justanotherbutterfly

You can reach out to see if you're on some sort of wait list, or if they just released invites you can wait a day or two so see if there's still a chance

From what I gathered most places like to release interview invites at least 2 weeks (give or take a few days) in advance from the actual interview date. I personally don't think there's any harm in following up. Perhaps maybe wait another day or two so it's closer to 1 week before formal interviews? But I don't think reaching out is a bad thing given how positive your prelim went!

Thanks for the advice and for letting me join the slack! You have been the only positive part of my day so far and I really needed it.

Thank you so much! Also any tips for finding jobs on twitter? I've seen PIs post here and there but I feel like I'm missing so much because I don't follow that many people

I am not. Is it possible to get added? Thank you!!

Apologizes in advance if this is the wrong place to post, but does anyone have any advice on getting post bac positions? This application cycle is looking to have no favored well for me (still have some programs to hear back from but I want to be realistic) and to ease my anxiety I decided it would be best to start looking for jobs. I'm signed up on the Div 53 list serv as well as have looked on clinicalpsych.org but so far it's very limited. Any advice? Thanks so much again!

I honestly never thought I would see people troll about this. This happened earlier with UCSD and I just assumed they meant to say prelim interview because sometimes PIs can be unclear. Now I feel stupid for falling for it

I wonder if maybe it was just a preliminary interview and the poster got confused? I can't blame them. POIs sometimes aren't the most clear, but I did notice they labeled it as a phone interview so I assumed it was a prelim interview because I would imagine actual interviews would be a bit more formal.

@Neuropsych2021 @Gavindorf Thank you both for your very insightful advice. This has eased a bit of anxiety, although I don't think I'll achieve full relaxedness until after the process is over haha. Wishing you both the best of luck this cycle and thanks again

Sorry if this has already been answered but does anyone have an advice on how to approach/ prepare for a preliminary interview. My POI said this interview will be done to help them decide if they want to give me an official interview invitation and that they want to talk about my interests and goals. I can talk about these two things easily (I think) but I don't know if I can talk a whole 20-30 minutes about it. Should I read more of the POIs papers? Talk about the specifics of the program? Am I over thinking this? Thanks in advance for the help!

Awesome thanks! Do you mind if I ask a follow-up? Does your application portal reflect that you received an interview? I added all the emails for the places I applied to in my contacts so hopefully they won't get labeled as spam, but I want to be extra sure.

Hi everyone, this is definitely just nerves hitting in but if we do get an interview email is it typically from the general grad application email address or the PI? My email has been filtering some grad emails as spam and even deleting them, so I'm going to play around in my settings to see what's going on, but knowing where to expect them from would be helpful!

PhD

I've also see some informal interviews from the program I'm applying to (but not my potential PI). Does this mean that they've already gone through all the applications? I'm starting to get antsy not hearing anything. Also it's only been a week since deadlines...I didn't think they'd be done this fast!

@justacigar First this is very cool, happy for you! Second, from what I've been told it's not something you really put on a CV, but it can be something you mention in statement of purpose or cover letter to really show how invested you were in a project. This is only one of my PIs opinions so I'm also open to any additional thoughts!

Wow hearing how some schools have already sent out invites is not easing my anxiety. Most of my applications were due two days ago but still makes me nervous. Good luck to everyone!

I'd like to further add that I follow a few PIs on twitter (non that I'm applying to just people I think are cool) and they've stated that although there has been an increase in applications there also has been an increase in people who are applying and are not good fits with their research. I do think applying to grad school has become much more manageable for certain people this year due to programs being more accommodating (which is great I would rather know these programs are willing to be understanding than pretend like things are normal), but this also has lead to a huge increase in the applicant pool. I completely empathize with you as I am very stressed about applying this cycle but all we can do is our best and hope that our best is good enough! Send positive vibes your way

Interestingly enough a few of my programs have actually moved their interview dates earlier than normal (some are planned for the first week of January) since they're all virtual. However these interview dates were posted before applications were due, so I wonder if things will change once they realize how many applications they have to go through....

Most of my schools have also allowed for 2-3 page length statement of purpose, so I completely agree with you on 500 being unreasonable. I struggled and I honestly am still not fully pleased with how much I had to cut out, but my PIs were adamant that I had to meet the word limit. While I do think a part of it is a test, I do also think since the SOP is so short they may be giving more emphasis on the letter of recs or writing samples (my schools with short SOP have asked for a writing sample). Hang in there I'm sure what you have is great!

I've had a few schools with 500 word limits so I truly empathize with you - it is not a lot of space. But, to echo what has already been said, I would not go over the word count. Some of my application portals actually required me to copy and paste my essay in so they could ensure it was within the word count. Even for the ones that allowed be to upload what I wanted, this is one way of POIs assessing whether you can discuss your work in a concise and clear manner. While they may not notice a word or two over it will be clear if you have a sentence+ over the limit.

I’m not sure if this will ease your anxiety or fuel it so I apologize in advance, but I’m more inclined to think if a POI is no longer sure about taking a student it has a lot more to do with lack of funds/budget cuts if anything. I had correspondence with a few POIs who were initially interesting in taking students but very recently (ie few weeks ago) updated me that they were no longer accepting due to budget cuts in the department/ still haven’t heard back from grant agencies due to COVID. I guess what I’m trying to say is the only thing you can do is submit your best application and hope things work out. These programs will always be competitive one way or another we just have to try to stay as optimistic as possible!

Awesome! I actually just refreshed and the application checklist updated...I guess it really was just a glitch. This application process has not been helpful on my nerves lol Thank you so much for your quick response and helpful comments

Thanks! I've sent them an email and I'll sure to call them. I'm just worried I won't get a response with the holiday approaching. Have you found that in most cases they have recieved your materials and it's just the website states otherwise?

Has anyone had any weird issues with submission portals? I uploaded all my documents and confirmed that they were uploaded. Under "application checklist" it states they they didn't recieve my personal statement, but there's a section right under it titled "uploaded materials" and it states that they have recieved my personal statement. Should I be concerned or do you think it's just a glitch in the checklist?

Awesome thanks for your insight! I have co-authored another manuscript, but since our writing responsibilities were divided equally among us, I felt it would be best to submit a draft of something that I have primarily written/edited.