SocDevMum

If you have not received any offers by this point I would encourage you to look for/accept an RA position. It might still be possible you get interviews since some schools seem delayed with their interviews so if you currently have an offer I would say maybe wait one more week before officially accepting. If they have a deadline that you need to respond to their work offer by then you should seriously consider accepting (if that's a job you actually want). Unless you sign a contract binding you to their employment for the next year or so, you can still theoretically reject a job after a few months if you get an acceptance to a grad program. They can't force you stay there and work. 

Something that helped me was being very intentional about the programs I applied to. I used The Insiders Guide to PhD Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology. This will tell you how many people applied to a program vs how many accepted, avg. gpa and gre scores of applicants, if they've offered assistantships, faculty interests, etc. While I applied to bigger more competitive schools I also applied to programs that aligned with my interests that had 60 applicants on average instead of 300. Or if I saw a program with average GRE quantitative scores being 167 and I am a 156 I would see that I am not very competitive for that program. If that makes sense? Using that guide has helped me increase the number of interview invites I received and got accepted into fully funded programs. 

I'd wait. Also next round maybe apply to Counseling Psych programs because there's a lot of overlap. 

I would like to second this. Many Counseling programs are also funded; I'd rather attend a funded Counseling program than an unfunded Clinical one. The ending licensure is the same and the doors that Clinical may or may not open for you do not compensate for the debt you would incur in an unfunded program. 

Missouri allows Masters in Clinical Psych to take the E-PPP and open or join a practice, just FYI  I think both U of MO Columbia and St Louis offer a Masters that leads to licensure, or at least they did in the last couple of years.
What can I say. Missouri is weird, that's why I looked for programs anywhere but there...

We have sent out an acceptance or two, having made our "decisions" this week. Often people who are admitted to one program are admitted to many, and while they make their decisions, people who are dependent upon them must wait.

I do encourage anyone with more than one acceptance to act as quickly as possible. Do NOT treat an admission as if it were your possession--if you are ultimately not going to accept admission, you are literally holding on to someone else's life.

Work as quickly as you can.

have a clear idea of your research + how it relates to the PI in a way that gets them excited? Other than that not much - they'll likely already know who is their first choice

Recruitment events are typically for candidates that they would like to offer admission to - they use the day to better ascertain personality and fit. It is also their opportunity to show off the lab and campus and lure you to say yes when the offer is extended.  You should absolutely still prepare as if it is a formal interview, you will be speaking with grad students and faculty beyond your potential PI, but go in confident - universities don't typically invite candidates they don't anticipate offering a spot to, to recruitment days. Present yourself well, be prepared with good questions and thoughtful answers, and enjoy the time!

I know one of my RAs was in an interview with 8 others for one positions - so seems likely!

Warning - just a general vent, nothing productive to be found here!
I'm feeling frustrated by others (whether family, friends, strangers) saying they're surprised by lack of success in the interview process, even after I explain the low acceptance rates. It feels stressful to explain the situation to them. I acknowledge a few things - this is my first round applying, I did have one informal and one formal coming up, but it still is incredibly frustrating when I feel like I should be more competitive? Which again, I acknowledge is an incredibly privileged statement, considering just HOW qualified everyone is. Just feeling a little disenchanted with this general field - feels like I should have been preparing from 18 to garner the amount of experience necessary.
The general advice of getting more research through an RA position/post-bacc is harmful too - these jobs are usually low paying, with not much career growth outside of preparation for graduate programs. This is certainly not feasible for everyone. I'm lucky to have a good position, but am frustrated by the amount of times this is spouted off as the advice for being more competitive. I know this is not an okay reality for so many people.
This isn't ire towards anyone in particular, except for an incredibly competitive process with limited spots, riddled with gatekeeping, while incredible mental health needs exist. Rant over!

Recruitment events are typically for candidates that they would like to offer admission to - they use the day to better ascertain personality and fit. It is also their opportunity to show off the lab and campus and lure you to say yes when the offer is extended.  You should absolutely still prepare as if it is a formal interview, you will be speaking with grad students and faculty beyond your potential PI, but go in confident - universities don't typically invite candidates they don't anticipate offering a spot to, to recruitment days. Present yourself well, be prepared with good questions and thoughtful answers, and enjoy the time!

Keep your head up. If you don't get in this round, you can always get more experience this year and reapply. Those programs are incredibly competitive. Not getting in is not a reflection of who you are or what you are capable of. Sending positive vibes your way!

I’m sorry to hear that but thank you so much! I’m sure you’re doing awesome things!

Hi all! I found out yesterday from admissions that I was waitlisted! I'm very excited to hear, but also hoping folks who don't want to attend will decline soon I wish everyone here the best of luck!

Is this topic exclusive for PhD in Developmental psych? I am applying to UCL and 6 other schools for MSc in Developmental psych and clinical practice. Anyone else who's applying for masters? Is there an 'am I competent enough?' thread for masters in dev psych? 

I had a similar situation during my application cycle (2 in person interview invites for the same weekend at opposite ends of the country). At the time, I contacted the program that scheduled their interview weekend second and explained the conflict. They were really nice about it and allowed me to reschedule. They ended up having about 5 of us with conflicts so we had a mini interview weekend with us 5. 

