Clinapp2017

This probably varies from program to program. I’d probably guess the answer would be this isn’t likely as it is difficult to guarantee funding situations for certain POIs from year to year. That being said it doesn’t hurt to ask if you win a Fulbright or something like that.

This is a question to ask each program when you interview/are accepted, as sometimes these things are unclear and vary somewhat from institution to institution.

From my experience, people ask for POI because they want to know if all the invites have been sent out for their specific POI... this is especially for the case for programs where the POIs or someone in their lab is the main point of contact for specific applicants to that lab. POI initials are much less relevant for mass emails. Hope this helps!

It’s waitlist for an interview. Lots of programs do this instead of not communicating at all with people who “barely missed the cut” for first round interview offers. In my experience, I’ve had friends move off of the waitlist in some circumstances if an invited applicant turns down their offer to attend the interview weekend (usually due to a conflict).

Hi there, I had 7 interviews last cycle, and got into my top choice so I’ll offer my perspective as an applicant. If I stayed with a student (which I did at the 5 interview sites where this was offered), I always brought a thank you note and a small trinket (e.g., a magnet from my home state) as a gift. In the note, I always wrote a kind letter and thanked them for specific things during my visit. At my accepted school, my hosting student said this went a long way and they made a point to tell me POI about it. Small courtesies can go miles. No... you don’t need to spend 24/7 with your host. In fact, they may have stuff to do (like projects or case reports) while you are there. I’d say it’s common to do at least one activity or share one meal with them apart from the group activities, but this is just anecdotal. I’m pretty social anyways, so I talked a ton with my hosts for the most part. However, I was coming straight for an interview to my top choice interview weekend, so I told the student in advance I’d like an evening to myself and they totally understood. This should go without saying, but just be yourself and don’t do anything stupid. I’d say the host intereactions are you best chance to learn about the program from a student angle, but also carry the most risk if you are an a-hole, get wasted, say something incredibly offensive, etc.

I would have emailed him when you submitted the app, so if you just submitted than yes. If it’s been several weeks since the deadline, I’d probably advise against personally

I don’t know any info, but if you want to do a clinical degree elsewhere but eventually do work in the states, I’d be sure to research reciprocity laws long and hard. Some degrees and training are not reciprocal. For example, I do research work with Latino populations, but if I wanted to, say, go to Peru for 3 months to do an internship, none of those hours would count back in the USA for my training.

I'd say it's not totally abnormal. However, given that you asked these people to write the LORs in confidence I don't see what the benefit of asking to read the LORs would give you. Having asked for LORs (and written them for several junior students), I value the confidence to give you fair evaluation. Of course, I'd always ask LOR writers if they can write a good letter for you, not just any old letter.

Of note, the program I am now attending (top rated clinical program) took until late January to extend interviews. Don’t lose all hope until, I’d say, mid February when most application reviews are done and interview days are well under way. Best wishes to all! It’s a stressful process!

Long story short to all of your questions: if you want to do clinical work in any capacity, you need to pursue a clinical degree and be licensed to practice. The PhD in clinical will focus on research more heavily than PsyD (and is more likely to be funded and, by consequence, competitive). You can’t go from a degree like experimental or social to clinical work as easily from clinical to non-clinical. You could always get a degree in experimental or social and have clinical partners, but if you have any direct interest in working directly in administering protocols to patients, you have to be in clinical. From what I read, you need to identify what your specific research and clinical focus is and go from there. I had a really niche interest, and I applied to 10 schools (and got in at several, now attending my top choice PhD in Clinical). You basically just said you are interested in any “psychology” program (including clinical), so _to me_ it doesn’t sound like you have a centered focus. This can be extremely problematic when applying to programs, as programs want to retain their trainees and not lose them after a year or two because they have “too hace of an interest.” So, I guess my question to you would be what are your specific research and clinical interests?

I’m accepted into a top tier clinical PhD program, so no, I did not. I was sharing my perspective from working with the DCT, so I feel like it has merit. If you’ve heard from profs about wanting to help perspective students figure out which gre to send, id love to hear about it (honestly, because everything I’ve heard it to the contrary). Some profs receive over 100+ apps from qualified people, and their job isn’t to referee which gre score their applicants should send. It looks naive to ask such a question. I’d recommend making contact and asking better questions about research and mutual interests.

