rainydaychai

I just wanted to talk about feelings of discouragement- which may be surfacing a lot right now. Most people have to apply multiple times to get into the program they want and there's nothing wrong with that! When I applied for the first time 3 years ago, I was so overwhelmed with the novelty of this intricate process, not to mention trying to balance school work simultaneously. I actually think some time off is beneficial because it allows you to reflect and focus on other things you may be neglecting- there are other things that matter in life! This process isn't always linear. I feel a sense of calmness this time around, perhaps because I've become experienced with timelines and writing applications, but probably because I know everything will work out in the end for the best. There are so many careers out there that are amazing and that will allow you to make a difference and help people. You are capable of doing all that and more! I was so narrow-minded a few years ago and told myself I HAD to go into clinical psych because it was the next logical step. Maybe it was the prestige. Try to be open-minded to other programs that may work even better with the lifestyle that you want.  

Speaking as a current student, I applied straight out of undergrad, was waitlisted at a few places but ultimately did not gain acceptance, and then worked as a research coordinator for a lab very closely aligned with my research interests for a year. I applied again the following year and was successful! Looking back, I'm very grateful for my "gap year," as I figured out my research interests more, gained more research experience, and was actually able to go home and relax at 5pm sharp for a year, which was pretty darn nice (certainly not doing that anymore). This may not work for everyone, but I would advise you to reach out to your current contacts in the field (PI, any other professors you've worked with, etc.) and ask if they have any assistant/coordinator positions coming up. This worked very well for me!

Speaking as a current student, I applied straight out of undergrad, was waitlisted at a few places but ultimately did not gain acceptance, and then worked as a research coordinator for a lab very closely aligned with my research interests for a year. I applied again the following year and was successful! Looking back, I'm very grateful for my "gap year," as I figured out my research interests more, gained more research experience, and was actually able to go home and relax at 5pm sharp for a year, which was pretty darn nice (certainly not doing that anymore). This may not work for everyone, but I would advise you to reach out to your current contacts in the field (PI, any other professors you've worked with, etc.) and ask if they have any assistant/coordinator positions coming up. This worked very well for me!

Speaking as a current student, I applied straight out of undergrad, was waitlisted at a few places but ultimately did not gain acceptance, and then worked as a research coordinator for a lab very closely aligned with my research interests for a year. I applied again the following year and was successful! Looking back, I'm very grateful for my "gap year," as I figured out my research interests more, gained more research experience, and was actually able to go home and relax at 5pm sharp for a year, which was pretty darn nice (certainly not doing that anymore). This may not work for everyone, but I would advise you to reach out to your current contacts in the field (PI, any other professors you've worked with, etc.) and ask if they have any assistant/coordinator positions coming up. This worked very well for me!

Speaking as a current student, I applied straight out of undergrad, was waitlisted at a few places but ultimately did not gain acceptance, and then worked as a research coordinator for a lab very closely aligned with my research interests for a year. I applied again the following year and was successful! Looking back, I'm very grateful for my "gap year," as I figured out my research interests more, gained more research experience, and was actually able to go home and relax at 5pm sharp for a year, which was pretty darn nice (certainly not doing that anymore). This may not work for everyone, but I would advise you to reach out to your current contacts in the field (PI, any other professors you've worked with, etc.) and ask if they have any assistant/coordinator positions coming up. This worked very well for me!

Speaking as a current student, I applied straight out of undergrad, was waitlisted at a few places but ultimately did not gain acceptance, and then worked as a research coordinator for a lab very closely aligned with my research interests for a year. I applied again the following year and was successful! Looking back, I'm very grateful for my "gap year," as I figured out my research interests more, gained more research experience, and was actually able to go home and relax at 5pm sharp for a year, which was pretty darn nice (certainly not doing that anymore). This may not work for everyone, but I would advise you to reach out to your current contacts in the field (PI, any other professors you've worked with, etc.) and ask if they have any assistant/coordinator positions coming up. This worked very well for me!

