Jay's Brain
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Everything posted by Jay's Brain
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The one thing I would advise is to check with the schools that you are considering on what the GPA requirements need to be for prospective applicants. A lot of the clinical psychology programs in Canada and Ontario expect at least an A- in the final two years of undergrad, for example. Check to see if your Ryerson grades will count as your "last two years", and how they adjust the grading for students who have attended multiple institutions. Beyond that, I think the fact that you have certification in CBT is a great boost! The schools are very much interested in students who have experiences that are directly related to what you are planning to go into. You seem to have a great CV to build your application on, and should be able to answer the questions that come your way in terms of describing your clinical experiences. Hope that helps, and good luck!
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Hey! I'm not sure about the other programs/schools, but I have friends who have applied to UVic and Concordia. The first wave (presumably) for UVic received invitations to their campus during the first week ish of February. I think there was an option for a couple of days to choose from. Also yes, Concordia had their orientation/interview earlier this month already. As with all schools, do not be discouraged! Until you receive an official notice or word from the department/school, there is always a possibility! Hope that helps! Good luck!
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I have a vague understanding about how it works, but I think there is a round table where the clinical faculty figures out which PIs will be taking on students this year, and then the PIs will contact the students individually and a shortlist of students will be invited to the Open House in February. That's usually when they meet other grad students and some of the other faculty members. The PIs then submit the request for the student(s) they want to take, and there's an adcom that makes sure the student(s) is okay and approved. I know there's an internal waitlist too of students that may be contacted if the students ranked above them decline. These ones may or may not be invited to the Open House. York is pretty slow on all fronts, so you may hear from them late and know about acceptance/rejections later too.
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Very limited, and only if they want to look at a few more candidates that did not make the initial cut. But that means it is still a possibility! Contact their go-to person to see if where they are in the application timeline.
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Updates on York University: I don't think any shortlist has been sent out yet, and I don't think faculty members have begun to meet with prospective students yet. The Open House for Clinical and Clinical-Developmental was around February 12th of last year so presumably those of you who have applied may hear back late January/early February. ^UTSC tend to have interviews where prospective applicants go through a roundtable of meeting several of the core clinical faculty members, even those that you didn't include on your statement as prospective PIs. Hope that helps!
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York is usually later than most to hear back from, and since the app deadline was Dec 15 that is continued to be expected. They do an Open House for prospective students invited by their POIs around early to mid-February where you hear about the program, and meet more of the faculty members and current graduate students, Last year the event was around February 12th I believe.
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Psychodynamics - an archaic way of thinking?
Jay's Brain replied to buttercup8d's topic in Psychology Forum
Just to lend an observation and to continue where @dancedementia left off, I think psychodynamic theories relate to research in how we discuss the difference between medical vs. psychotherapeutic diagnoses of human behaviour/disorders. Regardless of your penchant for a particular model or "wave" of theories of human cognition and behaviour, the scientifically rigourous ways of these pursuits can be understood by the common factors that bind all forms of psychology together. In the case of psychotherapy, what is it about a contextual viewpoint that may or may not trump a medical model? You can speak of the way psychodynamic theorists explores the person, the relationship between the client/patient and the clinician, and the factors that separate the two. So when you get to talking about abstract theories, it becomes much more nuanced and murkier about what is right and wrong. Are we looking for a way to diagnose and categorize individuals? If so, perhaps a biological/neuroscience basis is necessary. If not, there are other ways, and psychodynamic theories, the modern view (and not Freudian), can be just as useful. When we moved from theories to application, sometimes the old and new ways of thinking balance each other out. Note: personal views of a neuroscience student studying clinical psychology -
Some programs want to get a head start so at least one school in the Greater Toronto Area starts having their faculty members contact potential applicants late December for an early January meeting. But don't fall into too much of when you receive contact from potential supervisors! It's a slippery slope when you hear others get it, and wonder when you will!
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This is something that varies from school to school. It most certainly helps, but, of course, applying to funding does not mean you are guaranteed success either.