I suggest just being transparent with the program that scheduled second. I agree with the other poster that said it might be meaningful if a program isn’t willing to be flexible. 

Best of luck! 

It makes a lot of sense! Thank you so much. This specific supervisor may select more than one applicant to join his lab, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for good news. He's my first choice among all the programs I've applied to, so it would be really amazing to move forward to recruitment. I'll be sure to keep my A game in every single step, for sure! 

Yes and no.  Most schools seem to divide candidates into groups - those they reject outright, those they want to interview for sure, and the second choices.  First choice students get interviews first, maybe even offers first - then as spots become available, second choice students get calls for interviews (or just offers of places, in some programs). By the end of January, many/most programs will have likely interviewed or set up interviews with their top candidates, but that doesn't mean it won't still happen for others.  I've seen applicants get calls as late as April.  The downside of all that is, a lot of rejection letters won't go out til March or April, as candidates who've been made multiple offers decide which one to accept, leaving spaces at the other schools for second choice candidates, and schools don't send the blanket "We're sorry" letters til all spots are officially filled. You most likely won't have final decisions from all your schools until after the April 15 decision date.
I went through this last year, and yeah, it's nerve wracking until you have those official offers in hand. Just remember, everyone is feeling the same thing, so you have lots of support out there. And so much of this is purely subjective - the number of interviews you get is less a reflection of the quality of academic you are, and more to do with research fit and compatibility. 

Yes and no.  Most schools seem to divide candidates into groups - those they reject outright, those they want to interview for sure, and the second choices.  First choice students get interviews first, maybe even offers first - then as spots become available, second choice students get calls for interviews (or just offers of places, in some programs). By the end of January, many/most programs will have likely interviewed or set up interviews with their top candidates, but that doesn't mean it won't still happen for others.  I've seen applicants get calls as late as April.  The downside of all that is, a lot of rejection letters won't go out til March or April, as candidates who've been made multiple offers decide which one to accept, leaving spaces at the other schools for second choice candidates, and schools don't send the blanket "We're sorry" letters til all spots are officially filled. You most likely won't have final decisions from all your schools until after the April 15 decision date.
I went through this last year, and yeah, it's nerve wracking until you have those official offers in hand. Just remember, everyone is feeling the same thing, so you have lots of support out there. And so much of this is purely subjective - the number of interviews you get is less a reflection of the quality of academic you are, and more to do with research fit and compatibility. 

Go for it.  If the lab you are in now isn't giving you the opportunities you need, apply to the other one. It sounds like a much better option for gathering actual experiences you can put on your CV and talk about in interviews. No one will fault you for leaving as long as you aren't burning the project down you are currently working on
 

Yes and no.  Most schools seem to divide candidates into groups - those they reject outright, those they want to interview for sure, and the second choices.  First choice students get interviews first, maybe even offers first - then as spots become available, second choice students get calls for interviews (or just offers of places, in some programs). By the end of January, many/most programs will have likely interviewed or set up interviews with their top candidates, but that doesn't mean it won't still happen for others.  I've seen applicants get calls as late as April.  The downside of all that is, a lot of rejection letters won't go out til March or April, as candidates who've been made multiple offers decide which one to accept, leaving spaces at the other schools for second choice candidates, and schools don't send the blanket "We're sorry" letters til all spots are officially filled. You most likely won't have final decisions from all your schools until after the April 15 decision date.
I went through this last year, and yeah, it's nerve wracking until you have those official offers in hand. Just remember, everyone is feeling the same thing, so you have lots of support out there. And so much of this is purely subjective - the number of interviews you get is less a reflection of the quality of academic you are, and more to do with research fit and compatibility. 

Totally don't do this. I agree with @clinpsychgradschool - if you are meant to be contacted, you will be contacted, I promise. If a program has already sent out invites, or their interview date is soon/upcoming, it's safe to assume you weren't in that initial batch. It's so hard to be patient, I get it, but reaching out to departments is just going to increase their stress and workload unnecessarily. 
I do have a caveat that I want to mention. Last year, I noticed that a school had sent interview invites, waitlists, AND rejections, and I had received no communication. At that point, I did reach out to the program coordinator to check in about the status of my application. 

I interviewed there and got accepted on the spot. I declined and went elsewhere. Feel free to PM me for more info. I had a LOT of concerns about the program, and specifically the head of it. 

Hi, congrats on your first interview. I have my first in-person interview coming up this week for a doctoral program. Although it’s not for a forensic psychology program, I am pretty much prepared to answer questions regarding my research interests, my research experiences, why I applied to that program, why I’m a unique candidate compared to others that applied, what are my strengths & weaknesses. Make sure to learn about the specific program you’re applying to & be prepared to give a brief “about me” statement. I hope this helps! Good luck!

Yeah, there's a few random states that allow it, but it is not the norm and a psychologist is a doctoral level practitioner. States like Texas and Missouri as I just learned (thank you) allow someone to be a psychology associate or something along those lines. I just looked at the Missouri statutes and it looks like they revised them in 2018 to not allow licensure at the masters level. Also, I looked at the websites for both of those universities and it doesn't look like Mizzou-Columbia offers a clinical psych MA outside of the PhD. 
In general, this is why it's so important to review state statutes and licensing requirements, as they change state to state and also over the years. When looking at programs, it's important to look at where you may want to practice and make sure you meet all those requirements.