on that page itself. Certainly some people who shared results will want to remain anonymous, but for those who are open to sharing, this could be a streamlined place to do it. So MY question is: For those of you who've reported results for interviews with UT Austin, which areas of psych does this include? I saw one person had reported on Social specifically, but there were a number of other nonspecific Psychology results. I was just wondering if all potential invites had been extended at this point? (I didn't have a phone interview with my POI but saw that others had.) Thanks in advance for anyone who has info. Reply here or PM me.

I applied to schools last year, and didn't get in. I applied again this year. I don't know about your discipline, but in psychology, it's not all that uncommon not to get in the first application cycle just because all of the programs are SO selective. There's actually a poll and forum topic ("Shutout Count") on it in the Psychology Forum section. Last year I applied, not realizing this; as the application season wore on and I learned about my peers on GC, I realized that it was naïve to assume I'd get in because I was a strong candidate with great test scores and great grades (and a masters degree). So as long as you're actually doing something and then reapplying, you've always got a shot, but if you weren't going to change anything (test scores, work experience, research experience), there probably wouldn't be much point. Mine is a strictly psychology perspective, and I haven't actually gotten in this second time, but I hope this second time is a charm for us both.

If the department says that certain classes are a prerequisite, I doubt they would exempt you from those classes based on the Psych GRE. The Psych GRE could still be helpful, though. If your undergrad is not in psychology, scoring well on the Psych GRE could show potential programs that your psychology knowledge is still pretty robust. It might help with your application even if you weren't exempted from particular courses.

My Profile. Edit Profile. Edit Signature. Or something real close to that.

Last year I sent a card and a gift. Then I didn't get in. This year, I'll send a card but no gift.

You applied last year, too (like me), but don't you feel like there's more happening earlier this year than last?

Grad school hazing.

Oh no! They've got to call back, though, right? Or e-mail? If they want you, they want you.

At this point, they may not even know. They've started sending invites. They may not yet be finished. I wouldn't call, but that's just me. It's not like if you call, they would reconsider your application or take you off a waitlist.

This was definitely something that concerned me. I have a couple tattoos, and I chose to get them in places you wouldn't see them on a normal workday. After earning my masters this year in general psychology, I wanted to get a small Greek psy on my left wrist as a meaningful reminder to myself of completing that while also working. My husband was concerned for me about interviews to get into a grad program. I kind of thought about how, if it's a program that can't handle a subject area-related tattoo, then I probably don't want to be there, but there was that part of me that thought: it's still such a competitive field, one tiny thing one way or the other could make the difference. Some people are still more conservative in that way than I am (including in my job as a high school psychology teacher)... So good for you for going with the streak. My hidden neuron tattoo will have to do for now.

I didn't apply to UCLA (other programs were a better fit for my interests), but I did check out their website. They have all of their interview weekend dates already posted, which I wish the programs I applied to had done. Indiana listed theirs, but the rest are a mystery to me unless I email specifically. Why don't more make it clear which weekend you have to keep open if you receive an invite? Is it uncertainty in the planning of interviews or an attempt to keep us from crashing?

If profs want to meet applicants at SPSP before making decisions (which makes sense), they wouldn't make decisions until after. Last year they could have made these post-SPSP decisions mid-February. This year, they couldn't make a post-SPSP decision until March. I doubt all profs would necessarily wait until SPSP, but I wonder which ones might. Get what I'm saying? (Apparently UCLA Social Psych didn't want to wait... How about that "results page," huh?)

I kind of wonder how SPSP will impact the timeline for those of us in social psychology. In 2014, it was two weeks earlier than it will be for 2015. Will we be finding out later than last year's applicants?

So many generic "psychology" interview invites, too. I want to know which area!

From watching the results page last year (I'm on my sequel year of doing this), it seems like some schools send out invites earlier than others, and within schools, some POIs may send out invitations before others. From here on, you will start seeing more and more people posting things. It's still pretty early yet, considering most programs just had that Dec. 1 submission date. So it's still early too freak out.

I noticed that as well. So far no social.

For social, it seems interview invites go out throughout December and January mostly, for January and February interview weekends. I'm not sure about clinical though. You could check the results search at the top of the page and go back to last year's dates to see when different programs let students know about invites, keeping in mind that things can always change from year to year.

May I ask, what is your field of graduate study?

When I applied to programs last year and I applied to Northwestern social psych, they put a threshold around the 80th percentile on their website. I don't know if this is typical, because there weren't a lot of programs that specified GRE scores when I did my search. I WILL say that from what I've heard from people who know more about the application process, that GRE scores might be the lowest weighted factor for applications. SOPs, letters, GPA, and overall fit seem to be more important overall. I had really great GRE scores, and I STILL got shut out last year, so obviously they didn't count for too much. Hope that's comforting. Welcome to GradCafe, Mel.

Last year, one of my letter writers told me to expect this. In fact, I hadn't heard anything else about it until it was mentioned on GradCafe, so I wasn't sure if that was how it STILL worked. I wonder about the extent to which this is true across the board, though. Would all professors really allow grad students to have so much control? I mean professors want the best applicants. They wouldn't truly allow someone else to jeopardize their lab and their legacy. Right? So the autonomy granted to graduate students doing this can't be TOO absolute and the trust necessary to relinquish this control must be merited. My response to the poll above would really have been "Yes, and while I'm not freaked the hell out, it is something I worry a little about"

All of us definitely appreciate the feedback. I applied to work with POIs taking students, POIs who were a good fit, and I have some research experience. So I probably don't have one of those terrible SOPs. What about publications? Do a lot of applicants have publications? Are there many who apply who have a non-psychology undergrad? Masters degrees?

Yeah, seriously. Honestly, it just would have been nice after not making it in last year to have had any feedback about "Why not me?" More insight on the process would be helpful.