justacigar

I second looking into average scores. I actually think your GRE score is fairly competitive for most programs, but it definitely won't get you into prestigious universities, and it won't quite make up for a low GPA. However, many programs will ask you for overall GPA as well as GPA for last two years/psych specific GPA. It sounds like you've been very active in research in multiple labs, which will work in your favor. One thing you could do is have letter writers talk specifically to your academic ability rather than address it in your statements. A master's degree is always an option, but GPA isn't everything. Clinical psych admissions are very holistic. Have you gotten mentorship from your current supervisors/advisors?

I haven't heard or seen anything. It doesn't look like their admissions information has been update for this year, though.

Definitely second this! While applying can be beneficial to get some experience with the process, having no research experience might cause an automatic rejection. I think your time would be better spent looking for a research position and making connections in the research realm. The applicant pool is getting more and more competitive each cycle, so the more in-depth research experience you have, the better.

I think a general rule of thumb is around 10. One of my mentors really shifted my perspective about how many programs to apply to...she said that it's unlikely we have a great fit with 15 programs, and fit is possibly the most important aspect of applications. If it feels like a stretch to draw similarities between faculty research and your interests a program is gonna notice that ya know? It could be better to apply to fewer, have more time to nail your statements and really let fit shine through

Third rounder checking in ?‍♀️I am also very nervous. It's really difficult to know how this cycle will shake out. Could be 10x harder, could be better for those of us with extra experience and GRE scores, faculty could have no money for new students... I honestly have no idea. I think the pressure feels more intense this time because I don't know if I have it in me to apply again!

That's awesome you have some meetings lined up! I did check in with one faculty member so far, but I haven't heard back. I think summer can be a hit or a miss, which is sort of why I'm waiting. Glad to hear I'm not the only one experiencing anxiety already. I definitely agree about self-care. I think the pandemic has sort of thrown my usual self-care activities off which has been a struggle. What's your go-to for self care? I always need new ideas lol Wow job hunting and applications?? That sounds very stressful Are you looking for a research job? Same here! It's so hard to know exactly what you need to do for your career, to have the motivation and the skill set, yet it is still such a struggle. Agreed about waking up in horror in September...I know once we hit fall the months will fly by and apps will be due before we know it.

I'm starting to get suuupper anxious, like any time I turn to application prep I can feel my chest tightening and my heart rate increasing. I think we're also at a difficult stage for prep because it's a strange in-between time. There really isn't too much to do yet. I'm trying to stay positive and optimistic but it feels like I'm heading into a life or death battle for my future ? how is everyone staying focused and sane these days?? Asking for a friend...and the friend is me

It seems like there could be some danger in attending a program that is waiting on full accreditation? Although I wouldn't be too worried that a school like UC Irvine would fail to meet the requirements.

OMG!! I've been waiting for this news! I met a faculty member from UCI last year at a conference and she mentioned in passing that they were working on this. Can't believe it's ready for this cycle!

I think if they weren't considering the scores at all, it would explicitly say that they weren't accepting or weren't considering GRE scores.

Hi there - if you don't have a bachelor's in psychology, what most folks do is take the psychology GRE to show mastery of the discipline. The degree might not be required, but certain psychology classes probably are. This requirement might vary from program to program, so you would want to check if the courses you've taken fulfill the requirements. In the US, you also typically earn a master's degree on your way to earning your PhD. But, you are accepted into the PhD program and just happen to earn a master's. The downside is that if you do choose to earn a terminal MS/MA degree before applying to PhD programs, it usually isn't counted toward a PhD. Most programs require that you complete the master's coursework even if you have an MA/MS. There are reasons folks might choose to do that - to gain additional research or clinical experience, for example. I definitely wouldn't feel discouraged about your undergrad degree - there was a woman in my MS cohort that had a science degree as well, took the required psychology courses, and was able to gain admittance to the MS program.

LOL yes I have been here for a bit ? not sure if that means I'm more or less qualified to answer questions, still trying to figure that out ? I think publications are preferable to posters, depending on the journal. So, I'm not 100% about undergrad journals. It would probably depend on how easy/difficult it was to get your work published. But generally, manuscripts take much more writing work than posters, and if you had the choice to work on a pub or work on a poster I would probably say to work on publishing something.

