gillis_55

Congrats!! So happy for you, it sounds like such a lovely program ??

Did you have an interview with your POI?

Congratulations!! That is so exciting and you must be relieved to have this process over with. Plus, now you'll have all those hours back in your life from not checking GradCafe all day (I may be projecting on this one...)!

Rejected from York - POI told me that he offered to another student who accepted. PM me if you'd like his initials - this is for the CD program. Congrats to whoever got the offer!

Absolutely my thinking as well, haha. As soon as I received my first acceptance my brain was like, "WHAT DO I STRESS ABOUT NOW?!" and I felt compelled to launch myself into wedding planning. Going the elopement route so it's not nearly as intense, but still think I should consider just relaxing for a bit!

I had a Skype interview with a POI (AK) in early Feb and also spoke with her grad student. I was told the committee meets in early March to decide who gets accepted.

Thanks for letting us know!

To the poster from the results page who was accepted to York yesterday - congratulations! If you're comfortable, would you please DM me your POI's initials? Thank you

@Desperate Clinical The best advice I think I’ve received from people with PhDs is to choose the supervisor who will be kind and flexible - don’t choose someone who’s a superstar but not easy to work with. PhDs are hard enough and you’ll graduate as a psychologist all the same, so don’t made it harder on yourself than it has to be. Ideally you can find both qualities in the same person, but if you can’t, choose someone who will support you 100% (you can tell this by talking to their grad students). I’d suggest reconsidering your #1 program if your POI there is known to be tough - particularly if that comment was made during the interview process by a grad student. I’d hesitate to select a POI who had even neutral comments because it’s hard for students to be honest about these things - I’ve been looking for over-the-top “I LOVE my supervisor!!!” comments. 6-7 years is a LONG TIME to be stuck with one boss - make sure you feel really good about them. As for imposter syndrome... everybody has it! This will come up over and over again throughout your program for everybody, so get used to the feeling of not knowing what you’re doing. This is a sign that you’re growing and challenging yourself - it should feel uncomfortable! Re: choosing another program... don’t do it because you’re scared you’re not good enough for clinical. You clearly are - you got in to two programs! They see hundreds of applications and tens of interviews a year and they know what to do look for - you’ve got it. Plus, MSW is a very different path re: research training and pay. It also has a very different emphasis than psych - SW focuses much more on systemic/structural issues, oppression, and social justice - psych focuses more on the individual. The approach to clinical practice differs as well, from what I’ve seen. Make sure you know which interests you more before choosing several years of schooling in it. I’m also older (28) and will be having kids at some point during my degree. Personally, I think having kids is always difficult and there’s never a perfect time - you’ll either be doing it in a regular job or doing it during a PhD, both of which have challenges. PhD has the benefit of more flexible scheduling, at least - but obviously much lower pay. During my years in the 9-5 though, lots of parents struggled with the very inflexible schedule imposed by their company. I think people just figure it out - you’ll find the time, manage your schedule. Hell, I’ve met early career profs with multiple kids and they’re managing it - that career stage seems more challenging for caring for very young children than the PhD stage to me. Slow down, take a breath - you’re nearing the end of an extremely stressful process and I’m sure you need some space to process your options. Be kind to yourself - you did it! Don’t let your “bully” brain take this away from you - you deserve to be here. Feel free to DM me if you need more support or want to talk further

I’m not certain about that actually, I just assumed it would be easier to stay and work after graduating on a Canadian student visa then trying to get a Canadian worker visa with no history in the country. I could be wrong though, so I’d encourage you to contact someone from Canada Immigration to ask.

Has anyone heard back from York (CD or C) after interviewing last week? Wondering how long they typically take to make their decisions. Didn’t ask if it was a committee driven decision or just the POI either. The hard thing about this process is that you basically get radio silence if you’ve been waitlisted or rejected - personally I’d prefer to get an email when the first round of offers go out and know that I’m waitlisted (or rejected). Not sure why they err on the side of providing no information.

Hey, you can still put it on your CV as a declined award! That's what I'm telling myself to feel better, haha.

Really? I'd be so pleased if that's true. When I submitted my CGS app + research proposal to the research portal on December 1st, it made me choose 3 schools that would review my application materials. None of those schools have offered me admission so I figured I'm SOL for CGS, crossing my fingers for OGS. From the York website, for example: "The selection process and post-award administration are carried out at the university level, under the guidance of the three agencies. Students submit their application to the university at which they propose to hold their award via the Research Portal." Deadline of December 1st 2018.

Congrats on your offers! I am in another discipline but I can offer a perspective on Toronto versus Montreal as I grew up in TO and have spent a lot of time in Montreal. Toronto is the tech and research hub of Canada - there are far more high-paying opportunities for those kinds of jobs in TO than in Montreal. Not that those jobs don't exist in Montreal - they're just harder to find and won't pay as well. You're also at a disadvantage in Montreal if you don't speak French. I can't give you specific numbers to back this up, but go to a job search engine like Indeed or LinkedIn and do a search for the job titles you're interested in for both cities. You can also compare salaries on PayScale or Glassdoor. That being said, you can always do your degree in Montreal and move to Toronto after you graduate if you have trouble finding a position. Montreal is a much nicer place to live in many ways - far more affordable for students and the entire city feels more balanced/laid back. Only drawback is the winters are typically much colder, but this is a minor consideration. In terms of the job market - if you graduate from an ivy league US school like Columbia you may have a slight advantage with Canadian companies; but if you didn't go to school here you may not be able to get a work permit anyhow. If you really want to settle in Canada then I'd recommend doing your degree here.

