PsyDuck90

Also, just as an added FYI, the vast majority of PhD programs in clinical or counseling psychology are fully funded with tuition remission and a stipend. Your opportunity costs in that you are quitting your full time software job are definitely considered a financial loss, but cost of tuition is irrelevant for most programs. You typically serve as a teaching, research, or graduate assistant (or a combination of all the above) in exchange for the financial compensation. While there are some theoretical underpinnings that differ between counseling psychology and clinical psychology, the license is the same and the differences have really disappeared over the years. I will also say that your research interests are very broad. I would spend some time really thinking about what you want to focus on (it's ok if your work shifts later), and try to get some research experience within that specific content area. Admissions committees and PIs want to see a clear, thought out process of what you have done and what you want to do. Even if it isn't a traditional path. Having such a broad range of interests can actually work against you.

Each university is different, but literally the entire world was (and is) severely impacted by the pandemic, so your circumstances are probably more normative than you realize. The US and UK have had a particularly difficult time with the pandemic, especially given the general political climate in the US and the new strain recently discovered in the UK.

Yeah, counseling, MFT, and LCSW are only license-eligible at the master's level. There is no doctoral level licensure for those fields. That's why, if you want the doctorate but also want a clinical license, you need the actual master's degree. This is separate from clinical psychology and counseling psychology, which are only license-eligible at the doctoral level, although there are a few states that allow for a master's level psychological associate, but those are the minority. OP, are you a strong research match for all of these programs? What are your career goals? When applying for doctoral programs, a faculty research match is a must, especially when programs have a mentor model. You are essentially applying to work with a specific faculty member. If you are not a good research match and simply applying for geographic convenience, your chances of acceptance drop significantly (clinical psychology has an 11% acceptance rate overall). A program that bills itself as clinical science (such as Vanderbilt) is especially focused on research.

Typically, when you are invited for a formal interview, they explain it as such. Like, they verbatim say that you are invited to interview for the program. I would still prepare for the informal one. They are usually trying to confirm that you would be a good fit and maybe decide between a few people.

An informal interview and a pre-interview are the same thing. Some faculty reach out to speak with students before finalizing lists for invites to the formal interview day/weekend. Getting responses from 2 programs is great. It doesn't mean that you are accepted though. Do the interviews with the 2 schools and then if/when you get acceptances, that's when to worry about which program to pick. The interviews will be able to give you a much better idea of which program you prefer if given a choice.

No, it won't. Typos are common and chances are they probably won't even notice.

I think pretty much every state university will have a research focused MA or MS in psychology. You may get some clinical experience as well, but there is no master's level psychology license, only doctoral. Counseling masters will usually be more focused on clinical training and may not have as strong a research focus, but that degree leads to a master's level licensure in counseling. Some programs will actually be combined. The MA in the same department as my doctoral program is a combined Clinical psychology and counseling MA, so it meets license criteria in my state for being a counselor. There is a thesis option.

You can see the admissions outcomes data, including number of applicants compared to how many admissions offers here: https://gsapp.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/images/c-20_2020_clinical_0.pdf It looks like, in the 2019-2020 application season, approximately 11.4% of applicants received an admissions offer (41 offers/360 applicants). Unfortunately, it doesn't look like they report GPA and GRE scores for incoming class like other programs do.

I would just test out outfits on Zoom and see what works best, as most schools will still probably expect professional attire.

I would just say basically what you said here. "Hello, there appears to be an error, and I don't believe I was the intended recipient of this email. However, I did also apply to this program, but for x emphasis."

I would reach out to the licensing board directly. I don't know about Canada, but I know it is very difficult to do in the US. The APA and CPA have outlined similar training standards and have an accord that allows for completion of degree/certain licensing requirements in either country. However, because the UK programs are shorter, they may not meet the requirements that exist in Canada. I know they don't for the US.

Most people create a general template and fill in program-specific details into it. You're fine re-using paragraphs across applications.

I sincerely doubt they would do this for a number of reasons. One of the biggest ones being that the things important to individual POIs can vary. They would also not want to discourage people who may be under the average listed pubs/posters/etc. from applying as they may have something else that stands out. Also, programs report what APA requires them to report. They aren't going to do more work on top of that. It takes time to reconcile that data and put it up. Don't forget that at the same time as programs are sorting through applications, they are also teaching and advising and running a lab, and this is also internship application season, so they are providing support to their current students who are applying for internship right now, possibly defending dissertations, etc. While yes, some faculty reply to student emails asking for feedback, not all do.

