humanisticPOV

I just want to say, basic behavioral theory tells us that ANY attention is reinforcing, even negative attention. Stop giving the trolls the time of day. It's what they want - they want to annoy people, they want to get you riled up. Seriously, just stop giving them the attention they want. Let's treat them like a 4 year old thats acting out for attention cause at this point, it's basically what they are ?

Use as much of it as possible, but I would not by any means go over 500, this is a practical skill as grant applications and paper abstracts are also usually word limited.

Use as much of it as possible, but I would not by any means go over 500, this is a practical skill as grant applications and paper abstracts are also usually word limited.

Unless there was a criminal component to your prior mental health records, it should not appear in a background check as that is protected information between patient and doctor/hospital. I don't think that would be accessible unless you signed release forms allowing your mental health providers to share. 
Unfortunately, very very qualified applicants such as yourself don't get accepted every year. There are just so few spots for so many qualified candidates and it absolutely sucks. The quick rejections were likely just from their first choice taking the offer very quickly upon receiving it. 
As for your past, you clearly got a lot of interest this year as seen in the interviews, and they wouldn't have invited you unless they really thought you would be a great incoming student! At the point of interviews, all the invitees would be qualified and the PI would likely be happy with any of them, and it's more about personality and research fit. Sorry to hear this year didn't work out, but you have a lot of great experience and I have all the faith in you that it will soon!! 

I think that's it for this cycle for me. There's not really a point to this post other than maybe some kind of closure? I've checked this site countless times a day for so many months, but there's no need anymore, not right now anyway. But, I did want to say thank you to everyone who responded to my questions and everyone who has been so inspirational and kind. You all made my first process a little bit easier, so thank you. Might I even dare to say that I'll miss checking this site for awhile. Thank you all, please keep pushing, I am sincerely SO proud of all of you on this site. Go get those degrees! 

Happy New Year and new decade! Here’s hoping we all close out the next decade with a refined sense of who we are, where we want to be, and what we value most in life (And doctoral degrees!) 

Hi everyone, I am currently attending a forensic clinical program and am just finishing up my first semester. I wanted to drop by to give words of encouragement and offer to answer any questions about interviews/applications/etc. since I now have a bit more time.
I was in your shoes last year (and 2 years before that) and remember how nervous I was during the whole winter season. Please remember to take care of yourselves during this VERY stressful time! Even getting to the point of submitting these applications is a HUGE accomplishment that takes a lot of determination and grit. Remember to be proud of yourself for getting to this point!
Lastly, as interview offers roll in, consider checking out this guide, specifically "Section 3. I Just Got an Interview for a Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program What do I do?!" I found it to be incredibly helpful; it talks about what to expect, how to dress, and what kinds of questions to ask. 
http://mitch.web.unc.edu/files/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf
Don't hesitate to reach out for advice/encouragement or with questions about psych programs in NYC. Warmth and light for you all this season! ❤️ 

I would echo justacigar. Also, definitely talk to your DCT and your advisor. Everyone will have different opinions on this. It also depends on what you ideally want to do. From what I've been told, you want to get a sense of the types of internships you may want and reverse engineer your externship experience to get the recommended experience your ideal internships would want. My program suggests a minimum of 500 intervention and 50-100 assessment (unless, you are going into neuro) by the time you apply for internship. This is based on APPIC match stats. Externships are hard in that you are told to get a breadth of experience while also showing a clear progression towards a career path. 

You might want to check out Student Doctor Network for questions like this, I know this site is heavily used by applicants while SDN is used more for those already in programs. 