Throwing my two cents in as a two-time applicant and first year clinical PhD graduate student:
1. Take a deep breath and remember it's at the most basic level a conversation between two people who are both excited and knowledgeable about research in a given area. Maybe I'm in the minority, but especially before my first interviews of the season, I became incredibly nervous my mind would go blank or I would forget the English language - spoiler, it never happened! My anxiety actually decreased throughout the interview as I realized I could form coherent sentences (haha).
2. To second @PsyDuck90, absolutely prepare a semi-specific potential MA project/PhD thesis. If you have 2+ interview days, someone WILL ask, and I've seen a fair number of posts on here throughout the years about people who were caught off guard and didn't match the specificity that their POI was looking for or who erroneously believed that saying "I'm flexible and open to any project" is a good idea. Nine times out of ten, it isn't. Now, I don't believe most POIs would expect specific methodology and analyses (but never say never!), but a few good research questions and a rough sketch of how you would carry it out is often expected when a POI asks this. Bonus points if you've read enough previous research of your POI's/know enough about their lab to know that the methodology you discuss is possible there!
3. Relatedly, do not compromise your research interests to fit "perfectly" with your POI's. This is a mistake I made in my first application cycle and it's something I believe hindered me from gaining acceptance. Within my general area of interest, I gave slightly different pairs of research interests depending on the POI I was interviewing with. In my second application cycle, I decided that there was one sub-area of my area (forensic psych) that I was truly passionate about and ran with it, even if it didn't fit *perfectly* with POI's interests. Now, one POI straight-up told me in interview that my ideas sounded great but he didn't have access to organizations that I would need to partner with to do the research I wanted. But I appreciated that! Now, if you truly are passionate about multiple areas and there's a logical way they mesh, this might not be applicable to you. But I found that my passion shone through much more the second time around, I felt more confident discussing the literature since I was more familiar with it, and I had stronger research ideas (see point #2).
4. Brainstorm answers to all the sample grad school interview questions you can find online (but don't prepare them word for word for risk of sounding stilted!) and be sure to prepare a quick little intro in response to "tell me about yourself." It will be the first thing asked in at least 50% of the interviews! It's up to personal preference, but I always like to throw in 1-2 non-academic tidbits at the end of my intro, a fun hobby etc., to humanize myself. 
5. Try to gain all the information you can about the personality of the POI(s) you're interviewing with beforehand. Most are fairly normal in interview settings, but there are some that will ask you strange questions to catch you off guard - I had one of my POIs do this to me! But I knew what to expect when interviewing with him through colleagues and graduate students at my undergrad institution in my area that knew his personality.
6. You'll often get the question "Why do you want to come here? Why this program?" Be creative in your answer! Aside from the obvious research- and course-based answers, try to throw in one reason that's related to the program's location, a novel way in which it's committed to diversity, or potentially some little piece of information that you learned from a graduate student (I know this is much harder when you're not staying with one on-site). This shows something that is of interest or really important to you and it might get a conversation going, for example - you may say the location is perfect for skiing, which you love, and your POI might be an avid skier! 
Best of luck to everyone in their interviews - you've got this!  

