HigherEdPsych

Hello, I use ExpressScribe on my laptop. It's user-friendly and free!

I was granted admission into a program that I had previously been denied to the year before (no interview offered the first time) - given, I was not the first pick but an alternate. I used the same GRE scores and my GPA had not changed. In fact, I even used the same general SOP including what had changed during the course of the year. What did change was my number of publications and presentations and presumably my LORs given the time in between the application.

Which top tier program is this? As I mentioned in the other thread, there are no universal practices when it comes to GRE scores - just as there is no science when it comes to getting accepted into a clinical program. Getting offers depends on many variables, some of which are not even within your control. Furthermore, while one advisor might view an applicants openness as naive, another may not and see it as just that. To answer your question, yes. I have heard of other students in my former lab discussing GRE scores with potential advisors, and receiving useful advice on whether they should apply or not. I mean, unless your scores are absolutely horrible, you obviously would not want to contact someone directly.

Again, I can't say I agree with you. It sounds as though you had a bad experience. I'm sorry you had to deal with that.

That's an interesting interpretation, I can't say that I agree with your former mentor, though. When it comes to GRE scores, there are no universal beliefs across all institutions. I'm sure there is a tactful way to do it, perhaps without providing your actual scores in detail. For example, asking if there are aggregated hard cut offs, in my mind, would hardly classify someone as stupid. Also, since we are on the topic, here's a helpful article that discusses actual "kisses of death": https://psychology.unl.edu/psichi/Graduate_School_Application_Kisses_of_Death.pdf

If you are not willing to retake the GRE to improve that score, I suggest reaching out to the advisors you want to work with and ask them directly. It looks like you have great experience that might make up for your quant score, however, that experience might not do much for you if the schools you are applying to have hard cut offs (like many of the "top" ranking programs do) or the person you are wanting to work with is inflexible when it comes to GRE scores.

I took the GRE three times as well and was told by multiple mentors and advisors NOT to send all of my scores. The rationale behind this is, by sending multiple scores, you're telling the person you're applying to work with (a) you were not prepared for the test the first time, and (b) you do not know the material to begin with. I can't say that this rationale is universal, though. It might be best to look at the GRE acceptance averages of the schools you are applying to try to match them (typically committees are more lenient with the lower quant scores). You could also reach out to the Director of Clinical Training (or even the person you are applying to work with - if you're feeling brave) and ask them what they recommend. Not only would you likely receive a straightforward answer, but you will also begin to build a relationship with someone at the school - which, I think, is the best way to get an edge on applying.

While GPA is a relevant, there are many other factors that are more important, including your GRE scores, research experience, letters of recommendation, statement of purpose/application material, clinical experience, etc. (and likely in that order, too).

To be candid, getting two interviews in your first application round is impressive and signals that advisors see you as a competitive applicant. If it were me in this situation, I would avoid applying to Master's programa and focus on ways in which I could improve my chances this next round, including tightening up any application material, learning more interpersonal interview skills, etc. The reason I say this is, it sounds as though you're on the right track as far as research experience and what you have done has already gotten you this far. Additionally, in the event that you do not get in this next round, imagine what another year of experience will do for your application? That's probably not the advice you want to hear and I hope that is not the case, but in terms of time and resources going straight into a Ph.D. program will usually save you both.

Linked is a recent study you might be interested in. The PI Kim Binsted is also linked in the article. https://www.space.com/30425-yearlong-mock-mars-mission-begins.html

I will be starting a doctoral program in the fall and have been awarded a fellowship through the university's graduate college. The fellowship comes with a tuition waiver (which covers up to 9 credits in the fall and spring and 6 credits in the summer) and also a stipend that is larger than any of the assistantships offered through the department. So, my question is: In this situation, is it common practice or acceptable to apply to other fellowships or scholarships? Perhaps, I would not apply to another fellowship, though, I would prefer to take an additional course in the fall, which would not be covered under the fellowship that I have been awarded. While I would like to avoid taking on any new loans, many - if not all - of these awards require letters of recommendation and the last thing I want is to seem selfish and stingy by applying to funding that may seem like much more than I need.

Thanks for the advice, but it's pretty clear (to me at least) that I've found all the information I need. Cheers!

Apparently, most - but not all - states mandate CSWE (Council of Social Work Education) accreditation as part of the educational requirement for licensing to become a Social Worker. The immediate question, then, is what constitutes CSWE accreditation? Taken directly from Social Work Licensure.org: "CSWE Accreditation means: Graduates will know how to apply ethical principles and critical thinking to social work practice." As I mentioned above, "critical thinking" is a far departure from evidence based practice and is prone to biases. Moreover, there appears to be exceptions where this most basic standard is not even necessary for CSWE accreditation (e.g., for new programs going through candidacy and programs which are state approved [for example, programs in Oregon]). Are these the same accreditation standards you were mentioning?

Thank you for the reply. A quick lit search bolsters my original claim and further conveys the disconnect between social work and evidence based practice/science. It seems that a large body of evidence exists, which attempts to bridge the gap between the practice of social work and empirical evidence - suggesting that this is no new argument. And, frankly, I don't think it matters much whether it is one MSW program or one thousand MSW programs that lack a science based curricula. All training programs should be evidence based, especially if they aim to produce practitioners who heavily influence others' lives. 1) The Scientific View of Social Work: http://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/social-work/the-scientific-view-of-social-work/ 2) The Science of Social Work and Its Relationship to Social Work Practice: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274647142_The_Science_of_Social_Work_and_Its_Relationship_to_Social_Work_Practice 3) Philosophy of Science and Social Work: http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195389678/obo-9780195389678-0100.xml 4) Science and Social Work: A Critical Appraisal: https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ikusAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=social+work+science+&ots=7d_40pVGag&sig=UEnCfRSq-SmngPNB7Vdzc15Qugw#v=onepage&q=social work science&f=false

It looks like you have some excellent experience. Well done! To better answer your question, what aspect of autism are you interested in? Many autism researchers, despite having clinical psychology degrees, work in other emerging fields (e.g., Applied Behavioral Analysis [ABA]). Here's a site with programs that might fit your interests better: https://www.abainternational.org/accreditation/accredited-programs.aspx