absolutelynott

well this is a lil embarrassing lol thank you for telling me

5 interviews and officially rejected from 4 ? let's goooooo 
I don't know how to survive another year of this y'all. To get so close and still fail is the worst feeling in the world.

I got the news today that I was accepted off the waitlist for UMSL! 
I am proof that determination and persistence pay off. If you are feeling discouraged after this cycle, I just want you to know that there is hope. It might not happen on the timeline you thought it would, but please don't give up. Take time to grieve and then kick your ass into overdrive prepping for the next cycle. It's a grind, but I promise it's worth it. 
I've been round these parts for three years now, and I really appreciate this supportive community. I'm excited to stick around and hopefully help others persevere and realize their dreams. I believe in all of you! I'm always here if you need to vent, have questions, or just want a buddy. 

Just want to say that I totally feel you, was in this exact position last year (10 apps, 7 interviews, and nothing in the end but a few waitlists and a semi-offer from a PI I had nothing in common with) and it looks like the same might happen this year (applied to 5 this year, 3 interviews, 1 rejection post-interview and still waiting on the other 2 but it feels bleak lol). I also have a really niche research area of interest and it has been a huge hindrance for me (a lot of the feedback I've gotten post-interviews has been related to that), but I'm still determined to do it. But I do feel very hopeless, discouraged, and lost most of the time. If you ever want to vent, feel free to DM

Just want to say that I totally feel you, was in this exact position last year (10 apps, 7 interviews, and nothing in the end but a few waitlists and a semi-offer from a PI I had nothing in common with) and it looks like the same might happen this year (applied to 5 this year, 3 interviews, 1 rejection post-interview and still waiting on the other 2 but it feels bleak lol). I also have a really niche research area of interest and it has been a huge hindrance for me (a lot of the feedback I've gotten post-interviews has been related to that), but I'm still determined to do it. But I do feel very hopeless, discouraged, and lost most of the time. If you ever want to vent, feel free to DM

Just want to say that I totally feel you, was in this exact position last year (10 apps, 7 interviews, and nothing in the end but a few waitlists and a semi-offer from a PI I had nothing in common with) and it looks like the same might happen this year (applied to 5 this year, 3 interviews, 1 rejection post-interview and still waiting on the other 2 but it feels bleak lol). I also have a really niche research area of interest and it has been a huge hindrance for me (a lot of the feedback I've gotten post-interviews has been related to that), but I'm still determined to do it. But I do feel very hopeless, discouraged, and lost most of the time. If you ever want to vent, feel free to DM

Just want to say that I totally feel you, was in this exact position last year (10 apps, 7 interviews, and nothing in the end but a few waitlists and a semi-offer from a PI I had nothing in common with) and it looks like the same might happen this year (applied to 5 this year, 3 interviews, 1 rejection post-interview and still waiting on the other 2 but it feels bleak lol). I also have a really niche research area of interest and it has been a huge hindrance for me (a lot of the feedback I've gotten post-interviews has been related to that), but I'm still determined to do it. But I do feel very hopeless, discouraged, and lost most of the time. If you ever want to vent, feel free to DM

Just want to say that I totally feel you, was in this exact position last year (10 apps, 7 interviews, and nothing in the end but a few waitlists and a semi-offer from a PI I had nothing in common with) and it looks like the same might happen this year (applied to 5 this year, 3 interviews, 1 rejection post-interview and still waiting on the other 2 but it feels bleak lol). I also have a really niche research area of interest and it has been a huge hindrance for me (a lot of the feedback I've gotten post-interviews has been related to that), but I'm still determined to do it. But I do feel very hopeless, discouraged, and lost most of the time. If you ever want to vent, feel free to DM

Just want to say that I totally feel you, was in this exact position last year (10 apps, 7 interviews, and nothing in the end but a few waitlists and a semi-offer from a PI I had nothing in common with) and it looks like the same might happen this year (applied to 5 this year, 3 interviews, 1 rejection post-interview and still waiting on the other 2 but it feels bleak lol). I also have a really niche research area of interest and it has been a huge hindrance for me (a lot of the feedback I've gotten post-interviews has been related to that), but I'm still determined to do it. But I do feel very hopeless, discouraged, and lost most of the time. If you ever want to vent, feel free to DM

Just want to say that I totally feel you, was in this exact position last year (10 apps, 7 interviews, and nothing in the end but a few waitlists and a semi-offer from a PI I had nothing in common with) and it looks like the same might happen this year (applied to 5 this year, 3 interviews, 1 rejection post-interview and still waiting on the other 2 but it feels bleak lol). I also have a really niche research area of interest and it has been a huge hindrance for me (a lot of the feedback I've gotten post-interviews has been related to that), but I'm still determined to do it. But I do feel very hopeless, discouraged, and lost most of the time. If you ever want to vent, feel free to DM

Just want to say that I totally feel you, was in this exact position last year (10 apps, 7 interviews, and nothing in the end but a few waitlists and a semi-offer from a PI I had nothing in common with) and it looks like the same might happen this year (applied to 5 this year, 3 interviews, 1 rejection post-interview and still waiting on the other 2 but it feels bleak lol). I also have a really niche research area of interest and it has been a huge hindrance for me (a lot of the feedback I've gotten post-interviews has been related to that), but I'm still determined to do it. But I do feel very hopeless, discouraged, and lost most of the time. If you ever want to vent, feel free to DM

