PsychPhdBound

I'll also be at UH, but PhD in I/O Psych.

Florida International University in Miami - Developmental PhD  Can't wait to get there!

Vanderbilt - Ph.D. Clinical Science!! ? still can’t believe it 

Hofstra University - PhD in Clinical Psychology. Submitted my enrollment deposit yesterday!!

Saint Louis University's Experimental Psychology Ph.D. program in the Social Psychology concentration! 
Message me if you're also attending and want to connect. ?

I've just accepted an offer from University of Miami's Clinical Psych PhD Program (adult track). Feel free to message me if you'll also be attending Miami (or moving to Florida lol) and want to chat! And congrats to everyone -- yay, we're going to grad school!

IUPUI - MS in I/O
 
So excited!

i just submitted my acceptance this evening for my phd in i-o psychology from depaul!

In the first option you said you'd have to apply for PhD programs before the end of your first semester but that's not true. You could do the program and then work for a year or two as an RA in one of the many labs you mentioned that are doing interesting work. There is no rule stating you must apply immediately.
 
Also, it would be worth looking into just doing RA positions for a few years and getting some first author posters/presentations/papers. That would be way cheaper then a master's (in fact you'd be paid) and it means SOOO much on grad school applications, assuming you're productive during that time. I have heard numerous stories of people having lots of success using this strategy, especially since many PhD programs make you "redo" your Masters in their program.
I'd reach out to your mentors and see what they think. You could also reach out to people you think you'd be interesting in working with and see what they value. I had alot of success doing that and was steered toward a one year post-bacc RA position instead of a master's and I'm SOO grateful I went that route. Way cheaper then a master's and I got into my top choice PhD program (top 5 program).
Whatever you do, just do it well! Good luck!!

Do a literature review using Google Scholar to identify the PI's doing research that you find interesting. Then, one you've come up with that list, check out their programs to see who is in a department that fits your goals. For example, some people I found were in Clinical and I wanted to apply to Social/Developmental programs so I removed them. Do not apply to schools just based on their ranking, it's all about research fit. Then once you have that list, over the summer or in early fall, email the PI's and ask if they will be accepting students in the upcoming cycle. Treat this email as part of the interview process (not too long, very professional, and brief sentence or two about why you think it's a good fit). Then one your hear back you'll have your list. Good luck!

In the first option you said you'd have to apply for PhD programs before the end of your first semester but that's not true. You could do the program and then work for a year or two as an RA in one of the many labs you mentioned that are doing interesting work. There is no rule stating you must apply immediately.
 
Also, it would be worth looking into just doing RA positions for a few years and getting some first author posters/presentations/papers. That would be way cheaper then a master's (in fact you'd be paid) and it means SOOO much on grad school applications, assuming you're productive during that time. I have heard numerous stories of people having lots of success using this strategy, especially since many PhD programs make you "redo" your Masters in their program.
I'd reach out to your mentors and see what they think. You could also reach out to people you think you'd be interesting in working with and see what they value. I had alot of success doing that and was steered toward a one year post-bacc RA position instead of a master's and I'm SOO grateful I went that route. Way cheaper then a master's and I got into my top choice PhD program (top 5 program).
Whatever you do, just do it well! Good luck!!

In the first option you said you'd have to apply for PhD programs before the end of your first semester but that's not true. You could do the program and then work for a year or two as an RA in one of the many labs you mentioned that are doing interesting work. There is no rule stating you must apply immediately.
 
Also, it would be worth looking into just doing RA positions for a few years and getting some first author posters/presentations/papers. That would be way cheaper then a master's (in fact you'd be paid) and it means SOOO much on grad school applications, assuming you're productive during that time. I have heard numerous stories of people having lots of success using this strategy, especially since many PhD programs make you "redo" your Masters in their program.
I'd reach out to your mentors and see what they think. You could also reach out to people you think you'd be interesting in working with and see what they value. I had alot of success doing that and was steered toward a one year post-bacc RA position instead of a master's and I'm SOO grateful I went that route. Way cheaper then a master's and I got into my top choice PhD program (top 5 program).
Whatever you do, just do it well! Good luck!!

Do a literature review using Google Scholar to identify the PI's doing research that you find interesting. Then, one you've come up with that list, check out their programs to see who is in a department that fits your goals. For example, some people I found were in Clinical and I wanted to apply to Social/Developmental programs so I removed them. Do not apply to schools just based on their ranking, it's all about research fit. Then once you have that list, over the summer or in early fall, email the PI's and ask if they will be accepting students in the upcoming cycle. Treat this email as part of the interview process (not too long, very professional, and brief sentence or two about why you think it's a good fit). Then one your hear back you'll have your list. Good luck!

