PhD Final Decision Thread Fall 2018

[motherofdragons23]

On 4/11/2018 at 7:46 PM, Eanertodt said:

I am going to be attending Saint Louis University for Clinical Psychology! I am super excited!! If you are going to SLU or even WASHU since it's close - I would love to connect with you! 

I'll be attending SLU for the experimental program (social)!

[DFtW]

On 4/13/2018 at 12:38 PM, DFtW said:

Louisville for Clinical Psych

After a change of plans I will be now be heading to Marquette University of Clinical Psych!

[psych-grad]

On 3/30/2018 at 1:44 PM, NDB said:

I'm going to Clemson for a PhD in Organizational Behavior! 

My brother is going there for a PhD in a totally unrelated field. I should hook y'all up! Haha, mostly kidding.

On another note, congrats!

Edited May 20, 2018 by psych-grad

[rosesandrecords]

Is anyone else considering retaking the GRE?  I'm trying to decide if I should.  I took it two years ago when I applied to Master's programs and did pretty well (157 V 155 Q 4.0 AW) but as I'm researching average scores for the programs I'm interested in, I'm noticing that they're all a few points higher than mine.  I've talked to a couple other grad students and they retook it but did the same/a little worse, so I'm concerned about wasting my money and time on something that may not pay off.  Is anyone else doing this or has anyone else done this?  Help!!

[SarahTonin]

14 minutes ago, rosesandrecords said:

Is anyone else considering retaking the GRE?  I'm trying to decide if I should.  I took it two years ago when I applied to Master's programs and did pretty well (157 V 155 Q 4.0 AW) but as I'm researching average scores for the programs I'm interested in, I'm noticing that they're all a few points higher than mine.  I've talked to a couple other grad students and they retook it but did the same/a little worse, so I'm concerned about wasting my money and time on something that may not pay off.  Is anyone else doing this or has anyone else done this?  Help!!

I took the GRE twice and did significantly better the second time. I tried a different study method, studied more consistently, and really targeted my weaknesses. For me personally, taking an exam the second time is always better if possible because it also makes the experience less anxiety-inducing once you get the hang of it. When I'm less nervous, I do better on tests. I think that your scores, though, are borderline acceptable, so if the rest of your application is very solid, it may not be worth it for you. That being said, if you have other weaknesses (I had a lower GPA for example), I would say that you should try to raise it. Ideally, for clinical psychology PhD programs, you want to hover around 70th percentile for quant and around 90th percentile for verbal, give or take. If you decide to retake it, I used Magoosh to up my score and got up from 50th percentile in math to 70th, and from 80th to 90th percentile in verbal.

[missfleur]

1 hour ago, rosesandrecords said:

Is anyone else considering retaking the GRE?  I'm trying to decide if I should.  I took it two years ago when I applied to Master's programs and did pretty well (157 V 155 Q 4.0 AW) but as I'm researching average scores for the programs I'm interested in, I'm noticing that they're all a few points higher than mine.  I've talked to a couple other grad students and they retook it but did the same/a little worse, so I'm concerned about wasting my money and time on something that may not pay off.  Is anyone else doing this or has anyone else done this?  Help!!

I am also considering studying more/differently and retaking. My scores are nearly identical to yours. 155 V, 160 Q, 5.5 AW was my third try. And I have another that is 157 V, 157 Q and 5.5 AW (this was my 2nd score). And then I have another score from ages ago (almost 5 years ago that is worse).

With all of those tests, I used Magoosh. I'll say this; Magoosh is good, but they haven't updated their core lesson videos in 5 plus years. I took the GRE several years ago and bought their subscription and then had it renewed. I was stunned that several years later it was essentially the same with only a few more practice questions. It's not bad, they're just not great and that well done. The lesson videos are very much a lecture recording with powerpoint slides with sometimes befuddled and half-baked explanations. Where they shine is their practice questions. 

I have been considering doing either Manhattan GRE prep (they have an online at your own pace for $549 I think, pricey but might be worth it, includes all 9 of their books (which includes the 5 lb GRE book) and the official GRE book). I've also been considering PrepScholar. So take a look at those too.

Edited May 22, 2018 by missfleur

[Timemachines]

On 5/22/2018 at 10:32 AM, rosesandrecords said:

Is anyone else considering retaking the GRE?  I'm trying to decide if I should.  I took it two years ago when I applied to Master's programs and did pretty well (157 V 155 Q 4.0 AW) but as I'm researching average scores for the programs I'm interested in, I'm noticing that they're all a few points higher than mine.  I've talked to a couple other grad students and they retook it but did the same/a little worse, so I'm concerned about wasting my money and time on something that may not pay off.  Is anyone else doing this or has anyone else done this?  Help!!

I got 9 interviews with those exact scores (a 5 on AW). Don't waste your time and $$