ventiamericano

Hi there! I totally agree with what everyone has said so far re: getting more research experience, going back and doing a Psych-oriented undergrad, as well as racking up your GPA as much as possible. I can't stress enough how important these three pieces are in your application - when applying to Clinical psych, you're entering a pool of applicants who have been aiming towards this goal for YEARS. That means, they have already done an undergrad in Psych (or sometimes even a Master's in another relevant field such as stats), probably have a killer GPA as well as years and years of research experience, publications, etc. It wouldn't be fair to yourself (or your application) if you didn't pull enough time out to adequately address each part. The chances each year get slimmer and slimmer (no exaggeration lol) because the pool gets more competitive. 
However, I came specifically to comment on this post (and add my two cents) on your reasons for pursuing Clinical. While it is true that you will receive rigorous and gold-standard training in clinical settings, this program is NOT (and I really want to stress the not) geared for individuals who just want to be a clinician. There are many college programs out there that are way more well-suited for people who want to be a clinician - social work, counseling and therapy programs etc. Being honest with you, if you really want to "help" people, this is where your energy is best used. There's a misconception going around that Clinical psych is somehow the only way to practice therapy or interact closely with patients with debilitating mental disorders and that is so not true. Mental health nurses to occupational therapists to social workers etc (you get it) - they are ALL professions that work closely with these populations and they are really the people that "help". 
PhD programs (especially in the states) are EXTREMELY research-intensive and there's almost a push to produce more academics than people who will work more in the clinical setting. I'm Canadian so our programs are slightly more towards 60% research and 40% clinical practice, but there is again more of an encouragement for people in this program to move towards research/academia then there is the other way around. This is because the level of education along with the intensity of research training you're receiving would be (for lack of better words) "wasted" on someone who wanted to go strictly into clinical practice. In the words of one of my supervisors, "Clinical psych grads are made for academia or they are made to be expert consultants who foresee multiple clinical practices and inform treatment/prevention practices in these settings". Essentially, with the amount of work you're putting in and with the level of expertise you come out with, you are crafted to be a scientist or someone who is making/informing treatment/prevention/intervention practices on a high level. Not saying you wouldn't ever get clinical exposure in either realm, but that exposure might be less than you'd like.  Again, I don't mean my post to sound harsh but it just seems like your passion is to really be more involved at the hands-on level with patients, and I just want to stress (alongside my peers here) that there are more fast-tracked ways of doing that than to sign yourself up for what is basically hell for 5+ years LOL. 
ALSO, I want to finish off with this: if you do decide to apply to Clinical, I would reaaaaaallly stray away from mentioning mental health issues (within either yourself or your family) as motivating factors for pursuing this line of research. I have consulted MANY people on this, from PIs to grad students, and they say that mentioning personal facets like that is a huge turn-off for grad school committees/POIs. Your motivating factor for pursuing Clinical grad studies should be that you love the area of research and you can see yourself building on it, not that you were inspired based on your own experiences. I want to stress that there's nothing wrong with that being one of your motivations, and I'm glad that you had such good experiences with the mental health system that you see yourself in it, but you want to stray away from mentioning this to your supervisors/fellow peers. 

https://psychology.unl.edu/psichi/Graduate_School_Application_Kisses_of_Death.pdf

Unfortunately, I don't think that will be the case. While "good" general GRE scores are subject to individual opinion a lot of the time, subject GRE scores tend to not be because they are completely psych-based. Since you are applying to a psych-oriented graduate program, presumably with an undergraduate psych degree, low scores might cause some red flags to come up. Think about it this way, a lot of what was tested on the subject GRE was information that was taught in first-year psych courses - while there are MANY reasons why someone would score low on this test (test-day anxiety etc), supervisors will look past that and just think it's odd that you scored any lower than 90th percentile. I'm sure you could look it up and find the stats, but I believe most applicants naturally do score within that range given the material that's being tested. Supervisors and grad students have said to me that any score that's lower than that would be considered 'odd'. In the face of stellar grades, extremely comprehensive research experience and a few publications, this may not make that much of a dent. But that's really taking a chance. If I were in your place, and I had time, I would 100% take it again and try to aim within the 90th + region. 

Ditto that 110% ^^ And given that your Psych GPA is so high but your Psych GRE scores are low....it would be a red flag. They might think it's grade inflation at your university and greater scrutinize your application.
I've been told you can honestly just find any Intro to Psych textbook, study hard for a week, and then take the Psych GRE and score within the 90th+ percentile. You want to hit ideally 95th or higher. Its doable--all my friends were able to reach this target no problem. I would just say study harder and now that you know how the test works, you may be less anxious during the test  Good luck!