Again, reaching out to perspective mentors about what your gre scores need to be is really not a good idea at all. I’m not sure where you’re getting this advice from, but this will only negatively impact your relationship with a prospective graduate mentor. I’m all for relationship building; but this is not the way to do it.

Do not ask the DCT or prospective mentor which GRE to send. This is a question to ask your current or former mentors. Asking it of future mentors will come off stupid. Source: my former mentor was the DCT at my undergrad and frequently told me about people doing this as a “kiss of death.”

Just a personal thought about schools emailing you: usually the most reputable schools won’t need to do that. Also, if this isn’t already obvious to you, if you are applying this cycle you need to get things moving right now. Most phd programs have a 12/1 hard deadline. I would think take one more year, get some pubs and posters from your RAship, and figure out if you want to apply to clinical or cognitive. At least for clinical, people don’t get in who are applying on a whim. Those programs are extremely competitive (ie less than 2% acceptance in some cases), so they pick people solidly grounded and interested in clinical science. Just my two cents, but your research is lacking. Round it out, and you’re a solid applicant. Best wishes!

Imposter syndrome is real both before and after you get accepted. Get used to it haha. Having what i think is a strong SOP that helped me earn entrance to a prestigious clinical program, I echo the sentiments above, but I am personally pro-hook if some conditions are met. First, the hook should be relevant to you and what you are interested in academically. It should not be cliche or too much of a stretch. For example, I am interested broadly in neurodegenerative diseases, so I said “memory makes up the essence of who we are” as my opening line. It’s a powerful line - one that generates thought and interest... and one that leads right into me talking about my background and interest in my mentor and program. Thus, hooks can work in my humble opinion.

Will echo - emailing POIs (at least in clinical) is only okay a) if you are asking if they are taking students and b. If this info isn’t already clear elsewhere. When emailing, it’s okay to give a very brief intro about you, express your interest in their recent work (not pubs 10+ years ago), and attach your CV for further perusal. Most will respond if these conditions are met AND if you DO NOT ask to call, Skype, or meet in person pre-interview. Considering some POIs can receive easily 50+ applications in a single cycle to their lab, asking to talk in person can easily be off-putting as interpreted as presumptious and/or naive. Hope this helps during the close of application season!

Oh, I definitely agree and advocate for emailing POIs. However, it is my understanding that most (if not all POIs) will rarely entertain more than email correspondence before interviews, at least in clinical here in the US. The conference thing was wonderful for me and a bit of a coincidence. I met the prospective mentor because they came by my poster, which I alerted them of during my email correspodence.

Generally speaking, you will not be able to get 1:1 in person or Skype with prospective mentors because of the sheer volume of applicants. However, if you are going to a conference and you know they’ll likely be there, you can inquire about meeting them in person there. I did that with a POI last cycle and met her at a conference I attended last October. I got into that program but chose to attend a stronger/more well funded program.

Out of curiosity, have you ever considered the possibility that the people you applied to weren't a good match for you on the basis of personality? You can be the best student matched with the best mentor, but at the end of the day one thing I think lots of people on the forums fail to realize is that mentors are picking trainees/collaborators for life that can and will also probably turn into a professional type of friendship. From my experience on the interview trail, there were some people I really could tell I would personally not work well with, and then there's my current mentor who has an awesome personality and work ethic that compliments mine (not to mention they are prolific in the field so I am thrilled to be with them). This may seem incredibly arbitrary if you think you are super qualified, but it's a fact about life that I think plays a HUGE role in the biases about hiring in any profession. *note: I am not saying you have a bad personality. I'm saying you may not match well with the people you applied to. Consider aspects of your applications that may portray negative qualities (eg self aggrandizement) that will almost certainly get your app thrown out immediately. Also, coming from someone who also self aggrandizes too often, I also recommend self reflection about the development of humility. To this day I'm grateful to my mentor for taking me on, as they had no reason to really do that because even the most experienced person is still an academic "peon" per se. I hope this was a pragmatic note that might actually be helpful versus stating the obvious or encouraging for the sake of encouraging.

My background in a non-profit tied to directly my research interests (and undergrad research) was definitely viewed well by the university which I now attend for clinical - a highly respected program. It all just depends on how you sell your experience/talk about it on apps and interviews.

