PsychM

I just got my first interview invite this morning! Great way to start a Tuesday :)
I wasn't expecting any notifications until at least Friday so this was a great surprise, aah I'm so excited!

Hey everyone! Just thought I'd pass this along--someone has started a page for Clinical Psych PhD Interview Invites. I am anxiously checking my inbox like most of you...we can do this! Best of Luck!
 
 

To everyone worrying about why they aren't hearing anything yet... Please keep in mind it is very common for programs to start reviewing applications after the semester is over but before Christmas. Sometimes they don't until after New Years though. Many faculty members are extremely busy at the end of the semester and like to wrap up final exams and final grades for the classes they teach before focusing on reviewing applications. This is how it was at the very large R1 school where I earned my bachelors degree and at the school where I earned my clinical psych masters degree. I also currently work in the School of Medicine at a large R1 university and I know the university's psychology department is the same way as I know a number of students in the PhD program. At all three places, a week or so after applications are due the grad admissions office reviews and forwards them to the psych department and then most department faculty don't really begin review until after finals. A lot of schools have finals next week so I would say the most popular weeks to expect being contacted if you are being invited to interview will be December 17-21 and January 7-11. This is not my first application cycle (unfortunately) and those weeks correspond to what I have personally experienced in the past. Of course there will be some before those dates and some after BUT the majority will likely fall in those two weeks. I hope this helps with the anxiety a bit - especially for those of you applying for the first time. Good luck, everyone!! ?

Well no interview invites yet, BUT I did just get a job offer to work full-time in a new lab salary and benefits! Yay for a backup plan!

To everyone worrying about why they aren't hearing anything yet... Please keep in mind it is very common for programs to start reviewing applications after the semester is over but before Christmas. Sometimes they don't until after New Years though. Many faculty members are extremely busy at the end of the semester and like to wrap up final exams and final grades for the classes they teach before focusing on reviewing applications. This is how it was at the very large R1 school where I earned my bachelors degree and at the school where I earned my clinical psych masters degree. I also currently work in the School of Medicine at a large R1 university and I know the university's psychology department is the same way as I know a number of students in the PhD program. At all three places, a week or so after applications are due the grad admissions office reviews and forwards them to the psych department and then most department faculty don't really begin review until after finals. A lot of schools have finals next week so I would say the most popular weeks to expect being contacted if you are being invited to interview will be December 17-21 and January 7-11. This is not my first application cycle (unfortunately) and those weeks correspond to what I have personally experienced in the past. Of course there will be some before those dates and some after BUT the majority will likely fall in those two weeks. I hope this helps with the anxiety a bit - especially for those of you applying for the first time. Good luck, everyone!! ?

To everyone worrying about why they aren't hearing anything yet... Please keep in mind it is very common for programs to start reviewing applications after the semester is over but before Christmas. Sometimes they don't until after New Years though. Many faculty members are extremely busy at the end of the semester and like to wrap up final exams and final grades for the classes they teach before focusing on reviewing applications. This is how it was at the very large R1 school where I earned my bachelors degree and at the school where I earned my clinical psych masters degree. I also currently work in the School of Medicine at a large R1 university and I know the university's psychology department is the same way as I know a number of students in the PhD program. At all three places, a week or so after applications are due the grad admissions office reviews and forwards them to the psych department and then most department faculty don't really begin review until after finals. A lot of schools have finals next week so I would say the most popular weeks to expect being contacted if you are being invited to interview will be December 17-21 and January 7-11. This is not my first application cycle (unfortunately) and those weeks correspond to what I have personally experienced in the past. Of course there will be some before those dates and some after BUT the majority will likely fall in those two weeks. I hope this helps with the anxiety a bit - especially for those of you applying for the first time. Good luck, everyone!! ?

I think you're fine then. I wouldn't worry about it. Good luck!

