justacigar

Hi everyone, I noticed the forum and various threads sometimes get overwhelmed with folks asking if they are a competitive applicant, how to improve their application, etc. I think it would be beneficial to have all of these types of questions in one major thread - not just for organization, but to allow others to read replies that may be relevant to their own situation without needing to sift through potentially irrelevant information in other threads. Just a disclaimer - many folks on here are in the process of applying or have recently been accepted. I truly believe we all have useful and valuable information to contribute to the conversation, but if you are particularly worried about your chances, discussing applications with a mentor is your best option. Student Doctor Network also has a wider range of folks compared to TGC, from current PhD students to tenured faculty or researchers that frequently respond to their "Chance Me" thread. Hope this is useful!

I can't imagine they would completely postpone courses, though I'm not sure. I work for a university in CA now and they are discussing the possibility of having all courses online for fall semester. Though, it might be different for graduate level courses?

I reached out to a few grad schools this cycle and the etiquette seems to be about the same as it is for reaching out to faculty. Make sure you have actual, interesting questions for them. Ask them about things like the POIs mentoring style, the lab culture, what their day to day in the program looks like. But also be extra mindful of their time. They have a lot on their plate, and they should be able to respond to your email easily and clearly. I also didn't bother sending follow up emails to those that didn't get back to me because I figured they were just too busy and I didn't want to be a nuisance. Hope that is helpful!

Not necessarily - I know plenty of masters level clinicians that work with severely impaired children and families with intense trauma histories. A lot of that work is done in community clinics or with MediCal clients (in CA). As a masters clinician you can diagnose as well, at least in CA, and I think it would be the same in other states too. I think the major difference is there are some assessments you might not be able to administer, but that would be rare. Do you have a mentor you can discuss this with? Might be helpful!

You said assess and treat - do you want to do research at all? I am a master's level clinician and was doing that sort of work. The reason I'm going back for a PhD is because I realized I wanted to be more research focused. If you want to engage in mainly clinical work with that population, you don't need a PhD, so the masters program could provide you with all opportunities needed. Also, if you do for sure want a PhD, you need to be sure the master's program has research opportunities. I got my masters in clinical psychology and we did zero research.

@clinicalpsych.2020 Ah, got it! Makes perfect sense. Good that you realized where your heart was before enrolling! I'm interested in the maternal-child relationship, specifically how mothers parent after trauma and the intergenerational transmission of trauma & it's consequences. I'm also curious about the impact of timing & type of maternal trauma on parenting and child development. @EmpatheticMastermind I think summer might be a bit too early anyways even without a global pandemic, most of them don't know about funding that soon and you might have less luck getting ahold of them. I think I found that the end of September/beginning of October was the sweet spot, though that only leaves you with two months to nail down your application materials. It's gonna be hard to wait that long to reach out! That's a nice, hefty lists of schools!

It's never too soon ? Honestly, I'm so ready for this next cycle. I feel like I've learned a ton through my experiences so far, and this last round has really highlighted my strengths and weaknesses. It's also been a great reminder that clinical psychology is hella competitive, so even though I am capable and qualified, it doesn't mean it'll all work out. Working to not place too much pressure on myself after the rejections this cycle - sometimes it really is just luck of the draw. Another year means more research experience, clinical opportunities, and personal growth. I'll likely be applying to a handful of the same schools, but will be working to find additional opportunities when the time is right. I definitely want to take a few months and focus on myself before jumping back in to grad school prep. I feel very fortunate that my current research assistant position is still funded, and we aren't likely to lose funding as we are a telehealth study which is so needed right now. I'm also excited because a few potential POIs who weren't taking students for this year may be reviewing apps this year. All in all, third time should be a charm for me! What are everyone's research interests? @clinicalpsych.2020 it looks like you had two acceptances - what happened?!

Re: the GRE, I don't know that it will have a huge impact. The testing experience is similar, you are still proctored during the exam. Maybe a small advantage for some that are highly anxious in typical testing situations? I'll be applying this fall for the 3rd time. I'm hoping the pandemic reduces the number of applications, but I've heard that applications to graduate school increase during recessions (which we seem to be running full steam ahead for right now). I have a feeling that it might take a year for those effects to take place. Who knows, it is truly an unprecedented time in history. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out.

As April 15th gets closer and closer, I'm feeling anxious but also sort of relieved. It's been such a long waiting game that no matter the outcome, I'm sure I'll feel better having an actual answer. I still have the tiniest glimmer of hope that some good news might come my way but it's unlikely. Ready to focus on next cycle and kick some butt! Hope everyone is hanging in there!

It's never tacky to reach out to a POI! Especially if you were given a deadline date and haven't heard back. I would just be understanding in your email. Mention that you are aware there are unpredictable and uncertain events happening in the world and local communities, but you wanted to check in for an update as 3/31 has passed and you were told you would hear back by then. It's completely within your rights to check in, as long as you do it thoughtfully. I hope you hear back positive things!

