PsychM

Since my “liking” limits are clear (LOL), just want to let you all know I am rooting for you all - even if I’m a little heartbroken at the moment
May our chronic-page-refreshing bring us all better news over the next 72 hours........

Just got my first in-person interview invite (Marquette University - Clinical Psych PhD) this application season!! I am very excited!

School: Miami University of Ohio
Type: PhD PROGRAM
Date of invite: 12/19/2018
Type of invite: Phone call from POI
Interview date(s): FEB 4TH AND 8TH
 
I'm literally so excited! Praise JESUS!

School: Ohio State University
Type: Clinical Psychology PhD
Date of invite: 12/18
Type of invite: Email from POI
Interview date(s): Jan 11
Holy sh*t I cannot believe this is happening.

School: Ohio University
Type: PhD
Date of Invite: Dec. 17, 2018
Type of invite: Email from PI for phone or Skype interview
Interview date(s): 12/20 or 12/21
 
 
School: University of Kentucky
Type: PhD
Date of Invite: Dec. 18, 2018
Type of invite: Mass Email from Department
Interview date(s): Jan. 24-25th
 
 

School: University of Toledo
Type: PhD
Date of invite: 12/14/2018
Type of invite: Email from Academic & Client Services Coordinator with POI and DCT cc'd
Interview date(s): Feb 1 or Feb 4
I literally cannot believe this is happening! Truly so grateful and so excited.

Don't count yourself out yet, ResilientDreams. Remain resilient! Having a quant score in the 50th percentile range is definitely not the worst and may be good enough to get you where you want to be. As everyone is saying, there are so many factors at play so don't count yourself out yet! If your scores are similar to those of the previously admitted students in a given program, even if yours is a point or two lower,  you should really not count yourself out yet! Try to remain positive. :] and happy belated birthday.

Don't count yourself out yet, ResilientDreams. Remain resilient! Having a quant score in the 50th percentile range is definitely not the worst and may be good enough to get you where you want to be. As everyone is saying, there are so many factors at play so don't count yourself out yet! If your scores are similar to those of the previously admitted students in a given program, even if yours is a point or two lower,  you should really not count yourself out yet! Try to remain positive. :] and happy belated birthday.

Not every program does it and not every year. I had heard of it before applying and then I heard an adcomm faculty mention it this year. My quant was well below 50th percentile (my verbal and AWA were good). Honestly, so much of this process is chance. I've known people that had horrible application packages that got into programs and people with amazing credentials not get in. So much of it is variables that we as applicants have no control over. 

I think the weight given to one section vs. another section from the GRE depends on the type of concentration within clinical psych, the structure of the program, and/or the type of research the faculty member does. Considering most clinical psych PhD programs are very research oriented, some more than others, the quant score will be important. From what I understand from people in the field (I work in a department of psychiatry at a school of medicine) It won't be as important in PsyD programs. Some clinical psych PhD programs have curriculum that are very quant heavy so naturally they will give more weight to the quant GRE score. For example, I applied last year and when I did not get into a program I asked for feedback on how to improve my application and a few programs told me that my verbal GRE was great (90+ percentile) but my quant GRE score (54th percentile) needed to be improved because they are quant heavy programs and they have found that the quant GRE score is a predictor of success in their program. I have also found that individual faculty members may have minimums/preferred scores that differ from the program minimums. I should also mention, the rest of my application is very strong (first author publications, several second author publications, masters degree with an empirical thesis, high undergrad GPA, currently working in the field etc.) but for the types of programs I have applied to, they do place weight on that quant GRE score so much that it really seems as if it prevented me from having success last year. Needless to say, I retook the GRE prior to this application cycle.

Unfortunately, some schools will use the GREs as an easy metric to just drop some applicants quickly. If a program gets hundreds of quality applications, they are not going to individually read each one. Sometimes they "trim the fat" using some sort of minimum GPA and GRE to make the pile more manageable. A faculty at my current program was mentioning possibly needing to do that this year based on the number of applications. 

It is very mixed indeed. I am clinical psych with concentrations in neuropsych/clinical neuroscience topics and those types of programs definitely seem to put weight on the quant score, and the GRE as a whole, more than others. And I also applied to a program that doesn't require the GRE at all anymore because they have found it to disadvantage a wide variety of people. It's a shame more programs don't see that it certainly does put many people at a disadvantage!

Meh. I have 90+ percentile scores in both verbal and AWA, but my quant score is very bad (above 50 but not by...a whole lot). I have As in all my stats and research methods classes though... I'm applying for developmental, not clinical but I'm starting to get nervous. My current professor in undergrad has told me that she knows from inside sources that one of my POIs is very aware and very interested in my application, but I haven't heard anything from that school so idk...I hope my app didn't die in committee. 

I think the weight given to one section vs. another section from the GRE depends on the type of concentration within clinical psych, the structure of the program, and/or the type of research the faculty member does. Considering most clinical psych PhD programs are very research oriented, some more than others, the quant score will be important. From what I understand from people in the field (I work in a department of psychiatry at a school of medicine) It won't be as important in PsyD programs. Some clinical psych PhD programs have curriculum that are very quant heavy so naturally they will give more weight to the quant GRE score. For example, I applied last year and when I did not get into a program I asked for feedback on how to improve my application and a few programs told me that my verbal GRE was great (90+ percentile) but my quant GRE score (54th percentile) needed to be improved because they are quant heavy programs and they have found that the quant GRE score is a predictor of success in their program. I have also found that individual faculty members may have minimums/preferred scores that differ from the program minimums. I should also mention, the rest of my application is very strong (first author publications, several second author publications, masters degree with an empirical thesis, high undergrad GPA, currently working in the field etc.) but for the types of programs I have applied to, they do place weight on that quant GRE score so much that it really seems as if it prevented me from having success last year. Needless to say, I retook the GRE prior to this application cycle.

You're very welcome! This is not my first application cycle so I have learned quite a bit on this journey!

Happy Monday everyone! New week of possibilities ? Good luck!

My whole goal this application season was to land one interview. I'm stoked I did it.
 
School: University of Toledo
Type: Clinical PhD
Date of invite: Dec. 14th
Type of invite: Email from admissions coordinator; CC'd POI and DCT
Interview date(s): Feb. 1 or Feb. 4. I'm going Feb. 1
 
Edit: @Jamesmp, congrats on the invite to Kent! I applied to them as well. Evidently some people have received invites and rejections already; I'm still waiting to hear back from them but I'm not sweating it too much.

I applied to the University of Kentucky!

This is so very helpful for any interview and to help generate ideas and research language in general! Thank you for sharing!

It's my birthday today guys. 

I was invited for an initial phone interview with Louisiana State University this week. Very excited! 

I was invited for an initial phone interview with Louisiana State University this week. Very excited! 

The 50th percentile isn't competitive; it's like the minimum cutoff. If you look at good clinical PhD programs and their admissions stats, you will usually see mean percentiles for the admitted class of students hovering in the 75-85th percentile. Of course, like all mean scores, there is some range, but I would not say a 300 is a competitive stat from the point of view of someone on the other side of this process. 

I def. will sit this one OUT LOL... I wouldn't want to rub any professors the wrong way. To me sending an e-mail at this point looks pushy/impatient and inappropriate. Trusting the process over here  

Dear diary, the days are endless... LOL