Southwestteacher

Thanks! I am glad to hear it went well for you. I think the zoom interview factor is the part that has made me nervous. That is a relief to hear that it wasn't too awkward. My first interview is an 8:30 - 4:30 event so I imagine I will be pretty burnt out by the end as well. It is nice to hear that most of the questions are ones that we likely would have already prepared for like why this program, career goals, etc. Hope you hear good new soon!

Interesting! The apprehensions about the program would be a tricky question for sure. Also - good for you for asking about their apprehensions about you as a candidate as well. I've always heard that can really add to an interview but have been too nervous to ever actually pull it off in interview. Were you glad that you asked it in the end?

Awesome! Thank you. I am glad to hear that it wasn't too difficult. Did you just have questions open in a separate tab? And I bet water is KEY! I always forget to drink water when I am teaching on zoom and feel dead by the end. Thanks for sharing your experience so far. Hopefully you hear some good new about your interviews soon.

I hope all the interviews went well this week! Mine are not until Feb. I was curious if anyone would be willing to share any of the difficult questions that came up during interviews? Or just general feedback on how remote interviews felt would be great, too. Good luck everyone!

Sorry not sure how to get rid of this! Ignore this post.

Good morning everyone! I was considering applying to UNC by Feb 9th deadline. I saw a lot of mixed discussion on here about the program. I was just curious about what some of the main pros/cons would be of this program?

Not EdS but the PHD School Psych already sent out invitations. Not sure if they operate on the same time line though.

I actually got my first rejection this week too! It was certainly a let down. But it was not my top choice and I had a bad feeling about this one component of my application for that school...so I have to say I was not too surprised. However, I am a little concerned that it may be hard to get an acceptance somewhere! Also, worried that some of my schools that I haven't heard anything from could be rejections, too! We will see. Just curious do most of you have strong Psychology backgrounds? I lean way more heavily towards education experience since I have my MA in Education and have been teaching for the past 5 years. Hopefully it turns out okay even without much of a psych background.

accidental post.

I think that sounds good! Definitely more formal for the faculty day. Also what are thoughts on nose piercings? I should probably just take it out for the interview right?! I read this from a faculty member somewhere here. I would just test out outfits on Zoom and see what works best, as most schools will still probably expect professional attire. Procrastinating faculty member here :). I agree with the above, although I think this year we will cut you all some slack - we know that Zoom fatigue is real, and that being physically comfortable can help with that. I personally will be completely fine with a dress shirt or nice cardigan over a blouse, rather than a full blazer. To add, though, please consider taking some time to make sure your Zoom setup avoids some common problems. To wit: 1. The (other) halo effect. It's especially important during an interview to make sure that your face is adequately lit and that there isn't a strong light (sunny window or artificial lighting) behind you that makes you a silhouette. It's hard enough to get personality across via Zoom, and being able to clearly see your face helps a lot. No need for a fancy setup, just make sure to test your lighting at multiple points of the day and adjust accordingly. 2. Framing. This is tricky, I realize, but it's helpful for a lot of us to be able to view body language from more than just a disembodied head :). Think about the news anchor frame and try to approximate that. This also has to do with angles - if you're sitting directly in front of a laptop looking down (or up) at it, depending on the distance it can look like a looming face. Also test run your attire to make sure that the camera angle doesn't reveal anything you don't want it to reveal. 3. Eye candy. I don't judge anyone's Zoom space decor or similar (unless it is obviously inappropriate), however I have been distracted by items within view. So just check that your artwork, doodads, books, etc., are not distracting or overly cluttered, even if they're really cool. As with your professional attire, the goal is to make sure you and your ideas are the focus. 4. Props. Obvious prop placement, like making sure your copy of the DSM-5 or "Discovering Statistics Using R" is clearly viewable, are amusement-inducing, but not actually helpful. Also, many folks use their bookshelves as background - nice choice, but please make sure the titles are all appropriate, and that you don't inadvertently reveal an interest in some psychological area/approach that is inconsistent with the program to which you're applying. We can't help it - we WILL read legible titles. 5. Pets. I love 'em. Can't get enough of them, and to my mind pets are exempt from Item 2 above, but not sure everyone would agree. That said, we understand if you get a visit during our meeting :). Thank you for your posts, all - I'm trying to anticipate applicants' anxieties so we can try to mitigate them during the interviews, and your opinions and questions are helpful. Good luck!

That is hard! From what I've read it is not great to go back on a commitment that you have already made. Is one of these schools a priority for you over the other one? You could ask the school that you are slightly less interested in the possibility of an alternative interview date? Just an idea. Maybe other people have had a similar experience...I have not yet!

I am in the same boat too!!! So anxious to hear back from schools. I am still waiting on quite a few. I know some schools aren't sending invites until later in the month. Also, one of my interviews isn't until mid Feb. so it is possible other schools have a later time frame as well.

JM you?

Phd! How about you? And yes, @SchoolPsychYogi it was just in my confirmation email that they hope to let us all know today. Good luck!

I am glad I'm not alone! I'm scared to open my email tomorrow in case it is a rejection and at the same time I know I will be refreshing it nonstop.

Anyone else anxious about hearing from University of Washington tomorrow?!? It sounds like they will let us know either way though.

@TheloveguruSorry to hear that! I have one or two that I am pretty sure are a no as well since I haven't heard anything yet. Still no fun (but at least not in limbo anymore). I hope you have other great offers.

It is such a relief to have an update. Thanks! At least I don't have to think about it for the next two weeks.

Thanks for the Utah update. Let us know if they respond to your email about when they expect to send interview invites.

@gracerechtI just got an email about being on an alternate interview list. Maybe it is the same situation for you?

Hi, I received an email today letting me know that I was on the alternate interview list. I think it is essentially a waitlist if someone does not accept and interview/offer. Not sure if that is helpful! Maybe it is the same for you.

Not sure either. It seems like this has happened to some other people who have posted as well. Maybe waitlist?

@MsZ123 I have not heard from U of A yet either. Maybe there will still be more throughout the week?

I am wondering the same thing with University of Oregon (except with School Psych PHD)! Rejections were posted today but I haven't heard either way. Not sure what to think... hoping more rejections aren't coming throughout the week.