Throwing my two cents in as a two-time applicant and first year clinical PhD graduate student:
1. Take a deep breath and remember it's at the most basic level a conversation between two people who are both excited and knowledgeable about research in a given area. Maybe I'm in the minority, but especially before my first interviews of the season, I became incredibly nervous my mind would go blank or I would forget the English language - spoiler, it never happened! My anxiety actually decreased throughout the interview as I realized I could form coherent sentences (haha).
2. To second @PsyDuck90, absolutely prepare a semi-specific potential MA project/PhD thesis. If you have 2+ interview days, someone WILL ask, and I've seen a fair number of posts on here throughout the years about people who were caught off guard and didn't match the specificity that their POI was looking for or who erroneously believed that saying "I'm flexible and open to any project" is a good idea. Nine times out of ten, it isn't. Now, I don't believe most POIs would expect specific methodology and analyses (but never say never!), but a few good research questions and a rough sketch of how you would carry it out is often expected when a POI asks this. Bonus points if you've read enough previous research of your POI's/know enough about their lab to know that the methodology you discuss is possible there!
3. Relatedly, do not compromise your research interests to fit "perfectly" with your POI's. This is a mistake I made in my first application cycle and it's something I believe hindered me from gaining acceptance. Within my general area of interest, I gave slightly different pairs of research interests depending on the POI I was interviewing with. In my second application cycle, I decided that there was one sub-area of my area (forensic psych) that I was truly passionate about and ran with it, even if it didn't fit *perfectly* with POI's interests. Now, one POI straight-up told me in interview that my ideas sounded great but he didn't have access to organizations that I would need to partner with to do the research I wanted. But I appreciated that! Now, if you truly are passionate about multiple areas and there's a logical way they mesh, this might not be applicable to you. But I found that my passion shone through much more the second time around, I felt more confident discussing the literature since I was more familiar with it, and I had stronger research ideas (see point #2).
4. Brainstorm answers to all the sample grad school interview questions you can find online (but don't prepare them word for word for risk of sounding stilted!) and be sure to prepare a quick little intro in response to "tell me about yourself." It will be the first thing asked in at least 50% of the interviews! It's up to personal preference, but I always like to throw in 1-2 non-academic tidbits at the end of my intro, a fun hobby etc., to humanize myself. 
5. Try to gain all the information you can about the personality of the POI(s) you're interviewing with beforehand. Most are fairly normal in interview settings, but there are some that will ask you strange questions to catch you off guard - I had one of my POIs do this to me! But I knew what to expect when interviewing with him through colleagues and graduate students at my undergrad institution in my area that knew his personality.
6. You'll often get the question "Why do you want to come here? Why this program?" Be creative in your answer! Aside from the obvious research- and course-based answers, try to throw in one reason that's related to the program's location, a novel way in which it's committed to diversity, or potentially some little piece of information that you learned from a graduate student (I know this is much harder when you're not staying with one on-site). This shows something that is of interest or really important to you and it might get a conversation going, for example - you may say the location is perfect for skiing, which you love, and your POI might be an avid skier! 
Best of luck to everyone in their interviews - you've got this!  

Throwing my two cents in as a two-time applicant and first year clinical PhD graduate student:
1. Take a deep breath and remember it's at the most basic level a conversation between two people who are both excited and knowledgeable about research in a given area. Maybe I'm in the minority, but especially before my first interviews of the season, I became incredibly nervous my mind would go blank or I would forget the English language - spoiler, it never happened! My anxiety actually decreased throughout the interview as I realized I could form coherent sentences (haha).
2. To second @PsyDuck90, absolutely prepare a semi-specific potential MA project/PhD thesis. If you have 2+ interview days, someone WILL ask, and I've seen a fair number of posts on here throughout the years about people who were caught off guard and didn't match the specificity that their POI was looking for or who erroneously believed that saying "I'm flexible and open to any project" is a good idea. Nine times out of ten, it isn't. Now, I don't believe most POIs would expect specific methodology and analyses (but never say never!), but a few good research questions and a rough sketch of how you would carry it out is often expected when a POI asks this. Bonus points if you've read enough previous research of your POI's/know enough about their lab to know that the methodology you discuss is possible there!
3. Relatedly, do not compromise your research interests to fit "perfectly" with your POI's. This is a mistake I made in my first application cycle and it's something I believe hindered me from gaining acceptance. Within my general area of interest, I gave slightly different pairs of research interests depending on the POI I was interviewing with. In my second application cycle, I decided that there was one sub-area of my area (forensic psych) that I was truly passionate about and ran with it, even if it didn't fit *perfectly* with POI's interests. Now, one POI straight-up told me in interview that my ideas sounded great but he didn't have access to organizations that I would need to partner with to do the research I wanted. But I appreciated that! Now, if you truly are passionate about multiple areas and there's a logical way they mesh, this might not be applicable to you. But I found that my passion shone through much more the second time around, I felt more confident discussing the literature since I was more familiar with it, and I had stronger research ideas (see point #2).
4. Brainstorm answers to all the sample grad school interview questions you can find online (but don't prepare them word for word for risk of sounding stilted!) and be sure to prepare a quick little intro in response to "tell me about yourself." It will be the first thing asked in at least 50% of the interviews! It's up to personal preference, but I always like to throw in 1-2 non-academic tidbits at the end of my intro, a fun hobby etc., to humanize myself. 
5. Try to gain all the information you can about the personality of the POI(s) you're interviewing with beforehand. Most are fairly normal in interview settings, but there are some that will ask you strange questions to catch you off guard - I had one of my POIs do this to me! But I knew what to expect when interviewing with him through colleagues and graduate students at my undergrad institution in my area that knew his personality.
6. You'll often get the question "Why do you want to come here? Why this program?" Be creative in your answer! Aside from the obvious research- and course-based answers, try to throw in one reason that's related to the program's location, a novel way in which it's committed to diversity, or potentially some little piece of information that you learned from a graduate student (I know this is much harder when you're not staying with one on-site). This shows something that is of interest or really important to you and it might get a conversation going, for example - you may say the location is perfect for skiing, which you love, and your POI might be an avid skier! 
Best of luck to everyone in their interviews - you've got this!  

