SoundofSilence

Most programs let you know at least a week or more in advance, in my experience around 10-14 days or so. Even before the pandemic they did virtual interviews when it was difficult for the applicant to be in person. I was overseas two years ago and got multiple virtual interviews right before the pandemic started, so I think they are pretty understanding. Also I have a virtual interview scheduled for tomorrow, so at least some programs are doing it remote this year. For prep, there are multiple resources out there (like this more "famous" one: https://mitch.web.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4922/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf) but honestly, you'll never be able to anticipate all of the possible questions. My take on this is to usually have a good brief intro about your yourself, why clinical psych / this program, and then be able to talk about your research interests and experience in some detail.

I think this is correct. You should have until then to submit everything else. I think a lot of people are looking forward to get interview invites, since that is usually the next step. I personally am looking forward to decisions, of course, but that might be a longer wait

Hi! It's at the top left of the page

Hi! I applied to Ottawa twice and it usually took around a week to get the credentials to upload the supporting documents. Their uozone system is not at all intuitive, which is the reason for one of my previous rants about them. When I applied again this year, they asked if I applied in the past, because I think they do a check to match accounts. They found mine from 2 years ago and sent me the same credentials basically. It might be possible that they did a similar check with yours and somehow found someone with a similar name/info? If you haven't applied to them in the past that might be one explanation. I would give it a full week after your last contact with them and if they don't respond by say tomorrow, I would check in with them to see if they need additional information to create your account. Hope you get sorted out soon.

So glad it's working out! This process is making all of us slightly crazy Best of luck!

Hey! So this happens a lot, since most referees are pretty busy and many submit just at the last second. I had the same thing happen, they asked for a one week reminder and after that I still got crickets. By some miracle they managed to submit it last night, but I spent the day thinking of strategies to nudge them to submit the letter but not annoy them. It's a delicate dance What I would do - maybe send a gentle email, or text, to ask if they got the link and are able to access it and see what they say. Even if they don't submit today, a lot of programs are more flexible when it comes to references and may accept them late. Worst case scenario - last year a friend of mine had his application reviewed (and was accepted) even with a missing letter of reference since that prof was totally unreasonable. So try not to let the panicky feelings get the best of you. I realize it's easier said than done. If the referee doesn't get back to you today, you can email grad admins and ask for options in this case, I'm sure there are others with this issue.

To underscore (again) how bad this process is, I just got a quick email from one of my recommendation writers and they were pretty upset about how terrible some of the online portals were. They were so upset about the UNB process, that they were like "remind me to never submit a reference here again". ? I'm giving it a last try - any other McMaster fellow applicants - what did you do about the "no CV" thing? Did you just bulk up your personal statement or you're just submitting your regular one and hoping for the best? I also welcome any advice from people who are not applying there, all perspectives are welcome! It's my last application that I need to submit and I just need it to be done already.

Thanks, I appreciate it! I mean I know we are all in the same boat here, it's just that I feel some applications don't really represent all my hard work. And I'm sure it's probably the same for everyone. Having a standardized process would make things so much easier for all people involved. I'm really looking forward to having this be done. I hope everyone is staying warm and sane! We're almost there, at least with this part

hey that's not a half bad idea. I've honestly had it with this application season. It's my third time and it's the worst yet. Between programs switching deadlines to early November when they were usually in December (I'm looking at you SFU) and all the crappy online portals that drive me mad, I'm at my wits' end. I've done Ottawa's application once before and I still had trouble this time around locating the damn place to upload the documents. Not to mention that some programs are ok with your standard stuff (as in regular CV and 2 page statement), but some are just crazy with their own formatting for CVs and asking for 500 words for a statement. And now McMaster with this crappy "no CV" thing. Where am I supposed to put my research experience, publications and posters? How about my awards? I can barely cram them in the tiny character-limited small boxes in some places but they don't even have that on their application. Gaaah Sorry about the rant, I think the pandemic is getting to me. And it's also difficult to see the point of all this effort after so much time and money spent. So many demands placed on the applicants and most times we barely get even an acknowledgment. Something's got to give and I think this process needs a serious overhaul.

Oh my... but why? I mean I do detail some things in the personal statement, but that is not exactly something to take the place of the CV as well. How are you approaching this issue?

Quick question for people applying to McMaster - where do I upload my CV? I can't seem to find that anywhere in the online application portal.

in many countries you usually need at least a master's degree. sometimes even to work in I/O psych - the thing is, a general psych bachelors doesn't equip you with much beyond some theoretical knowledge. To get specialist exposure, you have to pursue further studies.