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Good luck everyone! You're almost through this hurdle!
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I also agree that there isn't a cutoff for GRE scores - I've chatted with people in my program and have noticed a wide range. What matters more is fit to your supervisor and the program itself more than anything. Not to mention, you are an international student so the committee going through the applications will take that into consideration!
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@01848p Why not contact them? Even if it is just express your interest, there's no harm in doing so!
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Did you work with anyone else alongside the referee that is currently busy? For one of my letters, I had the Postdoc write it alongside the actual person I asked so that it was a joint effort and they could describe my experience and involvement in the lab much more clearly. If this is a viable option, it can help to avoid using external resources to supplement your letter.
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Agreed with @St0chastic. There's no harm in emailing her. A great student will be great even if they had asked them in advance or not. Sure, you may lose slight brownie points if this POI is particular about these application protocols, but it will also be of her interest to know that there are ideal candidates who would want to know more about their research and have interest working with them. Worst she can say is no, and that may tell you more about whether she is a good fit to begin with.
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Hi, without going into too much detail, I do know the program relatively well and @eternallyephemeral has hit many of the key points to the questions you have asked. UTSC has taken about 5 students every year so it is indeed a competitive program. This, of course, is building on the idea that it is a new program (I believe this current cohort is the 4th). And, as mentioned, UTSC is very likely to be accredited when their first PhD students passes through the program. Their program is connected with OISE, which is accredited, so it makes a lot of sense that they will as well. In that sense, it's a matter of choosing the U of T brand and prestige vs. receiving accreditation later on. A general advice when it comes to clinical programs. The competitiveness of the school and program is a given, but the matter of fit is perhaps one of the key elements to a successful applicant. A lot of times, your current advisors and people you have connected/networked with are familiar with the spheres in their particular research circles. The referees that you ask to help with your application, and the people you have worked with, can go a long way to you being accepted to any program. Strong GRE, GPA, research experiences are all a given, but your fit can be even more important. Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any questions about the application process
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Hi, Canadian student currently in a Canadian clinical program here. I think this does depend on your particular research. Of the schools I applied to, only one school I had a particular difficulty in when it came to adding more than one. In that case, I included three names of faculty members that broadly looked at the topic of cognitive neuroscience/neuropsychology. Interestingly enough, after a conversation with one of the three (I assume the representative), he and I both agreed that my research interest fit one particular PI more than the other two. That's how I ended up speaking with the more closely aligned PI, and received an offer. If you do find it difficult to generalize a topic (e.g., Cognitive Neuroscience, Mood Disorders, Emotional/Affective, etc), take a look at the particular PI you are interested in working with. See whether they have collaborated with other people in the department in the past. If they have, indicate you may be interested in working with them too. Faculty members from the same department are often encouraged, and like, to work together (allows for more publications and productivity). This may help boost their interest in you as a student, because now, instead of just fitting well with one PI, you may be fitting well with more than one faculty member collectively, and, therefore, fit well with the department. That's just one way of doing so, hope that helps!
