Rose Tyler

Since graduating from undergrad in May without a grad school acceptance, I've been doing a lot of soul-searching. I wasn't able to do a lot of networking in university because I went to a relatively small school. The only professor in my area of interest kept telling me she didn't have any research opportunities going and then left suddenly my junior year. Therefore, I don't have many contacts that I can go to with questions or talk to about their careers. Is it okay for me to reach out to professionals that are currently working in careers that I'm interested in? What's the best way to do so?

Have you checked the previous average scores for accepted students at the programs that you're looking to apply to? That should give you an idea if your scores are in line with what those programs are looking for. If they are and unless you really think that you can raise your score, I don't think there's any reason to take the test again.

Most clinical programs post averages from past cycles on their website. Check out the schools you're interested in applying to and look for admissions data. Going by the stats of programs I'm looking at, your quantitative is solid but your verbal might be a little low. But like Jay's Brain said, GRE score is not the only factor.

My GRE scores were V158/Q150. I'm really hoping to bring 160 for both the second time around. Sadly, my school was cognitive and neuroscience oriented. There aren't any clinical faculty that I know and trust enough to go to for advice. I'm considering applying for terminal master's again, but because of the cost I don't think I'd want to do that exclusively (although I would look for at least partial funding). Plus I've seen a few doctoral programs that begin with a master's say that you might have to repeat that coursework/thesis if they don't accept those credits. Financially, I don't think a PsyD would be possible and the research component of a PhD appeals to me.

Long story short: I’m trying to decide if it would be worth the time and money to apply this application cycle or if I should just wait until next year. Any advice would be appreciated. I applied last fall, shut out across the board for doctoral programs, interviews with two terminal masters but no dice. I had three semesters research experience that was only tangentially related to my actual interests, a solid GPA, and low GRE scores. I was also concerned about my LORs. The only letter I wasn’t worried about was the one from my lab head, adviser, and favorite professor (I took multiple classes from him, including statistics). My other two letters were from professors that I’d had a couple classes with each but not a ton of contact. I’ve graduated since the last application cycle, adding another semester of research experience (which included running a study for a graduate student at a job away from campus), tutoring students in psychology courses, and rounding out my curriculum. My intention was to spend this summer volunteering, both in research labs and outside organizations. My hope was to clarify my interests, gain research experience, and maybe find a letter-writer or two. Through a series of unfortunate (and seemingly never-ending) difficulties, I wasn’t able to do any of that. I’m also in a place financially where I can’t justify dropping that much money on applications if I don’t have a snowball’s chance on the sun. Especially because I still have to retake the GRE. On the other hand, I’d prefer to start grad school sooner rather than later, if I can.

My undergrad program may have been an outlier. We had two animal labs: behavioral neuroscience (rats) and learning (pigeons). Although we also had multiple labs that studied people and they only intermixed if students wanted to study in both labs. As long as you're working in a lab that conducts studies with human participants, you'll be all right. Whether or not they do is pretty obvious from their research interests and papers.

Last year, I applied to clinical psychology programs with V158/Q150 and didn't even get an interview anywhere. Obviously that's not the only part of my application, but I do believe it was the kicker. Some programs are upfront in their admissions information about having GRE cut-offs. Of the 39 programs I'm currently looking into for this round, that's 6. It sounds like you have good work and research experience, but your GPA is a little lower than many averages. I think if you have a chance of shoring up your GRE score, you should take it.

What Jay said. I started mine with who I am and where and what I was studying. My intention to apply to doctoral programs. My past and current research experience. My interests (don't worry if you don't have specific topics, knowing your interests is enough at this stage). What about their work interested me. I used general information from their website and specific papers if I could find them. Then I closed with asking if they'd be accepting graduate students. I intend to use the same template this year, although I'll be attaching my CV this time around. Also, check program and faculty websites. I know in clinical psychology, programs will often post lists of accepting faculty on the admissions page or faculty will write on their own pages whether they'll be accepting students.

Last year when I was studying for the GRE I bought Accepted Inc's GRE Study Guide: Test Prep with Practice Questions. I went through the whole book, probably not as thoroughly as I should have, and when I took the GRE I didn't score as well as I hoped. I'm looking to retake it again and, while I'm looking into other study resources as well, I'm wondering if I should bother to give the guide another go. Anyone else had success studying with it?