Unfortunately, I don't think that will be the case. While "good" general GRE scores are subject to individual opinion a lot of the time, subject GRE scores tend to not be because they are completely psych-based. Since you are applying to a psych-oriented graduate program, presumably with an undergraduate psych degree, low scores might cause some red flags to come up. Think about it this way, a lot of what was tested on the subject GRE was information that was taught in first-year psych courses - while there are MANY reasons why someone would score low on this test (test-day anxiety etc), supervisors will look past that and just think it's odd that you scored any lower than 90th percentile. I'm sure you could look it up and find the stats, but I believe most applicants naturally do score within that range given the material that's being tested. Supervisors and grad students have said to me that any score that's lower than that would be considered 'odd'. In the face of stellar grades, extremely comprehensive research experience and a few publications, this may not make that much of a dent. But that's really taking a chance. If I were in your place, and I had time, I would 100% take it again and try to aim within the 90th + region. 

Has anyone heard back about OGS? Not sure if the notification dates will be the same for each school, but figured I would ask!

For OGS, I heard back from UOttawa in December and Guelph last week (both waitlisted). Waterloo & UWO be reporting soon, York releases results in May, and UofT/OISE releases results in July. 

As a clinical student finishing my 1st year, just take this time to relax. Read anything your PI gives you, but otherwise do all the things you won't have time to do in a few months. Enjoy the summer. You will be spending a minimum of 4-6 years eating, sleeping, and breathing psych and stats. You don't need to do it now. 

Hi! I think this is a great thread to have up and running, as I feel like we all have a few individual learning experiences that would be helpful to share for those applying next cycle.
In terms of background, I think it would be important to keep in mind that I am a Canadian applicant, so although I think what I have to say is pretty transferrable for all types of applicants, it might be different for those in the US/other countries. I also didn't apply to any Counseling/PsyD programs, and only applied to PhD Clinical Psychology programs. This was my first time applying; I applied to five schools and interviewed at two of them. I ended up with rejections from 4/5 schools and acceptance from one, which was my top choice so I accepted there without any hesitation. It was a pretty crazy ride but I think I learned a lot of valuable lessons that have really changed my perspective on the whole application process (for the better). See below:
I echo @FeministPsychologist here and will say again that: rejections do not determine your self-worth and are not indicative of your potential, like at all. The fact that many Psychology applicants are rejected at multiple schools before being accepted somewhere speaks to this - capability is not mutually exclusive with rejection. The entire application process is so dependent on luck and at the end of the day, it all depends on how well you mesh with one person (i.e., your POI). Just because the fit's not there with them, doesn't mean that other supervisors would also feel the same way. The minute I stopped taking rejections so easily, my mental health surrounding the process was at such a better place. To all applicants applying next round, please remember this. Rejections happen to all of us, and will most likely happen given the competitive nature of this field. Shake each rejection off and don't take it personally - there are reasons why it didn't work out and those reasons could be anywhere from lack of funding at that school to your POI having someone else in mind from the get-go (which happen so often). Literally, look yourself in the mirror and say "rejections don't define me" until it sticks, LOL. Apply to as many schools and POIs as you can without sacrificing too much of your research interests.  This. Some would think I'm absolutely crazy for only applying to five schools (one POI at each lol), but unfortunately, my research area is extremely niche and I applied to the only schools in Canada that had researchers in my field. I ended up lucking out, however, there was a LOT of anxiety when 4/5 schools rejected me and my fate was hanging on one school LOL. This was extremely stressful, to say the least, so I recommend applying to as many schools as you can. However, I really don't recommend forfeiting your interests or making them so malleable that you lose what you really care about. Grad school is a long ride my friends, and it would suck to study something you don't care about. Which brings me to my next point... Make sure you REALLY want it before you apply. This application process is way too stressful to just do it to do it... If this wasn't the only career path I wanted, I would've opted out so quick LOL. Especially for clinical applicants, make sure your goals can't be achieved by pursuing other degrees like social work etc before applying. Make sure that the specific aims of a PhD Clinical Psychology program are what you really, really want. I think a lot of people go into these PhD programs with the thought process of that they can only work with clinical populations or deliver therapy with a Clinical Psych degree and that is so not true. If being a clinician is all you care about, opt for a psychotherapy program that's literally half the amount of years/effort. Your wallet and psyche will thank you, haha. This one (aside from the first) was probably the biggest lesson I learned - just because you know your POI personally, does not mean they owe you anything. At a few of the schools I applied to, I had already worked with the POI previously and developed a good working (and personal) relationship. I interviewed with some of them (ended up being rejected) and wasn't even given an interview opportunity by one of them. This was really hard for me to swallow at first, and made me doubt everything. If someone who knew me didn't want me, how would I get in with anyone else? But the thing is, just because you dedicated some volunteer time at a POI's lab doesn't mean they owe you anything - not even a second glance at your application. With an application process as competitive as this, that's literally just not possible to expect them to forfeit spots from other capable applicants to you, just because you already have a working relationship. Again, with the rejection piece, so many factors roll into this. They've already mentored you, so it's possible that they think there's nothing else to teach you. Or, simply, they just vibed with another applicant better. At the end of the day, each of these supervisors wrote and edited my SOPs as well as my funding applications, and all my references. They wouldn't have done that if they didn't think I was capable. As soon as I realized that, I stopped beating myself up. However, this was a really important piece to helping me re-conceptualize the entire application process. Ok, rant over haha. At the end of the day, this is an extremely crazy and stressful process. Make sure you really want it before you apply and as said before, congratulate yourself for each application and each day you don't go crazy LOL. You can do this! 

