EileanDonan

A lot of this begs the real question: what is separating those who are likely to be accepted from the rest? And is there anything the rest of us can do to place ourselves in that position?

We're famous folks.

I've noticed people trolling on the results page, but are they really doing that here in the threads too? That takes some dedication.

This is such a weirdly specific area to troll. Like, don't you have enough Reddit subs for that?

Thanks, always nice to hear another data point that shows it isn't impossible. ?

On a similar note, have you noticed any particular trends in PI opinions on having/not having an honor's thesis? I didn't end up having the chance to do one myself, and I know most great applicants typically did one.

I sincerely wish this were standard practice for schools. I appreciate that some send out rejects earlier, but there are surely some programs that know you stand no chance of being invited no matter what after a certain point (e.g. waiting list of a certain size?).

"You tell me, buddy!" Not looking forward to this one. Sometimes you just land in a project at a weird phase or your PI just isn't feeling inclined! Or the study is taking 5+ years to come to fruition. I hate how our worth can be boiled down to this with some advisors.

Thanks for the comments, guys! Sounds like it's still just a debatable topic as ever. I think I will be more thoughtful about it next cycle though...

Curious to hear what your guys' approaches were to discussing your post-PhD career plans in your statements? I was fairly open about the fact that I wanted to be involved in both research and practice, but I'm starting to wonder if I should have kept my cards closer to my chest. We all hear about programs that might look down on applicants that aren't entirely academia-focused in the long run. Given how sucky this cycle has been, it's easy to wonder if this might be one of the factors that could have worked against me. ?

Thank you! RIP for myself and others. ?

FWIW, I actually caved and emailed the program at SHSU last week and I never heard back re: whether all invites have been sent out. I believe their interview day is 1/29, in which case I can only imagine all slots have been taken at this point.

Speaking of back-up plans, what are folks' thoughts on applying as an RA to a lab that you had previously applied to but were ultimately rejected? Is this seen as being in poor taste? I was a final candidate for an amazing lab last year but ended up missing out, but I see they're hiring again, and given the way this cycle is going I'm growing interested again...bit worried about how it would look if my name showed up again however. ?

So a though on the topic of stress and rejections. I believe that a major contributing factor to the reason why some of us are having such a hard time is because this - researching, applying, and waiting for programs - has become our identity. This is years in the making for us. Breathing psychology and grad school aspirations since we declared our majors, all culminating in the do-or-die moment of acceptance...or rejection. If the last several years of your life have been defined by meeting these goals, then getting into a program won't just be about acceptances (or lack thereof). It will become a reckoning, an affirmation or denial of who you are. Self-perceptions are bound to warp in the process. Clinical psychology has developed such a competitive, crucifying paradigm, one that is on a whole other plane than literally any other type of program. Choosing this path isn't just selecting Challenge Mode for yourself, it's choosing to thread yourself through the eye of a needle. It's half luck, half wits, but after a certain point it's anyone's game, and a gambling one at that. Of course the pursuit of this becomes so easily all-consuming - after all, it's our future that we're betting. At least it feels that way.

I definitely feel this. It hasn't been a good cycle for me, and the thought of having to repeat this again is so disheartening. I've been WFH too, and have likewise had my own frustrations with how things have been going in my lab (to the point I'm looking at alternatives). This year is going to be such a drag. ?

Is anyone else worried about required GRE scores resuming next cycle? I know a few programs have already waived them for '22, but there's sill so much ambiguity.

Apologies for adding to the clutter, but since we're talking about GSU - did anyone here apply to RL and hear back? Thanks!

This is encouraging, thanks for sharing. I hope things continue to go well for you!

Thanks for the thoughtful response. Honestly, you sound a bit like possible future me. I'm definitely dead set on not accruing additional debt, but if I'm able to avoid that then it's probably still worth considering in the grand scheme of things. If I might ask, do you feel that your choice ended up being worth it? Do you feel at peace with the thought you might have been able to go to a higher-ranked/fully-funded program if you'd waited?

On the note of not fully-funded programs and impossible admissions stats: at what point -if any - is anyone here willing to accept an at least partially funded program if that's your only option?

Glad my existence provided some momentary joy to someone. ? Now if only I could have the same effect on my POI's ...

Anyone starting to wonder if they'd be lucky just to get to pay Alliant/Argosy/etc to teach you? No I won't do that but still...

I did, heard back in late Dec. Haven't had an update since, but not expecting anything TBH.

Almost tempting, but then med school + residency takes forever, even longer than most psych PhDs. Given the time, that doesn't necessarily make much sense as an alternative either. ? And MA's are too expensive. I'm sure loads of us here have student debt!

For real, I wish I were more bio oriented. Otherwise I could have just done pre-med and gone onto psychiatry instead. ?