WhatLikeItsHard

Hi all,

First and foremost, I am NOT looking for advice. I assume my situation is NOT unique, so I'm more asking for people to share their own stories, since it's been hard to talk to with my friends about, since their either trying to get through the next few weeks of this brutal waiting game, themselves, or just telling me my anxieties don't matter about this subject. So...
As I was spending all of my free time in the fall working on applications, I met & fell in love with my current partner, who feels like the love of my life. I was open to dating because when I started my applications, my preliminary list of schools consisted of about five programs within an hour or two of where I currently live, and they were all the ones I was most excited about. Then, of course, when making final decisions, and reaching out to professors, etc. It narrowed down to one in the same city, and one about two hours away. The rest, specifically where I got interviews, are about 6-10 hour drives away.
As you all know, waiting to hear back is brutal enough; but with this determining both my professional development and feasibility of staying with this person (on top of pandemic stuff), I feel non-functional at this point. I'm worried that my relationship is *just* new enough that my partner, an engineer who just bought a house, will pick logic over feelings and say it's better we break up than to try to make it work.
For those of you that were dating/married when making decisions, or if you're in the same boat, please share your experiences! Even positive ones. I know technically, the argument is "if it's meant to be, then they'll just go with you" but I don't think that's really practical/reasonable for everyone.

Oh I am also losing it. Constantly refreshing this page, and my email, and looking through my junk emails. Bargaining with myself how much longer I can hold out before I contact the schools. I feel like it’s especially bad because most of the places I’m still waiting on hearing from are places I haven’t seen anyone else post a result from. It’s agonizing haha

I've been refreshing this page all day.

Literally going insane. I haven't heard ANYTHING

Is anyone else starting to go a little bit crazy? I jump every time my phone vibrates.

That is beautiful news, thank you

Awe, you are so kind! This forum is really unique in that regard, we all are trying to lift each other up. This is something I've struggled with, and these words are much needed with interviews right around the corner! I want to pass this along to everyone else as well. There may be reasons why you don't think you're worthy of your accomplishments (e.g., I likely feel this way because I am a younger applicant), but it's important to own them nonetheless! You all deserve these opportunities!  

As other mentioned above, being open to a variety of schools and locations I think is really important.  Pretty much none of the schools I initially thought I would be applying ended up being where I applied.  I purchased the APA Graduate Study in Psychology book and it was immensely helpful in helping me determine programs that I had competitive scores and experience for...and those that were, realistically, out of my reach with my credentials. 

I had two interviews today with one of my top choices for clinical psych grad programs, and I want to share what has really already been suggested here, but I want to reiterate because I don't think this link has been posted.... before interviews, you guys might want to check out this site! I pleasantly surprised my POI today in my interview for having knowledge of my preferred POI's current NIH grants as they werent listed on their website so Im assuming they guessed I really did do my research--I did, but to be very honest this website really helped! It really opens up a new game changer of potential questions you can ask your POI('s). 
https://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm
 

Does anyone know if the Temple invitations have all gone out?

So, alas, I'm starting to think I won't get accepted this cycle, as 4/7 schools I applied to reached out to individuals already for interviews. For those that have interview offers, can you tell me VERY vaguely (i.e. You definitely don't need to say "I worked with ______ for three years at _____") about your work experiences, match with faculty, etc.?
I'm asking because I graduated with a fairly high GPA, have two years of research experience, two years of clinical experience, one year of teaching experience, a published paper, I was president of a mental health organization at my college, and I had thought both my research experiences methodology-wise and goal-wise fit well with faculty. But it seems like there is something lacking in my application, and I am trying to plan for how to address it for the next cycle.
Do you feel like you have depth in a subject instead of breadth? Do you feel a faculty member is interested in your work because it is similar to their own or because you may bring something new to the table? Any answers are welcome!! Thank you.

Hi there!! Lucky for you, Brandeis is JUST outside of Boston enough that the housing/cost of living in the area are conveniently cheaper. A "good" deal in Boston is probably paying about 900 or 1000 a month individually for a shared space- but in Waltham that gets knocked down maybe to 750? Beautiful campus, and Boston is wonderful!