Freaking same

One is all I need for a career lol

Yep! Mine looks like the image you attached! Probably just the department sorting all the flood of applications they got, but I'm just too impatient for the system haha

To everyone worrying about why they aren't hearing anything yet... Please keep in mind it is very common for programs to start reviewing applications after the semester is over but before Christmas. Sometimes they don't until after New Years though. Many faculty members are extremely busy at the end of the semester and like to wrap up final exams and final grades for the classes they teach before focusing on reviewing applications. This is how it was at the very large R1 school where I earned my bachelors degree and at the school where I earned my clinical psych masters degree. I also currently work in the School of Medicine at a large R1 university and I know the university's psychology department is the same way as I know a number of students in the PhD program. At all three places, a week or so after applications are due the grad admissions office reviews and forwards them to the psych department and then most department faculty don't really begin review until after finals. A lot of schools have finals next week so I would say the most popular weeks to expect being contacted if you are being invited to interview will be December 17-21 and January 7-11. This is not my first application cycle (unfortunately) and those weeks correspond to what I have personally experienced in the past. Of course there will be some before those dates and some after BUT the majority will likely fall in those two weeks. I hope this helps with the anxiety a bit - especially for those of you applying for the first time. Good luck, everyone!! ?

To everyone worrying about why they aren't hearing anything yet... Please keep in mind it is very common for programs to start reviewing applications after the semester is over but before Christmas. Sometimes they don't until after New Years though. Many faculty members are extremely busy at the end of the semester and like to wrap up final exams and final grades for the classes they teach before focusing on reviewing applications. This is how it was at the very large R1 school where I earned my bachelors degree and at the school where I earned my clinical psych masters degree. I also currently work in the School of Medicine at a large R1 university and I know the university's psychology department is the same way as I know a number of students in the PhD program. At all three places, a week or so after applications are due the grad admissions office reviews and forwards them to the psych department and then most department faculty don't really begin review until after finals. A lot of schools have finals next week so I would say the most popular weeks to expect being contacted if you are being invited to interview will be December 17-21 and January 7-11. This is not my first application cycle (unfortunately) and those weeks correspond to what I have personally experienced in the past. Of course there will be some before those dates and some after BUT the majority will likely fall in those two weeks. I hope this helps with the anxiety a bit - especially for those of you applying for the first time. Good luck, everyone!! ?

To everyone worrying about why they aren't hearing anything yet... Please keep in mind it is very common for programs to start reviewing applications after the semester is over but before Christmas. Sometimes they don't until after New Years though. Many faculty members are extremely busy at the end of the semester and like to wrap up final exams and final grades for the classes they teach before focusing on reviewing applications. This is how it was at the very large R1 school where I earned my bachelors degree and at the school where I earned my clinical psych masters degree. I also currently work in the School of Medicine at a large R1 university and I know the university's psychology department is the same way as I know a number of students in the PhD program. At all three places, a week or so after applications are due the grad admissions office reviews and forwards them to the psych department and then most department faculty don't really begin review until after finals. A lot of schools have finals next week so I would say the most popular weeks to expect being contacted if you are being invited to interview will be December 17-21 and January 7-11. This is not my first application cycle (unfortunately) and those weeks correspond to what I have personally experienced in the past. Of course there will be some before those dates and some after BUT the majority will likely fall in those two weeks. I hope this helps with the anxiety a bit - especially for those of you applying for the first time. Good luck, everyone!! ?

To everyone worrying about why they aren't hearing anything yet... Please keep in mind it is very common for programs to start reviewing applications after the semester is over but before Christmas. Sometimes they don't until after New Years though. Many faculty members are extremely busy at the end of the semester and like to wrap up final exams and final grades for the classes they teach before focusing on reviewing applications. This is how it was at the very large R1 school where I earned my bachelors degree and at the school where I earned my clinical psych masters degree. I also currently work in the School of Medicine at a large R1 university and I know the university's psychology department is the same way as I know a number of students in the PhD program. At all three places, a week or so after applications are due the grad admissions office reviews and forwards them to the psych department and then most department faculty don't really begin review until after finals. A lot of schools have finals next week so I would say the most popular weeks to expect being contacted if you are being invited to interview will be December 17-21 and January 7-11. This is not my first application cycle (unfortunately) and those weeks correspond to what I have personally experienced in the past. Of course there will be some before those dates and some after BUT the majority will likely fall in those two weeks. I hope this helps with the anxiety a bit - especially for those of you applying for the first time. Good luck, everyone!! ?

