[Psych Masters Reputation Check]

Thanks for the responses! I will add some context that may or may not change the advice that y'all have given. 

I have been working as an RA for the past 2 years and was a volunteer RA in undergrad for ~2.5 years; however, my undergrad GPA is ~3.0. SDSU seems like a great program but is in roughly the same field that I've been getting experience in for the last ~4 years, whereas the schools in NY would present me with an opportunity to gain research experience in a different field (one that I would eventually like to pursue for a PhD) that I only have clinical experience in. In terms of costs, I've lived at home after college, and my current RA job pays surprisingly well, so I do have some money saved up that I'm willing to use on a Masters if it will help me get into a PhD program. Also, staying another year at my current job is not really a great option as the lab is on the verge of closing down.

thanks again!

[Psych Masters Reputation Check]

Hi Everyone, just wanted to start a thread where people can ask for opinions about psychology masters programs they are considering. Since most of these programs are unfunded and they all claim to prepare you for admission to PhD programs, I was hoping that former students / anyone that has knowledge of these programs can provide some insight on several topics:

• How much is the tuition?
• Is there funding available?
• Are you matched with a faculty mentor or are you admitted to the program generally?
• What was the quality of the research experience offered? Quality of the classes?
• Were you able to transfer most of the classes over towards your PhD degree or did you have to take them again?
• How much do you think it prepared you / improved your application for PhD?
• Misc. thoughts about the program

I'll get the ball rolling and ask if anyone has any info on SDSU's MA program, Fordham's CRM program, or the Teachers College MA

I got word from the director of Fordham's program that the tuition is in the ballpark of 50k for the 2 year program and I've read some less than favorable reviews of the TC program on here a little while ago so I was hoping to see if more people felt the same way.

Thanks!

[Interview Tips!]

52 minutes ago, merpppy said:

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have any questions they would ask to the director of clinical training? I have some ideas, but most of them are very general. 

I asked about the support system / resources that students can take advantage of if they need help. Students in the clinical program face the unique problem of not really being able to use on-campus services because your peers / mentors may be working there. Other things I heard being asked were related to internship/externship opportunities, funding, healthcare, and the career outcomes of previous students.

[Fall 2020 Clinical & Counseling PhD/PsyD]

20 hours ago, psy2020 said:

Recently received an offer from Texas Tech - clinical PhD (POI:SM). I am probably going to accept! If you were also extended an offer and are thinking of accepting it, PM me! I can't wait to meet my future colleagues  

Congrats! He seems like he would be a great mentor. I applied and didn't make the cut but am wishing you the best  

[Fall 2020 Clinical & Counseling PhD/PsyD]

12 hours ago, Psyche1988 said:

Hi guys!

I found out I am waitlisted at my top choice program and I was wondering if anyone can shed light on how the waitlist works? Will I be considered only if the person accepted by my poi declines the offer or does it not matter? Is their a ranking given to the waitlisted and they are considered accordingly irrespective or POI? 
 

thanks in advance

From my understanding you'll receive an offer if the top choice applicant and those who are ahead of you on the waitlist for your specific POI (if any) turn down the offer. Programs/PIs *should* tell you whether you are either high on the waitlist, in the middle, or low on the waitlist but I don't think they're obligated to disclose your exact place on the waitlist. Good luck!!

[Fall 2020 Clinical & Counseling PhD/PsyD]

1 hour ago, jujusr said:

Quick question: do schools/programs send out rejection notice all at once to applicants that weren’t invited to the interview? For example, i know the interview for Fordham was approximately two weeks ago, and i have seen someone else posted on the Results page that they received their rejection letters. But I have not yet received even one rejection even though two of the programs i applied to are finished interviewing applicants. 

What does this mean?

Unfortunately, if you didn't interview, you will most likely be receiving a rejection at some point. Most schools seem to send out acceptances and rejections at the same time, so it could be the case that some POIs have already identified the applicant(s) they want while others are still deciding. There is always the unlikely chance that they review applications again after the interviews for whatever reason?

 Specifically for Fordham - did you check the box to have your application reviewed for their Masters program if you weren't selected for the PhD program? I also didn't get my rejection from Fordham yet but I'm guessing it's because they have to consider me for the masters program.

[Fall 2020 Clinical & Counseling PhD/PsyD]

18 hours ago, k0909 said:

i think this generally happens after offers for PhD have been extended. schools that do this will also usually wait until all the masters applications are in so they can review everyone at once, so it might be relevant if you can see online when masters applications are due or if they have a timeline for the masters program process posted anywhere!

for reference though, boston university (who i applied to last round) also offers you the chance to be considered for the masters. i checked my email and last year i got my rejection notification + invite to masters for them on February 25th, but I didn't need to decide if i wanted to be considered until May 1st.

Thank you! It's good to hear that (some) programs give you plenty of time to decide. I was originally worried that I may not hear back about the masters until after the april 15 deadline for PhD programs.

[Fall 2020 Clinical & Counseling PhD/PsyD]

Does anyone know when we might hear back from Fordham if we didn't receive an interview invite but indicated that we wanted our application to be considered for their MS in clinical research methods? 

