Maybe2021

To those feeling "too" old, I get it, I am turning 35 this summer. I sometimes tell my current PI that I feel sad about not having chosen this career earlier, and he always points out to me how valuable my life experiences have been, how intentional I am and how age sometimes really helps.. Plus he always reminds me that I have my three amazing kids who I love to death and who bring me so much joy (also drive me nuts..) but having a family also taught me how to juggle school, work, research and family and be more organized and intentional with my time. Not to say it wouldn't be nice to be doing this in my early twenties, or even late twenties, but I don't necessarily think it's always a downside to be a bit older. I still have so much time to do what I love, and my kids will be a bit older and more independent once I finish grad school. Plus I feel like a kid at heart lol  

Yo - programs aren't supposed to pressure applicants to make a decision before April 15th, so we shouldn't be pressuring people to make decisions, either. I keep seeing a lot of posts in the results section telling people to hurry up and accept/decline which isn't cool. Of course I'd love to have closure, but I would never pressure another applicant to make a decision. Hopefully it's no one from these threads but just in case, I wanted to reiterate this point. 

Omg yes!!! This has made me crazy!

Completely understand! It’s so frustrating that people don’t understand how competitive it is to get into a doctorate program in psychology compared to other graduate programs. I think it was just a bad year to apply due to Covid, the waiving of the GRE’s, and the amount of applicants. So grateful for this community where we can relate to one another and vent our grievances. Chin up!

I mean every day feels a bit like 10 years.... Meanwhile, I doubt I will hear from my waitlist until April 15th or so so I am in perpetual limbo and want to just assume rejection to move on and make plans, but holding on to a tiny bit of hope that I can't let go of. So my days include cycling between crying a bit, changing my plan B, obsessively overanalyzing past email correspondences, crying a bit more, trying to explain to non psych people what this actually is like (given up on that one), hiding from most my relatives and friends because I feel too embarrassed that I may have not gotten in anywhere but it's pointless to explain to them how competitive this field is in general, crying a bit more, changing plan B again, contemplating giving up, checking my emails every 30 min, checking grad cafe results every 30 min, crying a bit more. RINSE and REPEAT. PS. I swear I was a "normal" and sane person before this process. 

I am going crazy waiting to hear back, glad I am not the only one that has not gotten a response

thanks for letting us know! I am on the waitlist and DYING over here ?

I'm planning to release my offer from Rutgers (PsyD) within the next week or so. I hope it helps someone on the waitlist!

it's more like interview week. i have an interview with one faculty member tomorrow and another friday. there are more clinic tours and Q&As next week as well I want to say

I’m reading this blog I found online where professors are sharing outrageous responses they have received from applicants during the interview and this one is my favorite - why do you want to go to ___? “It is the only school I can drive to” ???‍♀️

Thank you!!! Good luck tomorrow!!!

Hi all, I figured a separate thread like this would be helpful in case anyone would like to know the timelines for programs sending acceptances/waitlists/rejections. We can follow the similar format of the Interview Invites thread, as follows:
School:
Type: (PhD/PsyD; Clinical/Counseling)
Track: (Child, Adult, General, etc.)
Acceptance/Waitlist/Rejection:
Type of Notification: Email from POI, phone call, etc.
Date Notified:
DM for POI: Yes/No
 
Be kind, and respect those who might not want to share their PI initials. Good luck everyone!

?? Mine too! A blank greeting card with two birds kissing each other and "besties" on top. I texted my best friend a picture of the box with "Thank you so much, made my day! Love youuuu".  She texted back "I love you too, but this is not from me". LOL

I have a very random question. For those of you who received an interview invitation from George Mason, did anyone get a Starbucks gift package from them? They had previously asked me what my beverage preference is, and today I received this Starbucks gift package with two kinds of coffee, cookies, and a mug. None of my friends sent it, so I'm just wondering if it could be from GM given that they asked me if I prefer coffee, tea or hot chocolate  
If it's indeed from them, what a sweet gesture! 

