Applicant 1746

Does anyone know if Stanford has sent out all its invites for social?

According to their website, all Visiting Day invitations have been sent out: http://clinicalpsych.unc.edu/application-process/ "All interview invitations for the 2016 UNC Cliniacl Psychology Visiting Day have now been extended."

I didn't contact any of my POIs prior to submitting my applications (and naming them in my statements, of course), and looking back I wish I had. I feel like doing so might have done more to express interest and to put me on their radar/give them a name to look out for when going through applications. That said, it shouldn't make or break an application. I've gotten a few interviews (as have you! congrats!), which means at least some of our POIs learned what they needed about fit from our applications. Also, I know at least a few professors who prefer *not* to be contacted by applicants prior to their application submission, and they say so on their website -- because they don't want to give anyone an unfair advantage, etc. Honestly, the norm of contacting POIs before applying (especially when information about whether they're taking a student this cycle is on their website, and unless an applicant has specific questions they want to ask before applying) has always left a bad taste in my mouth. It's always seemed to me a weird way to try to garner familiarity bias/favoritism, and outside of that, I can't imagine much could really be gained by either the applicant or the POI about someone's qualifications or fit that couldn't be gleaned from the application itself. But that's just me, and I'd be interested to hear from folks who actually find this practice to be more useful.

Same here! Thanks!

My POI at UNC-Chapel Hill clinical e-mailed me to schedule a Skype interview, which we had in late December. She said I could expect to hear back about campus interview invitations in the next 2 weeks or so, but I haven't heard anything since. Their website says all Visiting Day invites will go out on Jan 22: http://clinicalpsych.unc.edu/application-process/

To those who posted that they heard from Stanford's social (or experimental generally?) program, would you please PM me? I'd love to know if you were contacted by your POI or if it was a mass e-mail. Thanks!!

To those who posted that they heard from Stanford's social (or experimental generally?) program, would you please PM me? I'd love to know if you were contacted by your POI or if it was a mass e-mail. Thanks!!

Yes, I think that's totally appropriate! You could say that you wanted to send the admissions office an update on your projects/accomplishments and attach the new CV (as a way to highlight the changes). On a related note, I have a publication under review and should it get accepted in the coming month or so, I would definitely plan to write my schools and let them know.

I personally don't have a summary section. I list project summaries and tasks completed under position titles, and I have a separate "Skills" section towards the end of my CV that lists technical skills like statistical packages and programming languages I'm proficient in. I think a personal summary section is more common on resumes than on CVs, no? Then again, there's really no right or wrong way to do this. I've seen all variations of CVs and resumes. I'd go with however you prefer to present your experiences!

Same here! Would really appreciate learning who your POI is if you feel comfortable sharing!

I would be interested in this, too! Would be great if you could PM me your POI.

I'm sorry to hear this! But, I like your approach a lot and will definitely do my best to remember this in the coming months. Can I ask how you went about finding out why you were rejected?

Oh, another tip: if the program has an online application form, try uploading the file before the deadline. If you get an upload error because the file size is too big, that might be a clue that they were looking for a shorter piece. In that case, you'll have time to look over a shorter option before the deadline. Good luck!

Unless they specify a length (which it sounds like they don't), I would just send the strongest/most relevant piece of writing you have! A few of my programs requested writing samples, and if they specified a length it was around 10 - 15 pages. These were Ph.D programs, though, so the expectations may be different. In any case, I think 16 pages is fine if it's your favorite option! If your committee finds it too long, it's not like they have to read all of it lolol.

I definitely would have "elevator pitches" of your own research prepared -- consider practicing describing the main studies you've worked on aloud, so it'll come naturally to you when asked (everyone I've interviewed with so far has asked me to describe my projects -- either my most recent, or the one(s) most relevant to the work their lab does, or the one(s) I found most interesting/exciting...etc). Open with some background/rationale, then mention the research question/hypothesis, and go into the methods/procedures/measures/results. An interview is a conversation, not a speech, but I find that it's VERY helpful to have practiced these big open-ended questions in advance. (I personally like to practice because when I'm just put on the spot, I'm more likely to launch straight into the procedure or something, without orienting the other person in the larger research question/area.) It's also helpful to refresh your memory on the details of the projects you've worked on, in case your interviewer asks more detailed follow-up questions. I would definitely recommend familiarizing yourself with the interviewer's research, yes. You'll need to prioritize what and how you read in the interest of time, and carefully reading abstracts (and skimming any graphs/charts and discussion sections) should help a lot in catching you up. If it's helpful, here are some other "criteria" I've used for choosing which publication(s) to read before an interview: 1) Their most recently published work (last ~5 or so years) 2) Their most-cited papers (insofar as these may be the most representative of their overall research agenda, or else may indicate the papers that have been the most influential on the field/area) 3) Papers listed on their website as "representative publications" 4) Papers they're first author on 5) Papers most relevant to your own research interests 6) If they have a short biography on the department website or a short list of current research interests, any papers on those topics in particular (research interests can shift with time, and your interviewer will probably be more interested in talking about the questions they're interested in now and anticipate being interested in in the near future)

Yep -- as far as I can tell from US Ph.D programs, students generally enter into the Ph.D program with an undergraduate degree + research experience, and get a master's on the way (at year 2 or 3). A terminal masters before applying to Ph.D programs can be a good choice if you'd like to raise your GPA, take advanced psych courses, and/or get more research experience via a master's thesis -- but from reading your post I'm wondering if you're considering applying for RA positions as a pre-doctoral gig, instead of doing a master's program? I'm asking because you seem quite clear on your interests, and I'm wondering if there's much more you could learn from master's coursework than you could from more hands-on research experience and reading articles in your area of interest. Just something to consider! I took an RA position out of undergrad and it was the best thing I could have done in terms of grad school preparation, but then again everyone's situation is different.

