MsAmira

Thanks for the feedback

Hello! I would like to know how likely I am to get accepted into a Master's program in psychology after I declined their offer of admission the previous year. Last year the school accepted me with a 50% tuition scholarship but I declined it because I accepted an offer into a clinical program somewhere else. But now due to funding and other issues, I am re-applying to that Master's program. Also, how likely is it that I get accepted with the same type of funding (since it's merit based and my profile hasn't changed much) Thanks

I'm in a difficult situation. I am currently in my first year of study in a clinical program. Unfortunately, the program appears to not be the right fit for me. The first reason is because I am required to complete a Master's in theology or intercultural studies alongside my PhD in clinical psychology (these are the requirements of the Christian institution I am attending). It's hard for me to justify all the extra courses and cost that will go towards this Master's that I'm not very interested in doing in the first place. The second reason is that the school I am currently in provides very little funding and as an international student, funding is especially important!So I am looking at applying to the New School of Social Research which offers an MA in psychology and after completing the MA, I apply to their PhD program in clinical psychology (which is an additional 3 years since the MA already counts for the first 2 years). The application process for the NSSR is internal and they typically receive 25-30 applicants from their MA program for the clinical program and select 15-17 students. The website says that maintaining a high GPA (3.7+) and being involved in a faculty's lab gives you a pretty good chance of getting into the clinical program. Also the NSSR provides way more funding than the school I'm currently in.So my difficult decision is do I leave a clinical program that is not the right fit for an MA program that has a decent chance of advancing into the clinical program (obviously no guarantees). I tried to make this post short... any advice would be really appreciated, I'm losing sleep over this! Thanks

Hi everyone!I am currently in a clinical program, I just started this year and unfortunately, it seems that the program is not the right fit for me. In addition, I am coming to learn that the school has limited funding, so financially speaking, I don't even think it will be feasible for me to stay there (especially as an international student). Does anyone know if already being admitted into a clinical program would hinder my chances of being accepted into another clinical program? How can I explain my situation in the interview process without seeming like a student who can't commit to a program?Thanks!

Thanks for the reply! If I get accepted into another clinical program (with more funding), that would be ideal! But, the program I mentioned is a Master's and then I would apply to that school's clinical program. Because the application process is internal (they only take students from the master's program), I would have a decent chance to get in (depending on grades, etc)m but it would still be a risk. But yes, I do need to be in a clinical program to do what I want to do!

Hello fellow grad students/applicants! I'm in a bit of a pickle I am currently in my first year of study in a clinical program. However, there are a few things about my program that are making me wonder whether it's the right fit for me. I'll just focus on the money part for this post because I don't want to make it too long! So essentially, because I attend a small college, in terms of funding, it is quite limited as I am finding out and tuition is very expensive. I am also a Canadian student and the current exchange rate isn't exactly helping my situation either! At this rate, with the limited scholarships available, I am beginning to wonder whether it's even feasible for me to stay at the school. I know I will incur debt as a graduate student in a clinical psychology program, but I don't want my debt to be unreasonable either. So transferring to a cheaper program may be the best option. I am looking at a Master's program in psychology (a non-clinical program). I am unsure about it because it isn't a clinical program, but it is much more affordable and with decent grades, there's a good chance of progressing onto the clinical program. Any advice would be really appreciated!

Thanks so much ! I think the main thing is to stay calm and not freak out. Good luck on your applications!

Hello all Does anyone have any tips or insight about what expect for clinical psychology interviews? I have been invited for an orientation/interview day, and I don't know what to expect! Heck, I don't even know what to wear! Any words of advice would be very appreciated. Thanks!

That is a tough situation. I feel it's not good planning from their part to not have enough slots for the students they want to interview, but if the Grad office said it would not be impacting the decision, then I wouldn't worry. Have you followed up with them in terms of other possible openings? Best of luck!

Thanks Yeah, I wasn't going to put "main supervisor" but just wanted to specify that one prof I already reach out to her and she seemed interested in having me work with her, but the other prof, I only found out just recently about him. Thanks so muuch!