R.e. all the comments about GRE quant not mattering... it very much does matter. (Source: my former mentor in undergrad was DCT of the clinical program). Having a good verbal is great, but if your quant is abysmal and other candidates with equally good experience (which MANY exist) have a better quant, you may get passed over virtually every time (as Kita notes). Clinical programs already have a stigma at many psychology institutions as being the "people who are bad at stats." Thus, some basic expertise in math, as evidence by relative success on the GRE, is important. (For reference, I had a 70th percentile score, so not great, but got into a wonderful institution for my Ph.D., so you don't need like an 85+ percentile score). Also, whether or not the GRE predicts success in graduate school is an issue up for major debate. It does, however, predict how people can do on standardized tests (of which you will take MANY as a clinical psych Ph.D. student on the road to your license and various accreditations). Also, if a program does not require a GRE for clinical psych, I can almost guarantee that it is not a program worth your time and you will likely pay $$$ vs. being funded. I would consider taking a class to help you learn how to take the GRE better... I am not sure how long you studied, but those have been proven to boost scores. If you can pass the 310 mark combined, you will be competitive for most programs based off your GPA and array of experiences (assuming, of course, you apply to programs where you actually match the research interests of your prospective mentors because match is so, so, so, so key). Further, RAships are a real crap-shoot, so keep applying and don't be discouraged!

Here's my perspective as someone who just got into their top-choice PhD Clinical Psych program and as someone who worked closely with the DCT at my undergraduate instution. I applied to 10 schools right out of undergrad, interviewed at 7, and immediately accepted my top choice when they informed me of my offer of admission 1.5 weeks after my interview. (DM me if you want my personal stats... I don't like bragging about myself on here, especially as this advice is about you!) 1) GRE - the person you spoke with is not necessarily wrong, but a 314 combined is a good score. For the DCT at my undergrad, I know he told me (off the record of course) that he would never look at an application is the combined score was less than 310, and he was constantly looking for high GPA plus a GRE hovering right around 320+. It may ormay not be worth it for you to take it... hard to say without knowing your full application. However, taking it in mid-November is too late for this application cylce, as official (mailed) scores need to be mailed in by Dec. 1st (sometimes earlier for programs... I had a Nov. 15th hard deadline and "suggested" deadline at many schools. Take it mid-October at the very latest. 2) Research interests/GPA in CV - I did as a brief summary statement and explained my experiences in depth (which logically connect to my new interests). GPA, definitely yes. Coursework, probably not since you submit a transcript anyways... maybe if you took a special course or seminar that was worth CEs? Even that is a bit odd for a CV, personally. More importantly, show how your interests and background dovetail with the mentor at each institution to which you apply in your personal statement. You don't need to go wildly overboard and write completely different SOPs and CVs for each place, but definitely invest time in making those connections perfectly clear. Schools are making just as big of an investment in you as a student as you are in yourself/them, so you need to make their desire to take you on the obvious choice that will pay the greatest dividends. 3) Resources: I don't mean to be sarcastic, but Google is a wonderful thing. I found a TON of info about writing personal statements last year (most of which I promptly got rid of after the interview season was over because it was a "theraputic" cleansing of sorts. However, this is useful about things NOT TO DO. Here's a decent example of a good personal statement. I'm also happy to send you a redacted version of mine if you want to reach out to me over direct message... I am also happy to read what you have and provide feedback, provided that you send me a draft with at least a week to look at it. Hope this helps! It's a stresful time.

At the moment, I can only think of a few truly reputable Psy.D. academic clinicians (as Psy.D. puts far less emphasis on research training). Ditto to 8bitjournry on going to a reputable program and that there are other ways to be a therapist than to pursue a doctorate.

Maybe I am confused, but why are you posting in the psychology forum if your interest is history? It's possible this thread may span forums but I am a bit lost...

I would agree with everything being said here EXCEPT that a 150 Q is an acceptable score, because it is not. You will see that the average successful candidate at mid-range to great Ph.D. Clinical Psych program scores about a 315 - 320 combined. 150 Q is 39th percentile. You don't have to be stellar at math... I certainly am not. However, I was able to get a 158 Q and (along with my other credentials) I was admitted to my top choice schools which is arguably one of the strongest programs in the country. Study hard for the GRE. It's a gatekeeper test that is crucial to getting your app considered seriously (connections or not). Best of luck!