That Research Lady

You don't need to justify anything; you just say thank you, you appreciate the opportunity, but you are leaning another way. You wanted to let them know as soon as possible so they can move on to others on the waitlist, if relevant. Even if you did know what you were doing, I would still advise not to get into details of funding or fit, at least not in the initial email. If someone wants to follow up and ask about how you came to your decision, you might consider explaining.

@CP fun In general umich is ranked top 5 while upenn is ranked top 10. Having said that, there might not be a great difference between top 5 and top 10 in the longer run and what might really matter in this case is the reputation of your PI and the labs he/she collaborates with (for post doc positions and possible faculty appointments). 
Would you mind telling me when you received your offer from umich? PM would be great! 

If anyone on this forum gets off waitlist, you should also share it here so we can all live vicariously through you and feel that there is still hope in this world!!

Some people consider it taboo to do both your undergrad and grad work at the same school.  Definitely limits your professional network.  I am biased based on my experience, but taking time off between undergrad and grad was awesome.  I loved my job, expanded my professional network, developed my own research ideas, got a some papers out, and made money.  I'd recommend you discussing your concerns with the faculty member at your university.  Also if you got into 2 programs right out of undergrad, I doubt you will have trouble getting into a program after working as an RA and building your CV even more (nothing's for sure of course, but you must have done something right to get in this cycle and I can't imagine that would change).  But all said, you have until April 15 to decide so take your time to reflect on what is best for you  This is a good problem to have!

School: University of Texas at Tyler
Program: Clinical Psychology MS
Date of Notification: 02/24/2017
Method of Notification: Phone call from director
Thoughts: After rejection from 6 doctoral programs I am thrilled to be accepted, especially since my undergrad is not in Psychology. This is a well reputed program that is close to family, and a great option for me. The stress is over. lol 

I think everyone has given really great advice. I just have my two cents to add about research fit with potential mentors. 
We all know research fit is the key in grad school application and you don't want to spend the next 5-6 years working with someone who does not share your research interests. But we are all relatively early in our research career, and you just can’t say for sure yet what kind of research you really want to do for the rest of your career. Obviously you have done a lot of solid research in a certain area that got you into great programs and helped you identify your specific research interests, but it’s probably too early to rule out other possibilities. I think there are many factors that may be even more important than research fit, for example, how good a mentor and/or scientist your potential advisor is, whether or not he/she respects students’ ideas and interests, what resources are available, how much he/she encourages students to collaborate with other profs, etc. So, don’t let the ‘not-so-perfect’ research fit put you off, and try to keep an open mind. 
Hope it helps with your decision making.

Congrats on your acceptance! I would talk to your POI and department about getting one year deferral for you to search for funding. You can work with your POI and apply for grants for a year so that secure some funding before you start the program. Usually schools only grant deferrals for health concerns and other complications but it would be great if they can grant you a year. 
If you are wait-listed for other programs that come with funding, I am sure you will hear back from at least one of them! List DOES move  I was on it for my current program (not clinical psyc though)! 

Saaaame, I'm dying. Do you think they notify everyone of their status at once, like someone is waitlisted, would he or she be informed of that at the same time as the first choice is offered a position?

FYI results page is back up and running!

To be honest, I'm not sure about getting into masters programs, but I can speak to my experience applying for PhD. I also had academic trouble (academic probation several semesters). I stayed 2 extra years in undergrad to pull my cumulative GPA to the minimum most schools take (3.0) and I got a research job that allowed me to have publications and presentations. I am doing very well in the PhD application process because of these things and others like fit, specific interests, etc. I found a way to explain my low gpa as a strength. Only caveat is, my psychology GPA was above 3.5. I think you really have to be sure that this is the carer you want because it will be a bumpy but doable road. You may want to stay in undergrad to pull up your GPA (maybe double major?) to show you can do the academic work and then apply to a masters program. If they see a huge change in your GPA some programs will know your capable. My final suggestion is to seek therapeutic support. College is hard, family loss is hard, and I'm sure the stress from this situation can exacerbate that. It really is just an extra support in a very difficult time. I'm sorry for your loss and I wish you all the best in your next steps.

Anyone else notice that there has been NO posts to the results page for Clinical today? Seems to be the first time this cycle that's happened...