Congratulations on graduating from your MEd this summer - it sounds like you've worked incredibly hard and grown a lot as a person over the last few years! Can I ask why you're pursuing a PhD in clinical psych specifically? It's a very research intensive degree that takes 6-8 years to complete, and they are specifically seeking out applicants who will be productive scientists and researchers (not clinicians). Are you interested in working with clients or obtaining a researcher/faculty position? If you're most interested in working with clients, you may be able to register as a psychotherapist with your current degree (depends on your region - ask your director). If that's not an option, you could pursue a PsyD (4 years) or an MSW with a clinical emphasis (2 years), both of which are less competitive and put more emphasis on applied clinical experience (which it sounds like you have). If you want a research job, then yes a PhD in clinical psych may be the route to pursue. However, clinical psych PhD apps are one of the most competitive graduate areas - in the US, we're talking acceptance rates of 1-5%, with 400-800 applications for 4-6 spots. It's easier to get into ivy league medical schools than some clinical programs. If you follow the threads for 2019, there are people who applied 3-4 years in a row before getting in. Research experience is one of the most important aspects of your application for clinical psych PhDs - having multiple months/years in different labs, conference posters at national and international conferences, publications... That's going to be very difficult to attain by the time you submit your applications in December 2019. That being said, I'm not telling you not to do it - just make sure you apply to safety programs as well. This can include the PsyD or MSW options I mentioned above, or PhDs in counselling psych or social work - both options would allow you to work with a research the populations you're interested in (trauma/PTSD/depression), with social work including more of an emphasis on the role of structural/societal influences and social justice. If you're interested in research only, you could also consider a PhD in experimental psych (e.g., health psych) as those are easier to get into as well. You may read this message and do your research and still decide that clinical psych is the best path for you - if so, go for it! Just prepare yourself for potentially applying several times and working very hard on building your research cred. It is absolutely possible for you to succeed in this path, I just wanted to lay out some other options in case your heart isn't set on a clinical PhD. I went through all of these options carefully myself (after speaking with other professionals in the field), before deciding on the clinical psych degree.

I did too. The OGS and admissions processes are completely separate, so this just means that you were waitlisted for an OGS award. You can receive an award without being admitted, or be admitted while getting rejected for OGS.

@nerdy_metalhead Sure no problem, I'll DM you!

Keep in mind I don't think Quant scores have to be exceptionally high for UTSC - I was 65th percentile on Quant and have an acceptance. Balanced out with high scores on other sections + Psych GRE though.

To me that seems like a nice, thoughtful reply! All I received back from one POI was "It was great to meet you!" which to me OBVIOUSLY means I'm not their first choice. How do I know this, you ask? Pure paranoia. Charlie from IASIP is my spirit animal at the moment ? For the schools I've been accepted to so far, their replies ranged from super positive ("I'm very excited about our shared research interests!") to neutral to no response at all... Which leads me to the conclusion that a POI's reply to a thank you email has little to do with my chances of being accepted. So... nothing to do but continue waiting!

Personally I wouldn't put too much weight on the 1-year difference in PhD funding in this case; at least, I wouldn't use it in your calculation of difference in cost. There's more than enough time to plan for that with external funding, scholarships, TA/RA, etc. This is also something you can ask current upper year grad students about. Even though it's not guaranteed, it may be that everyone still receives funding anyhow. It won't hurt to ask if PhD funding could be discussed at this stage. Just don't mention that you're asking because you won't have any bargaining power in 2 years, haha. Phrase it more as you're thinking about the full picture of your finances throughout the program.

@Clinicalh0peful I am in a similar boat. Although I haven't been in this particular situation before, I've been through salary negotiations for jobs several times over the years and I think it's a similar situation as we are working as TAs/RAs for these funds. I'd recommend emailing your preferred program / POI stating that you are excited about the offer and feel a strong fit with the program and POI, but that you have received another offer with higher funding that would have a significant impact on your finances over the course of your studies. Be as specific as you were here ("$8,000 per year = $~50K over six years). Ask if there is any flexibility on their end to increase their offer. Do not offer to work more - let them propose options first. They may offer bursaries or scholarships instead of TA/RA'ing more. Feel free to ask about PhD funding if the other program has guaranteed a PhD funding package - if they haven't either, it's not a bargaining chip you can use. Overall, the tone of the email should be polite, professional, and concise. A few things to consider once funding details are finalized (time to break out the spreadsheet!): Cost of living in City A versus City B - rent, transit, food, etc. Tuition costs in Program A versus Program B. Also, do the programs charge tuition on the internship year? Some do, some don't - could be a difference of $5-8K overall. Difference between guaranteed funding versus likely funding - speak with grad students about this. E.g., program may only guarantee 15K but students end up with $25K in practice. To a lesser extent - likelihood of receiving CGS/OGS or other funding in each program. This is often POI-specific, so ask their grad students if they've been successful in the past. I'd only pay attention to big differences - e.g., one POI's students say they never or rarely get external funding, the other POI's students receive it all the time. If it's still quite a difference, then it's up to you to decide what will be best for you long term. If it's more of a slight preference for the lower-paying program, then perhaps you might be better off taking the higher-funded offer. However, if you think you'd be unhappy or really regret taking the higher-funded one, then go with your preferred school. Hope this is helpful! **Edit: one more note - if you're using OSAP, make sure to check if there are differences in your loan/bursary amounts between the schools. OSAP funding is specific to regions/schools I believe.

Agreed! This thread has been so supportive and that’s what I’ve witnessed on interview days as well. It was such a pleasant surprise that all of the applicants were so warm and welcoming despite the pressures we’re all under! Initially I was worried it would feel tense or super competitive, but that hasn’t been my experience at all.

Anyone else witnessing the vicious fight breaking out on the results page under the clinical search filter? Jeeeeeeze getting heated there! The things people say when they’re anonymous...