LovePsychx3

As I interviewed at School Psych Ph.D. programs this cycle, I came to learn that it is very difficult to get a neuropsych pre-doc internship from with a School Psych degree. Neuropsych sites tend to have an eye for clinical students. If you are really committed to neuropsych, apply to programs that have a neuropsych focus such as UT Austin and/or have opportunities for experiences in major children's hospitals. Just know that programs that push for 5 year completion will not foster the opportunities you need to be competitive. Most neuropsych students I met were going to finish their Ph.D. in 6 years and a few of them didn't end up matching. It is possible to do neuropsych with a School Psych Ph.D., but it will be challenging and you should definitely make sure that you are choosing a program that has successfully placed students into neuropsych pre and post-doc internships.

For those of you who have received phone acceptances, is it common to not receive an official letter until after the April 15th deadline? Did you verbally accept on the phone and not have to formally accept? I would prefer to have something in writing, but it seems that my program may not send out the letter until the entire cohort has been determined. This may be paranoia but what if the offer is rescinded and I have no formal proof of receiving an offer?

Hi, I recently applied and interviewed at a handful of School Psychology Ph.D. programs. I've only done research with a few clinical experiences here and there. Everyone who interviewed had research experience, but it was also important to think about how your general experiences (teaching, clinical work, etc.) had encouraged you to pursue this degree. They may ask why you are not pursuing an Ed.S. if you have limited research. At the end of the day, a Ph.D. is a research degree and having no research experience can be a great barrier from making yourself attractive to such programs. Personally, my strong research background definitely helped me receive interviews and acceptances. If you're serious about a School Psych Ph.D., I would recommend you find any kind of a research position!

Oh my gosh!! Congrats. It's the best school ever.

Yes to the post above ^^^!! I am anxiously waiting for two schools to respond. At the other two I interviewed at, I heard back within a week.

Hi, Sounds like a tough situation! I would definitely not give up on the lab especially if you don't have the other hospital position yet. You may have to volunteer for three different things and then pick and choose. It's never a bad thing to do multiple things, especially related to research. If you really want to quit one, think about who can get you far in terms of application, letter of rec., etc. If you are not planning on taking two years off, you will not get to know the hospital supervisor well enough for him to write you a solid letter of rec. In my personal experience, it takes at least a year of working with someone for them to really get to know you. I would encourage you to try to get on a poster, presentation, or paper in your current lab. Even if you quit, let them know that you want to work on such things after you leave. I left my lab but remotely worked on a paper for a while. Hope this helps and best of luck! I know this process is rough.

Auburn's DCT sent out an interview invite a few weeks ago.

Anxiously waiting on UT Southwestern! Anyone else?

Hi Sinbad! I'm not an international student, but I did not major in psych in undergrad and have gotten interview offers from clinical psych programs (no admissions yet, fingers crossed). I would urge you to consider the Yale Child Study Center Pre-Doctoral Fellowship if you're interested in clinical psych research with children and adolescents. Although, this may be okay if you're interested in adults, too. It's the research experience that counts! I know people who have gone through this program and are extremely competitive for Ph.D. programs afterwards. Here's the website: https://medicine.yale.edu/childstudy/autism/fellowship/ Best of luck to you!

This is helpful, thanks! I think it's more the assumptions they make based on it. I'm not saying they would make negative assumptions, but I would rather they make no assumptions at all. I will most likely wear it because it is an important and relevant part of my life.

Does anyone have insight on whether you should/should not wear your wedding ring to an interview? Maybe I am being overly paranoid, but I don't want admissions to know more about me than absolutely necessary. It may not influence their decision, but I would like to play it on the safe side.