JacobW83

School: University of Central Arkansas 
Program: Counseling Psychology
Date of Notification: 2/16/17
Method of Notification: Email
Thoughts: I'm happily surprised. Interviewed via phone call with all the faculty at once which I felt was a death sentence for an acceptance. I wasn't super confident about my interview but I must've done better than expected! More than likely accepting since I can do forensic work! Plus full assistantship, what more can a girl ask for?  

School: University of Houston
Program: Counseling Psychology
Date of Notification: 2/21/17
Method of Notification: Website
Thoughts: I'm really surprised. I didn't feel confident at all after the interview and was fully expecting a mid waitlist position at best. The funding is better than I expected as well! Interestingly I never got an email notification about the offer, I was just checking the website for updates and saw "Decision Released" with no notification letter anywhere; after a few minutes of panic the letter popped up!

I basically said thank you for your time/effort to host the event/consideration; I reiterated my excitement for the program/their work and said something specific I learned from the interviews. Just be authentic! 

Sorry I don't have any info to share regarding admissions, but to those who applied to Rice: I did my undergrad there and worked with/had classes with a number of the I/O faculty, and if anyone chose Dr. Hebl as their POI (don't know if she was accepting students or not), she is AMAZING. Just so you know...

It definitely varies. For one of my schools it's been 3 weeks; I have contacted my POI and confirmed that they're still in the process of putting offers together before extending them. It's been 1 week exactly for another program and I imagine they'll notify today (they told us to expect to hear around the middle of this week).
 
My friend has been to more interviews and she seemed to hear back about a week after (sometimes a bit less). 

As I understand it, yes typically for Academic positions the prestige of a program would be considered. However, one thing I've been told is that the "family tree" of mentors can be surprisingly important as well. One of the faculty where I work now has a poster in her office that traces back the history of mentors and their students quite a ways. If people have worked with your mentor, or if they've also been a student of your mentor (or even mentored your mentor), then that seems to give a small advantage as well. 

As I understand it, yes typically for Academic positions the prestige of a program would be considered. However, one thing I've been told is that the "family tree" of mentors can be surprisingly important as well. One of the faculty where I work now has a poster in her office that traces back the history of mentors and their students quite a ways. If people have worked with your mentor, or if they've also been a student of your mentor (or even mentored your mentor), then that seems to give a small advantage as well. 

The two socials I've been to so far have been VERY casual, and the grad students stressed this. Faculty were not present at either social. I believe I wore a Polo shirt (not even tucked in) and khakis to both. There were people slightly more dressed up than that and slightly less, but I'd say it fit in well. Nobody wore a suit to either social. 
I'd email whoever told you about the social (typically it's a grad student organizing it) and double check on casualness, but I almost guarantee nobody will wear a suit to the social (unless it's a very formal event with all the faculty in a nice setting)

Wow that's crazy! 
I met a girl at an interview who said, in a previous year, her friend got waitlisted at 3 places and ended up with offers from all of them... So yeah, strange things can happen when it comes to waitlists!

Accurate representation of me the past couple of days on this thread..

@byn thanks for this. I was suspecting the same, and I just looked back at the prior conversation/argument that I hadn't previously read- yikes  

I always like to ask faculty (including my POI) why they're passionate about their research specifically, or how they got interested in it. I like hearing people talk about what they're passionate about, and it helps me get to know them better - plus they seem to enjoy discussing it too!

My head hurts from all the eye-rolling. 
Anyone have any application updates? 

No one bashed him. Not even close to what I would consider bashing. He asked on what basis the school could reject him -- I provided feedback on a potential reason why. 
Furthermore, being stressed doesn't afford you with the right to talk down on a school. There was nothing "graceless" about with anyone said, IMO. It was all in the same vain as the OP's original message.

Okay, so I didn't like ClinicalPSY's phrasing either, but can we all stop bashing him/her now? 
 
This is a stressful process for everyone, so I think we can exhibit a little more grace. 

Fit, funding, how you came across in your application materials; there are many reasons.
BTW gonna echo stereopticons on this. There are a few members here that I've accidentally found on other boards I frequent. If a current grad student took your comment personally they may try to help the program 'dodge a bullet'. 

So unnecessary. And so potentially damaging--the internet is not as anonymous as you think. 

Thanks justbreathe. I guess I am not getting an invite from there then. It's cool actually. I had applied there to be able to surf for 5 years  I have interviews with much much higher rated schools. Though I wonder on what basis a school like UManoa can reject an application which receives an interview call from UBerkeley

I always like to ask faculty (including my POI) why they're passionate about their research specifically, or how they got interested in it. I like hearing people talk about what they're passionate about, and it helps me get to know them better - plus they seem to enjoy discussing it too!

I always like to ask faculty (including my POI) why they're passionate about their research specifically, or how they got interested in it. I like hearing people talk about what they're passionate about, and it helps me get to know them better - plus they seem to enjoy discussing it too!

I always like to ask faculty (including my POI) why they're passionate about their research specifically, or how they got interested in it. I like hearing people talk about what they're passionate about, and it helps me get to know them better - plus they seem to enjoy discussing it too!

I'm still wondering about UT Austin as well. I know one person reported an interview there, but their POI's initials were for an "affiliated faculty" rather than the core so I'm not sure if the core faculty have extended invites yet.

Typically Person of Interest, or Professor of Interest -- basically, the faculty member in a program that you want to work with specifically. 

I wouldn't expect that question explicitly, but I do think they're going to be very interested in determining the appropriate fit. It will more likely be phrased as, "Tell me about who you want to work with and why/how your research interests match with theirs? What kind of research do you see yourself doing here? What kind of research would you be interested in doing in your career after graduating?" Questions like that will help them narrow it down, I think, without just flat out making you choose. I just interviewed for a dual-mentorship position (so slightly different from your situation, but a bit relatable) and I was asked why I was interested in the research of each POI, how my research overlapped with theirs, and what I wanted to research there.
 
Interviews tend to be very fit-focused, so if you do have a preference then I'd put more emphasis on that when describing your research experiences/goals. If you don't have a preference then I'd just describe your research very honestly and see where they go from there.

I've kinda heard the opposite - that interviews are the most critical part of the process. Prior to the interview all the applicants are just a combination of comparable achievements and experiences; the interview process is what demonstrates who you are as a person, it determines "fit". The POIs know they're choosing someone to work with for the next 4-6 years, so personal fit is huge.