Aspiring Shrink

Two rejections stinks, but I wouldn't give up hope just yet.
Anyway if you do get an interview, what they generally want to know is the following:



Why you?
Why here?
Can you handle it?
If accepted, will you come?

Although questions come in many forms, this is what they want to know.
They also want to know that you are a team player, have a sense of humor and work hard. One annoying question, yet important, is what are your weaknesses? and don't say, none

Good luck and please let us know how it works out.

There is no problem mentioning non-academic factors that draw you to the program in fact I've read that interviewing appreciate it. However, I would be careful not to mention them as primary factors.
For example you might say "I find your program at UM to be a perfect fit as numerous professors focus their research on x,y and z. Also it is in a beautiful city full of sunshine and natural beauty which I find conducive to my studies etc." as opposed to saying "I really hope to get in to UCLA because my parole officer won't let me leave the state"

Good luck!

I don't know, because I don't think I was accepted, but whatever you wear, don't wear a suit. I visited there and stupidly showed up in a suit jacket and skirt set and I was the single only person at the whole event, in any major, wearing a suit.

Are you going to the admitted student orientation? Is there anything I should know going in? What's the general dress code? What do you know about The New School's Psychology program?

Are you going to the admitted student orientation? Is there anything I should know going in? What's the general dress code? What do you know about The New School's Psychology program?

Hi,

I have been accepted to the Psychology program (MA). I received a letter in the mail on Monday (3/15).

Does anyone have any info to share about the program? What is it like? Is it hard to get into the PhD program? What's the general demographic? I don't know much about the program, though I love the location and the fact that it is liberal and diverse.

I wish you all the best of luck and hope to see you in the Fall.

-A. Shrink

Probably too busy or rude . I don't know which CUNY campus you applied to but City College already sent out interview invites and admits, and NYU had interviews already as well. Small chance of waitlist but I would say not likely, sorry.

I have applied to NYU and CUNY and haven't been contacted since I have submitted my applications in December. No interview no wait-list. Do you think I have any chance of getting in or are they just too busy (or rude) to let me know that I was rejected?

I am reluctant to contact a few schools who haven't yet responded. From what I'm seeing most of the applicants who requests a status update seems to get rejected. Now I don't think that they reject accepted students based on their inquiry, but I wonder if they view inquiries as annoying and perhaps an easy way to lessen the great amount of applicants by removing them from the big pile, just because they had a question. Or on a more rational note, most the people that need to inquire are more likely to get rejected being that they weren't accepted for the first round.

Am I crazy? Does anyone else notice the pattern?

Ups: It is a great and exciting city. You have to live it to understand it. It is diverse and culturally there are not many cities in the world where so many things are happening as in NY. Also, the academic environment is great, and increasingly interesting with so many important professors coming here. The consortium (Columbia, NYU, Princeton, New School) is also a great opportunity.

Downs: It is ridiculously expensive. You may pay 1500 dlls for a crappy room in an apt. in Manhattan. Brooklyn and Queens are cheaper, but still expensive upon broader comparison. I know some Columbia dorms are way cheaper than that, though. But many people I know complain about them.
Another thing is that some people living here really suck. They have dellusions of grandeur, and why can do nothing but wonder WHY. For example, NY has some great restaurants, but most of them have rude artists (waiters) with McDonald's complex that make them suck. In fact, service in general is quite crappy. You have to yell at some people for them to function, which is awkward considering that all of them are 'oh, so cool'.

Also, regardless of what we may think, the city is quite divided culturally.

In any case, it is definetely a great place to live. You end up getting used to the bad stuff, and the lack of money. But most importantly, you will defineteoly grow as a person since you will be in touch with many things you wouldn't find unless you live in similar places like London, maybe Paris, Hong Kong, etc. you know the deal.

To those of you who are graduate students in NYC, how do you make it work financially? Where do you live? Do you take out loans? Use up your inheritance? Survive on Ramen noodles? Or just spend all your waking hours in the library so as not to expend any extra income? Just wondering. . .

Given the financial benefits and the fact that they really want you, I would choose #2. However if #1 is your dream school and you will be satisfied with an MA and might regret not going there for the rest of your life, that ain't worth all the money in the world.

Good luck!

Hello,


Luckily, I have been accepted into two programs, a developmental psychology PhD program at FIU (though I can get my MA in mental health counseling) and a general psych. MA program that leads to a clinical psych. PhD, at The New School (students must complete an MA in general psych at this program before applying to the PhD program, though acceptance isn't guaranteed (3/4 chance)).

Now the issue is that I would like to get a PhD clinical psychology. Although I enjoy research and teaching, I would like to get strong cliicl training. Although I am not very familiar with the program, The New School ranks higher than FIU, but it is much more expensive and it doesn't guarantee acceptance to the PhD program (and I don't know how far a MA in general psych will get me). Either way I'm going to have to hustle; with a PhD in development I am going to have to work hard to obtain clinical training and at The New School I'm going to have to work hard to get into the PhD program.

Then of course there are issues about relocating to NYC finding jobs/housing/schools for my family, but what I need to zero in on first is, which the program or risk worth investing in.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Have you had any experience in either of the two programs? Do you have any general advice about the training or funding?