To everyone worrying about why they aren't hearing anything yet... Please keep in mind it is very common for programs to start reviewing applications after the semester is over but before Christmas. Sometimes they don't until after New Years though. Many faculty members are extremely busy at the end of the semester and like to wrap up final exams and final grades for the classes they teach before focusing on reviewing applications. This is how it was at the very large R1 school where I earned my bachelors degree and at the school where I earned my clinical psych masters degree. I also currently work in the School of Medicine at a large R1 university and I know the university's psychology department is the same way as I know a number of students in the PhD program. At all three places, a week or so after applications are due the grad admissions office reviews and forwards them to the psych department and then most department faculty don't really begin review until after finals. A lot of schools have finals next week so I would say the most popular weeks to expect being contacted if you are being invited to interview will be December 17-21 and January 7-11. This is not my first application cycle (unfortunately) and those weeks correspond to what I have personally experienced in the past. Of course there will be some before those dates and some after BUT the majority will likely fall in those two weeks. I hope this helps with the anxiety a bit - especially for those of you applying for the first time. Good luck, everyone!! ?

To everyone worrying about why they aren't hearing anything yet... Please keep in mind it is very common for programs to start reviewing applications after the semester is over but before Christmas. Sometimes they don't until after New Years though. Many faculty members are extremely busy at the end of the semester and like to wrap up final exams and final grades for the classes they teach before focusing on reviewing applications. This is how it was at the very large R1 school where I earned my bachelors degree and at the school where I earned my clinical psych masters degree. I also currently work in the School of Medicine at a large R1 university and I know the university's psychology department is the same way as I know a number of students in the PhD program. At all three places, a week or so after applications are due the grad admissions office reviews and forwards them to the psych department and then most department faculty don't really begin review until after finals. A lot of schools have finals next week so I would say the most popular weeks to expect being contacted if you are being invited to interview will be December 17-21 and January 7-11. This is not my first application cycle (unfortunately) and those weeks correspond to what I have personally experienced in the past. Of course there will be some before those dates and some after BUT the majority will likely fall in those two weeks. I hope this helps with the anxiety a bit - especially for those of you applying for the first time. Good luck, everyone!! ?

Congratulations! I have interviewed with the University of Alabama Tuscaloosa for their Clinical Psych PhD with a Psych-Law. In my case, during the initial phone interview I was asked to further elaborate on my research interests (when doing this it is important to show your ability to form original thought and come up with your own ideas, i.e., I am interested in continuing research related to X because there are a number of questions I still have. For example does X blah blah blah? And, is what we know about X in population Y generalizable to population Z?" or something like this, you get the idea... just demonstrate that you are able to form your own hypotheses relevant to the research the PI does - this will help show that you truly have an interest in the research being done by the lab and want to contribute in a meaningful way.)
I was also asked questions about where I see myself in the future (academia, practice etc.), I was provided with more in depth information about the types of projects the PI/the lab are doing/tend to do, and given the opportunity to ask questions. We also talked very briefly about what type of mentorship style I am hoping for and what I like to do for fun. The phone interview was only about 15-20 minutes long and it was with a student that was on internship at the time and wouldn't be there on interview day. She was very sweet and helpful and she even told me that one of the main things the PI likes the student to focus on while conducting the initial phone interview is ensuring the applicant truly understands the research going on in the lab. Alabama is a fantastic program with excellent students and faculty, and the program provides great opportunities so congratulations on your interview invite and I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to DM me if you have any questions or want to hear more about my experience interviewing there. Congratulations again!