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!

Hey folks, 
With the understanding that not all folks within this forum are living in the U.S., I just wanted to share love and support for those who are challenged and impacted by the events occurring in DC. I hope everyone is finding a moment for wellness and respite right now. Please be kind to yourself, especially while we are still undergoing the admissions process amidst all of the madness. 
 

Throwing my two cents in as a two-time applicant and first year clinical PhD graduate student:
1. Take a deep breath and remember it's at the most basic level a conversation between two people who are both excited and knowledgeable about research in a given area. Maybe I'm in the minority, but especially before my first interviews of the season, I became incredibly nervous my mind would go blank or I would forget the English language - spoiler, it never happened! My anxiety actually decreased throughout the interview as I realized I could form coherent sentences (haha).
2. To second @PsyDuck90, absolutely prepare a semi-specific potential MA project/PhD thesis. If you have 2+ interview days, someone WILL ask, and I've seen a fair number of posts on here throughout the years about people who were caught off guard and didn't match the specificity that their POI was looking for or who erroneously believed that saying "I'm flexible and open to any project" is a good idea. Nine times out of ten, it isn't. Now, I don't believe most POIs would expect specific methodology and analyses (but never say never!), but a few good research questions and a rough sketch of how you would carry it out is often expected when a POI asks this. Bonus points if you've read enough previous research of your POI's/know enough about their lab to know that the methodology you discuss is possible there!
3. Relatedly, do not compromise your research interests to fit "perfectly" with your POI's. This is a mistake I made in my first application cycle and it's something I believe hindered me from gaining acceptance. Within my general area of interest, I gave slightly different pairs of research interests depending on the POI I was interviewing with. In my second application cycle, I decided that there was one sub-area of my area (forensic psych) that I was truly passionate about and ran with it, even if it didn't fit *perfectly* with POI's interests. Now, one POI straight-up told me in interview that my ideas sounded great but he didn't have access to organizations that I would need to partner with to do the research I wanted. But I appreciated that! Now, if you truly are passionate about multiple areas and there's a logical way they mesh, this might not be applicable to you. But I found that my passion shone through much more the second time around, I felt more confident discussing the literature since I was more familiar with it, and I had stronger research ideas (see point #2).
4. Brainstorm answers to all the sample grad school interview questions you can find online (but don't prepare them word for word for risk of sounding stilted!) and be sure to prepare a quick little intro in response to "tell me about yourself." It will be the first thing asked in at least 50% of the interviews! It's up to personal preference, but I always like to throw in 1-2 non-academic tidbits at the end of my intro, a fun hobby etc., to humanize myself. 
5. Try to gain all the information you can about the personality of the POI(s) you're interviewing with beforehand. Most are fairly normal in interview settings, but there are some that will ask you strange questions to catch you off guard - I had one of my POIs do this to me! But I knew what to expect when interviewing with him through colleagues and graduate students at my undergrad institution in my area that knew his personality.
6. You'll often get the question "Why do you want to come here? Why this program?" Be creative in your answer! Aside from the obvious research- and course-based answers, try to throw in one reason that's related to the program's location, a novel way in which it's committed to diversity, or potentially some little piece of information that you learned from a graduate student (I know this is much harder when you're not staying with one on-site). This shows something that is of interest or really important to you and it might get a conversation going, for example - you may say the location is perfect for skiing, which you love, and your POI might be an avid skier! 
Best of luck to everyone in their interviews - you've got this!  

