Warelin

@Bopie5: Exactly. The first round is always the hardest. Statistically speaking, I'm guessing most people don't get in their first time. I received a wait-list during my first round; which ultimately resulted in a rejection. During my second round, I applied to a few more colleges and received admission into 6 colleges. I ended up turning down a "better" ranked college for this one because I felt I could grow more here and I felt the opportunities offered here would be better and the location felt to me that it would also be a better fit. (During my first cycle, this school rejected me. During my last cycle, this school originally waitlisted me which then turned into an acceptance. I turned down a graduate fellowship that I was nominated for and won from the graduate school from the better-ranked university to attend here. Acceptances have an odd-way of working out because I thought I'd go elsewhere prior to making my final decision. The more I learned about different schools though, the easier the decision became and the more I realized what a hidden gem this school is. (As a side note, 3 of the schools I was accepted into were also the last 3 schools I added to my list after realizing they'd be a good fit.)

This google doc: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XNJR4IhOJ56zd7zLuVSUK7h054dBRNvyiC7iStCOsxo/ is now back to being in public mode! I hope this creation helps you as much as it helped me when I was doing my initial research

I applied to more than 10 schools last time and was accepted to more than 5. The first school and the last schools I applied to were among the ones the ones I was accepted into. I think a lot of it depends on how well your passion can shine through and whether they feel the same passion about wanting to work with you over other applicants.

It really depends on the program. Some programs have orientation that could last a day; others could last for weeks. 

If you google the college's academic calendar, it's likely that you can expect to start around then. Mid/Late August is the most common start date. This is more likely to be different if the school is on a Trimester or Quarter system rather than a Semester system though.

I think it's important to realize that the Humanities and Sciences work differently. In the humanities, professors generally don't take on students as their advisees until after students have gone through coursework. This is becuse Faculty are aware that students may have a change in what they're interested in after taking a variety of coursework within the field. In the sciences, funding is often tied to a professor and you'll often be working on that professor's projects.
 
Unless it says they're a visiting professor or postdoc, it's generally safer to assume that it's a permanent position. Sometimes, it comes with some additional conference funding for their research. Sometimes (not always), it's a way for a university or department to note that this person has contributed something important to the field or to the university or department.
 
A full professor is a tenured professor who has passed their evaluation to be promoted from Associate Professor. Moving from Associate Professor to Professor isn't guaranteed and it's possible to spend your career at one university without being promoted to Professor.
 
I think that depends. Academia is a career in which people tend to retire later, rather than earlier from. People who have been a professor for a longer time often have more connections and understand publications better. On the opposite end, they're less likely to have an understanding of the current job market and less likely to want to collaborate on a publication. 

I think as long as you're targetting Professors,  rather than instructors (which does not imply temporary work either -- just a teaching track, rather than a research track), you'll be fine. 

Good luck!

My e-mail has this link: https://www.gradmit.buffalo.edu/etw/gradmit.asp which links to http://www.gradmit.buffalo.edu/etw/ets/et.asp?nxappid=GRA&nxmid=start

Thanks for catching that. Based on the history, it seems that someone deleted the information on Thanksgiving. (Perhaps, somebody had a little too much turkey!)

I've restored it to a backed up version but it seems like some of the values are off. I'll take a deeper look later on this week!

Most schools are lenient on LOR regardless of whether they state so or not because they're aware that professors have a lot going on around this time. One of my letters ended up being submitted 2 weeks after the deadline and I was still accepted into that school. I think the important part is ensuring that they're received prior to when the admissions committee meet to make decisions. In most cases, this is likely to be January/February.

I can guarantee you that you're much more likely to notice small errors than they are. They care more about your ideas than something this minor.

