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broski

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Everything posted by broski

  1. broski
    Heard back from McMaster POI in July and we chatted in August. It's probably different for every POI but McMaster psych department is going through a lot right now (Google for more information).
  2. broski
    You seem very on point! I don't really have a plan yet, but I've started brainstorming personal statement content. Hopefully I don't end up rushing at the last minute like I did with undergrad apps ?
  3. broski
    I know we can't control what profs do but damn.....if GRE requirements are waived then profs should be bros and respect those requirements. Several studies have shown that GRE scores poorly predict grad school and future performance. I'd expect researchers to be aware of this evidence and act accordingly. Then again, GPA, prior research experience, etc. may also be poor predictors of performance. This discussion just opens up a whole new can of worms ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  4. broski
    That sounds like an efficient method. I have an informal interview scheduled mid-August as well, but this one was scheduled by the prof herself. Wouldn't hurt to contact profs again and get the ball rolling on actual conversations
  5. broski
    You bring up some good points about the start of Fall term. Hmm maybe I should email them again mid-late August and this time directly request a meeting? Is that what you did? My reasoning was that profs may not be 100% certain they're taking students until the fall, and if I contact them in the fall they might be more likely to remember who I am.
  6. broski
    I would try to schedule a Zoom meeting or something. I would do this in the Fall, at least that's what I'm planning to do. By that time profs may have a more solid idea of whether/not they're taking students, their funding situation, etc. For questions, I second @clinical_psych_hopeful. Specifically Mitch's guide page 30 and onwards.
  7. broski
    Provincial in Ontario there's OGS, Quebec there's the FRQSC, AB there's the AB Graduate Excellence scholarship. Those are the ones I know of. I think these scholarships are based on merit and specific criteria like are you enrolled in a FT grad program in this province. Also I'm pretty sure these scholarships aren't taxed even if they pass the minimum tax bracket. Also for funding, can't forget about TA-ships, RA-ships (from your PI's own pool of grant funding), GA-ships, but you'd have to put in the hours for these dollars. There are also department/university-specific scholarships based on merit or other factors. Some departments guarantee a certain amount of funding for their students, while others don't (or they don't explicitly say so). By guaranteed, they usually mean the funds will come from a combination of TA, RA, department scholarships, etc. for X number of years in the program. Also if you're doing research in a specific area, you can apply to relevant institutions that can fund you. For example if you're doing cancer research, different cancer societies and research institutes can give you scholarships based on a submitted research proposal. Ofc these are competitive too. Another thing is you probably will apply for/try to get funding every year ... while you're doing courses, practicums, etc.
  8. broski
    My question for you is: are you interested in doing research as a career/getting into academia and/or getting into a PhD after a masters program? In that case, looking for a PI who is active in research could be a top priority. Mentorship style, healthy lab environment, match, etc. can be just as if not even more important. I would consider all these factors holistically. If you have 3-5 labs/school then you have more freedom to judge and select between PIs. I think in a Masters program these factors might be less important than in a PhD as the time commitments are different. But I think they're still important as a masters PI could help you build further connections, or give you research and publishing opportunities that will make you competitive for a PhD or other career options. Reach out to as many profs you want at each school. You're trying to explore your options and profs know this. A lot of PIs don't update their websites, pub lists, CVs, etc. ? You'll need to do an interview with them and/or talk to their current/past grad students to get a sense of what they're like as a mentor, what kind of research they're doing now, and ask other questions. So at this point I would cast a wide net, meaning that I would consider profs who don't necessarily meet all of my criteria because that could change + websites (esp Ratemyprof) don't tell you everything. I would also read their publications to see if their research is interesting to you.
  9. broski
    We can apply for federal level masters funding which is the CGS-M scholarship (funded by SSHRC, CIHR, or NSERC depending on what your project topic is) which is like ~17,500/year for 1 year in any year of your masters. If you're applying for Ontario, you can also apply for the OGS scholarship but some schools automatically consider you for OGS when you apply for their program (not sure if it's some or all schools that do this). Other provinces have their own provincial scholarships. Deadline is in December or something the year before you wanna apply, so Dec 2020 for us. Applying for + getting any of these scholarships makes you more competitive for a clinical psych program because you're coming in with $$$ already. That means you're less costly for the department. For example without any of these scholarships, they might pay you a stipend of 20k, but with a scholarship they only have to pay you like 3k. Also the award itself is pretty prestigious so there's that lol Proposal -- tbh you can write a proposal on anything, doesn't have to be related to your labs of interest, as long as it fits within the topic bounds of any of the 3 federal funding agencies. You should get a mentor to review it before submitting though, and make sure it's still a sound proposal. also gotta fill out stuff related to your GPA, research experience, etc. This is a n00b answer cause I haven't done this before, please someone elaborate.
