loffire

Solid line up of school! all the best. I applied to utoronto as well I say applied but I'm yet to upload my SOP lol.

you can PM. i'll be glad to give it a look

Second this! Research experience is key. Best if you can get experience in the field you're interested in. But better some than none

Submitted the bulk of my application. Just got feedback from my professor on my writing sample so editing that and hope to get them all submitted by end of the weekend. Then probably check in to see all my documents have been received before the deadline

I just skyped with one of my recommenders about this. He mentioned that the writing sample is more to get a sense of your writing capabilites and how you structure your arguments. Best would be if you had a piece of academic writing in the field youre applying to, but it shouldn't stop you from sending any writing that you think was interesting to you and showcases your abilities well

I remember reading somewhere that the general buffer is 10%. But some schools require you to type in the application itself, in which case there's no wiggle room

You know nothin jon snow

I think it is a valid concern especially since you are an international student. To my knowledge, schools that accept multiple scores do not look at averages per se but look at it as a whole. Like I mentioned to you previously, there is a very high chance they'll discount your high verbal and quant scores, and focus on your AW since you're chinese (the stereotype that chinese are great at memorizing stuff). In fact, my biggest fear is that I've put my ethnicity as asian and my scores aren't great (aka subpar asian hahaha). Hopefully you've got some schools where the admissions committee and faculty are more open. I would strongly suggest submitting a writing sample if there is an option available. This'll prove to them that you can write well enough and can discuss your points logically.

I am not sure about Notre Dame, but I know NYU amongst others offer masters to their less successful applicants. I got rejected by NYU previously but got offered masters. Many refer to them as cash cow programs cos they generate revenue for the schools as they usually come without funding. Some view that negatively as not being selective enough, but on the flip side it is a foot in the door! Not sure if this applies to Notre Dame as well though. Hopefully someone can chime in on this

I asked this question and it went unanswered. Hoping someone responds here so I know too hahaha

Agreed. I think covering from broad to specific topics helps. They know research interest of applicants arent cast in stone but like you said, you wanna sound like you've done some research and know what you wanna do in their lab. Even if it isn't a perfect fit, the skills or tools you hope to learn from their lab to aid you in the bigger scheme of things.

Same! waiting on one of my professors to reply with comments for my writing sample before I submit them. Hopefully he replies by end of end of friday so I can submit things by sunday. Multilevel analysis sounds like a solid thing to beef your CV hahaha. Looking forward to hearing from more social psych people!

affective neuroscience. How's your application coming along? Sop all sorted?

Depends on the school tbh. They usually indicate if they'll take the most recent. Some schools accept several and look at them as a whole. clinical progs are prob the most competitive. But if you've got ample clinical and research experience, found advisors with a good fit and have a solid SOP, I think you'll be alright Luck!

McRae and tenBrinke Applying to 11 as well! 10 US 1 CA I did as well. Though I think it's a super reach school, I wanna do affective neuro so applied to their affective track

I've submitted one and will be submitting the bulk end of the week. waiting on one of my professors to send me his edits on my SOP

Seeing that youre applying to clinical I would say your second one! your quant isn't brilliant but in no way do I think its bad at all. so definitely second imo

Im an international student as well. I feel like we need to stand out from the crowd (competition for international students is stiff!) and these sections are the best spots to try stand out by talking about things that make you unique.

Sending good vibes your way Just nail your SOP and you'll be metaphorical gold haha . I literally just submitted my first application. Will be submitting the rest by end of the week. I haven't been sleeping well to be honest. Just all the different blind spots I'm trying to cover floating around in the back of my head. Every school having different standards/ formats/requirements is really messing with me Ooooh I'm applying to Denver to. Wait DU is the same as University of Denver right? I'm applying to their affective/social/cognitive track

I would think if you had a word limit and you don't have enough space to really cover all the important points you need cover then it might be prudent to forgo the hook (I did that for UNC which had a 700 word limit). that said I do think getting a short and good hook that really carries your personality across can do wonders for your application :)

Sounds like you have a LOT of research experience. If you have half that amount of relevant clinical experience I'd be shocked if you don't get into a top prog!

Do you guys list your posters/abstracts in the application forms? Maybe under publications or other sections?

@FallGO Different schools have different policies. Some schools will take the better, some the more recent even if it isnt your best, some will allow you send both and assess based on both. So you might wanna check that out. Do also remember that just the raw score isnt as important. If you look at the percentiles, your first score (both in their 80s vs your second one with v in high 80s n q in low 70s) might be better since the verbal percentile does not jump much around those scores but the quant does (more people scoring perfect for quant). In short, if your written score goes up, choose the later one, otherwise I'd recommend your earlier one.

I might be alone in thinking this, but id recommend looking for a place to do a supervised honors thesis. This will give you a significant amount of interaction with a professor (or 2), and I think the process will better prepare you for graduate school compared to online course style you've had. All the best

I think if you can sum up your experiences and sell yourself well on the SOP you should be good!