TrustedTheProcess

The CARE Lab at Miami is doing a lot of cross-cultural clinical psychology research: https://miamioh.edu/cas/academics/departments/psychology/about/faculty-staff/raval-vaishali/care-lab/

First applied as a college senior at 21 and got in two years later at 23 after working full time!

Good luck everyone! I think those of you with lots of schools on your list are making a good call! I started with 24-25 schools on my list and cut down to 15 and eventually just applied to 12 during the application process. It's way easier to cut rather than add schools!

I would say it's all about how you present your story and your path to research. If there was a lab in your area of interest but you preferred to work at another lab at the same institution for some reason, for example, your POI might question if you were serious about pursuing that field. The more niche your interest, the more understanding your POI would be, I would think, if it is generally harder to get those experiences. Although it's ideal to find a lab that checks off all those boxes, I think that's definitely a good idea to pursue research experiences at a lab that's 1) productive and will allow you to get paper and poster experiences and 2) will teach you statistical and research methodology you hope to use as a grad student. Then, it's all about packaging and how you present and justify those experiences to your POI.

After applying three times, I think the aspects of my application that made the biggest difference the time I got in were: Good undergrad GPA, GRE scores above 85th percentile, excellent LORs (ideally from people you have done research with, not just professors) 8+ manuscript publications and 10+ conference posters (when I interviewed, most of my cohort that got in appeared to have this much) Commitment to research in specific field - all my productive research projects and lab experiences have been specifically in my area of interest. I know a lot of people who have 4+ years of research experience like I had but not all necessarily in labs of their specific research interests. Networking with P.I.s at conferences (particularly in the summer and fall before your application cycle, let them know you will be applying to their specific lab, also I introduced and networked with as many graduate students in those labs as I could) APPLY TO MANY PROGRAMS - I have talked to many grad students and the sweet spot looks to be about 10-13. That may seem like a lot, but with the amount of luck that goes into this process, you need to maximize your chances. It's pretty common to apply to that many and then only get like 3-5 interviews. I have seen lots of people with really good applications but they only apply to 3 schools, which lowers their chances by a LOT. Going off this, my PI asked me to pick a good selection of schools, with different "difficulty levels" of getting in. Obviously with PhDs all are competitive, but some are even more so. For example, some schools have around 700 applicants a year, whereas others have 300 (this could be because of location, renown, etc.). You should also consider average GPA, GRE, research experiences etc. of recent incoming classes and compare how you stand when you consider applying to schools. I picked a selection of schools from a variety of different difficulty levels (I used Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology for this and highly recommend). Keep in mind that if you want to get into a super competitive program - you might need even upto 5 years of post-grad research experience. Also even when ranking these schools PLEASE consider your research fit and interests. A school might match up with your GPA, GRE and have fewer applicants, but a PI will not interview you if your research interests don't fit pretty well. If you all have any questions about this feel free to PM me! When I asked PIs something they were looking for in potential grad students, something some of them said was "resilience". Academia can chew you up and spit you out in a lot of ways, so it's important to keep trying if this is your passion. Good luck everyone and don't lose hope!

I will also be attending Miami University's PhD program PM me if you want to connect!

Speaking as someone who worked for two years before being accepted, DON'T BE AFRAID TO COLD EMAIL PROFESSORS YOU LIKE. I literally thought my current PI's research was cool, so I emailed her, sent her my CV and cover letter, interviewed, and was offered a research assistant position that turned into a research trial coordinator position. She wasn't advertising the position or anything, so keep in mind sometimes you just need to email people rather than waiting for a formal posting on a website. I have super niche interests as well, so this worked well for me.

Based on your stats, I would say you don't have to pursue to MA, especially if it's not directly in the field you want to go into. I would say work for a few years, get more productive research outcomes i.e. publications, posters, etc. and maybe work full time in a productive research lab with these opportunities. You have a good GPA and undergrad background in psych, and I personally think a masters is only worth it to improve your GPA before applying. Additionally, there are many research grants that you only qualify for your first year of graduate studies, and I know people that did masters before a phd program that regretted this decisions as they were ineligible to apply for these. My current PI/boss really turned me away from doing a masters and says often it just puts people in debt and productive research opportunities are not guaranteed. Hope that helps and feel free to PM me if you have any questions! I worked full time for 2 years before applying and getting into a Phd program.

I was out at brunch with my boyfriend, his family, and my family when I got the news! The entire restaurant was so confused at why our table suddenly erupted in applause, happy tears, and hugging haha, it couldn't have been more perfect!

I think you have great credentials, but getting more posters and papers should definitely be your focus before applying to graduate school. Considering your good credentials and GPA, I wouldn't consider a masters program as a fallback. I would apply to lab manager/study coordinator/research assistant positions that would give you opportunities to present at conferences and get on papers. Feel free to PM me if you want, I was a lab manager for two years before getting into a PhD program. I applied as a senior in college and didn't get in, likely because I was missing out on those papers and posters. Hope that helps!

At least in clinical psychology, most PIs will want to get an external candidate to diversify their lab. My PI was pretty open about that, and I was her lab manager for two years before applying to PhD programs. Her connections and influence were SO helpful to me as I applied, but unfortunately there is a stigma against "breeding your own graduate students" in your own lab among PIs, so an external candidate is preferable. Hope that's helpful!

Beyond thrilled I was offered a fellowship at my top choice off the waitlist! Good luck to other that are waiting as well!

I would just attach a CV, talk about why you would like to work with them, and what kind of experience you're trying to get. I got my current lab manager job by being hired on as an RA this way and then promoted

Honestly this makes a lot of sense. I wasn't going to email until I started getting advise that maybe I should. I will just wait it out though, I think. I just more wanted to express that I was still interested and hadn't accepted an offer elsewhere.

I have been on the waitlist for one program for about a month. Some people are advising that I should politely ask the POI for an update. Any advice on how to do this without seeming pushy? This would be for my top choice ?