  10. broski
    If your program doesn't offer courses required for registration in another province, or if they don't give you as much space in your schedule to finish those courses, then you might need to take those courses (courses could be undergrad or grad) at the same or another institution. It's a pre-req courses kind of thing. Agreed with @laura23 you should also check out requirements for hours, and see if your program fulfills those requirements. Other than that ... if you have the masters then you can register in a province that only requires a masters. The most 'frowned upon' action would be to apply to a Masters+Phd degree where it's a 2-in-1 deal and then decide you don't want to continue to PhD, but even then, I don't know if schools make you sign a contract stipulating that you have to stay on?
  11. broski
    You're correct with the example you provided. Your question is interesting so I did a quick search on AB Psych College's website and found this info sheet on mobility. They talk about the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) which guarantees the free movement of labour province-to-province. This agreement applies to psych graduates as well, so you can graduate from MA Clin Psyc in Ontario and register+work in AB and other provinces that only req a masters to register as a psychologist. Other than finishing studies at the masters level, I can think of one other factor that might limit mobility between provinces, and that's course requirements. Province A might want X, Y, Z psych courses for registration, Province B might want X, Y, Z, W, and A courses for registration. PhD programs in Province B might provide W and A courses as part of their core curriculum. If you go to school in Province A but want to work in Province B, you'd need to take W and A courses as options or something. Tbh not that big of a deal as course requirements are pretty similar across provinces. I would check with psych colleges for each province to see what other requirements they want.
  12. broski
    Some the day of, some within a few days, others ~ 1 week, and right now I've been waiting almost 2 weeks for 2 PIs to contact me back. It varies a lot.
  13. broski
    I just included a short intro about my degree and research interests and asked if they were accepting students. I attached my CV but I don't know if anyone actually read it. Email should be concise. On 2nd thought I'm going to edit this answer -- you could include more info on your research experiences and what you're doing now (e.g., "I did a honour's thesis under Dr. X and I am a research assistant on a _____ project right now"). You could also comment on their current research (e.g., "I found your use of Y methodology very fascinating, I would also follow-up with Z population"). I may email profs again in the fall to again confirm if they're accepting and to schedule an informal Skype/Zoom interview or something.
  14. broski
    Agreed with @freudianslipintogradschool you should look into Counselling MA programs. You could also look into Counselling MEd programs but those are more focused on education and kids of course. Program structure can differ between schools, but I think most schools offer at least 2 streams for counselling masters: 1) More thesis focused stream where you can do an independent research project at a masters level w/ a supervisor of your choice (with clinical practicums/internships but this might differ b/w schools I think); and 2) More internship/practicum based where you get good clinical experience and don't have to do a project, or just have to do a less intense research paper/project. People in Stream #1 may do a PhD/further research but may also just do clinical. People in Stream #2 should be pretty set on just doing clinical work. You could also look into doing a social work masters and becoming a clinical social worker (MSW). They get the same kind of comprehensive training in psychotherapy as counsellors, and registered social workers are covered under most insurance plans I think (just like registered psychologists). In most provinces, if you get a counselling masters you can apply to be a registered psychotherapist, registered provisional psychologist, etc. but not a registered psychologist (just for PhDs). In that case insurance companies may/may not cover your services, but I'm not sure if registered social workers face the same insurance-related restrictions. Something to check out. The thing about MSWs is that many programs require you to get a BSW beforehand and a certain # of clinical hours to apply. You could also google psychologist/counsellor/psychotherapist/etc. on Indeed.ca and see what kinds of qualifications you'd need, if you think you'd enjoy doing these kinds of jobs. That might help narrow down your post-grad education plans. Check out Mitch's guide for a breakdown of the different post-undergrad psych-related degrees: http://mitch.web.unc.edu/files/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf
  15. broski
    I've started e-mailing profs and most have gotten back to me about whether/not they're accepting Fall 2021. Of course many profs may not know 100% if they're accepting, but they'll probably tell you. Some department websites have updated which profs are accepting for 2021 too, so I checked there but also e-mailed to confirm.
