Clinapp2017

When I was interviewing, I wrote brief hand-written thank you cards for the host. I usually kept it brief (5 sentences max) and said something I appreciated about my visit. 
 
Anything beyond a card is not necessary. At the VERY most I would do something of value less than $5. But, again, it's not necessary. The two years I've hosted applicants I have not gotten anything (including a card), but I don't really expect anything either. 

When I was interviewing, I wrote brief hand-written thank you cards for the host. I usually kept it brief (5 sentences max) and said something I appreciated about my visit. 
 
Anything beyond a card is not necessary. At the VERY most I would do something of value less than $5. But, again, it's not necessary. The two years I've hosted applicants I have not gotten anything (including a card), but I don't really expect anything either. 

DEFINITELY bring copies of your CV and something to take notes. I cannot tell you how helpful it is as a grad student who interviews prospective students when people bring their CV, as my PI makes it a point to not tell us much at all (beyond 1 paragraph) about applicants, so we are completely unbiased in our impressions going into the interview day. 
 
Having your CV (at least 1-2 copies -- I always give it back) is helpful so I can ask some questions about your past experiences and answer questions you may have about how our school may be the best fit (or not) for your future goals. 

From past years FWIW, I think they come out sometime in mid-to-late January; probably the soonest one could hear is late this week or early next week. 

From past years FWIW, I think they come out sometime in mid-to-late January; probably the soonest one could hear is late this week or early next week. 

So, here's my advice from my experience 2 years ago when I was in your shoes and applying to Clinical Psych Ph.D. programs. I applied to 10 sites, got 6 interviews, and got into my top choice. This advice isn't a "hard-and-fast" guide for everyone, even in clinical, but I think these tips are helpful (even if they've been stated before).
 
For phone interviews:
Honestly, I dressed pretty casually for these because I personally wanted to feel comfortable. Some will say dress for success. You do you, honestly.  Be in an area, like a bedroom, where there is minimal background noise. I also advice to use a good pair of headphones with a mic, if possible.  Have a note pad and pen to take notes from the conversation. At the top of the note pad, write down before the interview at least 2-3 questions that you have, as well as anything else you think is relevant.  Speak calmly, and take a breath before you answer the phone.   
Skype interviews:
Wear at least business casual. I actually usually wore a suit (I am a male, so that's a wide difference honestly).  Again, I'd advise to skype in your room or somewhere that is quiet. If your room doesn't work, I advise finding a quiet place at work or a library in a private room.  Again, wearing headphones can help with quality of your speech/hearing your interviewer.  Same rules of notepad and pen apply as before.  Look at the camera lens, not at yourself or the PI on the screen. Looking at the camera feels weird, but it means you are making eye contact.   
In-person interviews
The agendas for campus interviews vary WIDELY. Some places will be a short day of interviews with a handful of people; other sites will have 2-3 day extravaganzas with parties, interviews, campus tours, etc. Plan your wardrobe accordingly. Unless stated otherwise, you should be in business formal for all of the interviews, and business casual for all of the dinners/parties.  At the parties/socials, DO NOT (and I mean this) get drunk or out of control. That's pretty much an immediate ax from the committee. Generally speaking, just have a few drinks if you'd like (or don't... nobody cares), and socialize with current students, other applicants, PIs, etc. BE NICE!!! It often helps, especially with other applicants, to talk about pleasantries and stuff going on, as well as shared interests OUTSIDE of psychology. Nobody wants to get into a metaphorical d*ck waving contest with you, and the grad students interviewing you, especially, will not look favorably on that.  This goes with the above, but if you are staying with a host or really whenever you are interacting with grad students, you should be on your best behavior. You should be polite and respectful of your host student's home, and it is often nice to bring a small gift from where you are (less than $5) and a thank you card. While you should and can ask candid questions about life as a grad student, the culture of the city/university, faculty-student dynamics, etc., you should probably think at least a little bit before you ask questions or say things because they can, and do, get back to the PIs. For example, a student I hosted my first year as a PhD student who was interviewing for a lab that was not my own told me about how he had "6 interviews" and my school was his "4th choice." As it was pompous and completely unprompted from me, I relayed that information back to the PI because ultimately PIs want to make offers to students who actually want to come to this university.  Same rules apply for skype/in-person interviews. Try to have 2-3 questions per person you are scheduled to interview with during your visit. These help if you get stuck on questions to ask. You can often ask the same question to multiple grad students if you are, for example, having conversations with every lab member.  Bring a book or something fun, non-academic to do during down time. Depending on the agenda, you can often have hours of down time during the actual interview day, and if you are an introvert like me it can be relieving to just read a book or do something that does not involve talking to people.  It is always good to bring deodorant, gum, and mouthwash in your purse or backpack/satchel to the interview day. If you are like me and sweat bullets when you are anxious (e.g., in interviews), it can be helpful to have these handy.    
This list is by no means comprehensive, but just some thoughts that I have from my experience on both ends of the interview table. Feel free to comment and ask questions or PM if you have something specific you'd like to know about. 
 
