Clinapp2017

The others have hit it on the head so far, but of note you probably won’t be giving a talk at any reputable conference until your last years in your PhD or even post-doc and beyond. Posters are the gold standard for where you are in your training right now... plus, standing by your poster for the 1-2 hour period allows you to get some good networking done.

Just explain your situation and say you are inquiring about your status bc you’d release the other offer for someone else if you’re accepted. If you have another good acceptance, you are holding good cards. Being honest will probably get you an answer. This is the one situation - when you are accepted elsewhere - when you don’t sound desperate when you reach out. Just be honest. Best of luck.

By definition, 400 of the internships that students “matched to” aren’t accredited. Given that going to un accredited internship is a huge barrier to licensure and job prospects, I wouldn’t be as far sweeping by saying the number of spots exceeds the demand. This is extremely misleading.

Hmmmm... that is tough. I would maybe hold off until early-to-mid March. It sounds like you are in a good place with some good acceptances already on the table, but it is challenging to navigate the situation you are in. I would not show your cards just yet, to use a poker term.

They’d work the same way, unfortunately.

Asked and answered already. Unless you are holding onto an offer you’d turn down if unc offered you a spot, you just should wait. If you do have another offer, inquiring about your status is quite reasonable if you do so politely. If you really need to know, email the program coordinator and not the POI (unless the poi said they would be in touch with you).

How exactly is a developmental program granting licensure?

Varies from program to program. Usually year 1 is easiest because no clinical work is formally involved at most places. Once clinical work begins and you have responsibilities to patients, you can’t just take vacation as easily (but still definitely can... you just need to arrange coverage and whatnot). Summers tend to be lighter without any coursework at most places. Still busy with the clinical work once that is incorporated. It really varies, but you’ll be busy. It’s not your typical 8-5 type of job.

Okay, so if she wants to work in the field and cannot work in the US, you kind of have a huge problem from the get-go here. Master's-level clinicians exist in the USA (e.g., social workers, licensed professional counselors, etc.), but the laws of licensure are quite rigid and vary by state to state. You should look into licensure laws in the state in which you plan to attend university. Even so, this may not matter at all for her if she cannot work on an F1-F2 visa. Even if she could work, she would not have the tital of "psychologist" in the USA, as that is reserved for the PhD level here. Also, I am new to the field (PhD student in clinical psych at a very competitive program), but certificates aren't really all that important in the USA... certainly not a requirement nor better than licensure and following the steps. This may or may not be the case. Often, because of seating, this cannot be accomodated. Paying students come first, so if there are only 20 seats in a course and they are all filled, she cannot even audit the course even if the prof liked her. Well..... that's quite a diometric opposite. I don't personally see a good compromise. Her experience in the USA would not be as a psychologist (see above comments). She would, at best, be a master's level counselor. Her degree may not even be transferable for licensure here... and like you said, she cannot work anyways. The best thing she could do on the F1-F2 (according to you) is learn. I know nothing about visas, so I am considering you the topic expert. Perhaps you could pursue a different visa for her. You could attempt to introduce her to the psych dept, but unless your dept already has that relationship that is one you will be forging on your own as a grad student (a.k.a. the absolute bottom of the academic totum pole). They are not obliged to help, and they may not help. It is hard to say, though. Best wishes for you and your future wife... this sounds like quite the conondrum, so hopefully a good solution is reached for both of you.

Given you spelled "honours" with a "u," I am going to guess you are Canadian, no? Things may be different in Canada, but in the USA the practice of taking a former volunteer or honors student mentee to work with you for grad school is rare, if not flat out non-exisistent. People like seeing you having a wide array of training experiences, so training with the same person and institution does not accomplish that goal.

Only if you’re holding an offer you’d turn down if the school you are waiting on accepts you. Otherwise, waiting is key.

I’d email someone at Clemson or their grad office to ask about it.

It sounds like your academics and GRE scroes are strong, which is a big hurdle for some people. For your paper, look up some media psychology journals and see what type of publishing guidelines they have. I will say that publishing in a quality journal (i.e., imapct factor greater than 1 or 2) can be a challenge. If you have no reserach experience, you may want to consider taking 1-2 years off to be a paid research assistant somewhere. Good clinical programs ("good" = funded, reputable Ph.D. programs) typically only take applicants with a background in research whom also have a solid GPA/GRE. 3-4 months of research before you apply (if you'e lucky) isn't likely going to cut if when compared to people who have 2+ years of research under their belt from undergrad or post-grad. It sounds like you may need to identify what specifically interests you. This is key before beginning any individual research.

