PokePsych

One of the things to keep in mind is that a program/prof may look amazing now in your mind (or basically the image you are creating of it), but upon visiting/meeting this person may disappoint. This could also work out the other way (so a program/prof you may not have been incredibly excited turns out to be a great interpersonal fit + you love the program). I have people in my cohort that happened to, so they ended up being happy that they applied to some places that they felt they may have been a less good fit initially. One girl applied to about 12 programs and said her whole order basically changed after having done visits and meeting people. Keep in mind that programs vary in culture, requirements, location, expectations, etc. Some programs are very collaborative, some are not. Sometimes you'll get a secondary advisor, sometimes you don't, etc. Also think about what you need with regard to those things (some people thrive best in very communal type of departments, some are fine more independently). 
Furthermore, also keep in mind people's interests are changing - so double-check this with people they're interested in. I wanted to apply to some people, but their line of work was moving in another direction, but they recommended me other names. Similarly, I was not 100% sure about my advisor initially but turns out his line of work has moved so much in my direction (but not yet publications) that he ended up being the best fit (although it didn't seem initially so on paper). I also initially wasn't that much into that program because of the location, but it ended up all being great. 
Also, keep in mind that the majority of people apply to study one topic, but end up doing something related/different often. Very few people end up doing what they initially planned to study (what I do is highly related to my initial topic, but it has also moved a bit). So, I wouldn't be too firm on sticking to one person/one topic, but do keep to a general theme of things (e.g., I'm into macro-level influences, so I've applied to people who have a line of research on that - but not specifically only one macro-level variable or framework). 
 
I ended up applying to 7 programs (only people I really wanted to work with), got in at 2. My initial list contained 10 programs, but I dropped some due to finances/not having funding for internationl students/location. Some people applied to far more and got 1 acceptance. Some people are indeed lucky and apply to 1 - 3 and get in. But it's just a very risky strategy... I was recommended to apply to about 8 - 10 programs given my credentials (I also have a MSc. and a lot of research experience).
 
Ask them if they can recommend people. Professors will understand you're not going to apply to one place (and would probably advise applying to one place anyway). If you're interested are indeed broad - then apply to multiple. Personality is a big field, whether it is people studying cultural differences, to whether there are 5 or 6 factors, origins, personality behavioral traces, etc. Evolutionary psychologists also are starting to enter the realm of personality and start trying to explain it.
Try to make a list of other people and read up upon their work - see if it interests you as well as you think it could KEEP interesting you. 
I don't think you're expected to have read all papers by faculty at all. They're generally interested in why you want to work with them and you're interested, but rarely will they ever quiz you on their papers (a lot of profs will rather maybe ask some questions about the field and what you want to do, but not specifically their papers in detail). 

Thanks! It went well!!!

never did, PI didnt reply to my feeler email, and still got in (he was my nr 1 choice)

Congrats!!! I hope your interview goes well!!! I also just got two invites for informal Skype interviews next week and I am super stressed. One of them is for my dream school, so on one hand I am super excited but on the other hand I am afraid to do something wrong to jeopardize it. ?

Media interview tomorrow morning! I'm so anxious but I said yes!

I submitted five applications and have two left to complete. It is so relieving to be almost done with applications! I hope everyone else is having a productive time during this stressful period before all of the deadlines. I wish us all good luck ? and hope we all get admitted to our dream schools ??!!

I'm very happy to hear that! Yeah, I'm looking forward to the month (?) or so after apps are in to really relax.
I seem to leave things till the last minute- I've just completed my SoP for my top school but I've still got the others to write so that's a little scary. But I'm aiming for good enough and know I will get there in the end ?
I like your signature btw! will be adopting that format shortly.

I fully submitted my first application yesterday... I can't believe the application process is almost over!! I feel like once I get the apps in, I can breathe easier knowing it's out of my hands and I've done all I could do (until -- hopefully! -- interview season rolls around and the stress returns, haha). How is everyone else doing?

Some software (e.g., qualtrics) has the option of random assignment (it has an option randomly show between these two categories and show each condition equally). 

Check potential labs you want to work in. Do you think you NEED a master's/post-bac or would lab experience be enough to give you that push to a PhD?

feel free to send me a PM 

On a sidenote; I've also heard an advisor (not mine :P) once say that they were so happy they ended up with the student that was not their first choice as person X was pretty much amazing/awesome. 