Hi! I think this is a great thread to have up and running, as I feel like we all have a few individual learning experiences that would be helpful to share for those applying next cycle.
In terms of background, I think it would be important to keep in mind that I am a Canadian applicant, so although I think what I have to say is pretty transferrable for all types of applicants, it might be different for those in the US/other countries. I also didn't apply to any Counseling/PsyD programs, and only applied to PhD Clinical Psychology programs. This was my first time applying; I applied to five schools and interviewed at two of them. I ended up with rejections from 4/5 schools and acceptance from one, which was my top choice so I accepted there without any hesitation. It was a pretty crazy ride but I think I learned a lot of valuable lessons that have really changed my perspective on the whole application process (for the better). See below:
I echo @FeministPsychologist here and will say again that: rejections do not determine your self-worth and are not indicative of your potential, like at all. The fact that many Psychology applicants are rejected at multiple schools before being accepted somewhere speaks to this - capability is not mutually exclusive with rejection. The entire application process is so dependent on luck and at the end of the day, it all depends on how well you mesh with one person (i.e., your POI). Just because the fit's not there with them, doesn't mean that other supervisors would also feel the same way. The minute I stopped taking rejections so easily, my mental health surrounding the process was at such a better place. To all applicants applying next round, please remember this. Rejections happen to all of us, and will most likely happen given the competitive nature of this field. Shake each rejection off and don't take it personally - there are reasons why it didn't work out and those reasons could be anywhere from lack of funding at that school to your POI having someone else in mind from the get-go (which happen so often). Literally, look yourself in the mirror and say "rejections don't define me" until it sticks, LOL. Apply to as many schools and POIs as you can without sacrificing too much of your research interests.  This. Some would think I'm absolutely crazy for only applying to five schools (one POI at each lol), but unfortunately, my research area is extremely niche and I applied to the only schools in Canada that had researchers in my field. I ended up lucking out, however, there was a LOT of anxiety when 4/5 schools rejected me and my fate was hanging on one school LOL. This was extremely stressful, to say the least, so I recommend applying to as many schools as you can. However, I really don't recommend forfeiting your interests or making them so malleable that you lose what you really care about. Grad school is a long ride my friends, and it would suck to study something you don't care about. Which brings me to my next point... Make sure you REALLY want it before you apply. This application process is way too stressful to just do it to do it... If this wasn't the only career path I wanted, I would've opted out so quick LOL. Especially for clinical applicants, make sure your goals can't be achieved by pursuing other degrees like social work etc before applying. Make sure that the specific aims of a PhD Clinical Psychology program are what you really, really want. I think a lot of people go into these PhD programs with the thought process of that they can only work with clinical populations or deliver therapy with a Clinical Psych degree and that is so not true. If being a clinician is all you care about, opt for a psychotherapy program that's literally half the amount of years/effort. Your wallet and psyche will thank you, haha. This one (aside from the first) was probably the biggest lesson I learned - just because you know your POI personally, does not mean they owe you anything. At a few of the schools I applied to, I had already worked with the POI previously and developed a good working (and personal) relationship. I interviewed with some of them (ended up being rejected) and wasn't even given an interview opportunity by one of them. This was really hard for me to swallow at first, and made me doubt everything. If someone who knew me didn't want me, how would I get in with anyone else? But the thing is, just because you dedicated some volunteer time at a POI's lab doesn't mean they owe you anything - not even a second glance at your application. With an application process as competitive as this, that's literally just not possible to expect them to forfeit spots from other capable applicants to you, just because you already have a working relationship. Again, with the rejection piece, so many factors roll into this. They've already mentored you, so it's possible that they think there's nothing else to teach you. Or, simply, they just vibed with another applicant better. At the end of the day, each of these supervisors wrote and edited my SOPs as well as my funding applications, and all my references. They wouldn't have done that if they didn't think I was capable. As soon as I realized that, I stopped beating myself up. However, this was a really important piece to helping me re-conceptualize the entire application process. Ok, rant over haha. At the end of the day, this is an extremely crazy and stressful process. Make sure you really want it before you apply and as said before, congratulate yourself for each application and each day you don't go crazy LOL. You can do this! 

