psychhealth101

100000% completely agree. I’m nervous to apply next year because I feel like there are people applying with 5+ pubs, 10+poster presentations, 4.0 GPA, etc etc. Do programs not know that not everyone has a pipeline to do research equally at their universities? And that finding a CRC/RA job is almost impossible without the right connections? It absolutely disadvantages diverse applicants. For a field that praises itself to be inclusive, programs have a long way to go in terms of actual inclusiveness. It’s insane how competitive it is. People shouldn’t have to apply 3+ times to get into a program. It also really sucks to know that the people most passionate about being psychologists or doing research in a specific area get denied spots in labs. Aggggh sorry rant over. 

My first interview invite, as a second time applicant who got zero interviews first time round this feels so surreal!!
School: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Type: Clinical PhD
Date of invite: 1/7/2021
Type of invite: POI emailed directly 
Interview date(s): Feb 19-21st 2021
DM for POI: Yes!

Y'all, after getting absolutely no calls or emails the last season I applied, it feels beyond amazing to be able to post in this thread. Am still on the verge of crying realizing that everything I've done over the past 2 years truly has made me a better candidate.
School: Texas Tech
Type: Clinical PhD
Date of invite: December 9
Type of invite: Email from POI for preliminary Zoom interview
Interview date(s): Friday or next week, TBD
DM for POI: Yes

Here's someone that may be a good fit! https://case.fiu.edu/about/directory/profiles/griffith-shayl.html

Here's someone that may be a good fit! https://case.fiu.edu/about/directory/profiles/griffith-shayl.html

Our psychology PhD lord & savior Dr. Mitch Prinstein held a zoom meeting about "Getting Into Psych Grad School During the Time of COVID" and has a lot of helpful tips about all aspects of applications. Link is below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-5DjLRKCHQ&feature=youtu.be
 

I honestly wouldn't look too much into it! These professors probably get 50+ emails all saying about the same thing. I only had one "informal interview" with a PI and it's because we had a mutual connection. I think that may be most of the cases for people who are getting more than a "lukewarm" answer. But this is just from personal experience, so I wouldn't say this is 100 percent true. Personally, I wouldn't get disheartened by this!

Hi! When I applied for programs last year, I waited two weeks before sending a follow-up email. One tip that I have is to send the follow-up email in the same thread that you sent your initial email so that the PI can see that you tried to reach out before. Here is the follow-up email template that I used:
Dear Dr. [PI's last name], 
I am following up regarding an email that I sent about two weeks ago. I realize that your schedule is probably very busy, but would greatly appreciate any information that you can provide in relation to my following question. I hope to apply to the [program of interest] at [school name] and I am highly interested in your lab, will you be accepting new graduate students for [Fall 2021]?
Best,
[your first/last name]
Hope this helps! 

Yeah, I feel this really hard too. I'm fortunate enough to be in a program already, but I just turned 30 and while all my other friends are buying houses and having babies, my husband and I are stuck in this waiting game since we can't afford kids right now (I can't take time off from practicum without making myself less competitive for internship). It makes it even more evident when a few of my cohort-mates got in straight out of undergrad. I love them, but it's hard not to be the teeniest bit jealous that they will be 26 (younger than I was when starting) when we graduate and I'll be 33. It seems like there is always another hurdle. I truly wish all of you the best of luck in your application cycles. I hope you find your perfect fits!

Hi everyone. I know many of you have probably heard things about how the admissions situation is likely to be harder this upcoming cycle. State budget cuts combined with a decrease in number of undergraduates is likely to decrease the number of funded slots for many universities. Some programs have already said that they are not going admit applicants for the coming cycle -- the number of these programs is still small, but the fact that it is happening at all is worrying. At the same time, there will probably be more applicants: Historically, more people apply to graduate school in times of economic hardship. Everything may look even more uncertain for international applicants. Basically, things are crazy, so I wanted to take the time to a) point out some of the potential bright spots in this mess, and b) suggest some things that applicants can do to increase their chances. If anyone else has any insights or observations, I hope you'll chime in. 
First, I want to say that even though there will probably be more applicants, you have been preparing for this application season for years. You have done more than anyone who decides to apply to grad school spur of the moment can possibly do, at the very least because you have had more time. In short, I think that if your application was competitive before it is likely still competitive. 
The second major stumbling block I can see is the uncertain number of slots universities will have to admit graduate students. I don't think anyone can say, yet, how big of a problem this will be. I have heard from professors I work with (at my undergraduate institution, my masters institution, and now at the university where I will do my Ph.D.) that they all expect to admit fewer students. However, they also say that they are just as confused about what will happen and what all of this will mean as we are. So here are some ideas that might help. 
Apply to an increased number of programs, but do it thoughtfully. To be clear, I am not saying that you should sacrifice fit (although you should also absolutely tailor fit to the professor you are applying to work with). However, if it is financially possible for you, I would suggest applying to more places. Think of it as a numbers game. Look for professors who have their own funding. While some funding agencies will likely re-negotiate the funding already being received in the coming months (e.g., probably NIH), a professor who has their own funding may be more free to decide to take a student than one who is dependent on the department. There are a few ways to tell if a professor has an active grant: First, look at their web page, in particular the grants portion of their CV. Second, look at where their current graduate students are receiving funding -- for instance, teaching assistants usually receive funding from the department while Research Assistants are often attached to a grant.  Email professors on whether they will be taking students after school has started. Right now, they don't know what is going to happen. This year, I would wait until the end of September or October. (Also, follow all the usual guidelines for sending these emails. I used an email template I found here last year to formulate my letters and it worked out very well for me). This will also help you focus your resources on places that are more likely to admit you.  Apply for funding from external sources. This one is more chancy given that the available external funding is likely to be a) more scarce than before and b) more competitive, but it is also true that if you can bring your own funding then you pose less of a problem for your department.  Those are all my ideas for now, but if anything else comes to me/I hear ideas from anyone else I will be sure to pass them along. It is true that most of this is out of everyone's control, so whatever happens don't be too hard on yourself.  A lot of the advice I've given above applies even without a pandemic -- however, I would argue that it is even more true now than it is during more normal times. 
A final random note -- I highly recommend meta-analyses as a way of keeping up your involvement in research if your lab has closed! 
You guys are awesome. You've got this!  