So this kinds of hits on multiple things, but let's take it one at a time. If you are not from the US/Canada, I am assuming that you need to take courses only in your intended main major field. This comes with the downside that you need to figure out some things earlier, instead of at the end of your degree. Just because you are not a native English speaker, it does not mean that you cannot practice in the field. It does mean that you would have to put in more effort to get fluent in the language and also get comfortable with cultural phrases/way of talking and other cultural references - because this would facilitate your communication and understanding of clients/patients. Many people in the field didn't start as native speakers so that shouldn't be a huge obstacle. The second thing is that career prospects with just a general psych bachelors are not that great, or at least not what you imagined. You can certainly go be a business consultant or towards HR or something like that, but in most places you won't be able to practice just with that. So if you envision being a "psychologist", you usually need a graduate degree. For a business career, you can study lots of other things - such as Econ, Psych, Commerce, etc. and still be competitive. And also keep in mind what PsyDuck90 said - your immigration status is important so you also have to be informed about that.

Hi I think that as a first year you are still exploring options, and that's ok. The thing is, I would advise to best plan for the paths you'd like to take when choosing a major. So if you are really drawn to psych, whether that's counselling or anything related that basically requires a grad degree so that you can follow that career path, then you need to have a really solid psych background. If you are interested in business - psych can actually be a good addition there so you can look at taking classes in both. However, a business type of career doesn't really require you to major in business specifically so I think there's more flexibility there. If you are drawn to both and can't yet decide, one option would be to major in psych and minor/ take a lot of courses in business, that's basically covers all your bases. You can use the major to fulfill the course requirements for a grad degree later on, or you can use the psych courses to give you an edge on a business path. Hope this helps!

Hi! So the previous academic work basically means you're applying to a grad school program - and that it requires a bachelors (so a previous degree). Don't worry about it, it's pretty standard. Regarding references - I can't say for sure, but most programs are pretty understanding that referees might not submit on time and there's not much you can do. You can always contact the program and see if they can give you an extension for references.

Ok so I know this is more of a rant, but whyyy have programs moved their deadlines this year? I know that most US ones are earlier, but Canadian programs were at least December 1st. And it's not even the whole Psych department for most of them, just the clinical program. Most of my materials for them were rushed (which I know the blame here lies on me), but my letter writers also have a busy period and it was hard on them too. Am I the only one annoyed by this? Will programs at least process the documents earlier and give us some results before the end of the year?

I think @t_ruth makes a very good point - there are many types of PhD programs that match your interests and experience. The best would be to get your CV as competitive as possible, so gaining more research experience is key. Look at labs that do work that interests you and see if they offer any RA positions; some offer remote roles so that might work well for you. I think you have a lot of options - you just need to narrow down to some labs/programs. Take a look at the literature at recent research that looks interesting to you and see where those labs are located, that might help. Best of luck!

I think so far it is a good plan - getting undergrad research experience, which can support you for a master's and then you can use the master's experience to get to the PhD. I think you can go straight to the master's (people usually take time off for research after bachelor's if they don't go into a master's). The master's, if you stay productive, can be a very good spring board into the next step. Good luck!

Hi! I am not sure I fully understand what you want to do in the future. But I will try my best to give you some possibilities: - Your previous experience as a special education teacher can be very valuable in an EdD program, but if you don't want to go in that direction you don't really have to. Since you are already doing the master's, you can apply to PhD programs as well, in Developmental Psych or related areas. Your experience could make your application more interesting, as long as you have some research experience to highlight - from your master's for example, like your thesis or a publication. - When you say lab assistant, are you thinking of a Research Assistant role, Lab Manager, or something different? In North America, RAs are mostly people with bachelors and it's a stepping stone for many to grad school. If you want to have a more advanced role in a lab, you generally need a PhD (so you can start as a post-doc or fellow), but there are people with master's as well - but usually people stay in a similar role for their entire careers, they don't move on to have their own lab. But I think it all boils down to what do you want to do in the end? Do you want a purely research career and be independent and run your own lab/ studies - then you need a PhD. Do you want more exposure to the educational area and some research there - EdD. Do you want to stop at the master's and just work in a lab - then you can apply directly to work with a lab, you don't need additional degrees. Just a small note - If you want to continue as a teacher in the US, I think you need additional certifications or at least equivalencies. I am not familiar with these requirements, so maybe someone with more experience here can help.

Hello there Sorry to hear about the difficult experiences during your first undergrad degree, I'm sure the pandemic didn't help But the good news is that you are not alone. Many people take a more circuitous route (myself included) to get where they want to go. If I understand correctly, your next goal is to get into a master's program? Is this a thesis/ research based master's or a more applied one? I ask because different types of programs look at different things. More applied master's might be more ok with a lower GPA, but it might be easier to get into a thesis bases master's if you are strongly supported by a faculty member or you become very productive in research (or if you work for that prof as an RA for example). A more general advice that I can give you is that less than ideal academic history can also be addressed by your letter writers. While you can address it in your statement of purpose, you only have little space to do so there and you also don't want to draw a lot of attention to that. So your letter writers can talk more about how you've overcome obstacles in their letters and your future potential. GRE scores are on the out, but some programs might still accept them and that can work in your favor if you get good scores. Do you have a sense of what path you'd like to follow after the psych bachelors?