Pros and cons both to both. Early = more productive and ambitious because they need to secure tenure, but less known in the field. Late = more well known, but may be less intrinsically productive because they’ve been tenured for a while.

Norms between social interviews and clinical interviews are pretty different, from what I understand. Clinical is usually more formal-dressing.

Classism in graduate school is a topic that has been discussed ad-noseum. It sucks, but being from higher SES probably helps you get in to grad school and stay there (not just in psychology). Honestly, if an applicant showed up to the program I presently attend for an interview wearing anything less than business casual, that is a HUGE red flag. Interviews are professional, and you should dress accordingly. It's not going to get any easier (at least in clinical)... wearing nothing less than business casual is an expectation of our year 2 practicum and many external practicums in our area. If you can't put on something professional to dazzle on interview day, I think that also has broader implications about how you may dress around patients. Not exactly sure why OP felt called to post this as a current applicant, but the point is nonetheless valid.

No, it’s not appropriate. They’ve told you where you are on the list. If you have gotten another offer you want to take, then maybe contact them and explain that you are trying to make a choice and are interested in waitlisted program for x,y,z reasons but need to figure out if you should take your other offer. That’s the only time I’d reach out after knowing where you are.

In my experience, cost/fit should pretty much be a statistical tie. Looks like the n=25 data so far is supporting that. You don't want to be in absolute poverty or massive debt for 5+ years. However, you also don't want an advisor who will make your life a living hell for grad school and beyond (and hopefully you want/get an amazing advisor). It'll vary from person to person, but it makes sense that these two responses so far encapsulate 80% of the total responses for the top choice. The differences in curriculum between the top 50 programs in each discipline is frankly negligible because of APA restrictions (at least for clinical, in my opinion). Location/culture really come into play when strong personal variables need to be account for (e.g., geographic restriction b/c of partner with a job, wanting to live in a more libral/progressive area if LGBTQIA+, etc.).

From my experience last cycle in clinical, it was 2 weeks for the program that accepted me (to the day and hour of what they told me lol), and as little as 2 days for another program that accepted me that I turned down because I received the offer from my top choice the same day. I was presumably waitlisted at my other schools I interviewed at, as I never heard back but reached out to rescind my applications. So waitlists are a bit iffy.

Given that there are pros (which you've noted) and cons to social skills in autism *generally* across most people with ASD, I think that is where the biggest barrier will lie potentially with supervisors for clinical work whom are aware (or not aware) of the condition. This is by no means professional advice, as I would seek out clsoe mentors to talk to this about more closely, but by not disclosing you run a risk that IF your social skills are an impedement to treatment, your supervisor may be concerned not knowing that there is a justification. Personally, I think knowing yourself and working on strengthening your pros and addressing cons is great, and probably best achieved by discussing this with people you trust. I am sure you are not the first person with ASD in the field, so obvious some people have done this.

Congrats on getting into a program! That’s a big step! My main question/concern centers not on your academic merit, but working with clients? How do you feel about that type of social interaction?

First off, I’m sorry you read about that in the middle of the cycle. That must cause some anxiety while preparing to interview. I’m pragmatic, so the sad fact is that weight bias exists in all professions and is well documented. I would assume the sciences would understand there are many causes to being overweight, including thyroid and metabolic issues. Nonetheless, I would imagine weight being something that is biased against comes from the fact that being overweight reflects being unhealthy physically. I can’t say for a fact, but I feel like this subconscious association is what biases people against heavier applicants for jobs. I wouldn’t let reality discourage you though, as there are people who can see around this and will make the correct choice based off of qualifications.

No - not likely at all. They just want to see how you interact with a diverse set of people. Don’t think too much of it.

@21ny14 - this is a thing basically said by direct comments with the old DCT mentor when we talked about dos/don’ts when i applied. Current mentor and other faculty have made similar comments. The goal is to have applicants diversify training. Working with the same mentor for a very long time only narrows your perspective. Faculty want someone who will work hard, but also ultimately become their own researcher who the faculty can be proud about training. You also don’t want a trainee clone bc then said clone will compete with you for the same grants and stuff...

I don't think volunteering with the PI you want to work for is ever a good idea. Typically PIs take outside people with fresh ideas, not their own RAs, to be their new students. Just food for thought - at least from a clinical psych perspective.