PsychedforPsych2

Personal experience so take it with a grain of salt. 
 
I applied to counseling and clinical programs last year and this. I interviewed with 3 programs last year. Didn’t get in to two and one the POI lost funding to another faculty. During the off season, I obtained a new RA position, obtained a better LOR and had a manuscript published. I was a completely different student and got multiple offers that proved that. However, those same 3 schools did not even interview me despite my improvements. 
 
if I was to do my application over again, I should have not applied again to those programs. Because I interviewed there, my stats and improvements didn’t matter. they didn’t choose me based on fit and prob felt   
“no point to interview him again”
That’s just my situation. 
 
 

It depends on the program... sometimes they don't email or notify you about waitlist status without being prompted

no, most people don't and i don't think it means anything one way or another

no, most people don't and i don't think it means anything one way or another

no, most people don't and i don't think it means anything one way or another

For all those who are interested, please see these guidelines: https://cudcp.wildapricot.org/Resources/Documents/CUDCP Policy on Graduate Program Offers and Acceptances (FULL version).pdf
 
I would just express your interest, thank them, and let them know that you will let them know as soon as you have made a decision. Schools understand that applicants are trying to keep an open mind about schools and don't want to write anyone out too quickly. 

would the people who received acceptances from UMSL be willing to PM me their mentors?

I'd like to know as well.

Hi! I wasn't the person who posted. But I also received an invite. It was from an admin person from the dept (it seemed to be a mass email). Interview date: February 10th

School: University of Missouri-St. Louis
Type: PhD
Date of invite: 1/3/20
Type of invite: Mass email
Interview date(s): 1/27
Feel free to PM me for POI

School: Northern Illinois University
Type: PhD (Clinical)
Date of invite: 1/10/2020
Type of invite: individualized email from POI
Interview date(s): 2/24/20-2/25/20

School: Northern Illinois University
Type: PhD (Clinical)
Date of invite: 1/10/2020
Type of invite: individualized email from POI
Interview date(s): 2/24/20-2/25/20

School: Northern Illinois University
Type: PhD (Clinical)
Date of invite: 1/10/2020
Type of invite: individualized email from POI
Interview date(s): 2/24/20-2/25/20

Okay now I’m here thinking “maybe all these schools that didn’t email me just forgot my invite” ??

For those of you who are being put up at a grad students home for interviews, are you getting a gift for your hosts? If so, what are you getting? Would love to hear from current grad students as well if you are on this form. 

Sure, anything $5 or below is fine. I’m just saying that it really won’t influence any decision making – as long as you recognize that, it’s fine

As another current doctoral student, I agree with the quoted person – a thank you gift to your host 100% won’t affect application decisions; save your money and just send a thank you email afterwards.

If you'd like to do something, a handwritten thank you note would be nice. But of course not necessary

I'm not a grad student, but this is such a cute, thoughtful idea!! I'm surprised people are saying don't do this. I don't think it would hurt to do an act of kindness for the grad student that hosted you. I would do something small though, like somebody suggested above maybe a Starbucks gift card or something. 

As a current grad student, I would say no. A thank you email is enough. 

From what I've heard just a thank you card is fine, but a small ~10 dollar gift card to Starbucks or something is always appreciated!

Last round I went to a bakery. May not be the best advice though. I didn’t get an offer lol. 

For those of you who are being put up at a grad students home for interviews, are you getting a gift for your hosts? If so, what are you getting? Would love to hear from current grad students as well if you are on this form. 

That would be great if you are willing to share your list. Thank you!

I second what @hlr20 said! Themes not only allow you to express your interests in a clever way, but can also make your personal statement much more cohesive and meaningful. Thank you for sharing your outline! 
Here is an idea of the outline I used for most of my statements (which I then tailored to each program I applied to based on a format they expected). Keep in mind, I applied to a scientist-practitioner program so it's not solely about research. 
PARAGRAPH 1: Personal story; introduce theme.
Strong hook that connects to a theme you are trying to convey.   Thesis = I am applying to X program at Y university to do Z research.  PARAGRAPH 2: Relevant volunteer/job experiences (my research interests correlated much more with my non-research experience in terms of the population I am interested in working with)
How have you grown through these experiences? How have these experiences influenced the research interests you are pursuing? PARAGRAPH 3: Research experience
What have your previous research experiences taught you? What gap have you noticed in research? PARAGRAPHS 4/5 - WHO do you want to work with in this program (if applicable), and WHY this program?
What are your specific research interests, and which professor are you interested in working with based on those interests? How can their experience help you? How will this program specifically help you reach your goals? Try to tie in aspects of the program to your personal interests. (Ex: The social justice orientation of this program aligns with my desire to support marginalized populations.) Make sure to explicitly mention your goals and tie them in to the training provided by the program (Ex: The vast teaching opportunities in this program will help me be prepared for a career in academia.) PARAGRAPH 6 - Summarize, explain societal/community impact
Why is this research needed, and why is it urgent? Why are you the best fit for this type of research and program?