FishNerd

I am SO happy for you both! That is such wonderful news!

Congrats! Denver is a really great school especially if he's interested in the combining creative writing and English!

Oh my goodness! So happy for you and your partner!

I know I haven't been on here until recently but just thought I would put it out there that my partner got accepted to University of Denver! And I heard back from my POI's yesterday that I am unofficially in! It's such a relief to know we have at least both gotten into one of our school's together.

I know I haven't been on here until recently but just thought I would put it out there that my partner got accepted to University of Denver! And I heard back from my POI's yesterday that I am unofficially in! It's such a relief to know we have at least both gotten into one of our school's together.

I know I haven't been on here until recently but just thought I would put it out there that my partner got accepted to University of Denver! And I heard back from my POI's yesterday that I am unofficially in! It's such a relief to know we have at least both gotten into one of our school's together.

I know I haven't been on here until recently but just thought I would put it out there that my partner got accepted to University of Denver! And I heard back from my POI's yesterday that I am unofficially in! It's such a relief to know we have at least both gotten into one of our school's together.

I know I haven't been on here until recently but just thought I would put it out there that my partner got accepted to University of Denver! And I heard back from my POI's yesterday that I am unofficially in! It's such a relief to know we have at least both gotten into one of our school's together.

I know I haven't been on here until recently but just thought I would put it out there that my partner got accepted to University of Denver! And I heard back from my POI's yesterday that I am unofficially in! It's such a relief to know we have at least both gotten into one of our school's together.

I'm not currently a PhD student but I am applying for PhD programs for this fall and am currently finishing up my master's. I have been contacted by other students asking about coming to my current master's institution and it isn't awkward at all and I was happy to answer any questions they had.
I have also reached out to PhD students at all the schools I have applied to and they have all answered me super nicely and with a lot of detail when answering my questions. They all say they are super happy to answer questions and have been helpful with any follow up questions I have had since my initial email. They are busy though so some will answer quickly and others will take a bit to get back to you. My suggestion in your email is to be super polite and preemptively thank them for any input they have to your questions. Also one thing I included in my email was something like "If you have any other information outside of the questions I asked that would be helpful to an potential new student in your program I would love to hear what you have to say." Not everyone took me up on that but some did and expressed things that I would have never thought to ask about (like one student letting me know how the dating scene is in the area).

@lovedatresearch23 I think getting more research experience sounds like a really good plan! Not only will it help you as an applicant the next time around, but it may also help you figure out exactly what type of research you really want to pursue at the PhD level which can help you in figuring out what programs may be the best fit for you. From my experience (in biology - ecology and evolution) you might still be able to apply to master's programs if you would be open to trying to get into a master's with funding like you say. I know some programs at smaller universities, especially master's programs, don't have deadlines until Feb. 15th and some have deadlines in March. Not sure how many of these exist with funding in your field but they could be an option. Another option could be finding a website online that lists openings for research assistant jobs in peoples labs (like it sounds like you are wanting to try and get). I know there are websites that advertise for research assistant jobs in biology so that might be a resource in your field and wouldn't require you to pick a city and only apply to that city - if there is a website like this you can look at what positions jump out to you and then move to wherever the position is.
I just want to mention that I went into a master's program (funded) before I decided to apply for PhD programs because I wasn't sure if that was the step I wanted to take and knew having a master's would help me whether or not I decided to go onto a PhD or not. Getting my master's showed me that a PhD was what I wanted to do and it allowed me to really figure out what kind of research really appealed to me. If I had gone into a PhD program instead of my master's I may have chosen a program that wasn't a super great fit because I didn't know what research I wanted to do yet. Getting a master's before a PhD isn't always the right choice for every person but it definitely can be.
On one last note I hope that this application cycle doesn't end up being a bust for you, but if not I'm glad you are up for persevering and trying again! Your plan of action if everything falls through is very proactive and seems like a good plan. If my cycle doesn't go as planned I have no plan so good for you in thinking ahead!

Thanks for your feedback. Fingers crossed!

Thanks everybody! I went ahead and emailed a couple people and got pretty kind and detailed responses.