Just accepted my offer from Dalhousie! If there's any other new Dal students lurking shoot me a message. Hope this opens a spot on the UTSC waitlist for someone. 

Hi! I think this is a great thread to have up and running, as I feel like we all have a few individual learning experiences that would be helpful to share for those applying next cycle.
In terms of background, I think it would be important to keep in mind that I am a Canadian applicant, so although I think what I have to say is pretty transferrable for all types of applicants, it might be different for those in the US/other countries. I also didn't apply to any Counseling/PsyD programs, and only applied to PhD Clinical Psychology programs. This was my first time applying; I applied to five schools and interviewed at two of them. I ended up with rejections from 4/5 schools and acceptance from one, which was my top choice so I accepted there without any hesitation. It was a pretty crazy ride but I think I learned a lot of valuable lessons that have really changed my perspective on the whole application process (for the better). See below:
I echo @FeministPsychologist here and will say again that: rejections do not determine your self-worth and are not indicative of your potential, like at all. The fact that many Psychology applicants are rejected at multiple schools before being accepted somewhere speaks to this - capability is not mutually exclusive with rejection. The entire application process is so dependent on luck and at the end of the day, it all depends on how well you mesh with one person (i.e., your POI). Just because the fit's not there with them, doesn't mean that other supervisors would also feel the same way. The minute I stopped taking rejections so easily, my mental health surrounding the process was at such a better place. To all applicants applying next round, please remember this. Rejections happen to all of us, and will most likely happen given the competitive nature of this field. Shake each rejection off and don't take it personally - there are reasons why it didn't work out and those reasons could be anywhere from lack of funding at that school to your POI having someone else in mind from the get-go (which happen so often). Literally, look yourself in the mirror and say "rejections don't define me" until it sticks, LOL. Apply to as many schools and POIs as you can without sacrificing too much of your research interests.  This. Some would think I'm absolutely crazy for only applying to five schools (one POI at each lol), but unfortunately, my research area is extremely niche and I applied to the only schools in Canada that had researchers in my field. I ended up lucking out, however, there was a LOT of anxiety when 4/5 schools rejected me and my fate was hanging on one school LOL. This was extremely stressful, to say the least, so I recommend applying to as many schools as you can. However, I really don't recommend forfeiting your interests or making them so malleable that you lose what you really care about. Grad school is a long ride my friends, and it would suck to study something you don't care about. Which brings me to my next point... Make sure you REALLY want it before you apply. This application process is way too stressful to just do it to do it... If this wasn't the only career path I wanted, I would've opted out so quick LOL. Especially for clinical applicants, make sure your goals can't be achieved by pursuing other degrees like social work etc before applying. Make sure that the specific aims of a PhD Clinical Psychology program are what you really, really want. I think a lot of people go into these PhD programs with the thought process of that they can only work with clinical populations or deliver therapy with a Clinical Psych degree and that is so not true. If being a clinician is all you care about, opt for a psychotherapy program that's literally half the amount of years/effort. Your wallet and psyche will thank you, haha. This one (aside from the first) was probably the biggest lesson I learned - just because you know your POI personally, does not mean they owe you anything. At a few of the schools I applied to, I had already worked with the POI previously and developed a good working (and personal) relationship. I interviewed with some of them (ended up being rejected) and wasn't even given an interview opportunity by one of them. This was really hard for me to swallow at first, and made me doubt everything. If someone who knew me didn't want me, how would I get in with anyone else? But the thing is, just because you dedicated some volunteer time at a POI's lab doesn't mean they owe you anything - not even a second glance at your application. With an application process as competitive as this, that's literally just not possible to expect them to forfeit spots from other capable applicants to you, just because you already have a working relationship. Again, with the rejection piece, so many factors roll into this. They've already mentored you, so it's possible that they think there's nothing else to teach you. Or, simply, they just vibed with another applicant better. At the end of the day, each of these supervisors wrote and edited my SOPs as well as my funding applications, and all my references. They wouldn't have done that if they didn't think I was capable. As soon as I realized that, I stopped beating myself up. However, this was a really important piece to helping me re-conceptualize the entire application process. Ok, rant over haha. At the end of the day, this is an extremely crazy and stressful process. Make sure you really want it before you apply and as said before, congratulate yourself for each application and each day you don't go crazy LOL. You can do this! 

