Jay's Brain

Hey! Fellow Canadian here. The first person that springs to mind is Dr. Zindel Segal at UTSC in Toronto. He's pretty much synonymous with mindfulness-based research, and one of the co-founders of MBCT. When applying, you can be supervised by him solely or by one of the co-supervisors listed. I'll be attending a Canadian Clinical Psychology program this coming September, so if you have questions about the application process feel free to PM me!

Aww thanks! Just happy to share some of my 'wisdom' since the stress from applying to graduate school happened to me not too long ago. Not to mention, the roller coaster lasted almost to the last possible minute before the April 14th deadline! Hope that doesn't have to happen to anyone else. The schools should be lenient in that sense. They know that it takes a bit of time for the GRE scores to come up, so as long as you do it in advance (like you will be), even if the worst case scenario happens, you won't have to worry. Even though I submitted all of my GRE scores in time, one of the schools momentarily misplaced my physical copy and still asked me to submit my scores well after the deadline date (actually luckily they did!). And good news! The 6 week mailing only refers to the Subject test! The General GRE actually takes 10-15 days, leaning more towards the shorter time period. I remember one of my official scores was released about a week after my test, so it's possible! Let me know if you have further questions!

Hey, as someone who recently completed both the General and Psychology subject GREs within a span of a few months (last year), and had to press for similar deadline dates, my advice is to focus a lot on scoring high on your General GRE test. Last year, I actually completed my General GRE twice within a span of a month (early August and late August), and then studied for late September subject test date. Since the Subject test is optional for your program, the school may put a stronger emphasis on looking at how well you do for the General test. You definitely have room to improve, but it's not unreasonable to think you can score a lot higher given the right frame of mind and positive attitude going into it! I was able to study the Psychology test within a month by reviewing the Princeton book and the Barron's book. I actually found the latter to be much more comprehensive, and I rarely had to crack open an introductory Psychology textbook due to those two resources. Good luck!

Consider your first lab as a stepping stone into the foray of research. Sometimes you like it, and you stick to it. Sometimes you don't. You'll probably want to have more experience anyway, and moving onto another lab that gives you that will work in your favour. Sure, this may end up being that you lose a reference, but it wouldn't have been a strong one to begin with if the PI is comparing your work ethics in such a way. Better to have a strong and great letter than have one that is on the fringe. I think this first lab experience should be your gateway leading you to other opportunities. Look for other research experiences, in the second lab, and other ones. The first one is always the hardest, but now that you have it you should have confidence in seeking other ways of moving forward in your experiences! Good luck

That is a cubic root. A simpler example would be 2 is the cubic root of 8 (23 = 8) Thus, find the cube root of 87 and go from there

I'll be pursuing Clinical (Neuro)Psychology, but my area of research is looking to be Cognitive Neuroscience venturing into Social Neuroscience. Is that diverse enough?

Hi, while I cannot attest to your situation since we are in completely different areas of study, I can share my experience with you that may be useful in your decision. There will always come a point in time, whenever you do standardized tests such as the GRE, that you will think you can do better. The length of time it takes to study properly (as you can attest to), the cost (it's risen every single time I've taken it), and the energy (or lack thereof) are all strong reasons to deter anyone from doing the test multiple times. Given all that, I actually took the test THREE times as you're considering doing yourself. I will say that I scored higher than you the first time around, and decided to retake it as my field of interest prefers higher scores. The second time proved to be disastrous given the mindset I had going in, and it ended up being worse than my first time. I made the decision to retake it for the third time, and ended with a slightly higher VR score compared to my first time around, but a slightly lower QR score. With all that said and done, I ended up applying with my first set of scores (!) and successfully accepted an offer in April. As you can tell by your own scores and my story, your GRE can fluctuate up and down a bit depending on your condition and mindset the day of the test. The test could be harder or easier, but the grind of doing a test for ~4 hours is strenuous. Again, I'm not sure what the expectations are for your program of interest, but judging from the rest of your profile, I believe you have the competency and experience of doing well. Your GPA and experience are factored in quite considerably too, and a lot of the content you will need to know are not necessarily tested by the GRE (assuming you did it in English). My suggestion is to work with your GRE scores, write a kickass SOP that possibly includes why your GRE might be lower, and apply away! Good luck!

