chopper.wife

Like the subject: "OISE would like your help!"... OK well I would like OISE's help in relieving my state of uncertainty!!

I think typically "short-list" means you are likely to be invited to the open house or a more formal interview, and "waitlist" means that you are a backup option in the event other students decline. I could be mistaken though

Like the subject: "OISE would like your help!"... OK well I would like OISE's help in relieving my state of uncertainty!!

OISE just sent an applicant survey and it scared me

Hahaha so relatable re: jumping to conclusions. Somehow this process has made me into the most superstitious/speculative person of all time.

Like the subject: "OISE would like your help!"... OK well I would like OISE's help in relieving my state of uncertainty!!

Like the subject: "OISE would like your help!"... OK well I would like OISE's help in relieving my state of uncertainty!!

Like the subject: "OISE would like your help!"... OK well I would like OISE's help in relieving my state of uncertainty!!

Like the subject: "OISE would like your help!"... OK well I would like OISE's help in relieving my state of uncertainty!!

Yes exactly, it scared me too

I feel for this...my spouse and I both intend to pursue doctoral programs, albeit in very different fields. It's made selecting schools/areas that align with our individual AND mutual goals...difficult. Inevitably, we both end up having to sacrifice something, namely potential programs.

I can really resonate with that. Our lease is up in April and I'm not sure whether I should be looking at month-to-month, sublets, etc. and where, because it is possible I would have to leave in August if I get into a program. I also graduate from my masters program in May, and I'm wondering how I should spend the summer. I'm interviewing for part time jobs right now but I feel shitty that I might need to leave them in a few months, and... yeah. I guess I'm just uncomfortable with the state of not knowing where I'm going to be physically located and where I'll need to try to put roots down. It's like I'm in limbo and I hate being in a constant state of transition.

Yep. My partner has been with me through all my undergraduate and post-bac years (trials, tribulations, moves across the country, miseries, highs, lows, all in between)... This has been a wild journey, for the both of us. I will need this support and partnership, on steroids, all throughout grad school LOL
And long-distance sucks so f$%king much, btw, definitely not trying to do that again at all!

Totally overwhelming. It's part of applications/acceptances/rejections that I think often gets ignored/overlooked because of how hard everyone has worked to get to where they are. It can feel so trivial to be distressed about moving away or finding a new place to live within your means, but GOOD GRIEF am I ever emotionally drained thinking about it all.

Especially when you have a partner, who also has a career... and so you're juggling/considering a million things at once, because any decision directly impacts his/her career.  
I TOO AM SO MF EMOTIONALLY DRAINED, let me wrap up these interviews lord I can't have anxieties in so many directions at once lmfao ?

Totally overwhelming. It's part of applications/acceptances/rejections that I think often gets ignored/overlooked because of how hard everyone has worked to get to where they are. It can feel so trivial to be distressed about moving away or finding a new place to live within your means, but GOOD GRIEF am I ever emotionally drained thinking about it all.

To add to what @checkingmyemailhas said, you often cannot even register to be a psychologist (which is what this person seems interested in) if you don’t have foundational courses in psychology. Many clinical programs specify the minimum coursework in psychology required to apply, which would take at least a couple years to complete. Not only that, but I can’t see how OP would know that they want to be in a clinical program without any foundational knowledge beyond psychoanalysis/the 20th century and no contemporary understanding of the field. To me this suggests that OP is not familiar with the field at all nor does he/she know what most psych PhD programs (not only clinical) entail.
OP, you should also keep in mind that a 3.4 GPA is pretty low for clinical programs; the students you will be competig with for a spot typically have higher than a 3.5, with a psych degree, and research experience.
All that said, it’s not impossible for you to get in to a clinical program with some post-bacc coursework and research experience, but maybe take some time to look into the contemporary field of psychology and see if it interests you before committing to more coursework and research experience.

SFU invites have I believe all been sent out!
My understanding is that Skype interview offers were sent out yesterday so if you have not heard from SFU yet, I am truly sorry but don't fret if you only applied to SFU, definitely try again the next year!. One note, I know one of the profs received nearly 60 applications from which they probably invited 3...and some profs invited 6 ...so honestly, it is luck of the draw! ...I know that prof that received the 60, will prob invite a ton more next year so my point is, definitely email your POIs in advance and if that is not possible, know that the number of invites changes from year to year ...and then the number students they accept changes too, some years they take 1 student, some none and some 2-3.
If you have any questions about your upcoming interviews at UBC/SFU, feel free to give me a shout as per I will do my best to give you some insight

The field has greatly moved away from psychoanalysis, and more towards cognitive-behavioral frameworks. That said, if you want to "help people for a living" (To me this sounds like you want to provide therapy? Ongoing counseling?) a Ph.D. degree in Clinical Psychology is not needed. Clinical psychologists are much more than just therapists. You can achieve this goal by pursuing practice-oriented Master-level routes (Masters in Social Work, LMSW, Masters in Mental Health Counseling, Licensed Professional Counselor, etc.).
Based on what you've shared above, I would strongly recommend for you to complete a post-bac and/or Master's level program in General Psychology, at the very least, so you have foundational knowledge in psychology. If you decide you still want to pursue doctoral studies, my additional recommendation would be for you to spend a year or two volunteering in clinical research laboratories that align with your clinical interests so you get first hand experience of what it's like to work in/contribute directly to psychological research. 

Yes!!! I feel like you mostly see acceptances/successes on this website, which makes those who have been rejected feel more alone when, in fact, they aren't. I will be part of this pact to normalize rejection and will let ya'll know if/when I am rejected! Thank you @higaisha for saying this!

Just commenting to say I laughed at "frickity FRACK" and can relate to the feeling!!

Hi! I've had a couple interviews and wanted to share some details that may be helpful to some. As far as dress goes, these were clinical psych phd interviews, and every single person in attendance was in a pantsuit. For women, most wore flats and a wide assortment of blouses.
One interview experience was full of more structured interview questions including:
1. Why should we pick you personally over other qualified candidates
2. What are your greatest strengths and room for improvement
3. Describe a time you had conflict at work and what you did, if anything, to resolve it
4. Describe what role you play in a team
as well as the usual questions to describe my research experiences, what I am interested in, and how I became interested in the field.
 
For the next interview day, nearly every single interview was almost entirely just a back-and-forth dialogue in which I asked most of the questions. 
Some of the few actual interview questions included:
1. What are my research experiences, and in what way do I think these tie into my mentor's research
2. What accomplishment am I most proud of
3. What do I do to cope when I am in over my head
4. What do I think would be the biggest challenge for me in graduate school
5. What would my dream project be if I did not have to worry about funding, resources, etc.
6. Why did I apply to this specific program
7. What experiences do I have with scientific writing (I do not have any publications, so they wanted to know about other experiences such as class papers)
 
 

Ok so I think I need to find a way to block gradcafe from my browser for like a day... I swear when this whole process is over I will STILL be checking every 30 minutes out of habit. Because, you know, knowing about one of the schools I applied to contacting applicants RIGHT NOW is so much more important than getting shit done in my day ?

See you there!!

Ok so I think I need to find a way to block gradcafe from my browser for like a day... I swear when this whole process is over I will STILL be checking every 30 minutes out of habit. Because, you know, knowing about one of the schools I applied to contacting applicants RIGHT NOW is so much more important than getting shit done in my day ?