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Clinical Geropsychology and Aging
Jay's Brain replied to letsgetclinical's topic in Psychology Forum
Hi! I'm not sure if there are any geropsychology-specific programs in the States, but one way would be looking into Clinical Neuropsychology-based programs. I'm in Canada, and my supervisor does aging research while also looking at amnesic patients. It is rare to find programs that are developmental in nature that looks across the complete age spectrum. Those that I know tend to focus on the adolescent/children part of the development and not the older adult age range. If you do find one, please let me know! -
Hey fellow Canadian here Congrats on making it this far in your application! I also took a gap year before entering a clinical program last Fall (second year of MA starts...this week!). By the looks of things you have a very strong research background, and those presentations/posters will definitely be advantageous! I also did not have any publications at the time of my application except for a couple submitted/pending. The GRE is not always a make or break, and it is the most useful when you may need to help boost your overall application only if there are other areas that could use work. Overall, you have great chances! I would say to ask your current advisors/people who will be writing your recommendation letters to look into who you are applying to. Not sure if you plan to go into neuropsychology given your diverse background, but that community is quite small and many people know each other. Academics will be the best in helping you figure out fit, which, in my opinion, is the most essential part of the application process. Knowing that a student will be great in his or her lab can be the best way for a PI to determine whether to take someone on! Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions or need help! Good luck
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I guess just to chime in here, the application process for everyone is quite different. I'm on the side of agreeing that less may be more and quantity doesn't really describe quality. I applied to 5 programs, 4 clinical and 1 cog neuro, due to financial means and time constraints (mostly the former), and was accepted into 3/5. The application process is long and arduous, and applying to many adds more pressure and small working bits to worry about. The first step is to do thorough research on the schools that fit the best, decide which you feel like you will be competitive in, which will be a slight reach, and which are safety nets, and choose the right number that spreads yourself across all 3 categories. For @Psychologyandpizza sounds like you have a solid application! Discuss how your current Master's project will orient you to a change of pace in clinical psychology. Discuss your current skills, and how they can be transferable to the place you go to next. I've learned through my own experiences and chatting with other students in my cohort that there is no defined clinical psychology student. GPA, research, GRE scores can be a wide-range (up to a point). The biggest thing to factor in is the fit, and the people that can acknowledge your ability to do well in the next program you pursue. Good luck!!
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I think relevant research in an academic setting is definitely the way to go, but don't downplay your relevant experiences in the HR field! Those definitely come hand in hand. Besides pushing for more experience, doing better on your GRE (you should look into the typical scores at the university of interest if they are published or can be provided), also consider your reason for applying to grad school after several years working in the industry. Sometimes a strong statement of interest, especially with someone who has seen first hand the utility and practical relevance of I/O, can change the game as well. Some relevant contacts as referees (here is where newer RA positions or even a former employer may help your case) will most definitely help too! Good luck with the next application!
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That's awesome! You're well on your way! Hope things work out
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The good news is that if you majored in psychology there is almost nothing on the Subject Test that will be new to you (for me, the only thing that was foreign was I/O questions). Given the brevity in the time you have to study, I would say to take a stab at the practice test first. See how well you do on it, and look at the areas that you did the worst in. Also, keep in mind that the different question concentrations are not weighed equally. Some areas of study are more prevalent and will have more questions than others. In that case, you can also try to focus on the larger sections since you have the option to skip some (if I recall correctly). What your focus of study was in psychology (social/personality, biological/cognitive, etc) can determine which sections to look at more closely. It is possible to do well, but you'll need to work on it in those days! Good luck!
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I don't think it is necessary, but it often helps. The researching world is small (ish), and people are connected regardless if they know each other personally. One thing you may want to consider is funding. Obviously you will be limited in the scholarships/funding opportunities that domestic students may have, so consider what your options are. Knowing that the student in question is funded or have the resources available can also make an international student with experience someone to take on (in the perspective of the POI). Don't doubt yourself. You sound like you have the competitive credentials to be a strong candidate!
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Hey fellow Canadian here! I would say you can look into volunteer positions that cater to different populations. For non-academic or non-research positions, these should enhance your communication and empathic skills (all important for clinical practice). The ones you have mentioned are all very useful, and should provide you with key skills. Also, consider what population you plan to focus on in your graduate studies. What kind of research do you expect to do? See if there are any specific populations related to your research interests that you can get valuable experience with. And, last of all, if you can academic, research-oriented experience, be it voluntary or paid, that will be an added boost and will be looked highly upon. Good luck!
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I think that very much depends on who your potential supervisor is to be honest, and where you are applying from. Having someone you know as your potential supervisor, or someone well-connected with the people who write your references can help a lot. On the other hand, if you are applying internationally or someone outside the immediate circle or networks, and you need the extra boost, that is where publications may be at an advantage. To be fair, if you have publications you immediately stand out as a strong candidate, because in research this is unfortunately how standards are set. Of course, not everyone has them (or that many) initially, so all the other nuances are considered as well (fit, experience, grades, etc).
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