rainydaychai

Yes, I didn't quite know what career path I wanted to follow when I started undergrad so it was extremely fortuitous that I attended a university like that! I understand that it can be difficult to find forensic-specific research experience, depending on your location. This is my second time applying and I got my heart set on my top choice last year and was first alternate but didn't get in, so I've been consciously not putting all my eggs in one basket this year. The research fit with a faculty member at the University of Nebraska is still spot-on, though, but I would be happy at most of the places I've applied! What about you?

I do! Weirdly enough, all of my research experience over the past four years has been forensic - but I was lucky to attend an undergrad institution with a heavy forensic area within their psychology department. I'm currently working as a post-bacc research coordinator at a forensic psychiatric hospital under a different PI, too.

Hi, fellow forensic applicant! I've listed the programs I'm applying to in my signature below (it's a long list this year). Only about half of the schools have a forensic program, but I am applying to explicitly forensic-oriented supervisors. My research interests are very concentrated around the assessment of violence, particularly targeted violence, so that might change some things. Which schools are you thinking of applying to?

Me, for the second time! I applied to eight schools while completing my undergraduate degree last year. I did get one acceptance but similar to others' stories, it was partially funded and I don't want to go into debt. I did receive interviews for 4/8 programs so I don't necessary think it was a specific aspect holding me back - there were just so many qualified applicants and it was hard to complete with individuals who had 1 or more years of post-bacc work while still an undergrad. I secured a post-bacc research coordinator position myself in June in exactly the same area I want to go into (clinical forensic) and have definitely beefed up my CV with a few more conference presentations and many new skills. Good luck to everyone!

Hey hey! My waitlist prospects have not been kind this application cycle, and as I made the tough decision to decline my only acceptance for financial/program fit reasons, it looks like I’ll be seeing you all for the 2020 application cycle. I’m currently on a lengthy Europe vacation as a graduation gift to myself but when I return home I plan to solidify the list of schools I’m applying to next (this?) year. I applied to 8 Clinical PhD programs this past year and plan to expand that to about 12 PhD programs with 2-3 Masters programs in North America and the UK as a backup (‘cause if the second round is unsuccessful, why not see the world while gaining some more experience? ). For a bit of an introduction, I just graduated from a west coast Canadian university and am interested in clinical forensic research topics, with a special focus on targeted violence prevention. Honestly, I’ve felt myself grow so much over this past cycle, have narrowed my research interests and discovered passion for unexpected areas, and solidified my future career goals! I’m sure the universe meant for this to happen for some reason unclear at the present. Good luck to everyone - looking forward to getting to know you all!

Me too please! Congratulations!!

A new development for me: I reached out to my POI at my top choice this morning, which I'm currently waitlisted for, and got a response that is equally stress- and hope-inducing. He was originally hoping to take two students for Fall 2019 but was only able to make one offer after interviews, which the person has accepted. He told me he's currently fighting for the funding to accept a second, which would be me. AHHH! *waiting intensifies* I swear this is taking years off my life.

SO feel you. Waitlisted at three schools (two being my top choices, one being UNL - we may have seen each other on interview day!), accepted at one that I can’t afford tuition at. Basically given up on the grad school dream this year, but would still love to get some good news. I’ll hope for both of us! Also, do you know much about UNLV’s program? I didn’t apply this year, but recently found a faculty member with close interests to mine and am seriously considering applying next year.

I resonate with a lot of this. While I am high on three waitlists, and accepted for a non-funded program, I am not putting much faith in the waitlists panning out and know that I would not be able to attend/content in the non-funded program. The first few days after the last waitlist were hard, but I have managed to turn my thinking around and have been planning my intended schools for next application cycle. There were multiple schools that I didn't know about and therefore did not apply to this year that I would be more than happy attending, especially because they are in beautiful locations and closer to family. While I would still love for an acceptance to come through, I am (almost) as excited to get the chance to apply to these new places! When the waitlist notice first came through, I struggled with many of the "I'm not good enough for graduate school" type thoughts - it was difficult to think differently, as three separate places had waitlisted me after interviews. I even pondered avoiding the crazy low acceptance rates of clinical psychology and switching into a field with higher acceptance rates, like criminology. However, after the acceptance, I've begun to re-evaluate my thinking - I made it on to the waitlist of a school that gets over 600 applications for 9 positions. I was accepted by a school that receives over 200 applications. This was an unlucky, incredibly competitive year for me - for all of us - and reapplying next year shows the future adcomms how dedicated we are to this career path! Hopefully these words help anyone debating whether to reapply or not. I know I could have used them last week.

Could the person DM me too please? Congrats and thank you!

Hey guys, so again I find myself in a tough situation and would love some thoughts and advice. I have now received one acceptance! However, there are now a LOT of pros and cons to consider. Most significantly, it's the only program I applied to that isn't funded, and tuition looks to be $18k a year. For me, that's not just "manageable with some extra RA hours," that's "going into debt" type money. Secondly, the research fit doesn't quite align as well as other programs (isn't bad though), and the program follows a generalist model, while I would much rather be in a POI's lab with a strong relationship with them from day one. However, it's not all bad! The program does have a formal forensic track, which is really important to me, and they do seem to have a prominent research presence at conferences etc. It's in a beautiful (albeit expensive) area that my SO could easily work in. From what I gained during the phone interview, there are opportunities to pay tuition off from teaching at community colleges nearby. With all this being said, and while the lure of being able to say, for sure, that I am starting my PhD this fall is strong, I can't help but worry that a year or two in the future I will be wistfully looking at other people in less generalist, funded programs while going further into debt myself.... thoughts? Anyone else in this situation?

Thank you so much, and a huge congratulations!!

Me as well, please!!

I am currently waitlisted at Simon Fraser University, Fordham University, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I'm a forensic focused applicant, so you can probably guess who my POIs are off of that. If anyone is holding a spot at one of these, it would be very kind to my sanity to let it go ASAP if you can, or at least keep me in the loop during your decision process if you feel comfortable. This especially applies to UNL - it's my top choice and I would truly be over the moon if I was able to go there.

I am in a very strange situation and am unsure of how to process it. I have seemed to be fairly successful in landing interviews (4/8), but after three of my interviews I have been waitlisted as a first alternate. I know that on one hand, this is really something to be proud of, and I know that each person that actually got in has a chance of declining the offer. Multiply that by three, and I know that there is still a possibility that I will be admitted. On the other hand, it's hard not to be devastated that I don't have any concrete offers yet and to wonder if there was something I was doing wrong the whole time (nothing comes to mind, and all professors who I have corresponded with after the fact have said they would be happy to take me if the first declines). It's just nice to write this all out and know that I'm not alone in this situation, but if anyone has any advice or comments on what my fate may be, they would be appreciated. Best of luck to all of you, I hope everyone gets some positive news soon.