Current 4th year Clinical Psychology PhD student here. In general, treat the externship application process similar to how you approached applying to graduate programs. Specifically, ask your prospective clinical supervisor questions like:
1. Describe your supervision/teaching model.
2. When is your availability for supervision?
3. What kind of cases can I expect to see in this externship rotation?
4. What types of intervention and assessment opportunities does your site provide?
5. (If doing an assessment rotation) How long do I have to turn in an assessment report?
In general, you need a supervisor who will provide about 15 minutes of supervision for your every 60 minutes of direct patient interaction/contact. Per semester, you also need around 4 hours of direct supervision per APA-accreditation standards (e.g., your supervisor sitting in during one of your therapy sessions, or observing you through a tinted window, or listening to a recording of your session). 
Regarding types of experiences to choose (therapy vs assessment), that really depends on your career goal. If you’re going the neuropsychologist route, you need to primarily focus on assessment work and report writing, though getting a little bit of therapy experience is still important. If you’re more interested in interventions and plan for a clinical or research career focused on interventions, focus on therapy work. And if you’re still undecided, try a balance between therapy and assessment work.
And, whenever possible, ALWAYS ask students about their personal experiences at the externship rotation and with the supervisor – ask if they had any specific issues at the site or with the supervisor, if patients typically showed up for appointments, what were the strengths and weaknesses of the site, etc.
Regarding your letter of interest, make sure you state what your current specific goals are for externship and how this particular site can help satisfy your goal. This again goes back to you knowing what your career goal is (e.g., what types of populations or issues are you most interested in, what type of work do you want to do as a professional, etc) 

Since this site was so helpful for me while applying for programs, I wanted to reach out for advice applying to my first round of externships! What should I look for in sites and interviews? What are things other people included in their letters of interest? Is it better to do just therapy site, just assessment sites, or to find a site with a combination of both?

Ask for skype/video interviews but ultimately go to the one that you care most about

Hi everyone, I am currently attending a forensic clinical program and am just finishing up my first semester. I wanted to drop by to give words of encouragement and offer to answer any questions about interviews/applications/etc. since I now have a bit more time.
I was in your shoes last year (and 2 years before that) and remember how nervous I was during the whole winter season. Please remember to take care of yourselves during this VERY stressful time! Even getting to the point of submitting these applications is a HUGE accomplishment that takes a lot of determination and grit. Remember to be proud of yourself for getting to this point!
Lastly, as interview offers roll in, consider checking out this guide, specifically "Section 3. I Just Got an Interview for a Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program What do I do?!" I found it to be incredibly helpful; it talks about what to expect, how to dress, and what kinds of questions to ask. 
http://mitch.web.unc.edu/files/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf
Don't hesitate to reach out for advice/encouragement or with questions about psych programs in NYC. Warmth and light for you all this season! ❤️ 

Acknowledging that just applying is an accomplishment itself is a really helpful thing to hear. Thanks!

No form of interest, everyone gets those unless your application is not admissible 

Hi everyone, I am currently attending a forensic clinical program and am just finishing up my first semester. I wanted to drop by to give words of encouragement and offer to answer any questions about interviews/applications/etc. since I now have a bit more time.
I was in your shoes last year (and 2 years before that) and remember how nervous I was during the whole winter season. Please remember to take care of yourselves during this VERY stressful time! Even getting to the point of submitting these applications is a HUGE accomplishment that takes a lot of determination and grit. Remember to be proud of yourself for getting to this point!
Lastly, as interview offers roll in, consider checking out this guide, specifically "Section 3. I Just Got an Interview for a Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program What do I do?!" I found it to be incredibly helpful; it talks about what to expect, how to dress, and what kinds of questions to ask. 
http://mitch.web.unc.edu/files/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf
Don't hesitate to reach out for advice/encouragement or with questions about psych programs in NYC. Warmth and light for you all this season! ❤️ 

Thanks for the words of encouragement! It's always nice to be reminded that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that those of us on our second, third, etc. rounds shouldn't be discouraged. The waiting game is incredibly tough, especially for something like this, our literal DREAM and future career path. Congrats on your success so far!