Most importantly, YOU DESERVE THIS D*MN INTERVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The PI reached out to YOU, meaning that s/he thinks you'd be a good potential fit for your lab. Keep that in mind and just be yourself. 

The field is VERY small. Don't be the person who accepts an interview and then backs out (you only screw the school and other applicants that way). This has happened in a few cases I know, and word travels FAST. You basically black-ball yourself out of some prominent circles in your future profession, as doing this can ripple out to internship, post-doc, and beyond. I like to practice the "how would I feel if someone did to me what I am about to do" rule. 
 
If you know there is no way in hell you'd want to go there, don't accept the invite to interview. My guess is it's a possibility for you and worthwhile to interview in case you like it more than you'd expect or want it as a back up plan. If you get an invite from another school, reschedule with the second school (even if it's a higher choice for you). Everyone gets that the best applicants will get a lot of interviews, so these things happen. Only on a few occasions have I heard of programs refusing a student to interview via skype or come a different day, and frankly those programs are not the types of programs I think most people would want to go to anyways, as being flexible within reason is an essential aspect that you need your PhD program to be.

Interview invites tend to go out one of two ways:
 
1) The program coordinator or DCT sends a mass email OR
2) Individual PIs invite their students 
 
If #2 happens, of course the PI will say something along the lines of "I was impressed with your application, and hence I want you to come interview in person." The mass blast emails say similar, but far more generic things. 
 
I would not be considered at getting one or the other. Some schools do one giant blast email, others do only PI emails, and some do a mix of both. Don't read into anything, but just celebrate on getting an interview! Congrats!

Interview invites tend to go out one of two ways:
 
1) The program coordinator or DCT sends a mass email OR
2) Individual PIs invite their students 
 
If #2 happens, of course the PI will say something along the lines of "I was impressed with your application, and hence I want you to come interview in person." The mass blast emails say similar, but far more generic things. 
 
I would not be considered at getting one or the other. Some schools do one giant blast email, others do only PI emails, and some do a mix of both. Don't read into anything, but just celebrate on getting an interview! Congrats!

Schools that move too slow understand you've already booked another interview. You can just say that you are still very much interested in the new school inviting you, but unfortunately you've already accepted another interview offer and made travel accommodations. If they are a reasonable school, they'll understand. 

Interview invites tend to go out one of two ways:
 
1) The program coordinator or DCT sends a mass email OR
2) Individual PIs invite their students 
 
If #2 happens, of course the PI will say something along the lines of "I was impressed with your application, and hence I want you to come interview in person." The mass blast emails say similar, but far more generic things. 
 
I would not be considered at getting one or the other. Some schools do one giant blast email, others do only PI emails, and some do a mix of both. Don't read into anything, but just celebrate on getting an interview! Congrats!

I would always default to calling them doctor until they tell me otherwise; this is still even a thing in grad school because some professors care a lot more about the respect element of being called "Dr or Professor" than others. 

The field is VERY small. Don't be the person who accepts an interview and then backs out (you only screw the school and other applicants that way). This has happened in a few cases I know, and word travels FAST. You basically black-ball yourself out of some prominent circles in your future profession, as doing this can ripple out to internship, post-doc, and beyond. I like to practice the "how would I feel if someone did to me what I am about to do" rule. 
 
