Love3

I wouldn't consider ever taking a unfunded offer over a funded offer. Chicago is an expensive city so you have to take out loans to live and pay for tuition and books. Only way I would consider it is if I was guaranteed an a high paying salary like 200k so I was able to pay my loans off right away. Do you think that your field/school is going to give you that opportunity so you won't have student loan debt for the next 25-50 years? The first time I applied to grad school it was either an unfunded program in a very expensive city or no school at all. I decided to decline the offer and reapply to funded programs. Great school but no school is worth being in a tremendous amount of debt unless I'm guaranteed to make a lot of money. Just my opinion!

Congrats! I'm glad to hear you guys are finished with the process and starting somewhere in the fall even though the next few steps of preparing to leave and starting grad school are going to be a journey in itself!! Are you guys going to have to make a big move or are the schools you are attending close to home? @Jaguar21 @outsidegirl4 Im going to Louisiana State btw. So I have a big move ahead of me because I'm from Philadelphia.

@DestinyS thank you! Nope I did not pick the school that was my top choice. Once I interviewed at all the places, I liked the school that I picked a little more. It was a close decision.

@DestinyS funding is important. I got funding for 3 out 4 of my offers so that 4th choice was automatically out! It just came down to fit, location and happiness. I think I made the right decision.

I've heard back from all of my schools but I've noticed that a few people are still waiting. How many schools are you waiting to hear back from? Do you have an idea of where you want to go?

I am curious if anyone has made an official decision of what school they are going to attend in the fall. It seems like everyone is still in the waiting/deciding phase. I would love to hear about the positive end of this process: Accepting an Offer. ?

I am curious if anyone has made an official decision of what school they are going to attend in the fall. It seems like everyone is still in the waiting/deciding phase. I would love to hear about the positive end of this process: Accepting an Offer.

You have great experience so you should be fine depending on your GRE scores. I noticed that you are applying to schools in NY. Are you applying to those schools because you want to stay in the area or because you actually think you are good match for the program? My advice would be to make sure you figure out what you want your research interest to be (and how does it align with the interest of the professors), what is your ultimate goal (Why school psych, why clinical, why PhD, why PsyD), why do you feel like these schools would be a good fit for your needs (besides the location) and why do you think you are a good fit for the program? Make sure you explain all of those things in a excellent, eloquent manner in your SOP. I would say that these are the most important parts of your application. Education and experience gets your foot in the door but FIT gets you interviews and acceptances. I can't guarantee it will work but this is my second time applying and I was much more successful this time around. From my personal experience, these are the parts of the application that I believe make the biggest differences.

I think you really can't go wrong with the school you pick as long as it is accredited, fits your interest, provides great opportunities and you can see yourself enjoying the people, professors and environment. You should also take into account research and Practicum opportunities. APA internships are important. Funding is also important. Look at their licensure % if you want to become a licensed psychologist. Like someone else said, I only found one ranking system for school psychology programs but I don't know what it's based on. I think it's just best to pick a program based on your needs, future goals and happiness.

Thank you! I hope I do! I just feel like there are so many things that go into picking a program but I also don't want to overthink it. ?

I've officially heard back from all of the schools I applied to. This application process is finally over. Now I have to decide where I will be in the Fall. I'm happy that the hardest part is over and that I actually got into a couple places.

Exactly how I feel. I need to really start thinking about which offer I am accepting because I'm back and forth between overthinking and not thinking about it at all. How many more interviews were you invited to?

I agree with everything stated above. The fact that the 4 previous graduates of the program have university careers overrules all of your cons. A "low ranked interdisciplinary program" didn't stop them from being competitive so it won't stop you either. Like @COGSCI stated, as long as you produce quality research in your program, the rank of the program and the prestige of the school won't stop you from being successful. Plus acceptance into a program that you like with excellent funding and a good research fit doesn't happen very often. Getting into a PhD program is such a crapshoot. You may not get into a program next year even you do increase your GREs or you may get into a "better" program with crappy funding or the research may not be aligned. I am not against reapplying. This is my second time applying but the first time I applied, I was accepted into the master's program instead of the PhD level that I applied for, with little funding in a very expensive city. Your situation seems very different because you have everything you need in that offer. I would go for it.

I spoke with current students about interviews at all of the schools I interviewed with. I think it's a very good idea. Of course, they will not tell you the questions but they will be helpful in many other ways. The students may give you insight on the professors or the program past what you see on the program's website. I would say go for it.