Hi all - long-time lurker here.  I know this is super late in the game but I'm hoping that I could give some people (future applicants) peace of mind. After being initially rejected and waitlisted, I've landed two acceptances!
Acceptance 1
School: University of Toronto (OISE)
Concentration: School and Clinical Child Psychology (SCCP)
Type: MA
Date of acceptance: March 29, 2019
Notified by: Email from both SGS that my status had changed on March 27, 2019, which included an official offer letter and funding; Also was notified by my POI via email the same day
Note: Was initially rejected
Acceptance 2
School: Queen's University
Concentration: Clinical Psychology 
Type: MSc
Date of acceptance: Unofficially March 29, 2019; Officially April 2, 2019
Notified by: Call from POI on March 29, 2019, and received official offer letter from SGS April 2, 2019
Note: Was originally waitlisted; Secured SSHRC funding
In a bit of a dilemma when it comes to choosing between these two programs, as there is a great research fit at both and I get along well with both POIs. POIs are very similar in many regards. Location is something that is impacting my decision as I currently live in the GTA. I feel bad holding onto a decision longer than I need to but I'm seriously struggling. Any thoughts?

I'm no longer in first year, but I found maintaining work-life balance to be a challenge and I'm constantly refining this as I get older in PhD years. That's why my first bit of advice that I give to incoming students is to build that balance into your routine so it becomes a habit! As grad students we face the conflicts of "What is good, is bad; what is bad, is good" syndrome (the less talked about cousin to Imposter Syndrome) where we can feel guilt and shame for not focusing on our research productivity and, instead, think that working many hours is a good thing (it's not. You'll feel burnt out and STILL feel bad). But grad school is a lifestyle and lifestyle habits would benefit the most from consistency. So practice self-care and build that into your routine. Try to set your schedule so you have time that is fixed AWAY from work and school and more on yourself and the close people by your side.
Also, remove push notifications on your phone so that you don't get bombarded by emails and feel the urge to reply right away. There's nothing worst than having a good day and then seeing the dreaded email from supervisors asking you about your progress! In grad school, you get A LOT of emails already!