Are you interested at all in Clinical Health Psych programs? If so, CU Denver has a clinical health psych PhD

Study coordinator is definitely great title-wise and responsibility-wise, but you don't necessarily need the title to have independence or leadership. For example, I'm a clinical research assistant, but am "managing/leading" three sub-projects on the team. So, I would say it's not always about the title, it's more about the amount of different skills you are able to learn and practice during your time on the team. All that to say, even if you don't get that position there may be RA positions more suited to the skill set you are hoping to acquire! Not to be super discouraging, but programs like UCSD/SDSU, CU Boulder, and Northwestern are more than high reaches if you have no publication history. Those are some of the most competitive programs. It's difficult to say, because admission is based on so many different factors, but to combat low or no pubs/posters I would think you'd need very high GRE/GPA and a ton of research experience. I think I have a different view than most on applying to high reach schools, because to me it seems like a waste of money. I'm just a realist and aware that my qualifications aren't up to snuff for high ranked programs. I made the mistake of applying to high reaches my first round (UW, UO) and it just felt like I threw $200 away, lol

No I don't mind - I'm honestly not sure what ranking the school is, I don't usually look for that stat. It was Eastern Michigan University. Last year, I had 2 previously presented posters, two posters under review, and one second author publication under review. All of my posters were presented for a regional conference which I think hurt my chances. Also, having such a large chunk under review probably didn't do me any favors.

I'm not sure what your area of interest is, but it might help to look outside of university systems to find something? I work at a research center and a few teams are actually hiring more people. I think it's really dependent on what you'd like to study though. I was working on a telehealth study already which was sort of dumb luck, but you could look for studies that have gone remote or that were remote before all this craziness

I do wonder if clinical psych would be as impacted as other PhD programs. My understanding is that while the program/university will partially fund a student, the PI is the one who is responsible for ensuring additional funding through grants and such. Any other insights into that process?

Got it, then they must already have clear plans. I thought maybe they hadn't finished updating their site. What a bummer!

It's also pretty early - plans are likely still being solidified as faculty figure out funding and whatnot

Hi everyone, I have a question. I plan on reapplying to a few labs this year, one at which I was an alternate, one where I was waitlisted, and one where I was told I barely missed the cut (and to come back with more national/international posters). I had a decent amount of contact with them last year, so I'm just not sure how to reopen the conversation with them. Do I tell them what I've been up to this year to increase my competitiveness? Do I give them a heads up I'm reapplying and am still super interested in their labs? I am confident in my PI emails normally but these three are throwing me for a loop. Any advice is appreciated!

Depending on what you are hoping to study, clinical experience doesn't really hold as much weight as you think it would. It's great to have some clinical experience, but it seems like you need to beef up your research experience and try to get some posters/pubs on your CV. I say this as someone who applied for the first time a few years ago with a similar background (mostly clinical experience, one year of research experience, PLUS I had a masters) and had zero luck because I just wasn't competitive enough compared to folks that have multiple years of research work and pubs. I know it's frustrating when you are so ready to dive into graduate work, but I promise you the more varied experiences you get, the more solidified your interests become and it will make you a stronger applicant.

ICE has rescinded the order following the hearing this afternoon regarding Harvard and MIT's lawsuit! Students on F-1 visas are now allowed to stay in the US even if taking all online courses ?

According to twitter, sounds like Stony Brook is not accepting scores at all. So they are going GRE blind. Honestly, as long as schools are still accepting scores but waiving the requirement, I would think very carefully about not taking/not submitting scores. Still a high likelihood they will be used in interview/admissions decisions

I strongly agree with this piece of advice. It's really hard to know what the competitive pool of applicants will look like any year, but this year especially so with the pandemic and GRE scores being waived/not accepted. It's might be worth it to apply and refine your statements, your research interests, and potentially form relationships with graduate students/faculty in labs you are interested in. It's also only July - by the time you submit applications, you will have an additional 6 months of research experience. I would use that time wisely and like @rainydaychai said ask for additional responsibilities to expand your skill set. Do you have any posters/pubs? This might also be a good time to get some publication experience by going to your supervisor with a pointed research question and ideas about what data to utilize. Most of the time, PIs are happy to get data published.

Exactly where I'm at too. It's such a struggle to see my friends at vastly different stages of life, buying houses and having babies and settled into lifetime-type jobs. I know this is what I want and I know I'm on a much different path than everyone else I know, but the comparison is difficult to stop sometimes.