All very good points. Thank you for helping keep things in perspective for me!!

If worse comes to worse and your not accepted, you can always collaborative across programs or at least ask this person if they would be willing to be on your masters and dissertation board. There is always post-doc too! But until you hear for certain, there is still hope. That school may not be their top choice if their holding the position.

If worse comes to worse and your not accepted, you can always collaborative across programs or at least ask this person if they would be willing to be on your masters and dissertation board. There is always post-doc too! But until you hear for certain, there is still hope. That school may not be their top choice if their holding the position.

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but I read that you already have received offers (been accepted) at both schools. If I were you, I would not send anything to school A. I think it's unnecessary; it's not like they're going to rescind your offer. Every school understands that theirs is not the only one you applied to. It just makes prudent sense to consider all options. I'd say maybe if it were closer to April 15th (decision date) but I don't think it's necessary now. 
Congrats for the two acceptances!

Fingers crossed for you!
I actually wish the process was similar to match/postdoc days where there was 24 hours to sort out offers, waitlists and rejections. Or at least some non-punitive way of coordinating this entire process. It would suck if 2 applicants were holding offers and waitlists spots for the others schools.

We should def start a thread letting each other know where we end up. I got an offer from GMU, one of my top choices, which I accepted. It was a tough call because there were several programs I interviewed at that I loved, but this was the best fit. After four years of uncertainty over my future, it is strange but wonderful to know where I'll be, and that I am moving toward my goal in a very concrete way. If anyone else is going to be at GMU, we should get in touch!
Good luck everyone with your decisions :-)

Exactly! I have 1 acceptance, 2 interviews left, and I'm waiting for one school to get back to me...I know I'm not going to get any emails during the weekend but I'm still checking out of habit and then get disappointed that my inbox is empty. Worrying is a terrible habit when it's out of your control. I'm totally going to the gym to de-stress. Thanks for the reality check!!

Grown ups recognize when they've made a mistake and they apologize. Well done. This process has all of our nerves frayed.

I'm waitlisted at U of Oregon Counseling Psych. It is one of my very top choices so I'm hoping the stars may align. As the two previous posters noted, I was in the company of some truly phenomenal candidates.

Another way is do an MA/MS in (general) psychology. There are one-year and two-year programs that prepare you for further studies in specialized areas of psychology. He can do that in Japan if there are similar programs.
You should ask him what his goal is after getting a master's in clinical psychology. He cannot practice in the US with just a master's, but I'm not sure if he can do so in Japan. 

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! 

I've been accepted to some programs and don't have any interview invites pending or anything, BUT I can't stop refreshing my email. This process has totally wrecked me mentally; I refresh my email every five minutes. Idk what I'm expecting to come! 
Anyway, I just thought I'd share and use this as an opportunity to tell everyone to go out and have fun! I know everyone isn't done yet and some are still waiting, but self care is so important! I encourage everyone to go catch a movie, hang with friends, SOMETHING. Just stop refreshing!! Good things will come! 

If you like a program and find out from the data of previous years that is available that you can live with the stipend they offer, then I think you can pretty much say good bye to all other interviews lined up. Too much time, money and stress goes into the travelling and preparation for the interviews and if you prize them less than what you already have, it doesn't make much sense enduring the ordeal. But be sure that there is an actual offer on the table before you decline the other interviews (as I'm sure you have already). Good luck and many congratulations! 

I think it depends on what your clinical goals are. I know people with associate degrees who get certificates that allow them to work with special populations as a pseudo case manager/counselor. That could be a easy alternative. If you really want to be a licenced clinician, I would suggest doing a PhD that allows you to do clinical work and research. I would imagine it can be hard to get a PhD, go back to school for a masters and then worry about obtaining clinical hours, especially since the research world rewards those who start their career soon after graduation. It's possible I'm sure, but I don't know if it would be worth the juggling. On the other hand, if you could see yourself just getting the research PHD and having a fulfilling career and life, I would go to the program you're excited about. I was trying to figure out the same thing last year and I had to reflect on what my ultimate goals were for my career and it helped me make a decision. You may want to write out a career plan and reflect on what will get you to your end goal. Hope that helped!