vallaboop

I'm still feeling the pain of rejection of this years application cycle but I will be reapplying for Fall 2019. I'm graduating next month with my MS in clinical psych with a 4.0 (unless I have an epic stumble in the next few weeks). I'm a full time research assistant for a prestigious institution since 2015 for psychiatry, we focus on psychosocial rehabilitation, smoking cessation, and clinical trials for cannabis use disorder for people with serious mental illness. As of right now I have one publication and two poster presentations. I just submitted a manuscript and I am working on another paper and an abstract for a conference. 
My interest is in behavioral neuroscience but I am worried that my lack of hard science background was a detriment this time around. I majored in psychology and in neuroscience in undergrad and I took pre-med courses. However, my grades are all over the place. I would get B's and A's in hard science classes but then not did well in easier classes. This was mostly due to personal issues. My GRE scores are also abysmal. My boss and coworkers keep telling me to take a prep course and retake them. I know that I should but I just don't know if I can afford it.
This past cycle I applied to 13 schools and only had one interview. This time around I will probably stay around the same number but I honestly have no idea where to apply. I want to reapply to some of the same schools but I don't know if that's a bad idea or not. Thoughts?
Good luck everyone! I can also help answer questions since this isn't my first rodeo.   

Rutgers University - New Brunswick English, PhD (F19) Rejected via E-mail on 5 Mar 2019 A 5 Mar 2019 report spam Stephen King's first book, Carrie, was rejected 30 times before it was published. Steven Spielberg was rejected twice from USC's School of Cinematic Arts, and now has a building there named in his honor. If this cycle isn't panning out for you, don't worry, success rarely comes easily or on the first try. Keep at it.  
?cheers to that

UC San Diego (UCSD) Computer Science, Masters (F19) Accepted via E-mail on 1 Mar 2019 A 1 Mar 2019 report spam Life has taken on a whole new meaning. To all you people out there, always have hope. Hope is the most important thing there is and always keep moving forward. “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!  
Rocky FTW

UT Austin Economics, PhD (F19) Rejected via Website on 14 Mar 2019   13 Mar 2019 report spam Did anyone else have a kind of harshly written letter? With DENIED in bold?  
damn dude

Princeton University Philosophy, PhD (F19) Rejected via E-mail on 26 Feb 2019 ♦ A 26 Feb 2019 report spam very sad, bigly sad, the most sad, yuge sadness.  

UC San Diego (UCSD) Computer Science, Masters (F19) Accepted via E-mail on 1 Mar 2019 A 1 Mar 2019 report spam Life has taken on a whole new meaning. To all you people out there, always have hope. Hope is the most important thing there is and always keep moving forward. “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!  
Rocky FTW

Princeton University Philosophy, PhD (F19) Rejected via E-mail on 26 Feb 2019 ♦ A 26 Feb 2019 report spam very sad, bigly sad, the most sad, yuge sadness.  

28 when I applied, accepted in my first cycle. I finished my undergrad in psych at 22 but I decided to work in industry instead of going to grad school. Did that for 6 years, then made the decision to pursue an MA/PhD in clinical psych.
In retrospect, I'm very glad I took a break. I was able to save money, gain valuable skills and self-confidence, and really make sure that I was up for 6 more years of school. I'd highly recommend taking some time off from school - you may find another path that's right for you, or it can confirm for you that grad school really is what you want. 

The first time I applied I was 21 (senior in college), I was completely naive about the whole process and was ultimately rejected from the 4 programs I applied to. I'm 28 and about to graduate with my MS. Unfortunately it was a no go on PhD programs this cycle but I will be trying again. I've worked at a prestigious institution as a research assistant for the past 3 years and I am going to continue working on my publication list and gaining experience. Although it has taken me longer than I would have liked, I'm glad I took the time to get real world experience and mature before I enter such a rigorous program. However, it all depends on who you are and if you are mentally prepared for how challenging it is. 

Hi all,
For those of us who didn't get in this time around (le sigh) I thought it might be helpful to commiserate. We can share our reflections over this cycle, what we are going to do to improve for next cycle, and any plan B's in the mean time. This isn't my first rodeo and I'm getting really down on myself. I think talking among people in similar situations could be really helpful for a lot of people. I'm sure I'm not the only one that is not taking rejection lightly! 