I'm not in SLP, so my response may not be completely accurate, but I doubt that speaking one language exclusively is a big deterrence in your admissions to a program. Of course, speaking more than one language will be of interest when your application is reviewed, but how much it affects your chances may have to do with more with what you plan to study and build your graduate career on. For instance, if you were to look at pathological deficiencies in a different culture (maybe your native one), it may make sense that knowing how to speak it will be seen as an advantage. SLP encompasses a lot of things, and your admissions will factor in your experiences in the field, your academics, and any other way of identifying how competent you are in this line of work. So don't let that get in your way!

Hi, I have a friend who attempted the same thing (albeit she completed her MA out-of-country and wanted to pursue cognitive psychology). It is a bit of a challenge to describe why you want to switch disciplines completely, but it's not completely out of the question I presume. If your undergraduate background is relevant to I/O it should still be in your favour. You will need to have a good reason to describe why you wanted to pursue Health Psychology (twist it to how that helps your research interests in PhD), and explain how you can supplement some of the coursework that you missed in your Masters if you go directly into doctorate rather than do another Masters. Good luck!

Perhaps you can shed some light as to why some of your professors think you should return for post-bacc? Myself, I chose not to start my graduate studies until this year when I graduated from my undergraduate program in 2014. During my fourth year, I completed my honours thesis and I didn't want to distract my research and other courses with the application. For me, personally, I also wasn't entirely sure on my research interests yet. Ultimately, finishing my thesis helped me tremendously, which made my SOP that much stronger. This year off also helped me immensely in preparing for my applications (you can never have too much time to get ready), and getting more relevant research experience also proved worthwhile. So unless there's some serious deficiency in your profile, I agree with cagedbird77. Shoot for the moon, because even if you miss, you'll be among the stars

Hello! Not sure if you're only interested in American universities, but if you're flexible take a look at the IMS and LMP programs at the University of Toronto. They have a stellar reputation due to their affiliations with many of the world-class researching hospitals in the city. For more pure neuroscience, there's also the MiNDS program at McMaster University, which is about an hour away from Toronto.

I would say the time frame for studying the GREs should be based on how comfortable you are with the content. For example, I knew I needed to refresh myself on my basic mathematics so that took a bit longer. If you start now, you should be good to go by the end of the summer/September. I would suggest avoiding to do your GRE too late (i.e. late October/November), for such reasons as 1) potentially having to retake them, and 2) having to worry about cutting it close while doing other aspects of your applications. The story of my GRE trials is overly complicated, but a good story for experience nonetheless. I took my initial test at the end of August 2013 (the summer before my last year at university) after starting to study in May. I did well, but decided to redo them. Due to a change to one of the universities I planned to apply to, I had to expedite the process and did my GRE the second time in early August 2014. Did pretty horrid, and feeling gutted by my performance decided to do it a THIRD time. Completed it the third time by the start of September 2014 and still had to worry about doing my Psychology Subject Test (I was applying to Clinical Psychology). Of course, this story isn't a lesson if I told you that I ended up doing extremely well on my last attempt. Ultimately, as I've reiterated this story a few times in these forums, I submitted my first set of scores(!) during my application. So long story short, continue to remain positive as I clearly see you have been throughout this thread, and pace yourself as much as you can. For sure, you will need to improve your GRE scores. Is it necessary to get 165+ for both QR and VR? Perhaps like avidman said it will be helpful given your GPA. I got accepted into my program, however, with lower scores than that. I think you should have a conversation with the cognitive psychology professor who you've been working with. See if they can recommend schools to you, or have any suggestions/connections that can help you out here. One thing I do want to add is that I've read in some of these threads that doing a Masters in a different field may not be in your best interest. Perhaps if you looked at Masters for psychology primarily (maybe even the general ones), they could be of better use for you. Unlike some of the applicants on these pages, you know which area you want to pursue and you may be using your Masters as a booster for your lower undergrad GPA. If you can do excellent on your Masters (if that's the route you end up taking), it will only help. Make sure you know what your goals are, find the best fit for yourself, and go with it! *hugs back*

Hi fellow Canadian! I'm not sure how it is for your program or university, but for the one I'm going to I think the assumption is that TAships are pretty much guaranteed for all incoming graduate students. For myself, I submitted an application for TAing, wrote down possible courses I am qualified for, and currently awaiting the results. Like you, I didn't have any undergraduate TA jobs. I received an email from the coordinator saying they will let me know which one I'll be assigned by the end of the summer.