I currently work in academia, and I can say with firsthand experience that the current academic climate, especially for professors, is kind of insane. Profs are having to move entire courses online, potentially learn new platforms, try to troubleshoot novel problems with students, etc etc. I am just a lecturer and it has been incredibly stressful to move courses online. All this to say, I would be patient, and hope to hear back from someone in the department soon. Especially because the POI gave you such encouraging feedback. Don't give up hope yet!

As far as I know, deferring for PhD admissions is fairly rare, and not all programs allow it. Do you know for sure that would be an option?

I think "high level" is the key component there. I wouldn't say the school I'm an alternate at is high level necessarily. It's a great program, but I could definitely see applicants choosing to go to another program if they had multiple chances, given the location of the university. I at least know for sure that I am next in line for my POI - it doesn't sound like she has multiple people on her waitlist, though I could be wrong. Also, "alternate" and "waitlist" can mean different things too, I think. But I keep accidentally using them interchangeably lol Hoping it works out!

Yeah, I concur with you all! I recently emailed for an update and although there has been some movement, my POI's turn to admit another student hasn't come around yet. The wait is absolutely killer. The uncertainty is terrible!! I did see a stat recently that like 50% of admitted students end up coming from on the waitlist...hoping I'll eventually make it into the 50%!

Depends on why you are reaching out. I sent a thank you email the day after the interview. But if you are asking about your status, it might differ depending on the program timeline for notifying applicants. How long has it been since your interviews?

Great, thanks! My mentor said to wait about a month, too, so I'm glad that is what others are thinking.

For those of you that are alternates at programs, are you continuing communication with the POI during the waiting period? I know I could be potentially waiting until April to hear back about a final decision, but I'd really love to be kept in the loop. There seem to be so many possible outcomes between now and then - the other applicant could accept the offer but the POI could be deciding if they have funding for another student, the other applicant could decline but priority for funding might go to another professor, etc. I'm a control freak and would much rather have 100% transparency about the process, but am unsure what the norm is for alternates. I don't want to seem pushy or overbearing.

The waiting game is slowly killing me inside, lol. To make matters more complicated, my partner might have a really great job opportunity where we live now, that I really hope he gets! But, if I do end up getting accepted, and he gets the job, that could create quite a pickle. I really just want to be able to plan my future. I always have my 1, 5, and 10 year plans thought out in my head and right now my future just looks fuzzy. I can't see where my road is leading now and it's so frustrating!

It's so motivating to hear all of your stories! I'm not considered "old" but am older than most applicants, turning 29 this year. I have a lot of anxieties wrapped up in starting a PhD when I am 30 if I don't get in this year, mainly due to the societal norms that have been engrained in me since childhood about what a "typical" life timeline looks like. F*ck that! There is no typical timeline. It's cliche, but it really is better to accomplish something in your 30's, 40's or 50's rather than not accomplish it at all. I'm working really hard to eschew those social norms, no matter how hard it is. Best of luck to all of you on your quest to attend graduate school!

For those of you that are also waitlisted, is there anything to do but wait? Are we supposed to send friendly emails reminding the program and POI we exist??? I'm sure they will let me know if and when a slot opens up, but have anxiety that they might somehow forget about me in the shuffle ? it sucks all I can do is twiddle my thumbs and wait for more time to pass...*sigh* I really hope the person in front of me for admissions finds their perfect fit and get accepted, both for their future happiness and (selfishly) mine ?

I concur with this information, I currently teach as a master's level instructor at a local university and I love it. It's a lot less pressure than being a full time professor as well. My pay is actually quite good, and I still get many of the benefits other full-time professors get like healthcare (paid by the school), retirement, etc. I don't know if I'd spend your time getting a PhD if you are envisioning part time therapeutic work and part time teaching.

I only had one interview as well, and the only advice I can give is to not feel desperate. I made a point of convincing myself it was okay if it wasn't a good fit for them or for me. The last thing you'd want to do is force a program to fit because it's your only option right now instead of objectively deciding if it's the right choice. It was so freeing to not feel like the one interview I had needed to work out. I think it went 10x better becuase of that attitude, honestly.

Agree with this. As someone who is currently waitlisted for an interview, knowing that people might take the slot who have no intention of accepting an offer would be disheartening. I think those waiting would be grateful for people who cancel when they know for sure they have a top-choice offer in hand and want to go to that program.

So, I had my one and only interview recently and found out I am an alternate for the program. It's such a bummer because I know I am a fantastic fit for the lab and the program in general, I can tell the lab members and POI liked me, and I just happened to get beat out by one other applicant that was a bit more qualified that I am. Sometimes the chips don't fall in your favor. I'm really hoping it works out but this process has started to wear on me - I feel overwhelmed and defeated and keeping my head up is a bit difficult right now. Waiting and uncertainty is my least favorite thing in the whole world!

Like a few other people, I just had my first interview weekend. I left thank you notes for the lab members, and sent a follow-up email to my POI. Is it expected that you will also send out thank you emails to any other people you came into contact with? That would mean folks from other labs, an additional faculty member, the graduate coordinator, etc. Seems like that might be overkill but wasn't sure what other applicants have been doing.