Hi all,
For those of us who didn't get in this time around (le sigh) I thought it might be helpful to commiserate. We can share our reflections over this cycle, what we are going to do to improve for next cycle, and any plan B's in the mean time. This isn't my first rodeo and I'm getting really down on myself. I think talking among people in similar situations could be really helpful for a lot of people. I'm sure I'm not the only one that is not taking rejection lightly! 

Hi all,
For those of us who didn't get in this time around (le sigh) I thought it might be helpful to commiserate. We can share our reflections over this cycle, what we are going to do to improve for next cycle, and any plan B's in the mean time. This isn't my first rodeo and I'm getting really down on myself. I think talking among people in similar situations could be really helpful for a lot of people. I'm sure I'm not the only one that is not taking rejection lightly! 

I will never understand people who say they are "surprised" to get rejected...I wish I had that kind of confidence.

I totally understand how you feel. This is a really crazy time for all the admissions committees so it makes sense that you aren't getting prompt responses. Calling the coordinator might be your best bet. Before you call, write yourself a script that you can read. that might help you control your nerves. 
People (including myself) become wary that these programs might think badly of us when we reach out for updates, but I think they completely understand how we feel and would not be surprised to hear from us. Give them a call! If that doesn't work, at least you know that the wait is almost over!

Guys! After being waitlisted at four schools, I finally got off the waitlist at my top choice! It seems the reason I got off the waitlist is because a faculty member has offered to fund me from her outside grant whereas the department usually funds first year students which I assume is usually the limiting factor for admissions. This is good news for me as I will have an RAship on day one with the professor I wanted to work with most (wrote my SoP about her work). There is light at the end of the tunnel!! Hang in there everyone. Wishing everyone good news soon. 

Just wanted to note that though this seems like the most "obvious" reason why someone would get waitlisted, there are many potential factors that play into it.  Most clinical psych programs accept a small handful of students each year, certainly fewer students than there are faculty members. In a given year it may be that multiple faculty want to take on students, but due to various reasons (internal departmental decisions, faculty rotations/priority, grant productivity, politics, etc) some faculty may have greater claim over the limited spots to take on students.  Some faculty are upfront about this. Sometimes though, these things aren't settled in advance and so faculty may interview candidates only to say during/after the interview they're not sure if they can actually take one (yep...it sucks). 
This is all just to say that there are always other forces at work that factor into these difficult and sometimes political decisions. You could be a great match to a POI and an overall program, but still might not get an offer -- it doesn't mean you're not a good fit.  If you are on the waitlist, it means they want and will take you if they can. Or at least this is what I have gathered from my conversations with my supervisor (a tenured PI at an ivy league).  When my lab interviews candidates, often times applicants are all very qualified in similar ways, and so final decisions sometimes have to come down to minor details.  For instance, between two equally qualified/experienced candidates, we might ultimately make the first offer to the one whose prior research experience was vaguely/slightly more related -- even tangentially-- to upcoming projects.  It doesn't mean the other candidate wasn't also a great fit, it just means ranking is very difficult when you're dealing with a group of strong applicants, all very motivated, qualified, and unique.  
Anyhoo just wanted to throw this out there because I think its important to know that a lot goes on behind the scenes, and these decisions are anything but simplistic.  And plus, being on the waitlist is crushing and discouraging enough on its own without the added insecurity of wondering if you were a poorer match to your dream program and that you'll be likely to have fewer other options. 
*moonwalks away* 

In my previous application cycle, I was waitlisted for one MA program and one PhD program. I was ultimately rejected from the PhD program, although I got into the MA program after an additional interview with my mentor and cleared her concerns about whether I would be happy doing research on child and adolescent populations. Not going to lie, I cried a lot during the day that I got rejected by the PhD program because the POI was someone that heavily influenced my interest in mental health stigma and help seeking research and it hurts knowing how close I was to getting into the program (The amount of times I had Miss Y by Marina and the Diamonds on repeat while doing so is embarrassing in hindsight). However, I found that a good way of coping is to flip it from being rejected to a motivating challenge to prove myself to the POI that I am worth investing time and effort into mentoring when I reapply to the program.