After I defend my master's thesis I plan on not touching anything psych related until August ?. I'm also excited for Animal crossing, a trip planned to Europe in May, and a music festival in June. Other than that going to be spending alot of time outside enjoying the New England summer before I spend my summers in TX for the next 4+ years.

RELAX. Go on vacation!! Soak in this amazing feeling. Do minimal work until you start your program. It’s impossible to understand the amount of work a phd is going to be and you’ll really miss this time of not having any huge stressors/responsibilities. 
 
I left my post bac two months before I had to move for my program and went to California and Hawaii. I also read a lot of fiction books. 
 
Also, congrats everyone! You DID IT!! 

Congrats guys! 
 
Don’t do more work than you have to do for your job or classes. Don’t try to pre-study, don’t brush up on stats, don’t try to memorize your new advisor’s entire body of work... there’s no way to really prepare for grad school and you’ll just burn out. You have finally reached your goal and are about to be very stressed and poor for 5+ years, so now is the time to relax. I really regret not taking the time to travel or do more fun things before I started my PhD. 

I haven't decided what school yet but I do know I will be attending a Ph.D. program this fall!
I've been traveling as much as my full-time job allows. working on some passion projects (YouTube and blogging), and reading books for fun (I'm a sucker for YA fiction). As well, I just preordered the Animal Crossing Nintendo Switch, so I intend on wasting as much time as possible playing that and Stardew Valley.
Basically, I'm going to do very little to prepare myself for grad school besides my duties in my research lab that I volunteer/work in part-time. I just want to enjoy my time off and live as much as possible.

At 27 I had not even started college yet- instead my last education milestone was graduating from high school in the lower third of my class (and was honestly just happy to have graduated). I didn't even start undergrad college until I was in my 30s- much less masters. I totally know the feeling you are talking about (I literally have children closer to my next oldest cohort-mate's age than I am) AND neither of us is behind. Our journeys are ours. Getting this education and working towards the career is important to me (and I assume you), not the age I do it at. We've both got this ?

You're gonna be asked way less than you expect. Prepare yourself to ask a LOT of questions of the people you talk to. Don't run out of questions. 

Thank you. People don’t understand & say things like “this is it right” or you’re not gonna try again are you?” They don’t understand that it’s a specific mentor that has to end up accepting a student & has to choose you when they may have already decided who they’re taking next etc. also each cycle has different opportunities. 

It does feel like all these internet friends understand me more than anyone else does these days! Psychology PhD applications are such a specific experience, having camaraderie through the stress has been amazing. I'm also grateful I can turn to this forum whenever I am doubting or pissed off or struggling to stay positive. Y'all the real MVPs! 

Hey I just wanted to say that I'm grateful for all of you and how encouraging this little community can be. I'll be thinking of all of you for the next several weeks as we make it through this. Thanks for making me feel less alone

I just left a nice, hand-written thank you note. I think it went over well. 

When I was interviewing, I wrote brief hand-written thank you cards for the host. I usually kept it brief (5 sentences max) and said something I appreciated about my visit. 
 
Anything beyond a card is not necessary. At the VERY most I would do something of value less than $5. But, again, it's not necessary. The two years I've hosted applicants I have not gotten anything (including a card), but I don't really expect anything either. 

All is well my dude. You have 3 interviews to clinical psychology programs; the most competitive graduate degree in the country.
There will always be someone with more interviews, more publications, and a higher salary. This field is filled with rejection at every step of your career. Schools will reject you, internships will toss your application in the trash, and reviewers will tear your manuscripts to shreds.
It sounds like you worked hard to get where you are. But there are others who worked just as hard who have weaker applications because their PI wasn't a productive scholar or who couldn't afford to volunteer for 20 hours a week.
You've made it pretty far. There are thousands of qualified people who would kill to be in your shoes. I urge you to be grateful and enjoy the process.

I just got my plane tickets!
To Greece... where I'll be bartending until the next application cycle.

Wow, I'm so sorry to hear that. What a nightmare!
Could you reach out to the program or your POI to tell them what happened? That seems super unfair they wouldn't get your application after all that work.

Also, my work computer has this site blocked ? so I’m creeping with my phone below my desk, semi-obsessively refreshing results and my email. Everything is normal over here.