Do a literature review using Google Scholar to identify the PI's doing research that you find interesting. Then, one you've come up with that list, check out their programs to see who is in a department that fits your goals. For example, some people I found were in Clinical and I wanted to apply to Social/Developmental programs so I removed them. Do not apply to schools just based on their ranking, it's all about research fit. Then once you have that list, over the summer or in early fall, email the PI's and ask if they will be accepting students in the upcoming cycle. Treat this email as part of the interview process (not too long, very professional, and brief sentence or two about why you think it's a good fit). Then one your hear back you'll have your list. Good luck!

Thank you all so much for your input!!! EMU really feels *right* (I didn't believe about the importance of 'fit' until I felt it for myself) and I wanted to make sure that an R2 wasn't a mistake.
I know that it isn't the highest ranking school out there but I also really just care about being with faculty that make sense and also that I know will be supportive. So excited!!

The best advice I can give is don’t look particularly at schools. You won’t get interviews that way.
i highly suggest focusing on finding faculty in various programs and finding match. Your research fit is VERY Important. You have to refine it and get it to a detailed focus and find faculty that match well are have ket features that you can adapt to your research interest.
you sound new to this and that’s exciting. Please take time figuring out what programs are looking for in a applicant. If you need further help, just let me know. I’m glad to help while I’m waiting to move to my new program (counseling psych PHD)

Yes, hopefully people won't horde offers. I know they are nice to hold onto but someone is out there waiting to love the one you're going to turn down. So make their day :).

Thank you all for your input! I have talked to a bunch of current grad students and professors as well, and it seems like getting a good RA position is the best idea, but I am currently on a student visa in the US and would only be able to have a job for one year under this visa. Not to mention, getting the work permit is a bit of a hassle as well. That's why I was counting on masters programs as the best alternative for my situation. But I see that the general consensus is that partially funded PhDs are not preferable, especially if it's not a top choice! 

I agree with everyone that replied. The biggest difference between my cycle last year and this was the RA position I got and was able to publish in a journal. I think that helped get me over the hump and I got offers from multiple fully funded counseling PhD programs in comparison to a shitty masters offer when I was rejected from the PHD last year.

Although I'm not sure if the same holds for Counseling Programs, I second the recommendation to get a paid position in a lab.  I understand I am incredibly fortunate to have a very supportive PI, but my CV coming into this application cycle looks as good if not better than anyone I know coming out of a master's program.

Hey there, I was actually in an extremely similar situation last year. I came close to admission into a few fully funded Clinical PhD programs but ultimately only received an admission offer from a partially funded Clinical PhD program in the US. As I'm Canadian, the out-of-state tuition would have been just under $20k each year after the "partial funding" was applied. 
Personally, after some thought I released the offer as I did not want to go into debt for my graduate studies. Instead of applying to Masters programs (Canada doesn't have many - or any? - so it would have been a similar situation, paying out-of-state tuition for an American program), I secured a research coordinator position within my subfield of psych (forensic) and was actually able to make money while gaining experience the past year!  I tried again this application cycle and was offered admission to one of my top program picks - it's not funded, but as it's a Canadian university, tuition is much much cheaper and the TA/RA ships offered more than cover it. Many of the faculty I interviewed with this year cited my current position as one of the stronger aspects of my application.
As for factors I considered, the financial aspect was a huge one - it would have totaled roughly $100k USD of debt after I graduated the program I was accepted to last year and I wasn't willing to do that to myself or my partner. It was also one of my last picks, so if I had interviewed and loved it, it may have been a different story. I might have been much more willing to shell out $$ for a top pick program. Keeping in mind that this is my own experience and there may be many other aspects to your situation that I don't know about, have you considered research or lab coordinator jobs over a Masters? You can often earn the same amount of publications/conference presentations/other experiences, especially if you work for 2+ years (same duration as a Masters). The only situation that I have generally heard a Masters is better in is if you have scant research experience, as it may be harder to secure a coordinator position with very little past research experience.
Feel free to DM me if you have any questions or want to talk more!

Congrats on getting into your top choice!

It's really nice to feel like a program really wants you! Good luck in making your decision!

I got 'the call' on Friday and was told to expect my offer letter on Monday and nothing came :/. I'm doing my best to be patient, with little success. I'm just excited to get this thing signed, sealed, and delivered so I can officially end my admissions cycle! Congrats on your acceptance!!

I completely understand the reason for this post. Being waitlisted is like this eternal limbo that hurts. I was also waitlisted from a school I felt was perfect and now I’m worried that will be the result of my other interviews. Breathe through it.
I also relate to this hopelessness feeling of not being sure you want to do this next semester. I say, lets get through April and we’ll figure it out after. Sending positive vibes.