I think your strong research/volunteer experiences and recommendation letters will go a long way in helping you get into programs. Assuming that your GRE works out well too, then that will definitely be in your favour. Despite all that, though, to be completely truthful, your undergraduate GPA may still hinder your opportunities to get into a funded PhD program (at least right from the get go). Case in point is someone in the lab I'm currently in that applied to a program this past year. She had amazing recommendations, a paper in the works, and her experiences were very versatile (she studied cognitive science so her computational and programming pedigree also really stood out). Unfortunately, her application was triaged by the graduate committee (aka the first wave of people to look at all the incoming applications), because her GPA was low. This was even when her undergraduate supervisor pushed for her to remain in his lab. Fortunately, she received an offer from a different department (Computer Engineering) and she happily accepted. The reality is that psychology programs are hard(er) to get into, because there is an underlying expectation of high grades/scores, relevant experiences, and strong LORs. Fit is also equally important, and maybe if you find PIs with similar interests that really think strongly of your profile there may still be a chance. That's not to say you won't get into a program, though! Never think that. It might just take a bit longer than you anticipated. I would say on top of the program at Delaware, you should consider applying to Master level programs (funded/unfunded) and be diligent in the year or so that it takes to complete the program. Score highly on those graduate courses, try to have an even stronger fit of relevant research experiences, and apply again if the PhD route doesn't work out the first time around. Good luck and I wish you all the best!

Besides the Psychology GRE, she'll also have to do the General GRE as well. Most schools actually look closely at the latter rather than the former. Beyond that, assuming she has the grades and scores well on the GRE, she will definitely need to pick up on some of the fundamentals that will make her application sufficient. Namely, she will have to dedicate some time to actually exploring through work/volunteering in research. There's almost no way around it given the climate that psychology graduate programs are like these days. Without proper training in labs or experimental settings (or clinical if that's what she wants to pursue), she will find it hard to adjust and also be competitive. So after the standardized testing, make sure your friend is well aware of what area of psychology she is interested in pursuing and then look for opportunities that allow her to be exposed to that particular line of research and maximize her chances. This may take a year or so, but where there's a will there's a way! Good luck to her!

I thought so! Glad to meet you! I know it seems like a bit of a downer, but don't be discouraged! There are more than enough people in these forums who had sub-3.00 GPAs that ended up getting into a program that they wanted to. In terms of the 1-year Masters, the length may actually do you some favours since it won't be too drastic of a change for a long period of time. In fact, you may be spending a year trying to improve your application anyway. Take a look closely at the content you will be doing with the MPH at CUHK. Does it involve any practical aspects that will give you valuable experience in the health sector? If you're going to be trained in a clinical setting in some parts of it, that will still be relevant knowledge that you can then translate into your application a year later. I do agree with the previous posts suggesting you look at internationally recognized organizations such as Red Cross. Working/volunteering with these groups can be an added benefit to show you are committed to public health care. I would also recommend you contacting the respective schools and asking for statistics on what background most of their students are coming in with. CUHK is a recognized school so receiving a Masters degree there may not be as detracting as somewhere more obscure. Furthermore, if you do well in your MPH, they will look at those grades more closely than your BA marks. It may even show that you have the prior knowledge and mature mindset to pursue a more definitive degree like nursing! Ultimately, choose what you're comfortable with. Everyone here agrees on one thing - you will need to improve your application in some ways to be a bit more competitive. But isn't as bad as it sounds! It'll take a bit more time, but I'm sure you'll end up getting into your program! I got into mine through perseverance and serendipity so I know how it feels like to be worried. Just plan the next year or so accordingly and keep asking if you have any questions!

Congratulations on receiving offers from such prestigious universities in the UK! That is an amazing achievement. To answer your questions, I think ultimately the best way to do so is decide based on fit in terms of your comfortability of living in those particular areas for the foreseeable future and which research project is of more interest to you. If you're looking into going to the US after your doctorate, consider the people you will be working with and how they can influence your chances of getting there after your degree. Look at the prospects of graduates from these two programs, and where they end up afterwards. Most universities like to boast about their successful alums so getting that information shouldn't be too difficult. Good luck!