I know one PI at my undergrad institute who decided between two candidates with a coin flip. Sometimes it's literally that (including a mental coin flip)

rooting for you all

rooting for you all

rooting for you all

Check potential labs you want to work in. Do you think you NEED a master's/post-bac or would lab experience be enough to give you that push to a PhD?

I actually can’t see your signature for some reason, maybe because I’m on my phone. Anyway, yeah last year was incredibly disappointing but I think it actually taught me a lot about the process. I am sure my applications have vastly improved since then and I have learned to be easier on myself. You are wise for prioritizing mental health over all else.
My finalized list includes:
UNC, UCSB, UVA, U of T, UCB, UMass Amherst, and UChicago.
 

After the venting thread, stress, and other forms of despair I've seen at this forum - let's share something positive that happened to you today. I'll start.
 
My mum bought me Ben & Jerry's ^^, 

You def need to up that GRE.

I don't think Ivy's really have that different standards from other R1 universities tbh. In general you want to have a minimum score of 310 to be considered; ideally with both scores at least above the 80th percentile. However, I got into an R1 with a 88th and 72nd percentile score for V & Q respectively. I think your AW wouldn't be the problem much. 
It really depends on the rest of your qualifications though. You're above 310 (usually the lower bound is 300 though, but above 310 is better), so in general you should make the first cut. Keep in mind that most admission committees no longer rely on GRE scores as any reasonable indicator of potential (research experience is way more important), but it's often used by the school itself as a cutoff score for funding (that's what I've heard from a couple of institutes now). If your profile is strong otherwise you probably don't have to worry. 

different countries have different accreditations for clinical psychology. APA does not necessarily allow you to practice in other countries (i.e., APA does not allow you to practice in a bunch of European countries that I know of), also check official registration requirements to be able to even use the title of (clinical) psychologists - these are often protected titles. In many countries 'coach' is not a protected title though. Academia maybe, but depends on your credentials of course. 
 
You could start here to look for requirements (when in English)
https://www.apa.org/international/networks/organizations/national-orgs

It really depends on your area/field, the schools you're shooting at (i.e., ranking), how you did during undergrad, etc. I know people who immediately got in, and there are people who failed to get a PhD even after doing a Master's at a prestigious school. There's so much more to getting into a program than your status.
I personally decided to a Master's (this is also faaaaaaaaar more common in Europe - you need a Master's before even applying to a PhD in Europe). Partly to really narrow down my research interests (happy I did) and to enjoy travelling and the like a little bit more
It is very very personal I'd say.

Got a radio interview tomorrow after a op-ed I have published two weeks ago. I'm really happy because it's related to my research expertise. Yay!

> You'd generally need a Master's to do a PhD at most European schools (except UK I believe, but you really want to check this). Bachelor (undergrad), Master's and PhD generally tend to be separate in (mainland) Europe (i.e., you enroll in a Master's before you do a PhD). Note that most places do require you to do teaching (the amount varies, but again, it also varies per university in the US). However, some of my friends in for example the Netherlands teach way more than I do in their PhD.
> A lot of places (especially in Psych) do not have an annual application (like the US), but rather have an opening when a PI gets funding. This is because most universities don't treat PhDs as students, but rather as employees (i.e., researchers). Some schools have an annual grant you can compete for; you usually need to write a grant proposal for this.
> Do you think you have a fair shot in getting into your university of choice? You may/may not be able to apply for permanent residence based on the country upon your PhD - some countries require 5 yrs of continuous residence (PhDs tend to be 4), income, or other requirements. However, doing a PhD somewhere does not automatically qualify you for permanent residence. Furthermore, although cost of living may be lower; did you check the stipened amount/paycheck (note that taxes are a lot higher in a lot of European countries).
> What makes you think your advisor would be better at the other school? Note that you usually work only with the PI at most European schools (since you are tied to a specific grant - which is where the money comes from - this was actually a reason why I left), so whether or not you like other research in the department may be less of a concern.
 
In terms of feasibility. Sure, it would be possible. There are tons of US PhD students in Europe. I don't think it is necessarily a deal-breaker to be enrolled in a PhD before, but you certainly want to come up with better reasons (e.g., you really like a certain project) than research-teaching balance (unless you do more than 2+ days teaching at this point, I don't think you'll get a better balance), cost of living, or an unavailable supervisor (my experience in Europe varied per person with how much they prioritized their students).