Throwing my two cents in as a two-time applicant and first year clinical PhD graduate student:
1. Take a deep breath and remember it's at the most basic level a conversation between two people who are both excited and knowledgeable about research in a given area. Maybe I'm in the minority, but especially before my first interviews of the season, I became incredibly nervous my mind would go blank or I would forget the English language - spoiler, it never happened! My anxiety actually decreased throughout the interview as I realized I could form coherent sentences (haha).
2. To second @PsyDuck90, absolutely prepare a semi-specific potential MA project/PhD thesis. If you have 2+ interview days, someone WILL ask, and I've seen a fair number of posts on here throughout the years about people who were caught off guard and didn't match the specificity that their POI was looking for or who erroneously believed that saying "I'm flexible and open to any project" is a good idea. Nine times out of ten, it isn't. Now, I don't believe most POIs would expect specific methodology and analyses (but never say never!), but a few good research questions and a rough sketch of how you would carry it out is often expected when a POI asks this. Bonus points if you've read enough previous research of your POI's/know enough about their lab to know that the methodology you discuss is possible there!
3. Relatedly, do not compromise your research interests to fit "perfectly" with your POI's. This is a mistake I made in my first application cycle and it's something I believe hindered me from gaining acceptance. Within my general area of interest, I gave slightly different pairs of research interests depending on the POI I was interviewing with. In my second application cycle, I decided that there was one sub-area of my area (forensic psych) that I was truly passionate about and ran with it, even if it didn't fit *perfectly* with POI's interests. Now, one POI straight-up told me in interview that my ideas sounded great but he didn't have access to organizations that I would need to partner with to do the research I wanted. But I appreciated that! Now, if you truly are passionate about multiple areas and there's a logical way they mesh, this might not be applicable to you. But I found that my passion shone through much more the second time around, I felt more confident discussing the literature since I was more familiar with it, and I had stronger research ideas (see point #2).
4. Brainstorm answers to all the sample grad school interview questions you can find online (but don't prepare them word for word for risk of sounding stilted!) and be sure to prepare a quick little intro in response to "tell me about yourself." It will be the first thing asked in at least 50% of the interviews! It's up to personal preference, but I always like to throw in 1-2 non-academic tidbits at the end of my intro, a fun hobby etc., to humanize myself. 
5. Try to gain all the information you can about the personality of the POI(s) you're interviewing with beforehand. Most are fairly normal in interview settings, but there are some that will ask you strange questions to catch you off guard - I had one of my POIs do this to me! But I knew what to expect when interviewing with him through colleagues and graduate students at my undergrad institution in my area that knew his personality.
6. You'll often get the question "Why do you want to come here? Why this program?" Be creative in your answer! Aside from the obvious research- and course-based answers, try to throw in one reason that's related to the program's location, a novel way in which it's committed to diversity, or potentially some little piece of information that you learned from a graduate student (I know this is much harder when you're not staying with one on-site). This shows something that is of interest or really important to you and it might get a conversation going, for example - you may say the location is perfect for skiing, which you love, and your POI might be an avid skier! 
Best of luck to everyone in their interviews - you've got this!  