If you know there is no way in hell you'd want to go there, don't accept the invite to interview. My guess is it's a possibility for you and worthwhile to interview in case you like it more than you'd expect or want it as a back up plan. If you get an invite from another school, reschedule with the second school (even if it's a higher choice for you). Everyone gets that the best applicants will get a lot of interviews, so these things happen. Only on a few occasions have I heard of programs refusing a student to interview via skype or come a different day, and frankly those programs are not the types of programs I think most people would want to go to anyways, as being flexible within reason is an essential aspect that you need your PhD program to be.

If you continue on an upward trajectory and have other good experiences under your belt (e.g., publications, research, conference, a good GRE score), it shouldn't matter too much what your first semester was. Did you already apply, or are you applying in the future? If the future, I would probably mention (briefly) why the first semester was hard and how determined you are (as evidence by the grade change) to get better at your grades. 

These are interesting macro goals that you have. In a perfect world, what would be your ideal career title/employer? This might help guide your search and any advice that I and others might give to you.
 
From a policy perspective, I know plenty of MSWs from my work with a major non-profit during my undergrad that do macro-level advocacy for a niche area of medicine and research. What allowed them to get into their advocacy perspective, however, was 20+ years of applied clinical practice. Frankly, as someone who could see myself going into advocacy/non-profit work after a 25+ year in academia or private practice, I think we need more people in advocacy who have in-the-trenches experience and offer that expertise as an advocacy perspective. Book-knowledge really can only get you so far in identifying problems and advocating for solutions, in my humble opinion. 

So, here's my advice from my experience 2 years ago when I was in your shoes and applying to Clinical Psych Ph.D. programs. I applied to 10 sites, got 6 interviews, and got into my top choice. This advice isn't a "hard-and-fast" guide for everyone, even in clinical, but I think these tips are helpful (even if they've been stated before).
 
For phone interviews:
Honestly, I dressed pretty casually for these because I personally wanted to feel comfortable. Some will say dress for success. You do you, honestly.  Be in an area, like a bedroom, where there is minimal background noise. I also advice to use a good pair of headphones with a mic, if possible.  Have a note pad and pen to take notes from the conversation. At the top of the note pad, write down before the interview at least 2-3 questions that you have, as well as anything else you think is relevant.  Speak calmly, and take a breath before you answer the phone.   
Skype interviews:
Wear at least business casual. I actually usually wore a suit (I am a male, so that's a wide difference honestly).  Again, I'd advise to skype in your room or somewhere that is quiet. If your room doesn't work, I advise finding a quiet place at work or a library in a private room.  Again, wearing headphones can help with quality of your speech/hearing your interviewer.  Same rules of notepad and pen apply as before.  Look at the camera lens, not at yourself or the PI on the screen. Looking at the camera feels weird, but it means you are making eye contact.   
In-person interviews
The agendas for campus interviews vary WIDELY. Some places will be a short day of interviews with a handful of people; other sites will have 2-3 day extravaganzas with parties, interviews, campus tours, etc. Plan your wardrobe accordingly. Unless stated otherwise, you should be in business formal for all of the interviews, and business casual for all of the dinners/parties.  At the parties/socials, DO NOT (and I mean this) get drunk or out of control. That's pretty much an immediate ax from the committee. Generally speaking, just have a few drinks if you'd like (or don't... nobody cares), and socialize with current students, other applicants, PIs, etc. BE NICE!!! It often helps, especially with other applicants, to talk about pleasantries and stuff going on, as well as shared interests OUTSIDE of psychology. Nobody wants to get into a metaphorical d*ck waving contest with you, and the grad students interviewing you, especially, will not look favorably on that.  This goes with the above, but if you are staying with a host or really whenever you are interacting with grad students, you should be on your best behavior. You should be polite and respectful of your host student's home, and it is often nice to bring a small gift from where you are (less than $5) and a thank you card. While you should and can ask candid questions about life as a grad student, the culture of the city/university, faculty-student dynamics, etc., you should probably think at least a little bit before you ask questions or say things because they can, and do, get back to the PIs. For example, a student I hosted my first year as a PhD student who was interviewing for a lab that was not my own told me about how he had "6 interviews" and my school was his "4th choice." As it was pompous and completely unprompted from me, I relayed that information back to the PI because ultimately PIs want to make offers to students who actually want to come to this university.  Same rules apply for skype/in-person interviews. Try to have 2-3 questions per person you are scheduled to interview with during your visit. These help if you get stuck on questions to ask. You can often ask the same question to multiple grad students if you are, for example, having conversations with every lab member.  Bring a book or something fun, non-academic to do during down time. Depending on the agenda, you can often have hours of down time during the actual interview day, and if you are an introvert like me it can be relieving to just read a book or do something that does not involve talking to people.  It is always good to bring deodorant, gum, and mouthwash in your purse or backpack/satchel to the interview day. If you are like me and sweat bullets when you are anxious (e.g., in interviews), it can be helpful to have these handy.    
This list is by no means comprehensive, but just some thoughts that I have from my experience on both ends of the interview table. Feel free to comment and ask questions or PM if you have something specific you'd like to know about. 
 
