psychapplicant21

Michigan State University clinical program is not taking students for Fall 2021

Thank you for sharing - I agree and these are all the right questions to be thinking about!

I am really interested in applying to work with a mentor at the UCI program which has just opened applications for the first time to their new clinical program. On the website it states that the Fall 2021 cohort will "likely" graduate from an APA accredited program (they are still awaiting approval) and I was wondering how "risky" this is? It seems like it would be the case that APA accreditation would be granted - however, I have done the research and it appears super important to go to an APA accredited program which I would hate to miss out on. Does anyone know how long does this process usually takes? Also I see the department has other graduate programs that have been established for some time but I am interested on what others think about being one of the first graduate students in a new program?

I'm applying for a second time and despite what I think is a strong application I'm worried my GRE scores will hold me back. I got a 3.64 in my undergraduate (which was a Psychology degree from the UK) and a Distinction which is almost at 4.0 GPA in a two year research masters which included a one year research fellowship at an Ivy League university in the US. I also have over 3 years research experience working across several labs across the UK and US. I have two first-author papers currently under review, I'm currently writing a book chapter (first author) and another first author paper in progress. These papers are all closely aligned with my research interests for the Ph.D. I'm also trying to learn R. I have three LoRs that I believe are strong and each reference is from either an Assistant or Full Professor. Unfortunately the one thing I'm struggling to improve on is the GRE. In 2018 I got 150V 153Q and 5.0AW. After retaking it this summer I got 151V 154Q and that was after 5 months of intense studying almost every day. I used Magoosh and did lots of practice tests. I did have problems this time round with ProctorU but I think that I'm just not a good "GRE test taker" and I don't feel confident investing more time studying because I'm doubtful it will pay off. I know many programs are waiving the GRE but do I still have a shot at the more competitive programs? Or is that completely unrealistic?

Has anyone had any issues with taking the GRE at home? I did mine today and had so many problems with the proctorU system from beginning to end and it added an additional 2 hours to my test time. I ended up getting the same scores as I got last time, even after 5+ months of intense studying. I'm wondering if anyone got offered a refund/voucher to retake the test again?

You can do the DClinPsy programs in the UK as an international student but you have to self-fund and the fees are approx $35-40k per year (for 3 year training program) whilst you will get good clinical training, I think it is very difficult to get a job as a Psychologist in the UK after your training is completed. Almost all qualified trainees apply for Psych jobs in the NHS and the NHS will not hire anyone without a valid visa and it's difficult to get this after training. I'm sorry I can't be more help because I really don't know the process of working or getting a visa in the UK as a US citizen since I'm a UK citizen. My advice would be to get in touch with current trainees who are non-UK citizens and will be able to give you much better advice!

Thank you ❤️ you too

I applied once before in 2018 and had no success at application stage but I felt I was going into the process very blind (I'm an international applicant). I didn't apply last cycle because I didn't feel confident and was waiting on two publications however they are still in the reviewing process and recently both got asked for further revisions for the 3rd time both over 1 year (sigh). I'm applying this year but I am worried about this cycle because of the pandemic and if the GRE is waived this will place more attention on other factors. Unfortunately, as well I had a really good RA position in the area of my PhD interest that got pulled last week because I can't relocate due to visa/covid

Update USC: The GRE is no longer required for all areas. Please see breakdown: Brain and Cognitive Science: Not Required Clinical Science: Not Required Developmental Psychology: Not Required Quantitative Methods and Computational Psychology: Optional Social Psychology: Not Required

I agree with this, I think the US is all-round better training/more opportunities and provides you with a skillset that will be valuable and make you stand out in other countries if you decide to get a career elsewhere.

Thanks so much for your kind words, much appreciated!

I feel you. I have been revising pretty much 6 days a week since April and this is my second attempt at it. I'm finding that my scores in V and Q have improved by around 4-5 points however I am still getting around 156-158 and I don't feel this is competitive enough for the programs I am applying to. It is such a pain because I am revising 6-8 hours a day and don't have the "mental space" to write research papers on top of this so I feel like I am wasting time on it. I also read on Reddit that Q has gotten harder I'm going to take the at home test next week but I'm super nervous. I really hope this year is the end of GRE it is such a pointless test apart from improving vocab

I'm from the UK and I am applying to do my Clinical Ph.D. in the US - I think it is generally much better training and leads to more opportunities. If you do DClinPsy in the UK you will be able to practice as a clinical psychologist in the UK however it may be difficult to get a job as a Clinical Psychologist in the NHS (the main career option following training) because the NHS is extremely under funded and will usually not sponsor visas for non-UK citizens. I think if you train in the US and want to move to the UK to work in research your job options in academia will be much greater and the pay is better

Thanks so much I have sent you a DM!

Thank you so much everyone for your recommendations, they are really helpful!

Apart from ASU and University of Utah - I was wondering if anyone knows what other Clinical programs offer speciality training in health psychology as part of the Clinical Ph.D program? Thanks!

I'm so sorry to hear about peoples' experiences not finding research positions, it's a really tough time for most people but at least there is some positive news with the GRE being waived!

For the other faculty members it says they are not accepting students for Fall 2021..

I noticed today that University of Washington only appears to have one faculty member among the Clinical faculty accepting students for Fall 2021 (which is a little concerning since this is a well-established program)

Thanks so much, I know I have read a lot of really bad reviews that's why I'm a bit hesitant. However, I don't have a test centre in my city so I will save a lot of money taking it at home.

Thanks, this is really helpful

Thanks what do you mean by r/GRE?

I am taking the GRE (at home) in a few weeks time and I'm interested to hear about how others' found the experience and whether you had any issues/technical problems?

Please sign this petition and support international graduate students: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/allow-f-1-students-stay-us-through-fall-semester-if-instruction-online-due-pandemic

I agree, and as well even for those who have taken it at home I have read a lot of reports of technical issues with the proctor system prior to the test resulting in the test time being significantly longer - this additional stress could definitely impact negatively on scores. I plan to take the GRE at home because a test centre is not close by but I'm not feeling confident about the process!