PsyDuck90

There is definitely a risk. However, if a program has some solid faculty, it could be a good gamble. Also, even if the program loses accreditation status later on, if you graduate while it still has the contingency status, you have graduated from an accredited program. It's not a chance I would take from Dr. Smith's Psych Shack School of Psychology, but can be a good bet when it's housed in a reputable department such as UC Irvine. 

Accreditation requires a cohort to graduate, so APA instituted accredited on contingency as an accreditation option for newer programs. If granted, it means you graduated from an accredited program minus the outcome data. 

Accreditation requires a cohort to graduate, so APA instituted accredited on contingency as an accreditation option for newer programs. If granted, it means you graduated from an accredited program minus the outcome data. 

The first thing you should do is relax. If you weren't qualified, you wouldn't get in. Second, if you have a mentor you will be working with you, you can email them to see if there is anything you can get a head start on. If not, just relax. This may be the last time you have some free time for awhile depending on how rigorous your program is. Also, people dress however. I'm in a doctoral program, and on teaching days I will dress a little more professionally. However, most of us are wearing leggings/jeans and a t-shirt. I wouldn't necessity wear a ratty old t-shirt with holes and stains, but general athletic attire is not generally frowned upon if all you're doing is going to class. 

I would hold off until August/September before you start emailing faculty. Honestly, some schools still don't even know what next semester is going to look like and may be experiencing millions of dollars in lost revenue. Many faculty may not even know it they are taking a student this early on in a regular year. Given everything now, it is even less likely that faculty will know. 

Honestly, it sounds like he isn't worth your time. Someone who cares will support you and want to be with you regardless of where you're at in school. They may know to give you space when you are busy, but they do not fall off the face of the earth. When my husband and I started dating, we were in different states, about an hour drive (so not terrible) and I was in the middle of my master's degree and worked full time. Even when we didn't see each other in person, we would still text regularly. He understood I was busy and gave me that space to do my work, but still kept in contact. This guy sounds like he only cares when it is convenient for him and if it isn't, he ghosts you. 

First of all, you can't change a person. Unless he wants to change and goes to therapy, he won't change. Literally nothing you can do will help him. He sounds like he's bad news. I would politely tell him you don't have time for this and ask him to not contact you again. Seriously, just cut your losses and move on. You will spend more energy, time, aggravation, etc on him with nothing positive in return. I am in the social sciences. I specifically study intimate partner violence. This guy sounds manipulative and, to be crass, like he's full of shit. You don't need this in your life. 

I agree with amazingbutternutsquash. When people write about their own MH in personal statements, it's usually in the context you are discussing (overcoming obstacles and the like), so the kiss of death statement directly applies to this context (although obviously if someone is talking about active struggles with MH, that would be a big no-no as well, but I feel like that is probably less likely). While it sounds like you have undoubtedly overcome a huge obstacle in managing your bi-polar disorder, I would try to find another example of you overcoming a difficulty. I think the biggest reason that discussing personal MH is such an issue is that it presents a possible liability for the school. While a good portion of grad students in counseling/psychology probably have their own MH histories, if you outright say "I have bi-polar," you are no longer a safe choice. They start thinking "well what if this person starts behaving erratically at a clinical placement? What if something happens and we have to file a liability claim and payout from the malpractice insurance?" As a trainee, you are operating under someone else's license. You would think that people in the mental health field would be more open, but at the end of the day, they have self-preservation reasons to pick someone who hasn't self-disclosed a mental health diagnosis, since that's the safer bet. 

I agree with amazingbutternutsquash. When people write about their own MH in personal statements, it's usually in the context you are discussing (overcoming obstacles and the like), so the kiss of death statement directly applies to this context (although obviously if someone is talking about active struggles with MH, that would be a big no-no as well, but I feel like that is probably less likely). While it sounds like you have undoubtedly overcome a huge obstacle in managing your bi-polar disorder, I would try to find another example of you overcoming a difficulty. I think the biggest reason that discussing personal MH is such an issue is that it presents a possible liability for the school. While a good portion of grad students in counseling/psychology probably have their own MH histories, if you outright say "I have bi-polar," you are no longer a safe choice. They start thinking "well what if this person starts behaving erratically at a clinical placement? What if something happens and we have to file a liability claim and payout from the malpractice insurance?" As a trainee, you are operating under someone else's license. You would think that people in the mental health field would be more open, but at the end of the day, they have self-preservation reasons to pick someone who hasn't self-disclosed a mental health diagnosis, since that's the safer bet. 