Hi Bonny, Based on your programs I'll take a stab and say you went to UTSC (I did too, and also graduated in June 2014). If not, we're still both UofT alumni! The healthcare field is very saturated these days so it does become quite burdensome looking for ways to further your education. I have a friend, for example, who applied to UofT for nursing and medicine at HKU, and still hopes to stay back here and another friend currently wait listed for the same nursing program. So I understand your plight. I personally don't think you should give up your interests of pursuing a career in this field, regardless of the competition or the nature of applications. You didn't provide a lot of context to your experiences, both academically and in field-related work, so there's not a lot I can gauge on in terms of advice. However, I do agree with the previous poster that you may want to pursue volunteer/work experiences related to the health sector (clinical assistantships, volunteer in geriatric/palliative care homes, work at medical centres, etc) alongside your odd jobs here and there. Anything related to the healthcare sector is great experience, and it'll motivate you a lot more to know that this is the field you may be interested in pursuing. I suggest also looking at postgraduate diploma programs at your local colleges, those that are shorter in length, that can enhance your skill set when you reapply again. At this point, you want to enhance your application to show you are committed to this field. It may take a bit of time, and I can relate that parental pressures are always an added issue, but if you're persistent I'm sure you can do more to improve your existing profile and reapply again. If you have any questions feel free to PM me. Good luck!

I think your resume should include relevant coursework or experiences that indicate you are capable of being a TA for said course. If you've taken it before and did well, you should also include that. Finally, any other teaching experience that shows you are more than capable of taking on the load of being a TA (successfully!) are also added bonus. Good luck!

I can't give you concrete answers, but unless the position mandates a Clinical/Counselling psychology degree then I don't see why not. They will probably be more interested in your experiences and what you bring to the table for this role. If you have all the qualities that they are looking for, you shouldn't hesitate to apply to those programs. Feel free to ask beforehand of course!

I think I answered a similar question to this before, but take a look at whether some of the professors at the universities are cross-appointed to multiple programs. Counselling and Clinical psychology are often very close together, so the POIs in the programs could very much do both. Another thing to consider is how you'll be able to describe your research interests when applying to a Counselling psychology program if your interests align more with Clinical research. What kind of research/volunteer experiences have you had? Are they more aligned with one field over the other? Even if the program is competitive, you may also want to consider applying to Clinical programs too especially if the research is much more interesting for you. Clinical programs provide opportunities for both assessment and intervention, with the latter being ideally very close to what counselling psychology does.

You'll probably get similar answers across the board, but it's hard to use your GRE scores as the basis for whether you make the cutoff or not. If you have substantial research experience, strong GPA, great recommendation letters, etc, all of those things or 1-2 of those things can raise your application higher regardless of your lower Quant scores. Now, on the other hand, if the schools you have applied to give mention of previous statistics on average scores, then you may want to try aiming for that. Needless to say, each program has their own nuances that you must be aware of or at least try to gauge. Try speaking to the department to see if they can shed some light on what kind of expectations they have for students coming in to the program. Good luck!

If the lunch will be with his entire research group, I don't think it will be an actual interview per se. Perhaps you will be meeting with him one-on-one before or after the lunch? Did he make any mentions of that? When I went through my graduate application process that's what happened to me too. I had a meeting with the POI and shortly after was invited for a dinner with him and his research group (albeit with two other applicants). We spent the evening talking about everything BESIDES research, including our own interests outside of school, personal hobbies, etc. Sometimes the questions were directed at us, I guess for him to learn more about us, or sometimes as a response to someone else at the table. Needless to say, I was on the edge of my seat the entire meal. However, it was still an absolutely awesome experience getting to catch snippets about the other people in the lab and get to see how they get along. I suspect that something similar may happen to you. I think you should clarify if you'll be meeting with him before or after, and that's when you should be dishing out your CV. During the lunch, just be as polite and genuine as possible, and answer the questions that are posed to you as well as you can. This may be a chance for him and his group to see if you're a good fit for their lab culture, but also a way for you to figure out the same. In this situation, there's no way around it. You will just have to answer as well as you can. Remember, though, nobody knows you better than yourself! Good luck!

Vocabulary is a tricky issue with a lot of people studying for the GRE so don't be too worried! The words are not meant to be very real world friendly, but, unfortunately, they are required to do well on the VR section. You've probably seen this on other posts, and I won't be surprised if you are already using it too, but take a look at the Magoosh prep apps for your phone/tablets. They are very comprehensive and can help with all sorts of challenges you may face on your GRE. My other advice would be to do what I did, which is to cover the answers when reading the sentences. Fill the blanks with words you think make sense, regardless of how simple they are, and check to see if there are any words on the answer list that are similar. If yes, then those are the ones to go. Continue using the connotation method. That works wonders! Good luck!

Hope they went well! Congrats on getting the monkey off your back!