Katie B

Welcome to Sam! I'm a current clinical masters student there if you want to connect!

School: Sam Houston State University
Type of Program: Clinical Psychology, PhD
Acceptance Date: 2/11/2020
POI: JA
I was waiting to post until I heard back from the rest of my programs, but I have officially accepted the position. Super excited, if anyone else will be attending Sam next year and wants to connect before the fall feel free to DM me!

I can see what you're saying, but I have to disagree. It is equally as rude to go to an interview knowing full well you're most likely going to accept an offer elsewhere. Not to mention, it's a lot of money out the window. Schools have applicants on hold for this very reason, and by her giving away her spot for the interview, she's most likely allowing a more eager applicant to take her place. I would say it's more considerate than anything.

Clinical psych is a really small field. To be extended the invites is a huge honor. To just not even go and meet the faculty member who invited you, their grad students, and learn more about the program is kinda rude. You could be excited about your first choice but can be surprised by other programs and what they have to offer. But so it goes I guess

School: Villanova University
Type of Program: Master of Science in General/Experimental Psychology
Acceptance Date and Notification: January 31, 2020; email
(I know it's not a PhD but I'm still excited! I applied to Masters programs c:)

Hey guys! I know this is an old(ish) thread, but I just wanted to update and say... I got my first acceptance today! I got into the MS in Psychology at Villanova University! I won't hear about Graduate Assistantships or financial aid until mid-March, but I think this is a good sign for me. I just wanted to let you all know that I'm not doomed. ?

It's highly unlikely that you'll find any other Clinical programs whose deadlines aren't December 1st or even earlier. If this cycle wasn't kind to you (often it takes several rounds) why don't you take the year to improve your application or gain more experience? Applying to places that are the best fit for your goals and interests will give you the best chance at admission and satisfaction once you're in the program. Is there a reason you're so insistent on trying to get in on this round?

Same here - I'm going to be 43 this Fall when I start my grad program.  I'm balancing research, work, classwork, as well as family obligations, as I have three teenagers, two of whom are still at home.  At 27, I barely knew what I was doing with my life, and I can't even imagine succeeding in a PhD program at 23 or 24. Having a few years "out in the world" allows us to bring a different perspective and life skills to the table, so think of it as an advantage! 
In many countries, people don't start PhDs until after they have worked for several years, it is a North American (especially a US) thing to run straight through undergrad and grad.  We're not behind, we are right on our own time, and we still have years of life ahead of us to research, to treat clients if you're clinical, and make an impact on our world.  

It's highly unlikely that you'll find any other Clinical programs whose deadlines aren't December 1st or even earlier. If this cycle wasn't kind to you (often it takes several rounds) why don't you take the year to improve your application or gain more experience? Applying to places that are the best fit for your goals and interests will give you the best chance at admission and satisfaction once you're in the program. Is there a reason you're so insistent on trying to get in on this round?

100% agree with this - don't force it to happen this round. It's okay to take a step back and re-evaluate how to strengthen your application for next year. Also, fit is so crucial for clinical psychology programs. The likelihood that you would find another program that fits this late in the round is low. This is my second round, I might have to do a third round. It's just the nature of the competitive process. 

It's highly unlikely that you'll find any other Clinical programs whose deadlines aren't December 1st or even earlier. If this cycle wasn't kind to you (often it takes several rounds) why don't you take the year to improve your application or gain more experience? Applying to places that are the best fit for your goals and interests will give you the best chance at admission and satisfaction once you're in the program. Is there a reason you're so insistent on trying to get in on this round?

The majority of the programs I applied to (Masters-wise) were unfunded. It's very rare to find a Masters that has funding, plus I was geographically limited to where I could apply at that level since my partner lived in Texas. I wasn't going to separate us for 2+ more years for anything less than a doctorate. Where I'm currently at offers several scholarships and TA/RA positions, but the debt is real, I won't lie about that.

The research skills are transferable; however, if what you were doing in the social lab isn't related to your interests, then make sure your SOP gives a good picture of how you can apply those skills and what your actual interests are. I also think you should think about what kind of research experience is, did you only do data entry or did you help write the paper? Did it (or could it) result in a publication? Two years of basic RA duties may not be enough to show that you can stick with a project through its completion. 
As far as your GPA goes, it's a bit on the lower end but that's not the end of the world. An otherwise great application (especially good GRE scores) can completely outweigh this. 
Honestly, the purpose of a Masters is to boost a GPA, gain research experience and clarity in your research ideas, and to prepare you for the different kind of rigor that grad school requires. I will never discourage a Masters, I'm currently in a clinical MA, but you should be aware that the majority of programs are NOT funded at this level. If you have debt from undergrad, you'd only be adding to that because it is very hard to work during grad school. Conversely, if you're able to secure a position as a paid RA or Lab Coordinator/Manager in a lab that matches your interests/methodologies then you could get nearly the same benefits as a Masters. It shows that you can do research and see it to completion, that you're serious about the field, and gives you more experience and possible a publication or two, all without the cost of a Masters.
Ultimately the choice is up to you and what financially works for you. I took a gap year and during that time I was unable to secure a RA position without potentially moving cross country (Indiana to West or East coast) which I was in no way financially stable enough to do. Therefore, I applied to 7 PhD programs for Fall 2019 and a few Masters as backups. After interviews and waitlists, nothing panned out at the doctoral level and now I'm in my third week of a MA and I love it. It was the right choice for me, but may not be for you!