Some programs in US and Canada do take into account grades from foreign universities and that they might be on a different scale - this is just an example, but here is one from U Toronto https://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/admissions/admission-application-requirements/international-credentials-equivalencies/ I wouldn't just convert the numerical part to North American GPA because it might not make sense. Just make sure you check with the requirements from each program before you apply. Best of luck!

This is also a "it depends" answer. With a licensable master's, you don't get to have the "psychologist" title. So if that's your goal, you still need to do a doctorate in some form. You could do a clinical master's, practice for a few years and then go back.. but you must take into account that very few people return for more education - life and responsibilities get in the way and it might not be financially feasible to give up a paying role to go back to school full time again after some years. However, if you do an experimental master's, with the goal of applying to doctoral programs, you have to take into account that you need to be seriously productive during those two years - papers/posters, network with people, get good references. It really depends how you see your own trajectory, what kind of support you'll have now and in the future (from family, significant other if applicable, etc.) It depends on the program, but an experimental master's might be easier to get into IF there is a good match between you and the program/ supervisor, depending how the program is set up. Clinical master's might be easier to get into if you have good grades and maybe some good experience relevant to clinical. There is no easy answer for this because it's highly dependent on your own personal circumstances and your own goals. I think it's best to take some time to reflect on this and consult with some persons close to you - such as an academic mentor, close family members. As an international student, you will need a good amount of support (both financial and moral) to successfully move to another country. This is more tangential, but many of the internationals I know had a tough first year, whether in undergrad or grad school - no matter how much you think you know about a country or area, you'll always have a culture shock, you'll deal with obstacles that you might have never considered or prepared for, and at the same time you have to perform academically at a high level, in a language different than your native one. It is not easy. It gets better with time, but don't underestimate this process. My advice is - unless you're already financially self-sufficient, don't add financial issues on top of this - as in, don't make the move unless the program gives you at least minimal funding or you have a good financial backing. If you are set on being a practicing psychologist, the best way is to follow through with the master's and then the PhD (or directly PhD), because it increases your chances that you will actually reach that goal. And lastly - have you considered being a remote RA for a lab that interests you? Since the pandemic many labs have taken on remote RAs and maybe that can help clarify some of your questions.

I can imagine it's overwhelming, especially if the process in your home country is different. There is always the alternative to apply next year after you graduate as well - don' t fell rushed like you have to apply right now, if you are not ready and you think you might submit a rushed application. My opinion is that it's better to make a good first impression right from the start. A lot of applicants prepare for years for this, so you have to keep that in mind. Also, waiting might help with bulking up your CV with maybe a poster/publication, more glowing letters from your referees and so on. And a final thing - the application process can get costly, depending on how many programs you have on the list, so another thing to keep in mind.

This is less about you being an international, and more about the research experience you have (for the most part). Good PhD/PsyD programs (with funding and reputable faculty and resources) are very very competitive. To get into such a program, you need very good research exposure, along with research products (publications, posters, presentations) and pretty well defined research interests. A master's or a Research Assistant position for about two years might help with those, considering you GPA and GRE scores. This applies to all applicants, international or not. A licensable master's can be a shortcut here (less research experience needed) but also the costs go up a lot and you have to deal with not being a licensed "psychologist" (since you need a doctorate for that) and less access to some skills, such as assessment. If you have access to those funds, it might be a better investment, however loans are more tricky (and you also might need a US co-signer). The part about you being international comes into getting licensed - to get licensed you need clinical hours (during and after the degree) which might be difficult to obtain in the US as a F1 (student visa) due to work restrictions on that visa. Some research institutions may help you get a H1B (work visa) after training but predominantly clinical ones (like private practice) might not help with this. So I would also carefully consider the immigration aspects as well. Unfortunately, the green card queue is very long for India, so even if you manage to get a H1B after your degree, you will have to wait a decade or more to become a permanent resident. I am not trying to discourage you, but I want to make you aware of certain aspects that you might not have considered.

Well the short answer is yes. The long answer... it depends :) I'm assuming here that you just started your search. Most decent programs fund their students, with tuition remission and a (usually small) stipend. Programs should have this info available on their website or maybe you can find out more from the grad admin. I personally would not recommend even applying to programs that are not funded. What you need to do is identify which programs are a good match to you, your goals and your research interests. Since there are so many programs out there, it would be difficult for us to recommend any, unless you have more specific interests/ areas you'd like to share. Just keep in mind that the application season stretches out from now until the spring of next year, so if you are serious about this, you have to get moving on that list :)