Haha I’ll take even just one ☝️ 

To everyone worrying about why they aren't hearing anything yet... Please keep in mind it is very common for programs to start reviewing applications after the semester is over but before Christmas. Sometimes they don't until after New Years though. Many faculty members are extremely busy at the end of the semester and like to wrap up final exams and final grades for the classes they teach before focusing on reviewing applications. This is how it was at the very large R1 school where I earned my bachelors degree and at the school where I earned my clinical psych masters degree. I also currently work in the School of Medicine at a large R1 university and I know the university's psychology department is the same way as I know a number of students in the PhD program. At all three places, a week or so after applications are due the grad admissions office reviews and forwards them to the psych department and then most department faculty don't really begin review until after finals. A lot of schools have finals next week so I would say the most popular weeks to expect being contacted if you are being invited to interview will be December 17-21 and January 7-11. This is not my first application cycle (unfortunately) and those weeks correspond to what I have personally experienced in the past. Of course there will be some before those dates and some after BUT the majority will likely fall in those two weeks. I hope this helps with the anxiety a bit - especially for those of you applying for the first time. Good luck, everyone!! ?

eventual needs happen a lot sooner hahahaha

To everyone worrying about why they aren't hearing anything yet... Please keep in mind it is very common for programs to start reviewing applications after the semester is over but before Christmas. Sometimes they don't until after New Years though. Many faculty members are extremely busy at the end of the semester and like to wrap up final exams and final grades for the classes they teach before focusing on reviewing applications. This is how it was at the very large R1 school where I earned my bachelors degree and at the school where I earned my clinical psych masters degree. I also currently work in the School of Medicine at a large R1 university and I know the university's psychology department is the same way as I know a number of students in the PhD program. At all three places, a week or so after applications are due the grad admissions office reviews and forwards them to the psych department and then most department faculty don't really begin review until after finals. A lot of schools have finals next week so I would say the most popular weeks to expect being contacted if you are being invited to interview will be December 17-21 and January 7-11. This is not my first application cycle (unfortunately) and those weeks correspond to what I have personally experienced in the past. Of course there will be some before those dates and some after BUT the majority will likely fall in those two weeks. I hope this helps with the anxiety a bit - especially for those of you applying for the first time. Good luck, everyone!! ?

Did you ask specific POIs for feedback? Program coordinators? Did you just say something like "I am hoping to find out how I can improve my application in the future" or something like that? Thanks! And congratulations!!

I asked whoever I had the most contact with! Some schools I just a typical mass rejection, so I would respond either to the program coordinator or the DCT. Some schools the POI let me know that they were not extending an interview so I would ask them. This is the message I used: 
I want to first thank you for reviewing my application for Clinical Psychology Ph.D program for the 2017 admission cycle. Even though I was unable to move forward I was told that I could reach out to get feedback about my application. Were there areas of weakness in my application (E.g., GRE scores, personal statement, or my letters of recommendation)? I would appreciate any feedback on how I might be able to improve myself as a candidate for the next submission cycle.    My Application number was: (if applicable).    Thank you so much for your time.   So something like that and I got really nice responses from everyone - so dont be afraid to ask.

I would 100% ask for feedback. This is my second cycle of applying and finally landed 6 interviews and so far have been accepted to 3 places and have pulled my name from the remaining 3 since I already have accepted. After my first cycle, I didnt land one interview and reached out to each program for feedback on my application and the majority of my feedback was my GRE scores were too low. Also when I was writing my PS, the fit didnt really show as well as I wanted. So this time around I went through and really applied to programs that were perfect matches for me, forgot about location location location, and that really turned things around. Hope that helps!

I'm also waiting to hear back... this was one I really expected to hear back from too. Not sure what to think either.