justacigar

I went ahead and started one! It's a good way to track when invites start going out.

No worries! I made the same mistake last year ?I was the one who started the thread on here last year, so I went ahead and started one for this year too:

Interview invites should *hopefully* be rolling in pretty soon, especially for the programs with Nov. 15th deadlines, so I thought we could get this thread going. Here's a template for posts that was used last year: School: Type: PhD/PsyD Date of invite: Type of invite: Mass email, email from POI, phone call, etc. Interview date(s): DM for POI: Yes/No Good luck, everyone!

I will say, I tried to get something going on SDN last year and it's just not super active for applicants. We should definitely get one going on here, though!

Good luck to everyone! Whatever happens, try to remember your worth isn't wrapped up in the outcome of this process. If you don't manage to land a spot this cycle, it says nothing about your competency or fitness for graduate work. Charge on and keep trying! We've got this! ?

I did, mainly to help organize myself, and to show that each prompt response was under 250 words.

Try not to panic. It's hard to know right now how this will impact applicants that were well-prepared. Just because there is a bigger applicant pool, doesn't mean you'll be against a larger pool of competitive applicants.

What subreddit? I'd be curious to see the thread!

I think we can assume that most programs will see a significant increase in applications. I've said it before somewhere, but I can imagine we won't see as big an increase in competitiveness. It takes years to prepare for graduate applications. I agree that most panic-appliers are doing it as a last-ditch effort to make a life change.

I decided against submitting anything under review because a few schools specifically said "peer-reviewed", but not all did. I think it was just a personal preference to submit something else. It's still technically a sample of your writing, because first author means that you take intellectual credit for most of the paper (in most instances).

Now that I've submitted my applications I keep second guessing myself...did I actually follow directions? Did I spell the PI's name right? Did I upload my transcripts? Did I miss a requirement somewhere? And I know double checking won't help cause I already like triple checked before submitting ? Good luck to everyone finalizing apps this weekend!

I think sometimes people will have that information in their signature! I also wonder if program lists were a lot more fluid this year because of programs deciding not to take a cohort, programs waiving the GRE, etc. But I'll share! I'm applying to 12 programs, all clinical psych PhD. UC Irvine, University of Denver, UNC Chapel Hill, Notre Dame, University of Nevada Reno, Washington State University, University of Utah, Northern Illinois University, Kent State University, West Virginia University, and University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (clinical-community). There are a few reach schools on my list but I'm just going for it this cycle.

I don't know of the resource off the top of my head, but Kent State University has a December 15th deadline!

re: writing samples, I've seen that a manuscript that is still under review might not be the best choice, and that anything other than first author papers aren't acceptable. The way it's been worded for some programs is "a peer reviewed manuscript". All the manuscripts I have are under review so I'm planning to submit my comprehensive case review final paper from my master's degree and hoping that is sufficient!

Another statement prompt gripe - UNC Chapel Hill has four separate prompts and you can only use 250 words or less for each one. I'm having such a hard time cutting back on some of the questions! Things are definitely down to the wire. Hope y'all are hanging in there!

Yeah, I agree with @ColoradoGirl94 - I've heard it doesn't benefit or hinder your application to include more than one faculty member. I think it can actually hurt your chances with the faculty member you are most connected with as you won't have space to really show fit. I'm only including one faculty member for all my applications. I think you can show departmental fit in other ways!

So they did have this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCItF8yp1I8&feature=emb_logo but to be honest it doesn't really clear things up. I just feel like all the suggestions are so freaking broad! Ugh I am also struggling and procrastinating HARD

I think most of the programs I'm applying to have already specified they will be holding virtual interviews. Usually interviews happen in late January/early February for psych programs, so I can't imagine them changing their minds at this point. I think interview weekend prep and coordination takes a long time. I personally hope they don't try to do huge group meetings with multiple applicants because I think that would be super difficult. Otherwise, I think meetings with PIs and other faculty should be fairly comparable. I personally find it to be bittersweet - I'm really happy I don't have to pay for travel expenses and stay in an unfamiliar place, but I am going to miss the social events and the chance to meet a ton of people from the program. I do want to see where I'd be living, too. I think if I get offers from any places, I might try to travel to them before accepting. I know location isn't the most important, but I will be moving with my husband so making sure he is happy is very important to me!

Agreed! Time this year has been such a trip, I feel like it's moving both too fast and too slow at the same time lol.

Is anyone here applying to UC Irvine? I'm really struggling with the personal history statement...it goes against basically everything I've been taught about PhD statements lol

Oh gosh I definitely haven't even submitted, I more meant when I see interview notification deadlines, or interview weekend information, etc. Just reading about it freaks me out lol

Does anyone else have moments of sheer panic while working on applications? For the most part I'm trying to stay positive, but once I see something about interviews or about being notified about rejections my heart skips a beat...and not for the cute reasons lol

First of all, thank you for doing outreach with applicants to figure out what would work best. That is super awesome! I think it's hard to know exactly what would be optimal, because it will be our first time attending virtual interviews. I do have some thoughts though. On interviews last year, my favorite parts were when I meet with an entire lab by myself. It was low pressure, and a great opportunity to gather a ton of information not just about the lab I was applying to, but other labs and the general program culture (I met with the lab I applied to, and another lab). I personally could see group interviews with grad student panels being tough. For some people, holding their own even in person is tough in a group, and Zoom complicates that even further. I do like the "speed date" idea! That could be fun. It would also be super cool to hold a virtual campus tour, focused on the psych building and facilities like counseling center, etc.

I just don't see how that would be a useful use of space ya know? Better to spend time talking about what you are passionate about, or redirect that experience in a positive way - how it lead you to your true passion, etc.

I would listen to what the program themselves said - if you don't have the bare minimum qualifications that they expect, I doubt you will be competitive. To know if your GPA is competitive, you need to look at the Student Outcomes and Admissions Data to compare your scores to averages for past years.