Hi all! I'm in a bit of a dilemma contacted a POI back in Sept who does research in neuropsychology, and she seemed very interested in taking me on. At the same time however, I'm also interested in trauma psychology and I only just very recently came across another professor from the same school whose research is in the area of trauma. But because I just came across this info, I haven't gotten the chance to contact him. The school I'm applying to does highlight the interdisciplinary aspect of their clinical program (I'm applying to York). So it seems like it's not necessarily a bad thing being interested in two research areas! But my dilemma is that, how can say that Prof #1 (neuropsych) is my main supervisor, but I'm also interested in Prof's #2 (trauma) research without seeming undecided. And also, I don't want to shoot myself in the foot by mentioning in my SOP another faculty from a different research area if I already found a POI who seemed interested in taking me on. Basically, in my SOP I am going to write that I have an interest in trauma psychology along with my interest in neuropsych, however should I mention the other professor by name? Or is it better to just say I'm interested in trauma psyc and look forward to taking advantage of the interdisciplinary aspect blah blah... Any advice?? thank youuu

I'm applying to 7

Okay That's great advice. Thank you!

Hello! I finished my SOP and I hit a writer's block at the VERY last sentence. I am applying to the Clinical Psychology PhD program at City College and my last sentence goes something like: "Acceptance into the PhD program at City College would greatly benefit me as I pursue my research and career objectives." I find it kind of bland... and I can't seem to think of another good way to finish my SOP with a BANG! Any ideas? I just need some inspiration. It's really just this one last sentence. Thank you!!

I was going through the average scores for students who got into Columbia. Prior to 2012, the Psyc GRE was required and the average scores hovered around 680. So I think having a score around 700 is pretty good

Me too!!

I just got mine too and I was wondering what a competitive score is? As for optional psychology GRE, I haven't bothered sending mine

Hi there, I know how you feel. The GRE can be such a pain, and the stress of having to write it again is no fun at all! I've been there! Hopefully you will do better this time! As for the SOP, I don't think you should mention why you have a low GRE. I think the focus should be spent on your strengths and career goals. You would want to highlight those. The profs will see your GRE scores, and I don't necessarily think that you need to give them an explanation. They know that some students will score higher than others. How is your GPA looking? Do you have good research/work/volunteer experience? Good luck!

I believe you program may place quite a bit of emphasis on the quantitative section, seeing that you are applying to a science program. 153 isn't bad but it's not great either. If you can afford to re-take it, I would recommend it. But I second the above suggestion, check the program requirements or look at the average gre score for accepted applicants and you should get a rough idea of how high your scores need to be. Good luck!

Wow! Perfect score! Good job!

I was in a similar situation. I scored 156 on the Verbal and 150 on the Math. I wasn't pleased with my Math score, but at the same time, I really didn't want to re-take the GRE again. I thought about it and realized that I didn't want to risk weakening my application because I didn't retake the GRE. So I re-took it and managed to bump by Math score to 153 (which isn't phenomenal but still above the 50th percentile). All this to say, if you have the time, money and energy to re-take the GRE I would recommend it. What helped me a lot was the online course on Magoosh.com. They offer a lot of helpful lessons for common GRE math questions, along with tons of practice questions. Best of luck, I know how you feel!

Hmm... I don't know much about the program you're applying to, but I would have to say, only take the GRE if the programs you are looking to apply to require it and if you have the time and money to invest in preparing for the exam because it is a hard exam! It's not something that you can cram the week before (well some people do it, but it's not recommended). It took me two months to prepare for the GRE, and even after all that prep, I re-wrote the GRE a second time because I wasn't satisfied with my original scores. Each time you take the GRE it costs 200$ (for Canadians anyways). So it's definitely something you need to think about. All this to say, if the GRE is not required, or if you don't think it'll make a huge impact on your overall application, I would not take it.

Your quantitative is fine, but I would have to agree with the others on this thread that your verbal is low. If you are able to take the GRE again, I would recommend it. What helped me a lot the online course on Magoosh.com. They provide a lot of practice questions for both verbal and quantitative along with free flashcards of the most common GRE words. I found it to be super helpful!

Take it easy. The best advice I got was walk into that testing room with a bit of swagger. Don't let the GRE intimidate you. It's okay to be nervous naturally, but don't second guess yourself. Just tell yourself, it's only the GRE! Good luck!

Thanks so much! best of luck on yours too!