psychdoglegal

Me, trying to remind myself that I’m not complete trash after dealing with this stress the last few weeks: 

I just got my plane tickets!
To Greece... where I'll be bartending until the next application cycle.

It blows me away that people in the field of psychology are totally okay relying on a single standardized test to determine if a person is capable of attaining a PhD. It's a racket.

I got rejected or waitlisted for all the PhD programs I applied to two years ago. I went into a masters program instead and applied again this year- and I've gotten 5 interviews out of applying to 8 schools so far. I used my same GRE scores (162/165/4.5), since it had been less than 5 years. I honestly wouldn't take the GRE again unless you think your scores are a big reason for not getting offers (I didn't have any research experiences, so I knew that was what I needed to fill in).
When I decided to do a master program I got a lot of conflicting info on if that was a good idea, but for me doing one was a really good decision. It let me really narrow down what my research interests and populations of focus are and become a lot more knowledgeable about them (and get extra credentials towards those). When I did applications this year it was a lot easier to demonstrate that I really was a good fit with the programs I chose to apply to or a POI in the program and why- and my research, credentials, clinical internship, and etc all backed up what I was saying.
I basically used that first year of applying as a learning experiences for how to apply and what I needed to be a competitive applicant. Further, I actually ended up applying for different kinds of programs than I did the first time around (when I just did clinical psychology all the way through) because I realized that while my research interests and populations could fit in with clinical psychology just fine, there were other programs that they fit much better with what I want to do with my career.

After being rejected from (almost, hopefully NOT ALL!!!) the schools I applied to, what makes me the most sad is having to go through this process AGAINNNN.... next year.... and possibly having to take the GRE again. ugh. anyone else have this fear? I'm having many moments of dread over here!

Anyone else want to get their rejections so they can move on with their life? ?

School: University of South Florida
Type: Clinical Psych PhD
Date of invite: 01/08/2020
Type of invite:  Email from graduate coordinator, POI EV
Interview date(s): 1/31 or 2/7

Me! That's actually happened for several schools I applied to. I'm not optimistic, but maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised!

Can I have a little communication from my programs, as a treat? 

In the spirit of stressed and anxious venting, what the heck is going on with Nebraska?? I saw one rejection come out earlier this week and more come out today. Last cycle, they sent all initial rejections at once the day before interview invites were sent out (January 2). UNL is 100% my top choice and I barely missed acceptance last year. My application still just says "submitted" in the portal. I am s t r e s s e d. 

As this appears to be a safe space for venting....WHY WOULD ALABAMA SEND OUT 'HAPPY HOLIDAY' EMAILS??????? My heart almost jumped out of my body when I saw it was UA Grad School and then it's a holiday email??? I cannot handle this haha.

I've seen some people in here stressing about GRE scores and wanted to make a suggestion- try out a vocabulary podcast. The one I used was called VictorPrep and was the sole reason I did so well on the verbal section. It was nice to be able to multitask GRE prep while driving/cooking/etc. A number of the words I learned came up on the actual exam.

This is my second clinical psych application cycle and honestly, I'm just chilling here in the forums and rewatching beloved television shows to take my mind off the results page. Once we get further into December/January I'm sure I'll be living on that page though. I do admit though that every time I see an email notification, my heart beats a little faster.
Last year I elected to take a gap year to pursue further research and clinical experience.  I think I've come to the conclusion that if it seems like I'm going to strike out with the programs I've picked this year again, I'm going to apply for some masters programs to further beef up my profile. While the experience at the clinic I'm working at has been amazing, I do miss school and learning. Ugh why must this field be so competitive?

At this point I’m preparing a working VISA to bartend in Greece (sarcastic but also serious because I’m not sure what plan B should be lol cry)

Ok vent time. It drives me crazy when one of my schools is posted without the POI. Am I still being considered, do I cross that school off!l?!?! Very frustrating. Everyone wants to know the POI so either post it or don’t post anything cause you’re driving people nuts!!! 

It's my first round too and I haven't personally had any phone interviews yet. There is an interview advice thread that may be helpful, though (https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/121366-interview-advice/). This is what @SocialPsych2018 said:
 

Me too please! 

Me too, please!!

Could the person who got a preliminary interview from Alabama Tuscaloosa pm me their POI initials if you feel comfortable? I didn’t see a post on the thread or I would pm!

Bama has their interviews on January 24th for the psyc/law concentration this year according to their website.  I just received an email yesterday from them that the graduate school had forwarded my application to the department, which was surprising considering their earlier deadline.  My guess is they wait until finals are over with and everyone can focus.  No idea about SHSU.