Thank you! I graduated in 2014 so spring break doesn't apply to me anymore unfortunately. I do have a birthday and a birthday vacation coming up so that's a good way to end this application cycle.

@estrella Don't feel pressured to make a decision. Take your time and decide. Did you send a thank you email after you received your acceptance stating that you were interested and would let them know if your decision before April 15th? Maybe you could decline the least appealing offer of the two you received while you wait for the waitlist option. I would say don't feel pressured to do that either. It's just an option.

This is the pretty much the norm. At most of the interviews, I only had one interview all day with my POI and the program director. The rest of the day consisted of meeting with the current students, listening to presentations and food. I only attended one program in which I interviewed with all of the professors.

There is this program that I really love. I just came back from my interview on Friday and the school had the second round of interviews yesterday. So I'm guessing I should here back before next week. The anxiety of it all is killing me and it's the last program that I have to hear back from out of all the schools that I applied to. I have to keep myself busy at this point.

Most schools don't offer you both at the same time or allow you to have both at the same time even if the fellowship is coming from an outside source other than the school. You can have a scholarship and an assistantship OR fellowship. Also, a fellowship one year and assistantship the following year(s) is acceptable. Another option is to have the fellowship and volunteer in a research lab or work on campus in a center. Check with your school to make sure but I talked to people at different schools and they have all said that you can't have a fellowship and assistantship at the same time.

Just remember to breathe in the middle of all your busy days and remember how exciting it is that you made it to the next level. Good luck with your decision! Congrats!

I received three acceptances so far and the more factors I account for, the more confused I am. I will share my list anyway. -Fit (professor's research interest and any specialization you are looking for in a program) -Internship placement -Job placement -Climate of the program (how were the faculty and students when you visited, is it place that you would enjoy) -POI reputation and productivity -Funding -Location/Weather You can also include the small statistic like how many people stay in the program and how many years until completion if you think it's important. I personally don't think these things are that important unless it's an extremely low percentage. I think it's also important for you to consider which factors matter the most/the least when weighing your options. Good luck with your decision. May it bring you happiness and no stress.

I am also dealing with a similar situation. The most important factor that I consider is fit. Does the professor have similar interests? Also, I don't know what field you are in psychology but you should consider your goals and what you wish to accomplish during your studies and once you start your career. For example, let's assume that you are clinical. If you want to go into academia, make sure the school you attend allows you to extensively produce quality research, publish and present. If you want to do hands on clinical work, take into consideration how many practicums the school provides, where the practicum sites are and most importantly internship placement. Schools always discuss fit during interviews. You should also be deciding if the school is the right fit for you. In my opinion, being at a university that will provide all your educational needs is more important that weather and funding. Now if all of these things align than consider everything that is important to you no matter how big or little. I'm considering the overall climate of the program (how nice the faculty and students seem to be), location, funding, etc). This has helped me put my decision into perspective. Even though I still have two more schools to hear from, thinking in terms of FIT first has helped me begin to make my decision. Good Luck!

It was Thursday, the day that the first school I interviewed with said that I would here back. I just kept checking my email and kept my phone near me waiting for a phone call. All day I heard nothing! Evening came around, I was trying to convince myself that I had been rejected, convincing myself that it will be okay because it was only my first interview. My aunt called me to see if I had any good news or news at all but I didn't have anything to say. She says make sure to check your junk mail and keep your head up if you don't see anything. So I check again before I went to sleep around 11 even though I didn't think they would send out email acceptances that late. I went to sleep so sad and defeated. I wake up the next morning and open my email and I see an email with the subject line of "Your ...... University Application". I open it and the first word says "Congratulations". I couldn't scream because I was in shock but all the family members I called screamed for me. The craziest part about it is I couldn't believe what time they acceptance was sent: 11:17 pm. I guess they send out acceptances that late after all!! If only I would've stayed up a few minutes later..

It sounds like you have your mind set on staying in MO. Everything you said was leaning away from Pitt except for the costs. I would just keep this one thing in mind when deciding where to go. Make sure the amount of debt you take on is affordable for the salary you live on once you graduate. No one should want to be in debt forever.

@hellokrs I agree that it depends where you are interviewing but the majority of the interviewees are exactly as you describe. The most diverse was in Florida with a THREE men and a few more minority. My interview at Texas was a little more diverse too.