Throwing my two cents in as a two-time applicant and first year clinical PhD graduate student:
1. Take a deep breath and remember it's at the most basic level a conversation between two people who are both excited and knowledgeable about research in a given area. Maybe I'm in the minority, but especially before my first interviews of the season, I became incredibly nervous my mind would go blank or I would forget the English language - spoiler, it never happened! My anxiety actually decreased throughout the interview as I realized I could form coherent sentences (haha).
2. To second @PsyDuck90, absolutely prepare a semi-specific potential MA project/PhD thesis. If you have 2+ interview days, someone WILL ask, and I've seen a fair number of posts on here throughout the years about people who were caught off guard and didn't match the specificity that their POI was looking for or who erroneously believed that saying "I'm flexible and open to any project" is a good idea. Nine times out of ten, it isn't. Now, I don't believe most POIs would expect specific methodology and analyses (but never say never!), but a few good research questions and a rough sketch of how you would carry it out is often expected when a POI asks this. Bonus points if you've read enough previous research of your POI's/know enough about their lab to know that the methodology you discuss is possible there!
3. Relatedly, do not compromise your research interests to fit "perfectly" with your POI's. This is a mistake I made in my first application cycle and it's something I believe hindered me from gaining acceptance. Within my general area of interest, I gave slightly different pairs of research interests depending on the POI I was interviewing with. In my second application cycle, I decided that there was one sub-area of my area (forensic psych) that I was truly passionate about and ran with it, even if it didn't fit *perfectly* with POI's interests. Now, one POI straight-up told me in interview that my ideas sounded great but he didn't have access to organizations that I would need to partner with to do the research I wanted. But I appreciated that! Now, if you truly are passionate about multiple areas and there's a logical way they mesh, this might not be applicable to you. But I found that my passion shone through much more the second time around, I felt more confident discussing the literature since I was more familiar with it, and I had stronger research ideas (see point #2).
4. Brainstorm answers to all the sample grad school interview questions you can find online (but don't prepare them word for word for risk of sounding stilted!) and be sure to prepare a quick little intro in response to "tell me about yourself." It will be the first thing asked in at least 50% of the interviews! It's up to personal preference, but I always like to throw in 1-2 non-academic tidbits at the end of my intro, a fun hobby etc., to humanize myself. 
5. Try to gain all the information you can about the personality of the POI(s) you're interviewing with beforehand. Most are fairly normal in interview settings, but there are some that will ask you strange questions to catch you off guard - I had one of my POIs do this to me! But I knew what to expect when interviewing with him through colleagues and graduate students at my undergrad institution in my area that knew his personality.
6. You'll often get the question "Why do you want to come here? Why this program?" Be creative in your answer! Aside from the obvious research- and course-based answers, try to throw in one reason that's related to the program's location, a novel way in which it's committed to diversity, or potentially some little piece of information that you learned from a graduate student (I know this is much harder when you're not staying with one on-site). This shows something that is of interest or really important to you and it might get a conversation going, for example - you may say the location is perfect for skiing, which you love, and your POI might be an avid skier! 
Best of luck to everyone in their interviews - you've got this!  

Throwing my two cents in as a two-time applicant and first year clinical PhD graduate student:
1. Take a deep breath and remember it's at the most basic level a conversation between two people who are both excited and knowledgeable about research in a given area. Maybe I'm in the minority, but especially before my first interviews of the season, I became incredibly nervous my mind would go blank or I would forget the English language - spoiler, it never happened! My anxiety actually decreased throughout the interview as I realized I could form coherent sentences (haha).
2. To second @PsyDuck90, absolutely prepare a semi-specific potential MA project/PhD thesis. If you have 2+ interview days, someone WILL ask, and I've seen a fair number of posts on here throughout the years about people who were caught off guard and didn't match the specificity that their POI was looking for or who erroneously believed that saying "I'm flexible and open to any project" is a good idea. Nine times out of ten, it isn't. Now, I don't believe most POIs would expect specific methodology and analyses (but never say never!), but a few good research questions and a rough sketch of how you would carry it out is often expected when a POI asks this. Bonus points if you've read enough previous research of your POI's/know enough about their lab to know that the methodology you discuss is possible there!
3. Relatedly, do not compromise your research interests to fit "perfectly" with your POI's. This is a mistake I made in my first application cycle and it's something I believe hindered me from gaining acceptance. Within my general area of interest, I gave slightly different pairs of research interests depending on the POI I was interviewing with. In my second application cycle, I decided that there was one sub-area of my area (forensic psych) that I was truly passionate about and ran with it, even if it didn't fit *perfectly* with POI's interests. Now, one POI straight-up told me in interview that my ideas sounded great but he didn't have access to organizations that I would need to partner with to do the research I wanted. But I appreciated that! Now, if you truly are passionate about multiple areas and there's a logical way they mesh, this might not be applicable to you. But I found that my passion shone through much more the second time around, I felt more confident discussing the literature since I was more familiar with it, and I had stronger research ideas (see point #2).
4. Brainstorm answers to all the sample grad school interview questions you can find online (but don't prepare them word for word for risk of sounding stilted!) and be sure to prepare a quick little intro in response to "tell me about yourself." It will be the first thing asked in at least 50% of the interviews! It's up to personal preference, but I always like to throw in 1-2 non-academic tidbits at the end of my intro, a fun hobby etc., to humanize myself. 
5. Try to gain all the information you can about the personality of the POI(s) you're interviewing with beforehand. Most are fairly normal in interview settings, but there are some that will ask you strange questions to catch you off guard - I had one of my POIs do this to me! But I knew what to expect when interviewing with him through colleagues and graduate students at my undergrad institution in my area that knew his personality.
6. You'll often get the question "Why do you want to come here? Why this program?" Be creative in your answer! Aside from the obvious research- and course-based answers, try to throw in one reason that's related to the program's location, a novel way in which it's committed to diversity, or potentially some little piece of information that you learned from a graduate student (I know this is much harder when you're not staying with one on-site). This shows something that is of interest or really important to you and it might get a conversation going, for example - you may say the location is perfect for skiing, which you love, and your POI might be an avid skier! 
Best of luck to everyone in their interviews - you've got this!  

