JoePianist

Wait at least four weeks following interviews to contact your potential POI for a status update. However, if you need to know sooner due to a pending offer, you can contact them sooner. This is how I would write the inquiry email – feel free to customize the following as you see fit: Email subject line: “Eilean Donan - Request for Application Update”: “Dear Dr. X, I hope this message finds you well during this busy season. I remain excited about the prospect of continuing my training under your mentorship. If possible, can you provide an estimated date by which I can expect a decision made about my application? I greatly appreciate your time and consideration. Please let me know if I can provide any further information as well. Best Regards, Eilean Donan”

Yay! A fellow Blasian!

Yeah, it’s been that way in the psychology field pretty much forever ?

The admissions process appeared about as bad as when I had applied 4-5 years ago and finally received a single admissions offer to a PhD Clinical Psychology program. I applied for two consecutive admissions cycles. I agree that there needs to be an overhaul to the admissions process across all doctoral psychology programs. I’m unsure if there’s been any prior attempts for applicants coming together as a group to appeal for this level of change. In terms of who to contact with complaints about this admissions process: For doctoral Clinical Psychology programs, I think that the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP) may be a possible idea. For the broader psychology field, the American Psychological Association may be an organization to which groups can send complaints. Of course, the risk of sending such complaints (if not anonymous) could possibly be certain program directors choosing not to admit any applicants who who were a part of these complaints.

1. Don’t worry too much about memorizing an entire tome of questions. Focus on being yourself and approach all interviews as relaxed, natural conversations with fellow humans. PI’s really brighten up when interviews are more like engaged, reciprocal conversations. 2. Your interviewers already recognize the extent of your experience from your applications, so focus on being confident and upfront about what you know and that you’re excited to learn more! 3. Yes. It’s not expected for applicants to have a specific program of research already carved out. It’s okay to be a bit broad when describing your current research interest. The way that you described your area of interest is good enough, in my opinion!

Based on what you describe, I guarantee you 100% that you haven’t hurt your chances for admission at all. You’ve already thanked the PI for their flexibility – don’t send another email to apologize ?

I’ll join you.

Fordham certainly doesn’t mince words...

Yup – As I said earlier, applicants with existing connections to their potential POI will nearly always have the edge in applications. Very happy to hear this worked out for you, @rainbow56!

(big hugs) ?

Damn, that’s legitimately brutal. Hopefully you get accepted elsewhere so that this POI regrets not extending you an invite.

You’re only waitlisted for an interview if the program tells you so.

This is the dirty secret: Applicants who already have pre-established connections to their identified mentors through their current or previous PI will always have the edge in applications. It’s the same deal in job applications for any career field: Employers trust who they know.

No, there’s no “requirement” for programs to notify applicants about rejections unfortunately. If a program does send a rejection letter, it’s typically sent in April. If you had submitted your applications in November or early-December and don’t receive any updates by the end of this month, it’s perfectly fine for you to email the program and politely ask for an update on your application.

I haven’t been involved in the admissions process; but according to my own advisor who’s served on the admissions committee for UAB’s PhD Clinical Psychology program, admitted candidates typically have little-to-no research publications. In our program, it’s also common for admitted candidates to lack an honor’s (undergraduate) thesis or a master’s thesis. I, myself, didn’t have any research publications nor any thesis when I received my offer of admission.