Hi everyone, I am currently attending a forensic clinical program and am just finishing up my first semester. I wanted to drop by to give words of encouragement and offer to answer any questions about interviews/applications/etc. since I now have a bit more time.
I was in your shoes last year (and 2 years before that) and remember how nervous I was during the whole winter season. Please remember to take care of yourselves during this VERY stressful time! Even getting to the point of submitting these applications is a HUGE accomplishment that takes a lot of determination and grit. Remember to be proud of yourself for getting to this point!
Lastly, as interview offers roll in, consider checking out this guide, specifically "Section 3. I Just Got an Interview for a Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program What do I do?!" I found it to be incredibly helpful; it talks about what to expect, how to dress, and what kinds of questions to ask. 
http://mitch.web.unc.edu/files/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf
Don't hesitate to reach out for advice/encouragement or with questions about psych programs in NYC. Warmth and light for you all this season! ❤️ 

Take this with a grain of salt as it's my personal opinion, but if a PhD is your long-term goal, I don't know that I would waste time and money getting a master's degree. I would instead get a full-time research gig and focus on beefing up your application. I got a master's in clinical psychology before realizing I actually wanted and needed a PhD to do the things I wanted to career-wise, and I'll be paying for those MS loans for quite a while. At the end of the day, it's a personal decision, but to me the options are getting paid to do more research or paying to get a degree and do research. 

PSA: As acceptances start to roll in, this is just a friendly reminder to everyone from someone with lots of contract experience, NEVER ACCEPT A POSITION UNTIL YOU HAVE YOUR FUNDING PACKAGE IN WRITING (unless, of course, you are not expecting funding). Even if it is your top choice and you've been dying to go for the last 20 years... I cannot stress enough; get that s**t in writing.  

Hello new friends and colleagues!
The fourth time is the charm. Second (and third and so on...) round folks, don't feel discouraged. If this is what you want and you put in the work, you can do it!
The Backstory Finished undergrad in 2013 Low GPA for a clinical applicant (but from a strong institution) Undergraduate RA experience (and a great rec letter or two) Worked in an area related to my original subfield of interest within clinical psychology (tangential, but very positive rec letter or two) Took GRE (strong scores) Applied in original subfield of interest (1st round)... I get interviews. No offers (2nd round)... I get interviews. I get a waitlist (non-clinical program; no acceptance). I get masters offers. Left job and regrouped life. Consider doing Master's. Got a psychology lab manager job NOT in original subfield of interest and skip an application season to gain skills/experience Applied in original subfield of interest (3rd round)... Had great experience and rec from new job Great interviews!  Waitlist. Same program as waitlisted Round 2. No acceptance. The Pivot Heart to heart with advisor/mentor/PI/boss Supportive and surprised that I haven't gotten accepted "I think you can do it, but I want to make sure you really want it and you don't just think you want it because you keep not getting it." Mind blown. Realize that behind the scenes of my own life, I've been at work, in a new (to me) subspecialty of clinical psychology (the one I'm managing a lab within) and I'm showing great promise and actually have more passion and interest in than I have for the original subspecialty at this point. The Comeback Publications (including 1st authorship in a reputable journal in my new subspecialty) Conference Presentations (Flash Talks and Posters) Graduate Stats Coursework (Regression) Networking!  Don't want to jinx it, but I'm feeling confident and I've already (through the unofficial grapevine) heard some good things. I'm here to cheer myself on and to cheer on all of you!
Here's to months of refreshing your e-mail inbox and the grad cafe results page! 
DM for specifics.

The quietness of Grad Cafe is throwing me off - I remember last year the threads were poppin'. I'm sure once applications are submitted the threads will pick up! 

CLINICAL APPLICANTS: For those applying in the current cycle, make sure you have read this guide! I found the advice invaluable for preparing my applications and going on interviews. It gives great advice on how to choose schools, writing your statements, interviewing tips, and ultimately, making a decision.
http://mitch.web.unc.edu/files/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf

CLINICAL APPLICANTS: For those applying in the current cycle, make sure you have read this guide! I found the advice invaluable for preparing my applications and going on interviews. It gives great advice on how to choose schools, writing your statements, interviewing tips, and ultimately, making a decision.
http://mitch.web.unc.edu/files/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf

Nah, you solid.