Throwing my two cents in as a two-time applicant and first year clinical PhD graduate student:
1. Take a deep breath and remember it's at the most basic level a conversation between two people who are both excited and knowledgeable about research in a given area. Maybe I'm in the minority, but especially before my first interviews of the season, I became incredibly nervous my mind would go blank or I would forget the English language - spoiler, it never happened! My anxiety actually decreased throughout the interview as I realized I could form coherent sentences (haha).
2. To second @PsyDuck90, absolutely prepare a semi-specific potential MA project/PhD thesis. If you have 2+ interview days, someone WILL ask, and I've seen a fair number of posts on here throughout the years about people who were caught off guard and didn't match the specificity that their POI was looking for or who erroneously believed that saying "I'm flexible and open to any project" is a good idea. Nine times out of ten, it isn't. Now, I don't believe most POIs would expect specific methodology and analyses (but never say never!), but a few good research questions and a rough sketch of how you would carry it out is often expected when a POI asks this. Bonus points if you've read enough previous research of your POI's/know enough about their lab to know that the methodology you discuss is possible there!
3. Relatedly, do not compromise your research interests to fit "perfectly" with your POI's. This is a mistake I made in my first application cycle and it's something I believe hindered me from gaining acceptance. Within my general area of interest, I gave slightly different pairs of research interests depending on the POI I was interviewing with. In my second application cycle, I decided that there was one sub-area of my area (forensic psych) that I was truly passionate about and ran with it, even if it didn't fit *perfectly* with POI's interests. Now, one POI straight-up told me in interview that my ideas sounded great but he didn't have access to organizations that I would need to partner with to do the research I wanted. But I appreciated that! Now, if you truly are passionate about multiple areas and there's a logical way they mesh, this might not be applicable to you. But I found that my passion shone through much more the second time around, I felt more confident discussing the literature since I was more familiar with it, and I had stronger research ideas (see point #2).
4. Brainstorm answers to all the sample grad school interview questions you can find online (but don't prepare them word for word for risk of sounding stilted!) and be sure to prepare a quick little intro in response to "tell me about yourself." It will be the first thing asked in at least 50% of the interviews! It's up to personal preference, but I always like to throw in 1-2 non-academic tidbits at the end of my intro, a fun hobby etc., to humanize myself. 
5. Try to gain all the information you can about the personality of the POI(s) you're interviewing with beforehand. Most are fairly normal in interview settings, but there are some that will ask you strange questions to catch you off guard - I had one of my POIs do this to me! But I knew what to expect when interviewing with him through colleagues and graduate students at my undergrad institution in my area that knew his personality.
6. You'll often get the question "Why do you want to come here? Why this program?" Be creative in your answer! Aside from the obvious research- and course-based answers, try to throw in one reason that's related to the program's location, a novel way in which it's committed to diversity, or potentially some little piece of information that you learned from a graduate student (I know this is much harder when you're not staying with one on-site). This shows something that is of interest or really important to you and it might get a conversation going, for example - you may say the location is perfect for skiing, which you love, and your POI might be an avid skier! 
Best of luck to everyone in their interviews - you've got this!  

