springxsummer

I also struggle with this. The schools I'm leaning towards are schools that have research that fits with the topic of my proposal, tend to get a decent amount of SHHRC scholarships, and that I feel I have a realistic shot at. I might be shooting myself in the foot by not choosing schools that I don't feel I have a chance at and weakening my application more, but eh.

For those of you applying for CGS-M, are you putting this as "under review" on your CV? A few programs ask to indicate whether/not I've applied on their online applications, so that is why I am considering listing it.

I have had a couple of these and I found I did most of the talking... I would personally prepare some questions you would like answered, especially about the POI's interests. Also be prepared to answer basic questions such as about your proposed research and why you want to go to X school.

I feel you... Applications take a lot out of a person! Hopefully it will all be worth it in the end

Does anyone know if it is beneficial (or harmful) to put work that I have submitted for presentations on my CV? Specifically, I've submitted work to a couple of conferences for potential poster presentations. I know it's okay to put under-review publications. Would this be similar?

Thank you!!

Thank you- I appreciate the input!!

I am on my second application cycle. I aimed for counselling last cycle, and this year I am also applying to clinical. The entire process of applying and ultimately getting rejected was admittedly a little disheartening, but I do feel that going through the process once has set me up for a better chance of success this year. I know the process (at least for counselling), I have a better idea of what I want in a program, and I've learned from my mistakes last round. That being said, I think taking a year off can be incredibly valuable and it may be better to focus your energy on pursuing the opportunities you have in front of you right now instead of on writing applications. There's no "right" answer, really.

Thank you :). It's not a guarantee, but it does feel good to have someone rooting for me on the admissions committee. Let me know how that goes! I feel like if the POI is genuinely interested in you as a student, it can't hurt to ask. The worst they could say is no, anyways. On an unrelated note, does anyone know if it is frowned upon to use books or book chapters as sources when applying for grants? In my case I want to say "so and so coined X term" and then cite a book. I've never applied to funding before, so insight would be very much appreciated.

Literally luck. I mentioned it in passing as something I was doing to better my chances and the POI offered to help. I'm writing it myself, but they've agreed to meetings to discuss it, and to look over the final product.

This application cycle!

I have been asking for skype meetings because last year I felt like I didn't establish strong enough working relationships with POIs. I've only had one so far (though a few more are scheduled), and it was actually initiated by the POI. It was quite casual and we mainly talked about his work, my research interests, and what made me interested in the program. He also made suggestions for other schools that I might apply to and things that I could do to strengthen my chances of admission... overall very positive and not at all like an interview. I'd imagine that every prof might have a slightly different agenda, though. I'd personally treat it as an informal interview/ a chance to make a good first impression. Hard to say- you could ask the POI (?)

I have a POI helping me, but that was mainly out of luck. I had planned to apply by myself.

Both research and clinical volunteering is important You might consider looking into things like crisis lines, or asking to volunteer as a research assistant for labs that interest you. *I am also in Canada, but I'd assume the expectations for what counts as relevant experience are similar.

I'm not sure what you mean by psychotherapist. Do you mean a counselling psychologist, who provides psychotherapy? Untrained therapist? A Canadian Certified Counsellor (I believe this one requires a counselling masters, anyway)? I can only speak to counselling and clinical psychology, as those are my targeted programs. You might try googling job openings for each wherever your intended area of practice is. A lot of times job postings will give a starting salary. If income is a large factor, there are definitely career paths with a greater payoff for amount of time invested in school than clinical or counselling psychology, such as medicine. The admission rate for counselling psychology is low. It does vary by school, and most programs will post their acceptance rates online. It is slightly less competitive than clinical psychology, but still highly competitive. I am on my second attempt at getting in, and it's quite normal to have to try more than once. I don't want to discourage you from pursuing this career path, but I think it's important to be prepared for what you're up against. If you're willing to put in the work into developing a strong application, and you want it badly enough and are willing to be persistent, it is certainly achievable.

Impressive quant score! If you don't mind me asking, what did you have for research experience last round other than the honours thesis?

The distinction between clinical/ counselling is largely historical. In Canada, or at least where I live, You will see counselling psychologists working in clinical settings and vice versa. For example, I interned at a place where counselling psychologists worked with people with severe PTSD. That being said, in general clinical psychology is aimed at more severe problems, such as working with people in hospitals or who are in a residential treatment program. Counselling psychology might be more things like career counselling, mild to moderate mental health issues, or relationship problems. However, there is so much diversity within the field that it's hard to fit the two into neat little boxes. Generally research experience is still important for getting into counselling, but less so than for clinical. You may have a better shot at course-based (non-thesis) programs, though these will make it harder to get into a PhD if that is your goal. Alberta and Saskatchewan do not require a PhD to practice. Are you able to start volunteering in a lab where you live?

Impressive! Sounds like it was a productive 2 years! I finished with 160 V, 155 Q, and 5.5 AWA so I'm feeling okay about it Thank you everyone for all of the replies and insight!

I ended up with 160 verbal & 155 quant (AWA not yet scored). Assuming the AWA went well, do you think these are good enough scores to be a competitive applicant? It's definitely below some school's average scores for quant, but the only hard cut off I've come across is the 50th percentile. While I have quite a lot of research and clinical experience, I do not have any publications and I did not write an undergraduate thesis, so I'm always hesitant to take risks. I'm applying to Canadian Clinical Master's, if that helps.

I would ideally like to send my GRE scores out to schools on test day, to save money. However, I don't know how to decide if a score is good enough, or if I should retake the test. I'm applying to clinical psychology master's programs in Canada. For the schools I've looked at, the only minimum cut off I've seen is 50th percentile. Other schools state that average score typically range anywhere from 60th-80th percentile, depending on the school. Does a score need to be within the average range to be competitive? I anticipate a high (90th plus) verbal and 5+ writing. Quant will be weaker... my powerprep tests were 152 and 157, and Magoosh predicts 154-159. I am writing on Saturday, so 160+ is unlikely. If I score above 50th percentile on quant, is this good enough? 60th? how do I gauge this?

Glad to hear there's still hope haha! If I can't score above the 60th percentile I'd definitely consider re-taking. It's annoying because I usually test well, but quant is really throwing me through a loop!

That makes me feel somewhat better. What was your other background, if you don't mind me asking?

Agreed.... I'm pretty bad at everything to be honest, but geometry and perms & combs are particularly bad for me, so I'm trying to focus more on those. Time is a huge issue for me. I've been doing tons of practice and I'm definitely improving, but my mental math is pretty lacking. I'll try re-going over the strategies for efficiency. To the other posters, I am using magoosh for prep and I find it helpful.

I'm taking the GRE in just under 2 weeks and I'm feeling a bit panicked that my quant score will ruin my chances of admission into clinical programs. I did a practice test today and I scored 163 verbal (93rd percentile) and 152 quant (46th percentile). I have not graded my essays, but I am confident I'll score 5+ on this section. Does anyone have advice for getting my quant. score up fast in not very much time? Thanks in advance!

Hi, I'm applying to counselling and clinical psychology master's programs this round! I have a BA in psychology with a fair amount of research and clinical experience, as well as a couple poster presentations (aiming to add another). This will be my second time applying. Last year I applied to four counselling programs and was waitlisted at two and rejected from two. Clinical may be a stretch for me because I don't have an honors degree or an undergraduate thesis, but it gives me the option of applying to a lot more accredited programs so I figure what the heck.