@Bopie5: Exactly. The first round is always the hardest. Statistically speaking, I'm guessing most people don't get in their first time. I received a wait-list during my first round; which ultimately resulted in a rejection. During my second round, I applied to a few more colleges and received admission into 6 colleges. I ended up turning down a "better" ranked college for this one because I felt I could grow more here and I felt the opportunities offered here would be better and the location felt to me that it would also be a better fit. (During my first cycle, this school rejected me. During my last cycle, this school originally waitlisted me which then turned into an acceptance. I turned down a graduate fellowship that I was nominated for and won from the graduate school from the better-ranked university to attend here. Acceptances have an odd-way of working out because I thought I'd go elsewhere prior to making my final decision. The more I learned about different schools though, the easier the decision became and the more I realized what a hidden gem this school is. (As a side note, 3 of the schools I was accepted into were also the last 3 schools I added to my list after realizing they'd be a good fit.)

For what it's worth, I think most colleges are satisfied with a score of 300-305 total.
 
Good luck and have fun! I have a friend who started grad school in a different field, realized it wasn't for them, did DCP after they completed their first semester, and is now working part-time at Disney and part time at Universal Studio. She seems to be really happy about it and has met some really cool people.

One of my advisors did a program at North Carolina State University and seemed very pleased with it.

@Bopie5: Exactly. The first round is always the hardest. Statistically speaking, I'm guessing most people don't get in their first time. I received a wait-list during my first round; which ultimately resulted in a rejection. During my second round, I applied to a few more colleges and received admission into 6 colleges. I ended up turning down a "better" ranked college for this one because I felt I could grow more here and I felt the opportunities offered here would be better and the location felt to me that it would also be a better fit. (During my first cycle, this school rejected me. During my last cycle, this school originally waitlisted me which then turned into an acceptance. I turned down a graduate fellowship that I was nominated for and won from the graduate school from the better-ranked university to attend here. Acceptances have an odd-way of working out because I thought I'd go elsewhere prior to making my final decision. The more I learned about different schools though, the easier the decision became and the more I realized what a hidden gem this school is. (As a side note, 3 of the schools I was accepted into were also the last 3 schools I added to my list after realizing they'd be a good fit.)

@Warelin So true! I've had a few Skype convos with current PhD students and recent grads and they've all stressed how many factors there are that I can't control, and how there really is a luck of the draw element (who's on the admissions committee, how many people also in my field who apply, if everyone wants the same faculty mentors, people from the same backgrounds, etc, etc). Just gotta be at peace knowing that it's my first round and I've done the best I can. There's a high likelihood it won't work out this time, but I can learn from my experiences and try again!

@Bopie5: I think the important thing to realize is that rejections can happen regardless. Fit matters a lot. Our understanding of fit often differs a lot from what the department's considers fit to be. (And the bigger the department, the harder it is to determine fit because more students will believe they're a great fit for that school.) It's just as important to remember that this is often like a lottery and nobody is guaranteed admission. The best way anyone can increase their chances is to show that they have a current awareness of the literary conversations that are happening today and how their research can contribute to that conversation and why that institution is the one that best serves their needs. Often, the "best ranked" universities are not the best at filling those holes. While you may not have publications (not even expected at the grad level-- very few do -- and some schools warn about publishing too early), there are other ways that you can showcase that you'll be actively involved in the profession. 

This will not be a factor in your admissions decision. You will be judged by your previous coursework, your writing sample, your SOP and how well of a fit they believe you'd be to the department. They don't have time to analyze every typo every single student has had when corresponding with a school. Likewise, it's highly unlikely that any admissions coordinator would share all her e-mails with the admissions committee.

For what it's worth (and depending on how the school sorts application), it's likely that you'll be put into a pool of BA-only applicants. It's not expected that you have as much experience as a student with an MA. The Ba-only pool is often larger as they search for applicants that show the "greatest potential to acclimate". Students with an MA are ranked on a different scale because they've had more years to learn the field and obtain more experiences.

Thanks for catching that. Based on the history, it seems that someone deleted the information on Thanksgiving. (Perhaps, somebody had a little too much turkey!)

I've restored it to a backed up version but it seems like some of the values are off. I'll take a deeper look later on this week!