I have a very random question. For those of you who received an interview invitation from George Mason, did anyone get a Starbucks gift package from them? They had previously asked me what my beverage preference is, and today I received this Starbucks gift package with two kinds of coffee, cookies, and a mug. None of my friends sent it, so I'm just wondering if it could be from GM given that they asked me if I prefer coffee, tea or hot chocolate  
If it's indeed from them, what a sweet gesture! 

?? Mine too! A blank greeting card with two birds kissing each other and "besties" on top. I texted my best friend a picture of the box with "Thank you so much, made my day! Love youuuu".  She texted back "I love you too, but this is not from me". LOL

?? Mine too! A blank greeting card with two birds kissing each other and "besties" on top. I texted my best friend a picture of the box with "Thank you so much, made my day! Love youuuu".  She texted back "I love you too, but this is not from me". LOL

Yes, me too! I also asked all of my friends if they sent me a surprise package, but then I figured out it must have been George Mason. The funniest part was that mine had a card in it which said "besties" ?

I have a very random question. For those of you who received an interview invitation from George Mason, did anyone get a Starbucks gift package from them? They had previously asked me what my beverage preference is, and today I received this Starbucks gift package with two kinds of coffee, cookies, and a mug. None of my friends sent it, so I'm just wondering if it could be from GM given that they asked me if I prefer coffee, tea or hot chocolate  
If it's indeed from them, what a sweet gesture! 

Thank you for your perspective as a faculty member. I really appreciate being able to understand your point of view. However, I do have some questions.
What if someone changes their major like yourself? Many R1 schools allow "undecided" or "exploratory" majors for the first two years of attending, as most 18 year olds have no idea what they want to study; what if you switch to psych and then you're beaten out of research positions by students who have been in the program since they were freshmen? What if you couldn't afford tuition at an R1 school? What if you have to work to support yourself and don't have the time to work in a lab? The point being that there are thousands of scenarios that are adjacent to going to an R1 school, doing research for years, and gaining the experience necessary to be "competitive".
Reiterating a point another poster made, there are countless applicants willing to give their lives to the field and serve the exponentially increasing mental health needs of the community. The expectation of having years of research or experience creates barriers for (racially, economically, etc.) diverse applicants. I understand your point about funding and finding students who meet your interests, and I think a lot of us are wondering whether this is the best method (i.e. only recruiting students for 10 faculty members' personal needs) of recruiting at all. 
Lastly, I think it is problematic that if your goals are to be a clinician, you either (i) spend half a decade doing research in a PhD program just because it's funded, or (ii) find yourself in $200k+ in debt (assuming you don't get into 1/5 funded PsyD programs). I realize this is a very black-and-white way of depicting things, but I think it's a clear indicator of the necessary restructuring we need in the field. 

As someone coming from the same background, I would like to wholeheartedly second this.
Getting a lab position has been a nightmare for me, even before COVID. Even now, my current position isn't exactly the most robust experience compared to that offered through other labs. I can't afford an MA, and neither can many others. Unfortunately, these sorts of things don't come across in a CV, thus making you seem less "competent" compared to other applicants who were in the right place at the right time with their school/work.

Hey,
Just heard back from my PI. She said the admission process takes place over the next few months. I guess that means they haven't made final decisions on who to invite for interviews yet, and there must be several interview days. Anyway, hope this is helpful!

Fourth time clinical psych PhD program applicant here and I ended up with 6 interviews this cycle! The only real difference I could identify this time around is 1 first author publication and a couple years of neuropsych testing experience. I just wanted to say keep on trying if this isn’t your year. Keep seeking out research and clinical opportunities and know that it’s absolutely a numbers game. Best of luck to everyone!

I would love to join, I'll bring the tequila ?
But real talk, I'm sorry you are feeling dejected and I totally understand. This process is soul-sucking. 

Applying to these graduate programs has been an eye-opening experience. It seems that the training of future psychologists is governed by the narrow needs and interests of a few faculty members, rather than the pressing mental health needs of the communities. So many dedicated people, eager to devote their lives to clinical psychology, are not able to gain access to the profession because entrance is so tightly regulated. If medical school admissions were run this way, there would be almost no physicians. I think the APA should reconsider the academic model for training and licensing of clinical psychologists, for this system fails to serve interests of future practitioners and patients alike.