1. Make sure you are prepared to discuss anything that's on your CV, especially any posters/presentations. So if you've got something that you presented a few years ago, make sure you refresh your memory. 
2. Be familiar with the current work your POI has put out in recent years. Make sure you have a pitch on what you can bring to their lab. Maybe have an idea or 2 for potential projects, just in case they ask. Why does their work interest you? What skills do you bring to the table? 
3. Be familiar with various aspects of the program overall. Have a good response if/when they ask why this program. Research match is 1 (very) important part of it, but what else about the program do you like? Are there particular practicum placement options you like? Are there specific course offerings that stand out? Outside of the standard curriculum required for APA accreditation that is. Reading through the student handbook (should be available online) is a really good way to assess program culture/policies/expectations/etc. 
4. Have questions. Have questions for your POI, as well as any other faculty, and any current students you may meet with. Make sure these questions aren't easily answered by reading the online written material or the handbook. Use the available information to craft questions that show you have spent time looking into this program and are invested in it. Don't be afraid to ask the same question to multiple people. You can also ask questions about the city/surrounding area, especially to current students. 
5. I cannot stress this enough. Be a person! You are not a robot with 0 personality. While you obviously want to remain professional, be you. You will be in this program for a minimum of 4-5 years. That means the faculty and other students will be engaging with you for a number of years. They are looking for capable, but they are also looking for people they can see themselves working with for 5 years. Being likable goes a long way. I just got my letters of recommendation for my next round of externship applications, and all my letter writers devoted the last paragraph to how likable and responsible and easy to work with I am. I don't think they all unanimously thought that was important to include by accident. People like working with people they like. Be natural and be you, since that's who you'll be for the foreseeable future.

FYI this is actually program dependent. I know people who have applied to a POI's lab who are also their reference. Some schools specifically say that they do not allow this, but not all!

School: University of Notre Dame
Type: PhD
Date of invite: 12/18
Type of invite: Email from POI (prelim w/ grad students and POI)
Interview date(s): Week of 12/21 and/or 12/28
DM for POI: Yes

Current SFU clinical (forensic) grad student here! I would definitely not expect invites to go out until January, us graduate students were given the heads-up that the applicant shortlist will be determined in early January.

Current SFU clinical (forensic) grad student here! I would definitely not expect invites to go out until January, us graduate students were given the heads-up that the applicant shortlist will be determined in early January.

Sorry gang, it doesn't get better after you get accepted either.... I felt the same way last year before I got my admission offer.  Then I felt like I was awesome and amazing and qualified.  Then I met my cohort and immediately felt like a total failure next to some of them. It comes and goes, my mentor tells me to just expect it for years to come. 
  So much of this process is subjective, and dependent upon personality match and presentation.  You could be the most perfect applicant on paper to ever exist, but if their is no cohesion in communication style, interests and personality, it all doesn't matter. Know that you are qualified, beginning scientists, and that when the match is right you will get your offer. You are good enough, you just have to wait and see  

I would second this. I applied straight out of undergrad on my first go and while I did get interviews, I was up against applicants who had their MAs and/or had 3+ years of clinical research coordinator experience at prestigious labs... there's just no comparison. 
I will add, though, that I was accepted with pubs under review and a book chapter in press but nothing in print! I just published my first article in my first semester of grad school, but it was a project from 2018 that I had been working on consistently until now. So it is doable to get accepted with no pubs, as long as you can demonstrate significant research experience and productivity (e.g., pubs under review, multiple conference presentations).

I would second this. I applied straight out of undergrad on my first go and while I did get interviews, I was up against applicants who had their MAs and/or had 3+ years of clinical research coordinator experience at prestigious labs... there's just no comparison. 
I will add, though, that I was accepted with pubs under review and a book chapter in press but nothing in print! I just published my first article in my first semester of grad school, but it was a project from 2018 that I had been working on consistently until now. So it is doable to get accepted with no pubs, as long as you can demonstrate significant research experience and productivity (e.g., pubs under review, multiple conference presentations).

It's definitely rare. Most of the current grad students I've spoken to applied 2-3 times before being accepted. For example, a panel I was recently on about applying to grad school, only 2/5 students got in their first cycle/right after undergrad. 
I wouldn't say its impossible, but def rare. Again, depends on your experiences/research output etc etc