ColoradoGirl94

Sounds like it was from the school itself.

Congrats!

Was this from the PI or from the general program DCT?

I submitted my master's thesis, but I know not everyone did these so I am not sure what else would work best!

I think only include 2 if you really connect with both of the POI's research. It may be beneficial to include more than 1 if you want a broader chance of getting into the program (let's say one doesn't take you but the other is interested in taking you). The other thing is if you mentioned more than 1 faculty member in your application, I would include all of the faculty members in the SOP because they will want to know why you are interested in them and indicated them in your application if that makes sense! But don't put down more than 1 faculty if you truly don't connect with more than one person's research because that would be hurt you more in the long haul!

Usually they have an address on their website that you will need to send the transcripts too (most of the time it is the graduate office at the school, but sometimes not). You will have to reach out to your undergrad and request that they send the transcript to that address. Some schools have an electronic system in place (such as Parchment) that you can use which is much faster than having your undergrad mail a physical copy. I would look at your undergrad's website for requesting and sending transcripts and see which options they provide.

Submitted my first application of the season and I am feeling so much anxiety about taking the first step of many! ?

I honestly wouldn't look too much into it! These professors probably get 50+ emails all saying about the same thing. I only had one "informal interview" with a PI and it's because we had a mutual connection. I think that may be most of the cases for people who are getting more than a "lukewarm" answer. But this is just from personal experience, so I wouldn't say this is 100 percent true. Personally, I wouldn't get disheartened by this!

I have reached out to potential mentors for all of the schools I am applying to and have been able to start applications for all of the schools. I think it sounds worse than it seems. I mean there is the off chance that after submitting my application a program will decide not to take students, but most potential mentors I've talked to seem pretty confident they have/the school has funds to support a student. I have noticed that many will only take one student which will make it significantly more competitive, but I am at a crossroad right now and I need to at least try! I think it's worth reaching out to the program/mentor now that fall semester has started and just confirm that they are taking clinical students. I am not losing hope!

I feel the same way! My hope is that at least 1 school out of the 15 will accept my average application ?

Definitely seeing if the supervisor was the exact fit that I would like. Some supervisors I thought that I could make it work if I skewed my research interests in some way, but realized that that is not the way to go. Also, the competitiveness of some programs and knowing I probably wouldn't get in! I think I'm applying to a good portion of high middle and low tier schools.

Hi! I am applying to 15 schools (14 clinical and 1 counseling psych). I am already feeling the financial burdens of sending my transcripts/GRE scores ?

I currently have 15 on my list but I am worried about cost. Trying to weigh the chances of getting in to some of my schools versus the amount I will need to pay for the application?

90% of the programs I have looked at so far and actually inquired with the PI about whether they will be taking students have said that they will for fall 2021. At least to me so far it seems pretty promising that most schools will have professors taking students.

Hi there, I did my Master's in the U.K. and have a couple answers to your questions. So first, PhD programs do not require a Master's to get into a PhD school, but it is even more difficult, if not impossible, compared to the U.S. to get into a PhD school in the U.K. straight from undergraduate. I had friends in my Master's program (UK citizens) that left undergrad, worked, did a Master's program and still took 2 years to get into a PhD program. These were really smart people too and were getting the equivalent of 4.0 in their degrees. They have significantly fewer schools for PhD programs in the UK than the US so competition is incredibly high. You are definitely less likely to be accepted as an international person. I felt that I got into a Master's program pretty easily but that is because I was paying their 22,000 dollar a year price tag. All PhD programs in the UK are funded so they prefer admitting UK citizens to give them the funding. Staying in the U.K. after does not sway the schools one way or another. It all depends on your visa and the UK visa allows you stay in the UK only for a certain amount of time after your degree ends which I know most people that are international and stay in the UK after their program have a hard time finding a job anyway due to the visa restrictions. The biggest differences between UK and US programs I would say is the difference in needing research for admission. Most of my friends did their Master's and that was enough "research experience" for them to be qualified to apply to be a PhD program. They actually value having clinical experience way more for UK programs because a UK PhD program is more geared towards the clinical side than research. Overall, I would recommend against trying to apply for a PhD program in the UK because after doing my Master's I realized that there are some barriers I am even finding in the states of trying to get licensed/jobs due to difference restrictions and curriculum between the U.S. and U.K. Master's programs. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to reach out! I can tell you a lot about the education/culture/school reputations there!