I ended up pushing myself as hard as I can in lab because I wanted to pull a Pretty Woman and go "Do you remember me? Big mistake. Big. Huge!" when I meet the POI again (Okay, not literally, but the point is that it's a great motivator to be able to meet the POI again and show how much progress you made since last time. Great daydream fantasy though), and my CV grew a lot from it. Haven't heard back from this POI yet (Although the program is known for being on the slower side on the admissions process, and timing of the e-mail confirming that the graduate office sent the materials to the psychology department confirms that's the case for this year as well), but I did get more interviews this year as a result, so I think it definitely paid off. Regardless if the POI actually offers me an interview again, I'm definitely at a point where I'm grateful for the POI's impact had on me.

Long story short, it's fine to cry it out if it turns out you are rejected. The wait is emotionally draining, and it's understandable that it hurts to be that close to getting into a program. However, you can also utilize it as a motivating force to get into a program the next cycle. On the flip side, I wouldn't see it as a zero-chance of getting in. Like I mentioned earlier, I was waitlisted for an MA program, but I got in at the end. It also turns out that was the case for about a third of my cohort, so there's definitely still a chance of getting in.

I got in April 11th for my top choice lol - but was indeed waitlisted originally. 

That's exactly what I'm doing and I'm having trouble sleeping or focusing on other things. I took your advice and I just bit the bullet and sent an email. Now I feel like I'm going to throw up. ahaha ahh 

It is just better for your mental health overall to know- I sent the email when I realized how much of my life was spent thinking about my application and analyzing everything I did at the interview. Wasn't healthy:) 

AHHHHH. I have barely slept all week. Tomorrow marks 3 weeks since my interview and I haven't heard anything. I emailed POI the Monday after the interview and received a very nice response and she said "there is a bit of a process on this end that needs to happen but I will be in touch ASAP." There is no mention of other responses from the program on gradcafe anywhere and I was the only one to post on the results page about the interview. I feel completely in the dark and I AM SO STRESSED OUT. I know I can reach out via email but I am scared. I don't want to have to say "welp, there's always next year." This program is  PERFECT fit. The research the POI does matches me interests EXACTLY which I honestly never thought would happen. Plus it's semi local to where I currently live and to where my family and my SO family lives. With each passing day I feel my soul die a little more. 
I wish this was me:

AHHHHH. I have barely slept all week. Tomorrow marks 3 weeks since my interview and I haven't heard anything. I emailed POI the Monday after the interview and received a very nice response and she said "there is a bit of a process on this end that needs to happen but I will be in touch ASAP." There is no mention of other responses from the program on gradcafe anywhere and I was the only one to post on the results page about the interview. I feel completely in the dark and I AM SO STRESSED OUT. I know I can reach out via email but I am scared. I don't want to have to say "welp, there's always next year." This program is  PERFECT fit. The research the POI does matches me interests EXACTLY which I honestly never thought would happen. Plus it's semi local to where I currently live and to where my family and my SO family lives. With each passing day I feel my soul die a little more. 
I wish this was me:

Rutgers University - New Brunswick English, PhD (F19) Rejected via E-mail on 5 Mar 2019 A 5 Mar 2019 report spam Stephen King's first book, Carrie, was rejected 30 times before it was published. Steven Spielberg was rejected twice from USC's School of Cinematic Arts, and now has a building there named in his honor. If this cycle isn't panning out for you, don't worry, success rarely comes easily or on the first try. Keep at it.  
?cheers to that

Pennsylvania State University Clinical Psychology, PhD (F19) Rejected via E-mail on 6 Mar 2019   6 Mar 2019 report spam Dear Whoever Is in Charge of These Emails: I will accept your rejection once you send it in a font that is not hideous and a color that doesn't hurt my eyes. Seriously, who is in charge of these emails? Comic sans and bright blue?? What???

Argh! I wish there was a tracker like for domino's pizza ? Thanks for your response! I'll try to keep my anxiety at bay