  16. broski
    Can definitely recall seeing a few PIs with geriatric psych interests, that's awesome! If that line of research is less popular, you might have a higher chance of being accepted by someone tbh, though I can't seem to determine what's a popular vs. less popular line of research. I'm into applied research with psychotherapy and analyzing the mechanisms through which therapy is effective. Also therapy with different cultures and ethnicities, optimizing intervention delivery/accessibility too. I'm having a similar issue with lots of cool PIs not accepting students this year ... really got me feeling some type of way but guess we can't control whether or not PIs accept students ? Anyways good luck
  17. broski
    Also wondering about this question. I think research fit is still gonna be super important, as well as the other admission requirements. If you're a strong candidate already, then that would at least be better than people who apply just because the GRE was waived. What are your research interests? I'm curious what everyone's interests are ?
  18. broski
    I read a few Twitter and Reddit threads (yes I know...very legit) and the consensus is that there's a relatively lower supply of academic/research positions compared to other positions (e.g., just doing therapy, consulting, industry, etc.). An academic career is competitive to enter + thrive in due to the low supply of positions, less good positions (there are a lot of contract jobs that aren't stable or paid very great), and the academic environment itself. So, the stigma against getting a PhD and mostly doing clinical work seems like it's not based on reality. I've personally seen many PhD grads go into private practice or similar. But most Canadian Clinical Psych PhDs are based on a scientist-practitioner model. You're gonna do research, you're gonna learn how to do research, and you're gonna make a deal with some dude w/ red skin just so your results are significant. I think because of all these factors, it's pretty normal to say you're gonna focus on research and then do something different. I mean, so many STEM PhD grads go into industry every year.
  19. broski
    Posted this on the 2021 Canada thread but University of New Brunswick Clinical + Experimental not requiring General and Psych GREs for this cycle https://www.unb.ca/fredericton/arts/departments/psychology/grad/clinical/admission.html
  20. broski
    University of New Brunswick (Clinical and Experimental) not requiring General and Psych GREs for this cycle https://www.unb.ca/fredericton/arts/departments/psychology/grad/clinical/admission.html
  21. broski
    http://www.cpo.on.ca/Templates/Become_a_Member.aspx?pageid=2085 Scroll down to #9 and #10. It doesn't really provide a description of course content. Usually if you haven't taken the required courses, you can take them at the undergrad or grad level when you're in grad school (or earlier if you want? idk much more).
  22. broski
    To my knowledge, most schools haven't required the psych GRE or have made it optional for awhile now. With GRE being optional then psych GRE would also become optional, so I'm assuming its importance may decrease even more. Are you applying to schools that require it? If you were a psych major then you should be ok for psych course requirements cause I think most psych majors across Canada/US have standardized curriculums. You would defs want to check your province's psychologist licensure requirements as I know Ontario at least requires 1 undergrad/grad course in each of biological bases of behavior, cognitive, and a few more areas. These are your 3rd/4th year level Cognitive Psych, Abnormal Psych, etc. courses.
  23. broski
    I contacted YorkU about what they meant by 'encouraging' but not requiring scores (and if 2 applicants are about equal but one has GRE), and they said that GRE will not factor into admissions this cycle... Still not sure why they said 'encouraged'. I'll be reaching out to a few more schools. If anyone else wants to contact individual schools and clarify their requirements, that would be awesome!
  24. broski
    I made an account to get updates if more schools waive the GRE ? Also wondering for schools that 'encourage' or 'recommend' you submit GRE scores (but don't require the score), what does that mean? Like if you and another applicant are head-to-head (similar GPA, research experience, etc.) and they submitted a GRE score, then you're out? Or is GRE another initial screening tool that doesn't get looked at beyond that initial screening? Hopefully it's the latter because my cGPA + psych GPA are high enough & I haven't written GRE yet. Also does GRE score matter on the OGS and CGS-M apps or uni-specific scholarships?
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