kara.spinney

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.

My Maryland status says "Under Departmental/Program Review", but I applied to the Ph.D. in counseling psychology. Not sure if this makes a difference.

Hawai'i f*cked me for the same reason when i applied for my MA. I get the feeling that no one knows what the hell they're doing over there. Not getting into UH is a benefit to you, though.

I'm surprised that I've heard nothing but negative news. I thought that I would at least get one interview invitation, even if I wasn't accepted, but so far this month has been one disappointment after another.

I'm surprised about how horribly stressful this entire process has been.

I hate to complain about this, but I've recently been voicing my anxieties about the entire application process to both of my parents, which I've determinately found out is a bad idea. Why? Because the only thing my mom (bless her heart) has to say is, "Oh, don't worry. I KNOW you'll get in," which gives me a knee-jerk impulse to duct tape her mouth shut and run away screaming.
 
I get that she's my parent and that she believes in me and all of that, but at the same time, I'm like "MOM, your education ended at a high school in Wyoming, no offense, but I don't think you're really getting the scope of this situation." 
 
Nobody in my immediate family has a four-year degree (my dad went to college for two years studying computer science but dropped out), so I feel like talking to them about any of this is almost pointless, especially with my mom— academia is just way too foreign to her. No matter what, she's always going to be like, "Oh, you'll get in. I know it," which is going to drive me mad, unless it turns out I do get in, by which I will no longer be apprehensive about her faith in me. But right now I can't handle that kind of faith because I feel like it sets me up for even more hurt if I get rejected across the board.
 
I dunno. I think I have to stop talking about all of this to the people in my day-to-day life. Talking about it on here is different, because you guys get it. None of my close friends are college people either— no academics, postgrads, nothing. I'm a lone wolf, so all the people around me either have a romanticized and/or warped perception about the grit of this graduate school business. 

Every day I wake up so hopeful that I will hear something, and every day I go to bed disappointed. Who knew waiting for something could be so painful?

In case anyone is wondering, I called both UMD and Virginia Tech and all interview invites have already been extended for the counseling and clinical programs.

I was e-mailed by Virginia Tech that all of their invitations have already been sent out. Bummer

Every day I wake up so hopeful that I will hear something, and every day I go to bed disappointed. Who knew waiting for something could be so painful?

Every day I wake up so hopeful that I will hear something, and every day I go to bed disappointed. Who knew waiting for something could be so painful?

Every day I wake up so hopeful that I will hear something, and every day I go to bed disappointed. Who knew waiting for something could be so painful?

This thread feels like home. I too am getting aggravated that my phone isn't ringing and my email is clear. I am going through all caps raging at times since I hate being out of control for the rest of my life.

I feel your pain. I'm also checking my e-mail an unhealthy amount through the day, and it feels awful. Fingers crossed for news soon!

My Maryland status says "Under Departmental/Program Review", but I applied to the Ph.D. in counseling psychology. Not sure if this makes a difference.

^^^^^^^^^^^ Yesyesyes. I'm using this thought to allow myself to enjoy the holidays!

I wouldn't worry about it. Most of mine haven't got any posts here from ANY of their disciplines because they do things so late.

If January passes without any interview invites, then get nervous.

I don't really have an answer, but one of my POI contacted me on Saturday to book a time to chat about grad school.  From the conversation yesterday, I don't think he reviewed my application on that Saturday... the deadline was like 2 weeks ago, so there's that. But if I were to put myself in their shoes, I don't think they would review applications over the weekend unless they were REALLY REALLY hard-working? :s
 
 
Thank you xVii!! I have good news! It turns out I had made the deadline by submitting the first part of the application with payment! The person also said that the documents can be uploaded past Dec 10... which is odd, but I guess it means they're not reviewing the applications until later  or something ! This school is sometimes my top choice, sometimes my second... but anyways I'm just happy that everything is okay again.

It's finals week. This week has been dead. There is no email from classmates, professors, etc. So there is no email to see and get excited about for a split second, that it might be an interview invite.
I was just considering posting my email address so that people would send me random emails, probably filled with gibberish. Then I would be all excited for a second. In stead of sad.
But then you people would have my email. This is bad. So you see the dilemma. In any case, it was a thought.
#randompost

I think they should reward early app submissions with an early response. I can't imagine waiting until mid-February. It's like medieval torture, but worse.

I really like this advice. Like Vulpez, I don't know if I will have the luxury of "choosing" between programs, but I do know that even if I get into my #13/13 favorite program, I still plan to visit. I don't think you can find "fit" in two paragraphs of a lab description on a department website. Visiting the school, talking to the professor, and talking to graduate students seems to be the only way to find out where you belong. 
 
I had a phone interview with a professor before application deadline. His funding situation is less than ideal but I have fallen head over heels for his lab set-up and program. If I have the chance to join his lab, I might use a "whatever works to make it work" approach and take out a few loans. Although I wish I loved a program with more funding options, I know I would have a great, well-rounded experience in his lab that would benefit my future career. Is there anyone else in a similar situation?

I can't help but notice that there are a lot of psych programs being posted about in the Results. None are for any of my programs, yet. But, I really didn't expect all that activity so soon! It is early...

I think that staying positive is the best method. I do believe that there is something to be said about creating and sending positive energy into the world, that it will come back to you, be it karma or something else.
 
The stress comes from knowing the committee meets Friday to make initial decisions (top choice), I can't picture how I will be starting Friday knowing that it is possible my plans are made and decided for the next few years. It's exciting  

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.