I definitely think it's better to write about the study's purpose/research questions and what you enjoyed/found most interesting or exciting about a project, because it shows your ability to understand and think independently about research, and it lets you highlight what you like and value most about the research process. This will set you apart from other applicants! That said, if you have a lot of research experience (i.e., too much to talk about everything you've done in a 1 or 2 page statement), you'll want to be strategic about how you allot your space. I chose to go into detail in my statement only about the studies I've worked on that were most relevant to the program I was applying to, or that were really influential in some way on my development as a researcher and the trajectory of my career goals. As for listing tasks completed and skills gained, I listed all of those for each research position on my CV, so that reviewers would be able to quickly scan and see how in depth or hands on my research experience has been. But I spent my personal statement trying to communicate my potential and ability to think like an independent researcher. Hope this helps!

I agree with this ^. I'm sure it'll be fine. Expecting an applicant to schedule an interview over peak holiday season (pre-Christmas through the New Year, which it sounds like was what she was asking for) is iffy even under the best circumstances. I had a couple POIs request interviews over this same time period, but they also gave me early January as an option if I couldn't make ~Dec 20 - 31 work. So, I'm confident that she'll be understanding -- and remember that getting contacted for a phone/Skype interview at all means you're basically shortlisted, which is very good news! Let us know how it goes, and best of luck!

I second Heavensmaiden that it really depends on the kind of program and area you're interested in. The counseling focused programs mentioned above are good options if you'd like to focus on practice over research, and a low GPA is less likely to count you out of those programs. Otherwise -- if you're interested in going the clinical psych Ph.D route -- I would recommend doing a master's in psychology (go for accredited, not online programs) to boost your GPA and to show that you can perform well in graduate level psych classes. There are a number of funded master's programs that are worth looking into (you'd also get a master's thesis, which could turn into a pub, under your belt). Re: question #2: Yes, I would study for and take the psych GRE test if you think you'll do well. Like you said -- anything to strengthen your application! #3: Again, depends on the kind of program/research area you're interested in. Do you have an interest in health psychology? Clinical neuroscience? It sounds like your experiences would be really relevant then. Otherwise, I'd say they're worth mentioning in something like a personal statement (and definitely CV) as they're solid research experiences -- and research skills generalize. (I've heard from a number of people that though I'm applying to some labs whose areas of interest I don't have a ton of direct research experience with, my strong research experiences in other areas would still put me in the running. "It matters that you have good research experience, not necessarily research experience in this exact area," is more or less what I've heard.) Hope this helps!

Congrats on the phone interview! As SAH said, there tends to be variation by program and PI. The general questions you can expect to answer are: Why this school/program? Why this PI's lab in particular? Why this research area; why are you interested in this topic? Can you tell me about your most recent research experience? Your research experience most closely related to this area? The research you've enjoyed the most or found most interesting? Which research questions are you interested in exploring in the future? What are your career goals? Do you plan to go into research/teaching/counseling after grad school? They'll likely ask you if you have any questions for them, so make sure you have some questions prepared! Clinical/counseling programs may also ask about any relevant clinical experience you have. Counseling programs focus more on that than clinical programs, and may also ask what draws you to being a practitioner vs. what you expect will be challenging as you get counseling training, etc.

Sorry to hear you're ill! This is what I'd do in your situation: I'd e-mail her right away to give as much notice as possible (she may not check e-mail until Monday, as you said, but many faculty do check e-mail over the weekend and if she does, the more notice she has, the better). I'd say that you've been very sick and that, while you understand rescheduling may be impossible because of the relatively short notice, you would appreciate the opportunity to reschedule (and offer a few days/times that you think you'd be feeling better by and available to talk). Unless you're completely unwilling to talk on Monday, I would say that you would still be able to talk then if it's impossible to reschedule. (Assuming she gets the e-mail in time, I would bet that she'd be willing to accommodate you, and saying that you'd still be willing to talk at the designated time if rescheduling is impossible seems to make a better impression than informing someone that you won't be attending or online for a meeting.) These things happen, and if she's the kind of person who would make for an understanding adviser, she would be understanding now. Hope this helps, and hope you feel better soon!

I think I'm missing where someone posted that they were invited by mass e-mail from the committee (rather than personally contacted by a PI). Could you let me know where on the results page it indicates that? I'm wondering about the person who posted that they got a Columbia interview on Dec 29th. I think I'll hold out hope for another week or two!