Hi! I think this is a great thread to have up and running, as I feel like we all have a few individual learning experiences that would be helpful to share for those applying next cycle.
In terms of background, I think it would be important to keep in mind that I am a Canadian applicant, so although I think what I have to say is pretty transferrable for all types of applicants, it might be different for those in the US/other countries. I also didn't apply to any Counseling/PsyD programs, and only applied to PhD Clinical Psychology programs. This was my first time applying; I applied to five schools and interviewed at two of them. I ended up with rejections from 4/5 schools and acceptance from one, which was my top choice so I accepted there without any hesitation. It was a pretty crazy ride but I think I learned a lot of valuable lessons that have really changed my perspective on the whole application process (for the better). See below:
I echo @FeministPsychologist here and will say again that: rejections do not determine your self-worth and are not indicative of your potential, like at all. The fact that many Psychology applicants are rejected at multiple schools before being accepted somewhere speaks to this - capability is not mutually exclusive with rejection. The entire application process is so dependent on luck and at the end of the day, it all depends on how well you mesh with one person (i.e., your POI). Just because the fit's not there with them, doesn't mean that other supervisors would also feel the same way. The minute I stopped taking rejections so easily, my mental health surrounding the process was at such a better place. To all applicants applying next round, please remember this. Rejections happen to all of us, and will most likely happen given the competitive nature of this field. Shake each rejection off and don't take it personally - there are reasons why it didn't work out and those reasons could be anywhere from lack of funding at that school to your POI having someone else in mind from the get-go (which happen so often). Literally, look yourself in the mirror and say "rejections don't define me" until it sticks, LOL. Apply to as many schools and POIs as you can without sacrificing too much of your research interests.  This. Some would think I'm absolutely crazy for only applying to five schools (one POI at each lol), but unfortunately, my research area is extremely niche and I applied to the only schools in Canada that had researchers in my field. I ended up lucking out, however, there was a LOT of anxiety when 4/5 schools rejected me and my fate was hanging on one school LOL. This was extremely stressful, to say the least, so I recommend applying to as many schools as you can. However, I really don't recommend forfeiting your interests or making them so malleable that you lose what you really care about. Grad school is a long ride my friends, and it would suck to study something you don't care about. Which brings me to my next point... Make sure you REALLY want it before you apply. This application process is way too stressful to just do it to do it... If this wasn't the only career path I wanted, I would've opted out so quick LOL. Especially for clinical applicants, make sure your goals can't be achieved by pursuing other degrees like social work etc before applying. Make sure that the specific aims of a PhD Clinical Psychology program are what you really, really want. I think a lot of people go into these PhD programs with the thought process of that they can only work with clinical populations or deliver therapy with a Clinical Psych degree and that is so not true. If being a clinician is all you care about, opt for a psychotherapy program that's literally half the amount of years/effort. Your wallet and psyche will thank you, haha. This one (aside from the first) was probably the biggest lesson I learned - just because you know your POI personally, does not mean they owe you anything. At a few of the schools I applied to, I had already worked with the POI previously and developed a good working (and personal) relationship. I interviewed with some of them (ended up being rejected) and wasn't even given an interview opportunity by one of them. This was really hard for me to swallow at first, and made me doubt everything. If someone who knew me didn't want me, how would I get in with anyone else? But the thing is, just because you dedicated some volunteer time at a POI's lab doesn't mean they owe you anything - not even a second glance at your application. With an application process as competitive as this, that's literally just not possible to expect them to forfeit spots from other capable applicants to you, just because you already have a working relationship. Again, with the rejection piece, so many factors roll into this. They've already mentored you, so it's possible that they think there's nothing else to teach you. Or, simply, they just vibed with another applicant better. At the end of the day, each of these supervisors wrote and edited my SOPs as well as my funding applications, and all my references. They wouldn't have done that if they didn't think I was capable. As soon as I realized that, I stopped beating myself up. However, this was a really important piece to helping me re-conceptualize the entire application process. Ok, rant over haha. At the end of the day, this is an extremely crazy and stressful process. Make sure you really want it before you apply and as said before, congratulate yourself for each application and each day you don't go crazy LOL. You can do this! 

I have never heard of a lab manager experience hurting someone's application if anything, it'd be the opposite.

adcomms will see you as someone who thinks that a "low-ranked" university is in the top 40 and that's how they'll deny you. your pretentious attitude aside, any experience is good experience.

I don't think that means rejection necessarily! "Received by administrator" means that the committee at X school is still deliberating applications. Fingers crossed for you!

Queens and Western LOOLLL the pain it burns. Conspiracy--they made their rankings lists and once psych got official rejections out they passed that onto the awards people and chopped the people who weren't accepted/waitlisted so we couldn't hold the awards and troll (decisions officially sent in as of end-of-march). Seems the only chance of having an award without an acceptance is if you were waitlisted/final short list...SIGH!! 

Does anyone know if all schools were required to submit their CGS results by today? Ryerson’s status still hasn’t changed on my list...

Does anyone know if all schools were required to submit their CGS results by today? Ryerson’s status still hasn’t changed on my list...

CGS-M portal is down and has been since 8 *facepalm*. Is doctoral out today too? Govn site has crashed LOL

I'm trying to react/like all of these responses, but apparently I've crossed my limit for the day 
This is so, so true! Thanks for bringing this up. 
Yes!! This is such a good point!! And we shouldn't feel bad about reapplying, nor do we owe an explanation to anyone about why we aren't starting immediately. 