Talk to local students and ask what they recommend. Find out what winters are like. There is a huge difference between a damp winter and a dry winter, trust me. I can handle double-digit negatives in a dry winter but a damp winter even just 30 degrees makes me feel like I'm freezing. - Dress in layers that are easy to remove. It can be cold outside but hot inside. - Get at least two jackets: a solid windbreaker for fall and a thick coat for winter. I don't recommend winter coats that contain feathers; in my experience those feathers poke out way too easily. - If it gets really cold, buy Underarmour. I had two shirts and a pair of pants and I loved them. - Buy a nice woolen scarf. - If you don't already have sunglasses, buy them. The glare off snow is murder. - When it snows, leave early and drive slow. Learn how to handle fishtailing. Beware black ice. - Get a nice pair of boots. Look for ones with solid traction. Just because they look fuzzy doesn't mean they'll be good on ice.

I applied to clinical psychology masters (2) and doctoral programs (5). GRE: Test: $200 Scores: $27 * 4. I wasted one freebie on a school I ended up not applying to because I didn't meet minimum score requirements. Transcripts: My school has these at about $7 a pop. I had to send one to each school plus buy a copy for myself because a couple schools wanted scanned copies. Fees: Ranged from $35 to $65. Interviews: I didn't get any interviews at doctoral programs but I was invited to both masters. I would have been looking at over $1,000 each to attend in person (plane tickets were both about $900 round-trip, but this was an outlier as my university is remotely located). I scheduled phone interviews instead. Total: ~$500 This application cycle I'm looking to apply to ten schools and am trying to save a solid grand to do it.

Good luck! Rolling admissions is when schools review applications and offer interviews as they come in. Clinical programs don't operate that way. Universities take applications up to the deadline and then they review them all at once. Interviews are then offered at certain times--some schools have a set weekend posted in advance.

Hi! I'm an American applicant so I can't offer any advice specific to international applicants, but I applied to a few programs last year and I'll be applying again this cycle. 1. You're definitely not too late. I would check GRE timelines and remember that it will take time to get your official scores back. You won't be able submit them to schools until that happens and it might make filling out applications that ask for that information unofficially a little tricky. Definitely work on listing colleges and keeping track of the requirements. That kind of research takes a lot of time. And get started on your SOP. I waited until September to really work on mine last year and then I completely rewrote it right before I started submitting applications in October because I realized I didn't like it. And then after I finished all my doctoral applications and started in on the masters, I rewrote about half of it again for the same reason. 2. It's definitely not easy. Schools can get hundreds of applicants and only accept a small percentage. But some universities are harder to get into than others. Top research universities are next to impossible. 3. I'm not sure, but I think it would be best to directly apply to a doctoral program. I think a second masters would look a bit weird, especially considering a number of doctoral programs offer a masters on the way to the doctorate. 4. Sorry, I don't know of any specific faculty or universities but I know I've seen a fair amount of interest in those areas. Perhaps look for universities that offer forensic psychology programs for criminal behavior?

"Amen" by Halestorm

I don't think you would get a helpful answer, or perhaps any at all. Definitely don't ask about average stats. There are far more factors involved than just research experience. (I don't know what area of psychology you're looking to study, but the last doesn't apply to major research universities. I've seen many of their websites require prior research experience to apply.) Probably the most important is a solid research match. Professors want to know that your research interests align with theirs, especially if their program is structured so that you will be working directly within their lab. I wouldn't ask the admissions office either. Research experience would be difficult to quantify and it's unlikely they track that information. They're probably also not privy to professors' preference. Just because a professor has taken a student with two or three years of research experience the past couple of years doesn't mean they wouldn't take a student with one. Instead, you could email professors, describe your research experience and interests, and then ask them if they're taking on students. Attach your CV, if you have one. There are threads upon threads debating this in the psychology subforum. Although, don't do this for universities that post this information on their website or ones that directly discourage prospective applicants from contacting professors. I agree with TakeruK. If you have research experience, then this question isn't necessary. It's far more about quality and how you can spin it to relate to a professor's work than quantity. If you have none, then you can replace the description of research experience part with a note that you lack prior research experience. Keep the note short and then jump right into your interests.