First of all, you can't change a person. Unless he wants to change and goes to therapy, he won't change. Literally nothing you can do will help him. He sounds like he's bad news. I would politely tell him you don't have time for this and ask him to not contact you again. Seriously, just cut your losses and move on. You will spend more energy, time, aggravation, etc on him with nothing positive in return. I am in the social sciences. I specifically study intimate partner violence. This guy sounds manipulative and, to be crass, like he's full of shit. You don't need this in your life. 

Honestly, it sounds like he isn't worth your time. Someone who cares will support you and want to be with you regardless of where you're at in school. They may know to give you space when you are busy, but they do not fall off the face of the earth. When my husband and I started dating, we were in different states, about an hour drive (so not terrible) and I was in the middle of my master's degree and worked full time. Even when we didn't see each other in person, we would still text regularly. He understood I was busy and gave me that space to do my work, but still kept in contact. This guy sounds like he only cares when it is convenient for him and if it isn't, he ghosts you. 

This is definitely a bizarre situation. I don't know if I've ever seen a formal policy against it, but common sense alone dictates that the TA should not be a current student for a variety of reasons. 1. How can you judge the quality of someone's work when you are not as fluent in the subject matter? A TA is usually someone who did well in a course and then assists in the instruction and grading of material in subsequent semesters/years. It's like the in-between stage of student and professor. 2. How can the TA be impartial if they are grading their fellow classmates? This is another reason why TAs are usually more advanced students because the likelihood of there being much interaction and "history" with the students in the class is unlikely. 

The first thing you should do is relax. If you weren't qualified, you wouldn't get in. Second, if you have a mentor you will be working with you, you can email them to see if there is anything you can get a head start on. If not, just relax. This may be the last time you have some free time for awhile depending on how rigorous your program is. Also, people dress however. I'm in a doctoral program, and on teaching days I will dress a little more professionally. However, most of us are wearing leggings/jeans and a t-shirt. I wouldn't necessity wear a ratty old t-shirt with holes and stains, but general athletic attire is not generally frowned upon if all you're doing is going to class. 

The first thing you should do is relax. If you weren't qualified, you wouldn't get in. Second, if you have a mentor you will be working with you, you can email them to see if there is anything you can get a head start on. If not, just relax. This may be the last time you have some free time for awhile depending on how rigorous your program is. Also, people dress however. I'm in a doctoral program, and on teaching days I will dress a little more professionally. However, most of us are wearing leggings/jeans and a t-shirt. I wouldn't necessity wear a ratty old t-shirt with holes and stains, but general athletic attire is not generally frowned upon if all you're doing is going to class. 

I think that sounds like a good plan. Most faculty will want research assistants to have taken a research methods course at minimum. The research lab's website may have an application process that they explain for those interested in joining the lab. When you do reach out, make sure you have looked at the research the faculty member has put out and familiarize yourself with the current projects listed on the website. It's always good to show you've done your due diligence. I don't think you necessarily need a formal postbacc or anything. Really, just try to get some research posters and the undergrad psych pre-reqs. I literally cannot stress enough how much faculty care about research experience. That and a clearly written statement of purpose which explains your goals and POI fit are probably the biggest factors of your application. 

Yeah, I feel this really hard too. I'm fortunate enough to be in a program already, but I just turned 30 and while all my other friends are buying houses and having babies, my husband and I are stuck in this waiting game since we can't afford kids right now (I can't take time off from practicum without making myself less competitive for internship). It makes it even more evident when a few of my cohort-mates got in straight out of undergrad. I love them, but it's hard not to be the teeniest bit jealous that they will be 26 (younger than I was when starting) when we graduate and I'll be 33. It seems like there is always another hurdle. I truly wish all of you the best of luck in your application cycles. I hope you find your perfect fits!