Most importantly, YOU DESERVE THIS D*MN INTERVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The PI reached out to YOU, meaning that s/he thinks you'd be a good potential fit for your lab. Keep that in mind and just be yourself. 

One thing I advise if you have novel research questions in mind is working with a potential advisor and use the vast arrays of publicly available data to answer said question. By doing this, you circumvent the issue of a) gathering your own data, or b) asking to use lab data which the mentor way wish to reserve for their purposes or their other mentees (e.g., graduate students). 
 
Googling your field + public data is a good place to start. You will still need to a) identify the mentor, and b) go through appropriate university-IRB approvals to get access and use the data ethically. 

Gotcha! No worries. Sorry, I am from a really small liberal arts school and this knowledge is not as accessible to me. I really appreciate your help! Thank you!

It might be okay. I am happy to offer my opinion via DM if you want me to read a draft. The main thing is to not make your entire life sound like a crusade that may be biased due to personal experiences. However, everyone in the field knows we are human and have experiences, such as personal/family mental health problems. It's just a matter of writing about it well.

It might be okay. I am happy to offer my opinion via DM if you want me to read a draft. The main thing is to not make your entire life sound like a crusade that may be biased due to personal experiences. However, everyone in the field knows we are human and have experiences, such as personal/family mental health problems. It's just a matter of writing about it well.

One thing I advise if you have novel research questions in mind is working with a potential advisor and use the vast arrays of publicly available data to answer said question. By doing this, you circumvent the issue of a) gathering your own data, or b) asking to use lab data which the mentor way wish to reserve for their purposes or their other mentees (e.g., graduate students). 
 
Googling your field + public data is a good place to start. You will still need to a) identify the mentor, and b) go through appropriate university-IRB approvals to get access and use the data ethically. 

In general, I would encourage following directions that are outlined clearly like those. I would trim it back to 1000 or less. 

That's just a way for programs to grow their cash-cow masters' degree programs from the applicants who are ultimately not admitted. I would not think too much of marking that response one way or the other (it's not a test). 

Trim it back to 500. Not following basic directions is never a good first impression. 

Your qualifications are impressive, and I am sorry you've had such a negative experience with the GRE (and posters on this forum). 
 
I hope the intent behind sharing perspectives on GRE scores is not to put people down, but to be realistic. Aside from (first) author peer-reviewed publications, the GRE is the only metric that side-by-side differentiates applicants, as GPA mean different things widely by major and college, as do extra-curriculars, etc. . The GRE is a really crappy measure, and does not predict success in graduate school at all, yet many schools refuse to drop this measure because schools want ways they can compare applicants on the same measure. 
 
When people chime in saying that your scores are below certain suggested cutoffs, they are stating a fact. It is not to say that you should not apply, but if you don't get interviews, that (quite frankly) may be why. I agree to not rule oneself out and go ahead and apply if you have the resources to do so, but be prepared for the GRE (especially scores below 50th percentile) to be a potential hinderance to the application. This GRE's role is a fact that has been well-discussed by many sources, so down-playing its importance is not advantageous.