FWIW, the school I am attending now (which was my top choice for a variety of reasons) sent out interview invites to people 10 days before the actual interview day, which was in February. This was a massive headache for everyone, especially people like me who had to travel halfway across the country. This year the faculty are theoretically going to send out invites about 3 weeks before, which still seems crazy even though I get how busy they are and how many applications we receive. 

It wasn't for graduate programs, but I had a job involving reviewing applications for a prestigious research program- check the websites of the schools that you are applying to. If they have specific cutoffs, they will probably have a process such as the one you presented. If the program suggests reviewing applications "holistically" then it is more likely that they use some sort of weighted ranking system and scoring each section rather than specifically putting an application in a pile in relation to a GRE score.
When I reviewed applications, I wasn't interested in individuals that had amazing grades, but seeming lack of interest in the field (equivalent to having no field experience at all), and basic, boring essays about being passionate. These people may have been excited about the program but were unable to articulate how our research program could help them grow as scientists. Conversely, we had applicants with imperfect GPAs, but had lots of exciting thoughts on research and a clear motivation to grow. We accepted the latter.
Pretend you're a faculty member that has funding for a student for five years- Do you want a student you can further teach the nuances to (give extra nurturing in knowledge where the grades may be "lacking") that clearly wants to BE there or do you want a student with perfect grades, perfect scores, but lacking substantial depth in their reasoning for wanting higher education? Which one do you think would be more likely to stick around? Which one would benefit from working in your lab? Which one would help promote growth in yourself while you teach them? Which one would you want to help earn their PhD?
It's very easy to put pressure on grades. Sure they do not want applicants that failed all of their classes. They might raise an eyebrow at a "C" grade in a crucial course. But it'd be completely their loss (and they know it) if that is their reasoning for rejecting someone.
Additionally, there is a LOT of controversy regarding the application process. Some individuals believe that the GRE is disadvantageous to marginalized populations. Others are convinced that LORs are disadvantageous. Some professors believe it is crucial that you e-mail them prior to sending in your application. Others will post on their website specifically asking you not to. There's so much up in the air that you just can't guess what the outcome will be until it happens.
Regardless, best of luck.
 

Hi all! My due dates were all last weekend and like the most of us here I'm feeling antsy!! I'm trying to strike a balance between catching up on personal things I need to get done (finally cleaning, spending more time with friends, actually cooking rather than eating frozen dinners, etc.) and preparing for - hopefully - interviews.
 
What are you doing in this limbo period? Are you prepping or trying to avoid your email? Any tips on what to start doing right now (I feel like interviews come up SO FAST and I want to prepare while I have time!!)

I hate that this exists.

Alright y'all this recipe yields 9 dozen chocolate chip cookies cookies. It's best made while drinking wine with your best friend, SO, or family. I swear, they just taste better that way.
Cream together: 1lb unsalted butter (NOT MARGARINE), 16oz DARK brown sugar, 1 1/2 cups sugar
Add: 2 tbsp. vanilla, 3 eggs
Beat this mixture for 3 minutes.
Mix in: 6 cups of flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1 2/2 tsp. salt.
Finally, fold in 24oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips, and 2 cups of nuts if you're a psycho and like nuts in your cookies..
Alternatively, you can use the base recipe to make white chocolate macadamia nut cookies by folding in 24oz of white chocolate chips and 2 cups of macadamia nuts.
Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. My non-official word is that they bake best at 13 minutes.
I recommend scooping your dough out with a small ice cream scoop, maybe a 1 1/2inches in diameter!
Good luck!
 

Hi all! My due dates were all last weekend and like the most of us here I'm feeling antsy!! I'm trying to strike a balance between catching up on personal things I need to get done (finally cleaning, spending more time with friends, actually cooking rather than eating frozen dinners, etc.) and preparing for - hopefully - interviews.
 
What are you doing in this limbo period? Are you prepping or trying to avoid your email? Any tips on what to start doing right now (I feel like interviews come up SO FAST and I want to prepare while I have time!!)

Stress baking, wine drinking, trying to save money for a suit, staying as busy as possible to keep me distracted!

I’ve heard back from one school so far already!
School: George Fox University
Type: PsyD
Date of Invite: November 29
Type: email from Asst Director of Admissions
Interview Date: Feb 15
 
good luck everyone! I’m waiting to hear back from 3 other schools: U of Mass- Bos, U of Minnesota-Minneapolis, George Washington U