Small note here: How much buffer a school is willing to offer is dependent on the school. Submitting an extra 25 words on 500 words isn't likely to hurt. Submitting an extra page or two on a writing sample might hurt because it shows that you're not willing to follow their instructions. 

With that being said, about 500 words generally means that they want about 2 double-spaced pages. I wouldn't stress to much as long as you can fit it in there. Less is often more though when it comes to these things though because it shows your ability to edit.

Small note here: How much buffer a school is willing to offer is dependent on the school. Submitting an extra 25 words on 500 words isn't likely to hurt. Submitting an extra page or two on a writing sample might hurt because it shows that you're not willing to follow their instructions. 

With that being said, about 500 words generally means that they want about 2 double-spaced pages. I wouldn't stress to much as long as you can fit it in there. Less is often more though when it comes to these things though because it shows your ability to edit.

I have officially submitted all my apps. Waiting on professors to submit their letters, first deadline up on Saturday. Fingers crossed. Good luck to everyone.

I think the easiest way to do this is to take a look at what professors list as their research interests. Usually, there are themes that you'll start to notice. After looking through research interests, see if you can find a list of previous courses offered during the past few years and see if that helps you gain an understanding of how strong a program is in a certain department. If you notice that the professors at various schools you're interested in graduated from the same school, take a look at that school's program as well.

Since you won't even give us a list of the prereqs you've already taken or any other information that can help us give helpful advice, all I can say is to make a list of schools you may be interested in, then go to their websites and one by one check their lists of prereqs. If you're going to be this vague, you may just have to bite the bullet and figure it out yourself. Unfortunately we are not omniscient, and we can't really tell what you need other than a supportive program (which can be subjective based on individual needs) and a small amount of required prereqs (which may not even matter since you've already taken a year of prereqs).
Sorry if I sounded frustrated, but it's a common occurrence on Grad Cafe for someone to ask us to recommend a program (or offer a thesis topic, research proposal, etc) without giving any helpful details or having done any research on their own, and I guess I've read too many of those posts. We're willing to help, but we're not being nosy, we actually have to know, and figuring things out on your own is also an important life skill! 
That being said, maybe try to find another 3-year program, since you may be able to just take one or two more classes before starting your grad level courses and can graduate sooner. Or narrow down a list of 2-year programs that only require an additional one or two classes and take those through ENMU, Utah State, or another relatively cheap online program. The whole positive environment piece may just have to come from your experience visiting and talking to current students to feel the vibe.
 

Do a respecialization program. Most fully-funded PhD programs will not accept you if you already have a PhD (they don't want to fund you again, lol). PsyDs might be more lenient, but respecialization will get you there faster.
https://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/respecialization.aspx
EDIT: WAIT sorry I screwed up. I thought you already had your PhD in I/O. If you only have an MS then you should apply to PhD programs the "usual" way and have a very clear reason for wanting to switch. Their primary worry will be, "Well, this girl started another PhD program and quit halfway through, so how can we trust that she won't pull the same thing on us?" Depending on your current program, it may be obvious or not whether you quit after masters, so they will definitely be wary. I would look into getting some clinical exp (volunteering, teching) so that you can testify to why you want to do clinical work. Find some way to link your current research to what you might want to research in a clinical psych program.

No. I'm saying that asking for a strong LOR is a good idea. Just asking for a LOR isn't enough because a professor can feel forced into writing a letter. The use of the word "strong" allows them to back out if they don't feel they can produce a strong LOR for you.
Unless you specifically mentioned when you'd mail him for updates, two weeks is way too soon. Professors often have a lot on their plate that have tighter deadlines. Besides teaching, there are department meetings, student advising, community events, conferences, invited talks, and publications that they're working on at any time. In addition, there are often times multiple people that professors are writing recommendations for. I'm not sure if you need to send them any more e-mails, but I think an apology and thank you from you in person might be beneficial. Tone is often hard to read over e-mail.