kara.spinney
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Posts posted by kara.spinney
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It's going to come down to a combination of funding, location, and program/POI fit for me. I think "fit" will be the most important thing, then funding, then location.
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Hi, everyone. I've been checking the results search (probably too often) and I noticed that psychology students started posting that they've heard from schools about interview invitations. I even saw that somebody posted an invite from Virginia Tech for the clinical science program (I applied to that program as well). I was under the impression that I wouldn't hear from any schools until at least mid-to late January, but now that some people have started posting that they've already received interview invitations, I'm getting a little worried. Should I be concerned that I haven't heard anything? I'm pretty sure that it's still too early, but I'm starting to question myself now. Feedback would be appreciated. Thanks, and congrats to everyone who has heard from schools and good luck to everyone still waiting!
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I'm already obsessively checking my e-mail every day, even though I know it'll still be more than a month before I have any chance of getting interview invitations!
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I don't think that 10+ applications is uncommon for clinical psychology applicants.
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Not to mention, recommenders have trouble keeping track of where they've sent/uploaded the letter when you're applying to THAT many schools.
I did have this problem. I applied to 10 schools and found that one of my recommenders seemed consistently lost regarding where he sent a reference and where he didn't. I felt like I had to chase him a lot...I wanted to apply to more schools, but decided against it after struggling just to get my references in to the 10 schools I started with.
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It's best not to spend the week before the test studying; especially if you experienced test fatigue the first time you took the exam. Studying the week before will only exhaust you before the actual test day. I would recommend relaxing this week, and doing some things for yourself. You want to be in the best mental and physical condition on test day. Good luck!
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I like all of these suggestions. Especially since I can't remember the last time I read a book for fun.
So true. I used to read several books a week. I'd go through a book in a couple hours. Now, I can't even remember the last time I read a book that wasn't required for school. I should give that a try, because right now I am checking my e-mail obsessively every day even though I'm fully aware that I won't hear anything for a couple months. Waiting...ugh
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I made an embarrassing mistake
For one of my personal statements, I forgot to remove the word "Draft" from the top. I know it's not worth losing sleep over, but I just feel like it looks so sloppy like I didn't bother to read it over. Now I feel really dumb
At least I didn't accidentally submit a draft...That really stinks!
I would be really upset, too. I wouldn't dwell on it too much, though. There's nothing that you can really do about it now, and in the end, I doubt that it will be the deciding factor in the committee's decision. -
Thanks, everyone. I think I will take the advice I've been given and send the scores to schools that "strongly recommend". I'm not sure what is considered a competitive score, either.
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Hi, everyone. I just got my score for the GRE Psychology Subject Test and I'm wondering if I should bother sending it to schools that label it as 'optional'. I scored a 690 (72nd percentile). Experimental subsection was 65th percentile, and social psychology subsection was 84th percentile. Input would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Rest! Don't risk giving yourself test fatigue before the actual test. Use this week to relax and take care of yourself. Good luck!
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If you were scoring around a 160 on your practice tests, I would definitely take the test again. You know that you can score much higher than how you performed today, and I'd say that nerves may have played a role. ETS allows you to choose your best set of scores to send to schools, so it really couldn't hurt to take the test again. Good luck!
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If you can afford it, I would definitely recommend taking a prep course with Kaplan. They are awesome! When I first took a full length practice GRE I scored 142 on the quant, and after studying with Kaplan I scored a 154 (56th percentile). It's still not a great score, but it's definitely better than where I was at. I took an online program with them.
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That verbal score is really awesome! The quant score is pretty rough....honestly, I would take the GRE again. A score below the 50th percentile is going to hurt you pretty bad. The verbal score is rockin', though, and that might help. Good luck!
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I just finished applying to graduate programs in clinical psychology, so I'm not an expert on what graduate schools look for in Religious Studies applicants, but I also had to discuss my research interests in my SOP so I will try to help. It is okay to write broad topics as your research interests; graduate schools understand that, as an incoming student, you're not going to be 100% certain on what narrow/specific thing to study. It is more important that your general research interests fit well with those of the faculty in that program. When I wrote my SOPs, I took a little time to briefly read an article or two written by the current faculty. In my SOP, I mentioned something specific from their research article that I found interesting. I don't think that you need to quote their work, but I think that it's a good idea to discuss what specifically interests you about the publication and why you would be a good fit to work with that person based on their current research. As far as writing about your research interests, just briefly write about your broad interests and areas that you would like to get into.
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I had the opposite problem. Most of my schools wanted a 500 word SOP so I tailored my statements to be short, and then one of my schools wanted a 1500 word SOP and I struggled to add all this extra stuff.
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I don't know if applicants from Canada have a better chance at acceptance into American schools. I think that your GRE scores are competitive, but your overall GPA 3.3 is low for clinical psychology programs. It will probably help that your last two years of school have been 3.9, and that you're at a 3.7 in your psychology major. Do you have research experience? Research experience is also really important. Good luck! Also, I want to add that my knowledge of what clinical psych graduate programs look for is only based on programs in the United States, I haven't researched any programs in Canada.
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1. If you have a competitive GPA, excellent GRE scores, and plenty of undergraduate research experience, it is better to go straight into a Ph.D. program; however, I would suggest applying to both Master's and Ph.D. programs to increase your chances of acceptance.
2. Either clinical psychology or clinical neuropsychology would be your best bet in terms of meeting your interests of research and practice.
3. I would suggest just doing some Google searches of your interests. I don't know where you plan to apply, but if you're looking at schools in the United States or Canada there is a great book called "The Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology". This book lists probably a hundred programs, along with all of the areas of research available at these programs. You could search for neuropsychology in the book and it will list all the programs offering this area of study...the only thing is that the book only lists programs in Canada and the US, so if you're not planning on applying to schools in those countries then it won't help you.
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I just finished applying to Ph.D. programs in clinical psychology, and I applied to a couple Master's programs as well. I decided to apply to Master's programs in counseling psychology, and I found that the majority of those programs have a lot of research opportunities. I think that if you wind up in a clinical/counseling psychology Master's program, that you will still have a good chance of getting into a purely research-oriented Ph.D. program as long as you conducted research as a Master's student. I don't think that the program will focus as much on the type of Master's program that you came from as much as they will pay attention to what you actually did in the program (poster presentations, publications, lab work...etc...).
Psychology students hearing about interviews
in Psychology Forum
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Thanks