chopper.wife

I would add that it's also sometimes a case of serendipity/right fit at the right time. The factors playing in to why some people are admitted and others are not can be inconsistent and unpredictable. It could be the case that the POIs you applied to had students who they already had connections with apply to them, their pile of applicants was stronger than previous years and they could only choose 1 or 2, etc. Of course, strengthening your application and CV are always going to help you out in the long run, and I would suggest trying again next year! Particularly if you have a pub in the works and can continue working within research. Try your best not to take it personally, and keep in mind there is always a lot of moving parts involved with getting accepted or rejected!

I took a year off and know a few people who are taking 2+ years off. This is my first time applying though, so keep that in mind. I think a lot of students feel pressure to apply right away but I actually think taking some time off is to your benefit, especially if you’re feeling a little burnt out from your undergrad. The only scenario where it is not beneficial is if you don’t work on strengthening your CV in the time you take off. The application process itself can be a lot of work and stressful, so giving yourself time to prepare everything is not a bad thing. Give this article a read, it definitely put me at ease with taking time off: https://cpa.ca/cpasite/UserFiles/Documents/students/Psynopsis32(2)ii.pdf

Amazing! Congrats and I look forward to meeting you :)!

Yayyy!!!! School: University of Calgary Type: MA/PhD Clinical Psychology Date of Invite: Jan. 9/2019 Type of invite: Email from graduate program administrator to attend open house Interview date(s): Feb. 8-9th POI: pm me

I haven’t yet but heard from a faculty member that they were still reviewing applications on Friday and most PIs hadn’t yet received applications from the department. I’d guess by end of the week this week/beginning of next we may start to hear back

Thank you for this!! It’s nice to have an idea of what to expect timeline wise!

I’m thinking/hoping for next week, since last year the first week of January was basically a full week back (if that makes sense)!

Probably just continue to work as a coordinator and try to bulk up my publications. Part of me thinks this wouldn't actually be the worst-case scenario, because it would give me another year of not having the stress of school, saving some money, and being able to keep doing without the coursework. Obviously I would rather get in to a program though!

My coordinator position was posted in September on the university job board. I’d recommend checking job boards for institutions you’re interested in, in addition to (as others have suggested) contacting various labs/supervisors whose research interests align strongly with your research experience. I think CV-wise for a lab manager position, you should have experience as an RA at the very least, but it depends on the supervisor. Another thing that was super helpful for me was volunteering in different labs and discuss your interest in an RA position to grad students in the lab. They often are aware of other labs looking for RAs or lab managers. Best of luck! I think taking a gap year to solidify research experience is super wise because it gives you some time out of school and finesses your CV, making you a more competitive applicant.

I'm also waiting to see if I get interviews before applying (with the exception of York, which was just a single "Part A" form to fill out if you already applied for CGS)! I also found it super confusing and, being that the deadline is after I would expect to hear back from schools, figured waiting was probably the best choice ?

Oh! Exciting! Did you by chance apply to the clinical developmental program?

I didn't apply to Dalhousie, but I am curious to know who you applied to. Can you DM me your POI's initials? Thanks!

I haven't yet, but plan to only let one of them know in January about my submission because, when I had e-mailed him initially, he told me to email him in mid January to "alert him" to my file. Which, now that I am typing this and processing the info, likely means I won't hear back from this particular program until mid-January or later... blah

Gotta admit... whenever I see that this thread has a recent post, I get mildly afraid people are being contacted! From those I have spoken with who are either in clinical programs currently, or made it through interviews last year, most POIs don't call out of the blue. Realistically, if they did, you would be completely in your right to let them know you are currently busy and make a plan to reschedule an interview. Alternatively, let unknown calls go to voicemail. I don't think that would hurt your chances of getting in to a program, and if it did, I would question whether you even wanted to work with someone who expects you to interview on the spot without notice and penalizes you if you are busy.

I have heard mixed things about quant scores as well. Definitely depends on the school, but I know of some who say that they focus more heavily on your grades in your stats courses than they do your quant score (and this was information from a very research-intensive PI on the admissions committee).

I think it depends on the person -- I have profs who have made a point to say that they appreciate me reminding them because they would have forgotten otherwise. That being said, every 3 days is a little excessive. I recommend sending three reminders max, and the last one should be on the day before the letter is due.

I'm doing similar -- bottles of wine for all of them with the exception of one who is pregnant -- I think I will get her a nice book, since we would often discuss our favourite reads, or maybe a gift card to the movies or something.

It will vary by institution and by supervisor. I have heard of supervisors personally contacting applicants very soon after the deadline, but other PI's from the same institution not contacting anyone until the new year. So, even if you hear of someone else getting contacted personally, don't assume that is bad news for you! I applied to one program with a Nov 15th deadline and 3 others with Dec 1 deadlines and haven't heard from either yet. I don't really expect to until the New Year, but waiting is definitely hard!

Hi everyone, I also submitted all my applications. Kind of anticlimactic to have put in all that crazy work and just wait! I also applied for SSHRC and scholarships, so fingers are crossed for those as well. I applied to 4 Canadian schools primarily based on match with a PI. No word back yet, but I don't expect anything until after the new year. I think (maybe) those hearing back already applied to American institutions and not Canadian, but I also have heard of some PI's doing a quick phone interview on their own before then. I wouldn't worry about not hearing back until February or so though.