It means that your application has made it through the preliminary review process (usually meaning you've met minimum requirements), and you will hear back in the next few weeks if you're getting an interview.

Developing strong coping skills now will serve you well in the future, especially when you start your program. Between meeting program milestones like comps and dissertation defense and applying for internship and possibly practicum placements, there are a lot of anxiety-inducing processes when going for a clinical psych PhD/PsyD. Diaphragmatic breathing, distraction, positive reframing, and so on are useful skills to start practicing now.

I wouldn't. It's not required to email POIs, and honestly only recommended if you have specific questions for them that cannot be answered by reading their lab or program pages. They know you're interested in their work by the fact that you applied to work with them. I would leave it as is at this point.

It sounds like that person is seeing some sort of an overlap and is interested in working with you in some capacity. They may be shifting their work slightly or just be generally interested in you as a student. I would prep for both. Either way, in my experience you don't just work with your primary mentor. While I have my primary lab that I work in, I've helped on posters/manuscripts with other faculty with slightly different interests. Also, when it comes time to pick your committee, it's much easier when you already have a good working relationship with several faculty, especially if those faculty work well together. And my making strong connections was doubly helpful when my primary advisor decided to take a 1 year leave of absence for this academic year, leaving me to needing a new advisor to help oversee my dissertation. I had a faculty member volunteer to step in because I had established a good relationship with them over the last 2 years so it made the whole "relocation" process much easier.

Maybe adjunct teaching?

Yes, I think anything directly related to application status reporting (interview invites, rejections, and waitlists) would be appropriate for this thread. I just don't want people spamming it with POI requests and chitchat, which just ramps up everyone's anxiety.

Typos aren't that big a deal. At least that's what I'm telling myself as I review the written responses to comprehensive exams in preparation for the oral defense portion.

MOD NOTE Just a reminder to all: please do not post requests for POIs on this thread. This thread is only for posting interview invitations. Posts simply requesting for POIs will be removed. Edit: I have moved all none interview notifications to the general Fall 2021 Clinical & Counseling PhD/PsyD thread found here. Please relegate any conversations about anxiety/general conversations/etc to that thread. Thank you.

Typos happen. They aren't that big of a deal.

I second what @txpsychology said. I don't know where you heard that Adler is reputable, but it is not. It is often discussed in the category of the diploma mills that will take anyone who is willing to pay their insane costs. Midwestern also doesn't have the greatest reputation. If you want to pursue neuropsychology, you need to find POIs with strong research in neuropsychology because that is a very competitive specialty and while a strong understanding of research is important in clinical psych in general, it is especially important in neuropsych. There are some university-based PsyDs that will get you where you want to be, but I wouldn't recommend either of these 2. General rule of thumb: if a school has multiple locations in different states, it is likely not going to be a good idea. Also, the main page on Midwestern says that they have a 100% internship match rate, but when you finally find the student outcomes data, the last 2 years were 71% and 90% for the last 2 years, which isn't great. The fact they advertise 100% on the main page makes them seem real shady. Also, they only have a 79% licensure rate. PsyDs are not typically going into academia, and even then licensure is often a plus. What are the other 21% doing? It's likely that they can't get licensed based on the incredibly poor EPPP pass rates. The poor pass rates are for Adler to if you look up those stats. If you don't pass the EPPP, you cannot become licensed as a psychologist in any state. Reputable programs typically have a 100% pass rate. These programs range from 55-75% pass rates. That's....not good and points to poor training. I would save your time and money and look for other programs.

Yes, as this poster said, applying to MA programs concurrently may be a good idea. Also, a lot of PhD programs that also offer a master's in the department will ask you if you would like to be considered for their master's program if you don't get into the PhD. Another thing of note: counseling is a separate field from clinical/counseling psychology. A master's in counseling is a terminal, license-eligible degree (licensed mental health counselor). A doctorate in counseling would be a doctorate in counselor education, which is not licensable. While there is some overlap, they are 2 distinct fields governed by 2 different bodies (the ACA and the APA).

Derald Wing Sue at Columbia is probably the most famous cultural diversity researcher in Psychology. He literally wrote the book. Kevin Nadal at John Jay-CUNY was a student of his and also does work in the same field. Joshua Hook at University of North Texas is another one. I would open the search up to Counseling Psychology PhD programs as well if you haven't. The end license is the same but counseling psychology tends to be where a lot of the cultural diversity folks tend to be housed.