I'm in almost the exact same situation. 6 interviews, 2 waitlists, and I don't feel confident about getting into any of them. I'm feeling really sad about this cycle and my abilities rn. This process sucks  I hope things start looking up for us all soon

So I applied to 14 places, was fortunate enough to get 6 interviews, and now it's looking like I might not get into any of them...I've been waitlisted for LSU and EMU, but rejected from the program that was a PERFECT match all around - research, mentorship, externship opportunities - so I'm really surprised and disheartened that perhaps I don't have what it takes to work with the niche population that I want to work with. I apologize for the negative/anxious post; I just needed a platform to vent and just express these feelings because I know that so many of us are going through the same emotions. Good luck everyone

I've been worried about the exact same thing. I'm awful at interviews and terrified of getting rejected from everywhere I interviewed at. I wish I had some actual advice for you but just know you're not alone! Even people who are great at interviews get rejected all the time, which just goes to show that a lot of these decisions are completely out of our control and have nothing to with our intelligence and worth

Anyone have any advice for not freaking out post-interviews? I'm not a very good interviewer. I recieved 5 interviews this cycle and I honestly don't think I'm going to be first choice for any of these programs  I just really don't want to have to go through this whole process again next year.

Sure! You should be receiving an email soon for your Friday interview with a schedule and links to Zoom and other information. You have two individual interviews and both are with a faculty member and a current student. Since this is a generalist program (you match with the school not a specfic faculty member or lab), they do not deliberately match you with POIs, but you may get lucky and get one of them as an interviewer anyway! If you are not being interviewed you are in in a Q&A with current students and after all interviews are completed you have some time to join faculty members' breakout rooms to hear more about their research!

Thank you so much, this is really helpful! I usually get such vague advice about these sorts of questions, so I really appreciate you giving an example.

Hi! I think it's always best to answer these questions honestly but one thing I always emphasize is that I make sure that I take time to process the argument and then respond when I'm feeling calmer. I honestly tell them that I want to respond in the most rational way possible and that if I answer back with a hot-head, I may not. I use an example where a PI said something really problematic and I took some time to process the comment itself and think about how I wanted to address it, and then emailed the PI and set up a meeting so we can work through the comment and how it affected me.

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could offer any advice on the best way to answer questions asking you to describe a time that you had a disagreement with a coworker or supervisor and how you handled it? I worry that I don’t come off well when I answer these sorts of questions. I’m not great at storytelling, and I used to be someone who wasn’t great at handling disagreements. What sorts of things are interviewers looking for with this question?

Applying to these graduate programs has been an eye-opening experience. It seems that the training of future psychologists is governed by the narrow needs and interests of a few faculty members, rather than the pressing mental health needs of the communities. So many dedicated people, eager to devote their lives to clinical psychology, are not able to gain access to the profession because entrance is so tightly regulated. If medical school admissions were run this way, there would be almost no physicians. I think the APA should reconsider the academic model for training and licensing of clinical psychologists, for this system fails to serve interests of future practitioners and patients alike.

I'm shocked to read in this thread that some applicants applied to 15-20+ schools! I heard about this phenomenon, but didn't think it was prevalent. I struggled to find 6 programs that were strong matches. I totally understand applying to a zillion places to try to improve the odds of admission. But, wow - if this trend continues the number of applicants to each program almost certainly will impact the amount of time that committees can spend on individual review. The field has to figure out a better way of getting the right applicants to the right programs. The current system and trends in admissions are not sustainable.

So a though on the topic of stress and rejections.
I believe that a major contributing factor to the reason why some of us are having such a hard time is because this - researching, applying, and waiting for programs - has become our identity.
This is years in the making for us. Breathing psychology and grad school aspirations since we declared our majors, all culminating in the do-or-die moment of acceptance...or rejection. If the last several years of your life have been defined by meeting these goals, then getting into a program won't just be about acceptances (or lack thereof). It will become a reckoning, an affirmation or denial of who you are. Self-perceptions are bound to warp in the process.
Clinical psychology has developed such a competitive, crucifying paradigm, one that is on a whole other plane than literally any other type of program. Choosing this path isn't just selecting Challenge Mode for yourself, it's choosing to thread yourself through the eye of a needle.
It's half luck, half wits, but after a certain point it's anyone's game, and a gambling one at that. Of course the pursuit of this becomes so easily all-consuming - after all, it's our future that we're betting. At least it feels that way.

Thanks all, I was mostly wondering to make sure there isn't some kind of secret problem with the faculty or the school itself! I saw one very disgruntled post from 2018 claiming the faculty was unprofessional for keeping them waiting, but I was unsure if that was just a person who was upset over being rejected. 

I applied there as well, haven't heard anything particularly negative about it myself. But idk ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

It's December 1st finally! Just wishing everyone the best of luck! Applications have been a stressful time. I hope you all take time to celebrate being finished this stage of the process.