[Fall 2020 Clinical & Counseling PhD/PsyD]

Does anyone know if all of the UNC Chapel Hill invites have gone out? I saw on the CUDCP calendar that the deadline for interview notification was the 15th but I didn't see any posts on the results page. I'm assuming it's not good news that I haven't heard

[2020 Clinical Psychology Canadian Applicants]

On 10/18/2019 at 7:53 PM, Piagetsky said:

Call and ask.  Some schools are pretty open to international students (I was one from the US) and others will tell you straight up they don't really consider international applicants because of the tuition differential.  I had one school in 2016 where the PI would have accepted me but the department said no because she didn't have her own funding to support me.  

That's an interesting idea - for some reason I thought programs wouldn't be upfront about not considering international students. I'll give it a try, thanks!

[2020 Clinical Psychology Canadian Applicants]

On 10/12/2019 at 10:26 AM, higaisha said:

The programs you listed take on more internationals than others I've seen. I know at our department, there was only one international student (that I knew of), and our clinical program basically didn't consider any internationals despite the fact that it wasn't stated on the website. US is much more international friendly--but departmental politics also make a difference as to whether they'll take one (both here and US). I'd say its more trouble than its worth for most CA programs to take on an international student, but you won't know until you apply.

Thanks for the info - I figured it would probably vary depending on the program / applicant but it's encouraging to hear that the programs I'm looking at seem to be more willing to accept international students.

[2020 Clinical Psychology Canadian Applicants]

On 10/5/2019 at 9:22 AM, higaisha said:

I can't think of anything outside of fulbright 

Ah, I see. Thanks for the info!

Can anyone speak to how much harder (on average) it is for international students to get accepted to a program in Canada compared to Canadian students or obstacles that are specific to international students? I know that for PhDs in the US there might be limited slots allotted for international students depending on the the type of program. 

[2020 Clinical Psychology Canadian Applicants]

Hi Everyone,

American student here mainly applying to programs in the U.S. but also interested in a couple of Canadian programs (UBC and Queens). From the limited research that I've done, most of the funding opportunities in Canada are restricted to Canadian students or international students that are already enrolled in a graduate program. I was wondering if anyone knows of scholarships or fellowships that prospective international students can apply for without already being accepted into a graduate program (something similar to the NSF GRFP that we have here in the U.S.). Hopefully there is something out there I can apply for and put down on my application to give it a little boost. Thanks in advance!

[Fall 2020 Clinical & Counseling PhD/PsyD]

20 hours ago, clare b. said:

Any tips on studying for the Psych Subject GRE? I bought the Kaplan book and have heard mixed reviews. I was thinking of going through my undergrad psych notes, but they are pretty dense, and I don't want to over-study material that isn't relevant. I found a quizlet set with just about 175 "Important Names" in psychology - that seems like A LOT of people to study.... Anyways, just wanted to hear about everyone's experience with the subject test! I am taking it in September

One thing to be careful of when using the test prep books is to ignore the information regarding how the test is scored. Almost every test prep book I used said that there is a 1/4 point penalty for wrong answers (similar to the SAT, at least when I took it) when in fact there is no penalty so you might as well complete every question. I found that the information in the Kaplan book was pretty good and the practice tests were helpful for getting the timing down. ETS also has an official practice test on their website but I would recommend saving this until about 2 weeks before you exam date to get an accurate predictor of your score. 

Here are some resources that I think were very helpful:

• The ETS Content Specifications Guide
  • I structured my study guide similar to this guide from the ETS so that when I was studying, I could include/exclude things that either fit/didn't fit in these categories rather than just include random things because they sound important but weren't going to be covered on the test
• Quizlet Flashcards
  • If you search GRE Psych or GRE psychology, there should be a set with about 600 or so flashcards. Very helpful
• Crash Course psychology video series on Youtube
  • Doesn't cover everything but does give a quick overview on some of the big topics
• Intro to psychology podcast / lecture series by MIT Open Courseware
  • Definitely some extra info in here that doesn't show up on the test but it's pretty easy to put on while driving

At the end of the day, depending on how well you memorize things / recall information from your intro psychology course, you could potentially get a pretty good score with only a couple of weeks of revision. Also, many programs either don't require the psych gre or don't consider it a major part of your application. I was a bit paranoid and may have spent too much time preparing so not all of these resources are necessary to get a good score. However, if you're aiming for above the 95th percentile, you may want to devote a good chunk of time and effort into the test . Good luck!

[Should I retake the Psyc GRE?]

Like others have said, you may want to retake the test if you are able to do so. A lot of clinical psych programs don't require it but if you're applying to one that does, you might want to check the admissions statistics for their previous incoming classes to get a feeling of what scores you should be aiming for.

As for study materials, I used the Princeton Review book (don't recommend, uses DSM 4), Kaplan book (better), and a random intro psychology textbook I rented from amazon. I also used the flashcards someone else made on Quizlet (just search GRE Psych), watched the Crash Course Psychology series on YouTube, and listened to the intro psychology podcast from MIT. I probably was more worried about this test that I needed to be but it worked for me. Good luck!