I'm not currently a PhD student but I am applying for PhD programs for this fall and am currently finishing up my master's. I have been contacted by other students asking about coming to my current master's institution and it isn't awkward at all and I was happy to answer any questions they had.
I have also reached out to PhD students at all the schools I have applied to and they have all answered me super nicely and with a lot of detail when answering my questions. They all say they are super happy to answer questions and have been helpful with any follow up questions I have had since my initial email. They are busy though so some will answer quickly and others will take a bit to get back to you. My suggestion in your email is to be super polite and preemptively thank them for any input they have to your questions. Also one thing I included in my email was something like "If you have any other information outside of the questions I asked that would be helpful to an potential new student in your program I would love to hear what you have to say." Not everyone took me up on that but some did and expressed things that I would have never thought to ask about (like one student letting me know how the dating scene is in the area).

I'm not currently a PhD student but I am applying for PhD programs for this fall and am currently finishing up my master's. I have been contacted by other students asking about coming to my current master's institution and it isn't awkward at all and I was happy to answer any questions they had.
I have also reached out to PhD students at all the schools I have applied to and they have all answered me super nicely and with a lot of detail when answering my questions. They all say they are super happy to answer questions and have been helpful with any follow up questions I have had since my initial email. They are busy though so some will answer quickly and others will take a bit to get back to you. My suggestion in your email is to be super polite and preemptively thank them for any input they have to your questions. Also one thing I included in my email was something like "If you have any other information outside of the questions I asked that would be helpful to an potential new student in your program I would love to hear what you have to say." Not everyone took me up on that but some did and expressed things that I would have never thought to ask about (like one student letting me know how the dating scene is in the area).

I wouldn't necessarily say that this podcast is related to my field, but the podcast Science Vs (from Gimlet Media) is a fun one for anyone with an inquisitive, analytical mind. It dives into the research behind a huge range of topics (e.g. meditation, antioxidants, MDMA) in a fun, informative way. 
https://www.gimletmedia.com/science-vs/

As a native Southerner whose family is from Appalachia, heck yeah!

Like others have said here, I wouldn't worry too much about only applying three programs. Now that I've sent out all of my applications, I've come to realize that there are only three that I actually care about. Obviously applying to more programs can have a numbers advantage, but you were also able to dedicate more time to those three and save yourself some money.

Apple products. All of them. Not user-friendly. Overpriced status symbols.

watching/caring about professional sports

Hi @inneedofadvice2018- based on your initial post and responses to some of the comments from others, I would be inclined to support a decision to leave your current program and reapply elsewhere for fall 2019 admissions consideration. Would the research mentor you have been working with be able to take you on as a paid RA or coordinator in the meantime?
If you do decide to withdraw and reapply for fall 2019, there are some [fully funded, APA-accredited] clinical programs that accept previously earned graduate-level credit hours, so you wouldn't necessarily have to start from square one. This information is typically available on program websites if you dig a bit, but I would also encourage you to contact graduate admissions coordinators of programs you're interested in preemptively, mainly to gauge how they respond to your situation- this could serve to give you a better sense of the "feel" or "culture" of a given department with respect to their opinions on non-traditional applicants. 
I wish you the best, as this will be a tough call to make. At the end of the day, you've got to follow your own path!

You're welcome @inneedofadvice2018 ! I hope you figure out what's best for you going forward! If you think leaving your current program is best and you stand a shot elsewhere I think you should try because it just sounds like your experiences with getting your experiences will be night and day if you make a change. Good luck to whatever you decide!

I'm not in Psychology but I happened across this thread and thought I might throw out my two cents because at least in my field (Biology) being able to do the type of research you want during your PhD not only helps make you stick with it but it also really helps with your job prospects in the future (it sounds like your externships supervisors comments about getting you presenting and publishing is really good advice from where I come in biology - presentations and publications show that you have been active during your academic career and will make you a competitive applicant for whatever step you take next after your PhD). If your leave/transfer of another PhD program is brought up in your applications (or you address it in your application materials) you just be honest and say when you first went into that program you were really trying to break into the field which led you to accepting and unfunded position in a lab that has few research opportunities. Then you could mention that you have now had more research experience during your externship which led you to discover the type of experience and research you want to pursue at the PhD level which led to your transfer and application to another PhD program. I agree with @letstrythiswinston that maybe don't emphasize the problems of your current situation but I do think there is a way to talk about your experience honestly and show that your experience has led you to discovering the type of experience you really do want out of your PhD.

I get an unreasonable amount of annoyance whenever I get emails now. I just want THE emails. I could use some good news.