Ever wished you could look up who's taking grad students? Or find paid lab manager/RA positions, all in one place? Now you can!
http://psychgradsearch.wikidot.com
Psych Grad School wiki is a new resource that will let you hone in on who's actively looking for and accepting grad school applicants this season. It's modeled on the Psych Jobs Wiki - a long-running (and well-regarded) website that helps PhDs in psychology locate and apply for faculty positions in the field. Our hope is that this site will do the same for folks looking to apply to grad school or post-bac positions within psychology. 
Many faculty have already begun to post and share grad student and other paid positions in their labs; we anticipate that more will do so in the coming days, as information goes out over listservs, and reaches folks beyond social media. 
We also recognize that many undergrads may be looking for paid positions, either in preparation for grad school, or in the event that grad applications that don't go quite as planned. With that aim in mind, we've also added a section at the bottom for lab manager/research assistant, etc., positions - anyone can update these and post about new openings you've found. We encourage you to do so. A one-stop crowd-sourced resource makes the job market more transparent and better for the community as a whole; the editing process is quick and easy. See a job posting? Share it on the wiki!

This whole post makes me sad. It's questionable to get a dog when you know your near future is up in the air and you might not be able to take care of it, but to have a dog and then wonder if it's going to make you miserable? I wish you put more thought into this before you adopted the puppy. I hope if you choose not to keep the dog, then you actively look for a good home for it. 
 
 

Listen to what @PsyDGrad90 said. Your match to the program based on research interests, goals, and training models is way more important than where you feel you are "best suited" for based on GRE scores. Find places you feel you would be successful at and then worry about making your application as strong as it can be for that individual school, repeat 10-12 (or however many schools you apply to).

Listen to what @PsyDGrad90 said. Your match to the program based on research interests, goals, and training models is way more important than where you feel you are "best suited" for based on GRE scores. Find places you feel you would be successful at and then worry about making your application as strong as it can be for that individual school, repeat 10-12 (or however many schools you apply to).

It's really best to narrow your school selections by faculty interest match. That counts way more in the grand scheme of things than GRE scores. 

I would question taking the subject test at all for going into clinical PhD programs, especially if you had a psychology undergrad major and a good GPA. When I did my applications for Fall 19, not a single program required the subject test and even when I was doing research into programs, only one required it (I narrowed down my list from over 30 programs initially). Is there a solid reason you want to take it or could you save yourself the study time and the money in an already long and expensive process?

This gives me so much hope! I have similar research experience & research product numbers!

If you're not already actively looking, then I think you have some time, but I hope you're already actively saving for the move! I'm moving cross country and it's adding up to be much more than I anticipated already, the fees you don't think of like utilities set up, random deposits, higher than average security deposits, etc can kill your budget if you don't plan ahead. Luckily, I'm moving in with my partner and I planned for the worst in terms of cost, but I still feel the stress.

Following this post because I relate too much! Moving to Texas in only 20 days, to a city I've only been to twice, and I'm struggling to balance wrapping up everything here in Indiana, working full time, finding last minute time with friends, my parents' divorce, family health issues, and getting back into school after a gap year. This is also the first time I'll truly be living on my own, not with my parents or in a college campus apartment, and I really don't know what I'm doing! Feeling the pressure, but still excited for my program to start in the Fall!

I need a quick vent: 
I applied to 10 Counseling Psych PhD programs. I got my last rejection yesterday. I was applying right from undergrad, so I knew it was a stretch, but I have a strong GPA/GRE, and a few years of great research experience, so I was kind of hopeful. 
I have turned down a few Masters offers, and am planning on spending a year or two working in a research environment before re-applying to PhD programs. Finding a research job has been a whole new stressful experience. I have been rejected from three jobs so far, that I was really excited about and thought would be a perfect fit. I have some more applications out there, but with graduation approaching quickly, I just wish I had solidified plans and peace of mind about what I will be doing a month from now. It is so stressful having your life up in the air, and not knowing what is coming next. 
The past few months, first with PhD program rejections, and now with job rejections, have been tough. I am a very optimistic person, but it is hard to stay positive through all of this rejection. 

Searching for housing when you're 5150 miles away is overwhelming :S I have 15 open tabs and a huge list of options in a city I've never been to... I'm unsure by nature... and now comes the ultimate challenge haha But it's a good feeling after all ? 

I thought applying and interviewing would be the hard part, but preparing to move, looking for housing in a city I visited once for 4 hours, attempting to wrap up my life in one place, finishing a large research study that has me traveling a good bit has been overwhelming, and dealing with a family health crisis has definitely been harder.  What did you find (or are you finding, if you're making the transition as well) that helped to keep you from getting too burned out during the transition phase?  I want to start my PhD program excited, fresh, and ready to dive in, but right now I'm worried I'm going to arrive to the first day of classes exhausted and hanging on by threads.