Yeah, I feel this really hard too. I'm fortunate enough to be in a program already, but I just turned 30 and while all my other friends are buying houses and having babies, my husband and I are stuck in this waiting game since we can't afford kids right now (I can't take time off from practicum without making myself less competitive for internship). It makes it even more evident when a few of my cohort-mates got in straight out of undergrad. I love them, but it's hard not to be the teeniest bit jealous that they will be 26 (younger than I was when starting) when we graduate and I'll be 33. It seems like there is always another hurdle. I truly wish all of you the best of luck in your application cycles. I hope you find your perfect fits!

Yeah, I feel this really hard too. I'm fortunate enough to be in a program already, but I just turned 30 and while all my other friends are buying houses and having babies, my husband and I are stuck in this waiting game since we can't afford kids right now (I can't take time off from practicum without making myself less competitive for internship). It makes it even more evident when a few of my cohort-mates got in straight out of undergrad. I love them, but it's hard not to be the teeniest bit jealous that they will be 26 (younger than I was when starting) when we graduate and I'll be 33. It seems like there is always another hurdle. I truly wish all of you the best of luck in your application cycles. I hope you find your perfect fits!

Due to our moron-in-chief, our new incoming student (who we knew previously from work with our lab) is probably trapped in her country and may have to wait a full year to start. 
 
It's all political; Tr*mp wants to force schools to open, forcing the economy back on track at the expense of American (and international) lives. If you can, please VOTE. 

Keep working on the research stuff. Your GPA is honestly fine. As long as it's 3.5+, you're usually in good shape, especially if your psych GPA is higher. Do you have a faculty mentor who would be willing to help you write a manuscript with the data you have? No one would expect you to be doing that on your own as an undergrad (or even an early year grad student). 
Edited to Add: Also, try spending the rest of your undergrad thinking about your specific research and clinical interests. While this may evolve and change (and most likely will), having a clear idea that you can articulate in your statement of purpose during application season can go a long way. 

PsyD programs that have little emphasis on research are often crazy expensive and not worth the debt. Reputable PsyD programs often have a significant research component, so its important to have a strong research background to be competitive. It also helps that you have tech/coding experience - its extremely valuable in the research world.
 
The next question to ask yourself is, what do you want to do with the degree? If you want to do therapy, you could practice with a masters degree in social work, or with an masters program leading to a LPC certification. These routes are substatially shorter than a doctoral degree (2 yrs vs. 5-7 yrs). If you want to do assessment, thats when you need a doctoral degree.

Honestly, that sounds like the best plan if you don't want to ruffle feathers. Also, it is ok to ask questions (at least it should be). The way you form them is important. For instance, can you ask your advisor why these analyses in a way that's like "hey, I know we discussed doing X. I learned Y in my stats class, so I was just curious what makes X preferable over Y?" So it's more about understanding the process and decision making rather than about you attacking the professor's methodology. You're in grad school to learn how to do be an independent scientist, and 1 way to get to that point is understanding the thought process that goes into making certain methodological choices, so you asking questions is a means of getting that insight. 

It's not ideal, but it looks like you can arrange an on-site visit once accepted so you can still gather that data before making a final decision. My suggestion would be to make sure you can speak to a few current students as well, and make sure at least 1 is a current student working with your PI. 

I would hold off until August/September before you start emailing faculty. Honestly, some schools still don't even know what next semester is going to look like and may be experiencing millions of dollars in lost revenue. Many faculty may not even know it they are taking a student this early on in a regular year. Given everything now, it is even less likely that faculty will know. 

It's not ideal, but it looks like you can arrange an on-site visit once accepted so you can still gather that data before making a final decision. My suggestion would be to make sure you can speak to a few current students as well, and make sure at least 1 is a current student working with your PI.