If that were the case, you would've just cracked open the application process. Like a motherload cheat for the sims, but for grad school LOL. In this scenario, why apply for grad school at all if you can just apply to RA in a lab, and then assume you'd come out with a PhD? Again, I'm a Canadian applicant so no idea if this is the wave in the states at all (you could be very much right). I have no hard feelings what so ever towards these supervisors and they were great mentors that prepared me for the next stage in my life nonetheless!

Hi! I think this is a great thread to have up and running, as I feel like we all have a few individual learning experiences that would be helpful to share for those applying next cycle.
In terms of background, I think it would be important to keep in mind that I am a Canadian applicant, so although I think what I have to say is pretty transferrable for all types of applicants, it might be different for those in the US/other countries. I also didn't apply to any Counseling/PsyD programs, and only applied to PhD Clinical Psychology programs. This was my first time applying; I applied to five schools and interviewed at two of them. I ended up with rejections from 4/5 schools and acceptance from one, which was my top choice so I accepted there without any hesitation. It was a pretty crazy ride but I think I learned a lot of valuable lessons that have really changed my perspective on the whole application process (for the better). See below:
I echo @FeministPsychologist here and will say again that: rejections do not determine your self-worth and are not indicative of your potential, like at all. The fact that many Psychology applicants are rejected at multiple schools before being accepted somewhere speaks to this - capability is not mutually exclusive with rejection. The entire application process is so dependent on luck and at the end of the day, it all depends on how well you mesh with one person (i.e., your POI). Just because the fit's not there with them, doesn't mean that other supervisors would also feel the same way. The minute I stopped taking rejections so easily, my mental health surrounding the process was at such a better place. To all applicants applying next round, please remember this. Rejections happen to all of us, and will most likely happen given the competitive nature of this field. Shake each rejection off and don't take it personally - there are reasons why it didn't work out and those reasons could be anywhere from lack of funding at that school to your POI having someone else in mind from the get-go (which happen so often). Literally, look yourself in the mirror and say "rejections don't define me" until it sticks, LOL. Apply to as many schools and POIs as you can without sacrificing too much of your research interests.  This. Some would think I'm absolutely crazy for only applying to five schools (one POI at each lol), but unfortunately, my research area is extremely niche and I applied to the only schools in Canada that had researchers in my field. I ended up lucking out, however, there was a LOT of anxiety when 4/5 schools rejected me and my fate was hanging on one school LOL. This was extremely stressful, to say the least, so I recommend applying to as many schools as you can. However, I really don't recommend forfeiting your interests or making them so malleable that you lose what you really care about. Grad school is a long ride my friends, and it would suck to study something you don't care about. Which brings me to my next point... Make sure you REALLY want it before you apply. This application process is way too stressful to just do it to do it... If this wasn't the only career path I wanted, I would've opted out so quick LOL. Especially for clinical applicants, make sure your goals can't be achieved by pursuing other degrees like social work etc before applying. Make sure that the specific aims of a PhD Clinical Psychology program are what you really, really want. I think a lot of people go into these PhD programs with the thought process of that they can only work with clinical populations or deliver therapy with a Clinical Psych degree and that is so not true. If being a clinician is all you care about, opt for a psychotherapy program that's literally half the amount of years/effort. Your wallet and psyche will thank you, haha. This one (aside from the first) was probably the biggest lesson I learned - just because you know your POI personally, does not mean they owe you anything. At a few of the schools I applied to, I had already worked with the POI previously and developed a good working (and personal) relationship. I interviewed with some of them (ended up being rejected) and wasn't even given an interview opportunity by one of them. This was really hard for me to swallow at first, and made me doubt everything. If someone who knew me didn't want me, how would I get in with anyone else? But the thing is, just because you dedicated some volunteer time at a POI's lab doesn't mean they owe you anything - not even a second glance at your application. With an application process as competitive as this, that's literally just not possible to expect them to forfeit spots from other capable applicants to you, just because you already have a working relationship. Again, with the rejection piece, so many factors roll into this. They've already mentored you, so it's possible that they think there's nothing else to teach you. Or, simply, they just vibed with another applicant better. At the end of the day, each of these supervisors wrote and edited my SOPs as well as my funding applications, and all my references. They wouldn't have done that if they didn't think I was capable. As soon as I realized that, I stopped beating myself up. However, this was a really important piece to helping me re-conceptualize the entire application process. Ok, rant over haha. At the end of the day, this is an extremely crazy and stressful process. Make sure you really want it before you apply and as said before, congratulate yourself for each application and each day you don't go crazy LOL. You can do this!