Thank you for hearing me out and I wish the best of luck to you all.

-Aspiring Shrink

Though aggravating, it doesn't necessarily mean rejection.

Did you apply for an MA or PhD?
MA programs sometimes give responses later
Some schools are swamped with apps and haven't had time to sort through them all.
But if you haven't heard a thing yet, I don't think it would be rude for you to call the office or email the POI and inquire about the status of your application.

Let us know how things work out.

Good luck,

A. Shrink

Firstly your post is really funny.
Secondly I hope you'll see my response being that you posted yesterday.
Lastly you have to handicap yourself, this year the sheer number of applicants lowers our individual odds considerably. I gave myself an honest assessment; my GPA is average, my GRE scores are OK, I have excellent letters of recommendation, substantial research and an interesting life experience. Many schools won't even find out about the two years I volunteered in a Russian orphanage or the fact that I speak four languages or that I have rabbinical ordination, because my scores aren't perfect. I don't know many professors, which I believe is what gets people in (or at least noticed). But if you have a good GPA, GRE, LOR, and a good statement of purpose, you have a good chance of getting in somewhere.
To be honest I have worked with a professor for the last to years at a school that was my first choice, and it turned out that she wasn't taking on students this year and I didn't know the other professors and I got rejected, it sucks but I put too much energy into applications that I don't have any left to get worked up. At this point getting into any program that I applied to is a blessing.
Hope this ramble was helpful and the best of luck to you.

Well this morning, I got an email from CMU titled as such (or something similar) and I knew it was a decision - the subject of the email clearly stated it. - So here is what I did before opening the email:

STEP 1 - I stared at the email for like 30 seconds, without opening it (thank God for email apps that do not show you previews)
STEP 2 - I looked through ALL my other (20 odd) emails
STEP 3 - I prayed for like 2/3 mins
STEP 4 - I got on my knees and thought about my life and how much I needed to get accepted into CMU (Carnegie Mellon Univ)
STEP 5 - I got distracted by random unfocused thoughts (I could not concentrate)
STEP 6 - I did the only logical thing to do: I opened a chinese fortune cookie
STEP 7 - I prayed again (still on my knees)
STEP 8 - I got distracted again
STEP 9 - I Google'd the person who sent me the email (He works in student services).
STEP 10- I prayed some more

Then I opened the email...CMU rejected me. After everything I jut did!!! They rejected me??? Have they no respect for what I just went through to open the email??? FYI: Apparently, rejections suck... lol

If you did anything odd/weird/interesting when you got an email/letter or other such notification from a graduate school you applied to, or you have a ritual you do before reading said notification, please share.

HORRIBLE!!!

I was in a similar situation, though not nearly as painful. Where I took a sizable pay cut in my salary so that I could take the time to do research with a POI at a school I was applying to. Turns out the day after I submitted my application, she tells me that he's not taking on any students for this coming year.

Great question:

There are many hoops you need to jump through. The first hoop is numbers, being that there are many more applicants than spots, the colleges sift through the applications based on GPA, GRE. If you make the cut then you have to have a good statement, strong letters of support and research (for psychology). After that it's really about making connections, networking. If you have been in contact with a professor over the course of six months and then they see your name in the application folder you have a much better chance of being noticed. I wish I would have been more proactive in this sense.

Good luck and please let me know how things work out.

-A.S.

Great question:

There are many hoops you need to jump through. The first hoop is numbers, being that there are many more applicants than spots, the colleges sift through the applications based on GPA, GRE. If you make the cut then you have to have a good statement, strong letters of support and research (for psychology). After that it's really about making connections, networking. If you have been in contact with a professor over the course of six months and then they see your name in the application folder you have a much better chance of being noticed. I wish I would have been more proactive in this sense.

Good luck and please let me know how things work out.

-A.S.

Welcome! Love the username, too.

Things I would advise:

1. (Already done.) Identify professors you'd like to work with. Being a good match for the department's and the faculty-members' research-interests is so important.

2. Contact these professors. Just simply emailing them and saying, 'Hi, I'm [name], and I'm applying to graduate programs for [semester]; I'm interested in your work and am wondering whether you're taking on students for then' can make an enormous difference.

3. Other people here have pointed this out lately, but finding faculty-members of interest at less-prominent institutions is easy if you just sort of follow citations around looking for papers that fascinate you. (Also, going through a long list of schools that offer linguistics MA/Ph.D. programs is a good way of finding schools that might be good bets but don't immediately come to mind.)

4. Learned the hard way this week: watch your LOR-writers closely, and if they haven't submitted their letters and the deadline is looming, nag them. Don't just assume it isn't your problem.

Good luck!

*Glowing LOR
*Strong background in research
*Interesting life experiences (spent two years of high school in other countries learning about different cultures)
*Solid work experience (teaching for 8 years, manager of home for mentally disabled, volunteered for two years in an orphanage in Ukraine)
*Broad interests (HIV, coping, marriage, adolescence, education, spirituality)
*Hard worker

I believe that I would add flavor and diversity to a program, so for the last time:

Attention all graduate programs: it would be in your best interests to accept me (quickly) into your program and offer me full scholarship, TA, RA, and fellowships.