systematic pep

@Foreveronward Thank you for your support and encouragement, and for reminding me that faculty wouldn't recommend me if it was not legit, and about the "impostor syndrome". I am trying to keep that in mind. My perspective on having to wait another year has changed slightly, now that I have realized I need to work on my anxiety to succeed in graduate school. Also, a new opportunity came along at work last week: I was asked to step in a clinical research coordinator by the director of the center I work at, which is honestly a pretty big deal (note: I did spend multiple days denying my own competence, extremely concerned/worried about the fact that I was promoted, because of course, everything will go wrong, I am not enough, etc....). It is hard to handle uncertainty and opportunities when you are realizing that "Plan A" may not work out... so you for reminding me that it gets better. Regarding applying to experimental master's programs: A colleague-friend just applied to a master's program in clinical research, and it made me reconsider my options. Perhaps I could do something like that, which connects to all of my previous/current work experience and various of my future goals/options. (ps: What is an REU?) As for reaching out to faculty members in the meantime, I am not sure that they were very responsive to begin with. And I am a bit hurt lol.... Although I received an email response to my letters of interest, they did not reach out to me after that or during the interview candidate selection process. I read online that some people were contacted by faculty directly to let them know that although they were not chosen for interview, they are highly competitive/on an alternate list. But I have not heard anything at all--- not even from my former advisor. Interviews were yesterday in both schools. :/ Thanks again..

HI @daisy_may.. thanks for the advice! My current Kaplan textbook/online resource expires in June, so I may give it a full shot first and then consider other options. I practiced some, but did not really take advantage of all of the resources. I appreciate hearing your experience! It may be worthwhile having staff to talk to for guidance. The GRE prep I currently have does no offer that option (to my knowledge).

@sjoh197 My programs generally only accept applications for starting in the Fall. So I have until December 1 to retake the GRE. My plan is to take it in April and then again in June, to reassess my competitiveness. You are totally right about shopping around! I am sure there are other programs (PhD or maybe masters?) that I am not aware of that may be a good fit/lead me to a PhD eventually. thanks for the encouragement!

Thanks @Gvh. I will definitely start making a long list (and saving up for app fees!) and find potential mentors that are a good match - We will see how it goes. Getting 80+ percentile on the GRE Quant is going to be tough, but I will give it my all! I am also making plans to be more involved in projects in my current lab-- it is a different field of research, but may be that's what I need to do right now.

Thank you! Best of luck to you as well @nka93. I probably will try to aim lower (as @sociologyapp2016 suggests) and apply again with a better GRE score -- hopefully this will be enough to actually get a real chance. I have to wonder if my medical leave is KOD, but that's out of my hands, really.,..

sociologyapp2016, It was not all talk! Your feedback is indeed very valuable to me. It would make sense that admissions committees would want to weed out people who do not meet all of the basic requirements, including GRE cutoffs. I apologize for not responding directly to your message. I mentioned you in my response above " If one of those (factors) is off, then rationally, other candidates will be reviewed and considered more thoroughly-- as sociologyapp2016 suggests." Your feedback helped me think about it more objectively and made me feel better (I am thinking that perhaps the PIs I talked to never even saw my application?) I actually had more questions for you regarding the process, if you are open to questions.

nka93, Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me. I am relieved to know that experiencing and navigating the challenges associated with applying to PhD programs is not uncommon, and surely, talented and bright students may not get it in- and this is not necessarily a bad thing. It seems like you are an excellent student, admired by the faculty at your undergraduate institution, so that's wonderful! I suspect that professors are well aware of the difficulties in getting accepted into phD programs, and that getting accepted does not = "good enough" (or not). It involves many other factors, including funding, fit with program and mentor, and having a sufficiently high GRE score and GPA to merit the scholarships provided in PhD programs. If one of those is off, then rationally, other candidates will be reviewed and considered more thoroughly-- as sociologyapp2016 suggests/ I need to be more objective about the process of applying to clinical programs. I work/have worked very closely with faculty and two current clinical psychology students at my top choice; the department is also where I spent many years of my life studying and working. I think that reevaluating what I want and finding alternative ways to get there is valuable advice. Staying proactive midst uncertainty is probably the best thing I have done for myself, and it should not stop here. thanks for the encouragement. (btw: Is I/O Psychology = Industrial/Organizational Psychology?)

Hi there, I am new, and I apologize in advance for breaking any conventions in bloggery/forum posts, etc. I applied to two PhD programs in Clinical Psychology, both of which are very competitive. I am in an awkward position- one part of me "feels" I have what it takes to be an outstanding Clinical Scientist. The other side of me is discouraged. I do not have a great GPA nor GRE scores to make up for it-- so I decided upon submitting my applications that I probably will not hear back. ... And indeed, I have not. Profile: GPA: 3.29 (Institution within the Top 10 - US National University Ranking) Dean’s List: Fall 2011, Spring 2013 GRE: Q/V/W : 152/158/4.0 3 excellent letters of recommendation (including 1 from a PI I applied to work with) 6 research posters 1 first author & oral presentation at a leading scientific conference in the field of behavioral medicine 1 publication in a leading Obesity journal 5 years research experience combined (undergraduate + post-baccalaureate) B.A. Psychology, Biological Bases of Behavior (concentration) Spanish (minor) Fluent in 3 languages, 2 graduate-level classes -1 Undergraduate honors Thesis (I was overzealous in this project as an undergraduate student-- I took on too much and was sleep deprived during my last semester- Alas, the project was not where it needed to be in order to defend it. I am now working on an update of this project with my former mentor, and we plan to publish!) Very brief description of interests: I want to go to grad school so I can conduct interdisciplinary research and obtain clinical experience in the fields of stress/depression, eating disorders, obesity, addiction, and related psychopathology. I am so eager to contribute to the academic community and can see myself teaching, generating and disseminating clinical science, while gaining clinical skills and learning advanced statistical techniques for identifying predictors of treatment efficacy and multi-factorial processes through which complex conditions can worsen or improve. I am currently working at the Medical Center /Department of Psychiatry of my undergraduate institution, in a slightly different field than my undergraduate pursuits. I continue to be engaged in scientific inquiry, and I just know that this is the field I want to be in. when I look at my profile, I just cannot see how any admissions committee would even pick up the application. I emailed 2 PI's at each institution that I applied to, and I heard back from each when I first wrote them. They have not written back, and I am truly embarrassed that my PI recommended me and I wasn't even considered for an interview. (It looks like all invitations have been extended in both institutions). Any advice, encouragement, perspective, or opinions on my situation would be greatly appreciated. I think that my wonderful and over-sharing coworkers have heard enough of me, and so has my partner. Should I give up? Is it ridiculous for me to think that I have a chance? I just want to go to grad school and work with a mentor that is happy to have me and work with me. That's what I had in undergrad and I wish I could just extend that to gradschool. Sorry. I had to vent. the waiting game is eating me up. I welcome your thoughts/ideas -- please do not hesitate to be straight forward and honest. ps: I might add that I took a Medical Leave of Absence due to psychological/medical reasons in the middle of my undergraduate career. I returned after 1 year of treatment and was successful; I was asked to become a student ambassador for the Office of Student Returns, which was pretty sweet. In my applications I had to explain (NOT in my SOP, but in a separate document) what happened, and I did it in a brief, earnest and mature way. I can explain in more detail if needed.