Jay's Brain

Hey friend! Is the research coordinator position in anyway related to some of the areas of research you're interested in? Furthermore, are you in a position to find your name as a co-author or first author on poster presentations and publications? That is more important towards your research experience than a position that is in research. If there is a clear demarcation of your position from the opportunities available, than having some advanced skills as a psychometrist may be useful. When applying to practicum positions during your program, having those skills will be relevant. In neuropsychology, especially, the background and familiarity with tests and reasons to use them will come in handy even at the early stages of your graduate training.

From personal experience, three is fine. If you can find three potential supervisors it means that your experiences and interests match well with the program's general research areas (assuming you're not just forcing some of the fits). Thinking long term, if you do get into the program and you end up needing to switch supervisors (for many different reasons), you have more than one faculty member who is aware of your interest (or know you) and you can choose what to do then. Having two to three is optimal!

Don't feel bounded by the number of hours that you think you should take to write your SOI. Instead, make sure it's well-written regardless of how many hours it takes. Not to mention, you will likely give it to mentors or other people to review and will then have to incorporate their suggestions and feedback.

Hi, you cannot as you found out pick and choose between sections. It's all or none for the test you choose. With that being said, I also encountered the same dilemma you did. My quantitative went down the second (and third) time I took the GRE, while my verbal went up (my AWA was my highest section and remained consistent). In the end, with advice from my undergraduate supervisor, I opted to use my original set of scores. Small blips in your GRE are not going to be detrimental to the impression you'll give to the admission committee, and, more often than not, the GRE plays a secondary or tertiary role at Canadian institutions. Fit, references, statement of interest and even academic performance are more important. Unless your GRE scores were very low, don't be boggled down by small deviations. They happen, especially when you retake the test!

Hi everyone! Long-time poster and glad to see that all the Canadian applicants are still bustling with energy and vigour! It definitely is a stressful experience, so wishing you all the best! For those who haven't already, take a look at this link as it tells you the allocations for the CGS-M award for each Canadian university across the three areas. Could be helpful in deciding what to do moving forward. Best of luck!

First, make sure you are aware of which Tri-council research focus you're interested in pursuing - CIHR is for health research and SSHRC is social science-focused. Whichever one you choose can drastically alter the type of research you propose and the wording/content. If you have done an thesis or research project during your undergraduate studies, you can think about using that as a starting step. What can you pursue that adds to the body of research you tried to accomplish through that project? Given that you have 1-2 years (depending on your Masters) to accomplish this project, what further advances can you think of? If you haven't done a project before, think about the area of research you intend to pursue in graduate school. From there, look at recent literature and find gaps in the field that you want to address. Often, papers will include limitations and future directions when they write up a research study into a publication. Use those as references to come up with a novel experiment that answers those questions that remain unanswered. And no, you are more than likely not going to be conducting the same project in graduate school. In fact, the project you propose may end up being in an area that is different from the one your graduate research will be in!

It's hard for self-doubt to not rear its ugly head during the application cycle. Your accomplishments and profile is impressive and you don't even have to worry about the cutoff for the GRE since you're above it on all three sections! There's less for you to worry about compared to other applicants given what you have described about your accolades! I would say the most important thing for you now is to find the best research and supervisor fit. This is a two-way street and you want to make sure that the programs you are applying to can be mutually beneficial. Good luck!

Rather than connect the dots at face value between emotions/perception and trauma (although I agree that you can browse through the literature like @sassyyetclassy suggested -- emotions and trauma are clearly well-linked), perhaps you can explain the skills you developed over the two years that you spent with that lab. Two years is not a short period of time, and hopefully you were able to build a strong background of knowledge and experiences from that role. Those skills, the populations that you may have worked with, and the theory that you used during your work, may be transferable to your current interests in trauma research.

Connect with the Clinical Directors or graduate department at the universities hosting the programs you are interested in applying to. As most have already stated in this thread, a lot of students with an experimental psychology background often have to redo a Masters (but can use some of their previous credits). That being said, if your current research and area of focus aligns very well to what you plan to pursue, there is a possibility that you can be directly entered into PhD and only have to do some of the Masters-level courses. I have colleagues who had this exemption despite their previous Masters and were able to enter the PhD program directly. Best of luck!

@BrainBizarre No problem! Feel free to DM me if you have more questions

1. I think including the new experiences you've accumulated will certainly be a great place to start. You have an additional year of experiences that should not be undermined, especially if they are relevant and you can speak to why it has helped with your growth as a future clinical psychology student. Did you ask for advice and feedback when you weren't successful? If you received some suggestions, those would be areas of growth and you can show how you've strengthened your skills in those areas. 2. Each year it is a fresh slate with new students applying. Treat this as a new year, and don't go off on the fact that you applied last year. If there are professors you applied with that encouraged you to apply again, you may want to reach other to them again. Those connections are important, but remember that they are not guaranteed. 3. Seek out more help from your mentors who can give you better advice about how to refine your proposal. Find ways to tweak it, perhaps with more updated theory or a stronger rationale that this body of research is relevant to the area you are applying to. Applications are often tough and grueling, but don't be discouraged! You've applied once and received responses and that's a positive! Good luck

Hey Canadian here so can help! There's currently 1 English Canadian and 1 French Canadian schools that are accredited by the CPA for a full-fledged Neuropsychology program. These are York University and Université de Montréal. Both of them offer programs that ascertain that you will receive the clinical training to declare competency with the college of psychologist in that province (Ontario for York, Quebec for Montreal). As part of their programs, you will also receive general clinical training that allows you to also declare comptency as a clinical psychologist. As others have said, an important part of this is the internship at the end of your graduate studies where you will likely focus on neuropsychology. Going to a program that has a clinical neuropsychology stream indicates to those internship sites that you have the background training to be a competitive trainee (coursework, clinical skills, practicum training, etc). There are other clinical programs across Canada that also offer neuropsychology streams, but those are not yet accredited by the CPA.

Most students interested in a graduate degree will end their studies having completed an honours thesis or a substantial project. That is a GREAT way to show future supervisors that you are able to do independent research, which is a needed skill once you become a graduate student. As you are early in your degree, I would suggest looking at the research labs at your school and contacting the professors to see if they are able to take on volunteer research assistants. Take a look at labs that broadly study topics that interest you or you want to learn more about. Don't hesitate to explore multiple options as you develop your research interests. Remember, having these initial experiences become stepping stones for more concrete experiences (such as your eventual honours thesis) later in your degree. Good luck

One other possibility is to look for PsyD programs that emphasize on the clinical training and less/no research. There are pros and cons, with one being that you are not usually funded. The upside is that you can avoid the doctorate degree and pursue a degree where you can receive quality clinical training immediately from the onset.

I agree with @FacelessMage, but do want to emphasize the importance of FIT in a program, be it with the supervisor or your research focus. Funding and clinical experience can be earned through external support, connections, and dedication, but being able to feel strongly situated in a program or school for the next 6-7 ish years of your life might be the most important thing of all. How you feel about the research you are working on can really change your impression of where you are. In Canada, especially, rankings for programs/universities are not really as important so making sure you can do what you want to do, with someone you want to work with, is extremely important.