humanisticPOV

Congrats to all those that got invites today/over the weekend! Those who got invites from the University of Miami, would you PM me your PI's initials if you're comfortable? Thanks!

http://mitch.web.unc.edu/files/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf Asking questions to your potential advisor is an important step of the process! Check out pages 30-31 of this document for some great ideas and I’m sure more will come to you Congrats on your interview!

In my experience it is totally random! I once recieved an interview by email on Christmas eve at 6pm and for another I got a phone call at 8:00 am two weeks after christmas (neither were for Notre Dame) but I wouldn't expect the time-of-day of notification to stay the same from year to year.

In my experience it depends on the size of that professor's lab! If they have a large lab and adequate funding, they likely take 1-2 students per year. Some others are much smaller and can only take 1 student every 1-2 years. But there are so many other factors that affect this (i.e. the professor might be taking some time off next year, one of their grad students didn't end up graduating on time, etc.) it's pretty hard to tell who will be taking students next cycle. I'd recommend emailing that PI when the app season ends and inquiring about their lab

If I were you I would put off applying to PhD programs until you have more substantial research experience. Like the other poster mentioned, PhD is a research degree and research experience and presentations/publications are the most important part of your application. Competitive psychology PhD applicants typically have 2 years of direct psychology research experience and AT LEAST 1 publication or presentation (on top of good GRE scores/GPA/Recommendations etc.) Be aware that many in this field endure multiple rounds of grad applications and interviews before gaining acceptance to a program (this is my third round of applications). An option to consider would be a PsyD which is more clinical focused and would require less research experience (though more costly than a PhD) and an MSW, since LCSWers do most of the work in the field anyways! If PhD is truly what your heart desires, take some time to build up your application with more research experience and ensure you are a competitive applicant before spending the thousands of dollars it takes to apply. Also, take a look at this document for some REALLY detailed and helpful information about applying to graduate psychology programs http://mitch.web.unc.edu/files/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf Best wishes!

Just got a "Happy Holidays" generic email form U Alabama with absolutely nothing but a snowy picture that says "happy holidays from U of Alabama Graduate school".... nearly gave me a heart attack. Is it just me or is it cruel to send something like that right now when we're all waiting for interview notifications?!? ?

The majority of schools do not start reviewing applications until after the end of the semester or after Christmas. I'm not expecting to hear back from any of my schools until the last week of December at the earliest! Patience is key

Agreed! 300 combined would be a minimum to even be considered for some schools but definitely not a competitive score. Some of the reach schools have admitted student GRE averages in the 90th percentile. Does anyone know what is considered a competitive score for the Psych GRE? I saw that SDSU's average Psych GRE for admitted students was in the 90th percentile, but that seems really high to me considering the average Psych GRE score for licensed clinical psychologists is in the 60th percentile....

Many schools require a combined score of at least 300 (new scoring procedure) to be considered but there are also schools that specifically say there is no required cutoff. Check with the specific program!

Most programs consider applicants on a holistic basis; if you have low GRE scores but make up for it in another area (i.e. LOTS of research experience, great recommendations, etc.) you may still have a chance at getting in. This is my third application cycle and I've retaken the GRE each year, scored higher, and then still haven't gotten in (on top of having high undergrad and masters GPAs, good recs, and 3 years experience in an experimental psychology lab). Seems to really be a case by case basis! Don't give up hope, it takes most people multiple application cycles to get an offer.

Would you mind sharing your PIs initials? Thanks!

For those that heard from U of Alabama (Tuscaloosa), who was your PI and do you know if they offered all of there in-person interviews or if they were just conducting some preliminary phone interviews for certain PIs? Thanks! (me checking my email every time I see results for my schools)

Mine says "Admissions Initial Processing Completed (AIPC) received." and I also received a confirmation email that my application was "complete" after my final LOR was submitted. I think the AIPC is something they do on their end though, not your responsibility