imonfire98

This can be about anything. Research, school, life in general? What were the learning curves, or learning moments? LAY IT OUT!

I dont think that having the 'right' strength/weakness is what gets you in. remember, you want to portray an accurate image of yourself. if you say something is your strength/weakness just to get in, then what happens after you get in and have to work with them for 5-7 years? if you arent honest in your interview, be ready to pretend for the next few years. in response to your question, i would say that you should think about your weaknesses first (if you have a hard time- ask your friends, lab professors, group members) for areas that they think you can improve. You only need one major weakness honestly. then for your strengths, sit and think about the areas that you receive the most commendation in. :)

questions i remember from my interviews: - what questions do you have for me? (have questions!!!) - what are your research interests? (ideally you should know this or have an idea of this). Don't memorize, be honest. what do you want to study under your mentor's supervision? - what are your greatest areas of improvement/weakness? (do not say, perfectionist. please, i beg you!). also, say a sentence or two on how you are dealing with the aforementioned weakness. - what are your strengths? (know them, give reasonable examples) - why did you apply to this program (i focused on why i applied to my mentor when I answered this and said a few things about why i liked the program as a whole). - do you have any questions about our clinical training? (have questions!!) - what skills are you hoping to develop in this program? (be honest!). I said statistics skills and to become more confident about my research skills. they know that you aren't perfect. be real, be yourself and be personable. this does not mean you should throw all your weaknesses in their face.

Nothing short of a miracle! I will be joining the clinical psych program at Miami University!

my advice to you is to find mentorship. you still have over a year to get involved in a psychology lab at your university. (it doesn't have to be in your desired research area, but it has to be in a productive lab and a lab that provides opportunities for undergrads, so read the RA job descriptions before joining a lab. Keep in mind that productiveness is not all about making posters and publications but it also involves gaining hands-on experience like managing studies, running in-lab studies, programming qualtrics, supervised statistics experience, lit searches and reviews, hypothesis testing, even learning research jargon, etc. ALL OF THIS WILL BE REFLECTED IN YOUR CV AND PERSONAL STATEMENT. iT WILL BE NATURAL AND FLOW EASILY IF YOU HAVE THE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE.) Build a trust relationship with your PI (the lab owner basically an) and the grad students and share your intentions with them. They will tell you that it is hard, almost impossible, etc (this is very true as it is very competitive), but if you decide to try and apply straight out of undergrad, they will ideally provide directions, and help you. this means helping you read your personal statement, do mock interviews with you, provide legitimate do's and don'ts of the process. this is 10x better than taking advice from the internet. trust me! it is shocking what a lot of people do during applications that are a huge NO-NOs and a red flag. remember that these people see applications come in every year and are ideally involved in one way or another in the process. Also, if you are going into a Ph.D. program, make sure you are interested in research and joining a good research lab will help give you an idea of what it is like. PhDs are usually 6-year commitments and can be longer if you decide to do a fellowship and go into academia. Otherwise, becoming an LMHC might just do well for you if you can afford it. I know some schools have programs were they cover your tuition but you have to sign a 2 - 5-year work commitment in underserved areas. This is not to say that you cannot go get a PhD if you just want to practice because you definitely can but you have to do a ton of research (which you might hate/or might cause you to drop out which is why programs are wary of admitting people who do not like research because they are losing an investment) even if it is a scientist-practitioner model. Mentorship is great and it does require a miracle to get into a Ph.D. program straight from undergrad! All in all, stay informed, do a lot of personal research!

at this point, it may not hurt to contact them respectfully,

i don't think you can gain much by following up for an update. they will reach out to you if they have updates. I heard that a good rule of thumb is to reach out if you have another offer, that you are thinking of accepting, or something of the likes (like new information of something important that has changed).

i'm moving to a whole new state. should i buy new stuff and start afresh? or just bring all my old stuff?

i was scrolling through social media! i got a call from my poi, i watched it ring because i was too nervous! i called him back and he said you're in! and i danced around my room! i probably sounded out of breath on the phone. but its okay! i hope

just got accepted by the top choice from the waitlist!! plan to accept! don't lose hope guys!!!

Was it a phone call or email

an ode to 2019 applicants - it's okay to cry, but don't lose hope - it's okay to feel hopeless, but never let go of your dreams - it's okay to question your dreams, however, don't lose sight of the vision

bump

did you reach out to them?

there's no point reaching out unless something has changed (i.e. you get an offer elsewhere). you already expressed your interest so just be patient. the dct or your poi will reach out to you if there is an update. also, a lot of people from waitlists eventually get offers. so, be patient, pray and be hopeful