frazyfar

Hi all - I’ve noticed quite a bit of anxiety and heartbreak over in the ‘21 Clinical/Counseling thread. Since this is about the time of year when a lot of psychology applicants (of all disciplines!) start assuming or receiving rejections, I thought it might be helpful to have a central space where disappointed applicants can vent and receive support. I know that these applications are sometimes years in the making; we sacrifice sleep, health, and time with our loved ones to achieve our dreams. The jolt of hope when you go to refresh your email, coupled with the disappointment when there’s nothing new there...I know that dance well. For those of you who are facing that disappointment, I hope you will use this thread to reach out for comfort. For those of you who have been there and might have words of wisdom and experience, please share how you got through it! Brianna Baker, through her YouTube channel Becoming Dr. Baker, posted a video today that I thought was timely: “Rejected from Everywhere I applied to: My story & How to Bounce Back from Graduate School Rejection”

Would it be helpful for us to put together a “coping with disappointment” thread full of kind words, validating statements, and advice from people who have been there?

As a general recommendation, I like Navigating Academia and Becoming Dr. Baker on YouTube. They both have useful videos about interviews. If you have access to it, the Insider's Guide to Doctorate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology has an incredible amount of information - from full profiles on (all?) schools in the US to an entire chapter on interviews. I found it for free through my university's online library, but it's well worth the $22 on Amazon if you can afford it.

My advice would be to keep your answers as short as possible - especially if the group interview is only 30 minutes! They can ask follow up questions if they need to, but I think it would be better to be overly succinct than perceived as dominating the conversation. You can always ask, "Should I elaborate on that?" if you're unsure whether or not you should keep going. If you have a habit of comparing yourself to others and psyching yourself out, you can mute the volume when other applicants are talking and/or offer to answer first. However, a well-placed "I think so-and-so had a really great answer, and I would like to add..." can make you seem collaborative, which is important. When asking questions, make sure to ask open-ended questions - stay away from "Do you like living in ____?" and replace that with, "What are the challenges and benefits to living in ____?" Lastly, humility is important. If you don't know, don't make something up. If you learned something new from another applicant when they answered, that's okay too. You don't have to know everything, and one of the biggest issues in psych is that professionals act out of their scope/lean too much into being the "expert" in the room. Openly acknowledging your current limits is a professional skill.

School: University of North Dakota Type: Counseling Psychology PhD Date of invite: January 15 Type of invite: Formal interview invite from DCT Interview date(s): January 29 or February 1 DM for POI: Sure

I’m still waiting on UH Manoa and UT Austin.

Does anyone know if the Georgia State Clinical invites include invites to their Clinical-Community program? Not sure if I need to cross this one off my list. ?

Thank you for bringing this up! To be honest, I’m a little glad those are fake. The problem solver in me was thinking, “What was your statement like? The GRE? If they can’t get in then how do I have any hope!”

Here is a link the results page for UH. You can search by school or type of program. I pretty much sit here reloading the "Clinical Psychology" and "Counseling Psychology" search results all day. Don't be like me

I know someone here was asking about URI. I heard back today - hopefully you did too! Thirding the UT Counseling Psychology PhD comments. Have not heard anything.

School: Oklahoma State University, Counseling Psychology Type: PhD Date of invite: 12/15/20 Type of invite: Invite from DCT for formal interview Interview date(s): January 29 DM for POI: Yes School: University of Louisville, Counseling Psychology Type: PhD Date of invite: 12/22/20 Type of invite: Invite from DCT for formal interview Interview date(s): January 15 DM for POI: Yes School: University of Rhode Island, Clinical Psychology Type: PhD Date of invite: 1/8/21 Type of invite: Invite from admissions coordinator for formal interview Interview date(s): February 1 DM for POI: Yes

If you can, invest in an Ethernet cable. It will reduce the “unreliable internet” anxiety.

I’m interviewing for clinical and counseling programs, and I am planning to wear a blazer and slacks. My main tips would be to assess how your planned shirt color appears on camera with your skin tone - I’m not pale, but black shirts make me look like a featureless ghost on camera, especially in full daylight. Also, wear pants! I’ve heard some horror stories of people being forced to get up (maybe they spill their coffee, or the interviewers encourage everyone to get up and stretch) and reveal they are not wearing pants.

Another round of schools I’ve seen people asking about recently: URI Clinical - applied, have not heard back. UMass Boston Clinical - got a general email about offers being extended in late January. UH Manoa Clinical - applied, have not heard back. Hope this was helpful!

I just got an email from UMass Boston’s Clinical program saying that their application timeline is extended, that their admissions committee will meet in late January, and that interview invites will be extended via phone call in the last week of January. I hadn’t followed up with them, so I imagine quite a few applicants reached out.

Any thoughts on how Zoom will change our interview attire? I tend to purchase the flat front/no lapel blazers because lapels are mostly unflattering on me, but I’m afraid that will seem too informal over video. Also considering lighter versions of the acceptable colors (aka a lighter gray or medium blue) due to fears of looking like a ghost on video, but again, I’m concerned about appearing too informal.

Just catching up with this forum! For those who have posted in the last week or so: University of Houston Counseling - I applied and have not heard anything, but I know someone who heard from their PI in early December. Their interview day (per my friend) is Feb 12. University of Louisville Counseling - I applied and heard back from PI last week with an interview offer. You can PM me for PI info if you want. Georgia State Clinical/Community - I applied, have not heard back. Boston College Counseling - I applied, have not heard back. University of Texas Austin Counseling - I applied, have not heard back.