Fall 2019 Psychology PhD Applicants!

[socpsy]

On 11/24/2018 at 11:23 AM, ResilientDreams said:

I am also only applying to 6 schools! I felt 6 was enough and I couldn't find that many more in my interest area that were in the geographic location I wanted. 

I told myself I would go to grad school somewhere warmer than the snowhell that I've lived in my entire life and lo and behold I'm mostly applying to schools in the northern midwest.

[socpsy]

Also, is anyone waiting on schools to match up GRE scores to their recently submitted applications? Two of mine say "Awaiting" still.

[pgt2018]

15 minutes ago, socpsy said:

Also, is anyone waiting on schools to match up GRE scores to their recently submitted applications? Two of mine say "Awaiting" still.

i would call them to check. i sent mine a couple of weeks ago and all my schools have them as "Verified".

[Jung&Psyched]

5 hours ago, checkingmyemail said:

They’re doing this to increase the number of applications from minorities, people of color, veterans, and women, which is awesome ☺️ We need to change the demographics in this field, and this is a first place to start.

However- They do not have funding for their grad students and the majority have taken out loans (My colleague interviewed with this PI over the phone a couple of weeks ago, he’s also applying to trauma programs) 

Lack of funding or any uncertainty for funding is a huge RED FLAG, esp. when there are so many amazing programs who do waive tuition, provide awesome stipends/fellowships, and students are able to live on their stipends w/o taking out loans.

Could you expand on the funding being a red flag? Does that usually indicate that they are not well established or something else? One of the programs I'm applying to offers partial funding... as an out of state student I would have the out of state fees waived, but still have to pay in-state tuition.  Should that be a concern about the quality of the program? Obviously I would rather go somewhere that would fund me fully, but the in-state tuition is pretty inexpensive and I am very interested in the research opportunities at this university ! 

[AceRad]

On 11/13/2018 at 2:18 PM, Kylar said:

Hi y'all!

Found this while freaking out on the internet so figured it would be a great idea to post my story as well

I have a bit of a unique application - 3.5 UG in engineering at an Ivy - and am applying for clinical PhD programs with a focus on forensics or PTSD/trauma. Research-wise, I worked in 3 labs over 4 years in school, with 1 first author pub, 1 third author pub, and 1 paper presentation at a conference, plus an honors thesis. Basically all of this is mathematical modelling/statistical analysis of qualitative/social science topics, which at least prepares me well for the "how" aspect of psych research. I'm taking two masters level classes online right now and doing well in them, but don't think this will factor significantly into my application. Work-wise, I've done some professional freelance writing, quantitative analysis interning for the government (_shady eyes_ lol), and have worked at a top hedge fund for the past year doing macroeconomic research and running some of their talent strategy. My GRE scores are in the top 95+% and will have strong LORs from professors I've done research with. Idk what else is relevant, but happy to answer any questions that help y'all predict my fate.

Applying to: Washington, Colorado Springs, Texas A&M, Alabama, Kentucky, USUHS, Harvard, John Jay, and Georgia. Trying not to have preferences right now since it's such a crap shoot.

Best on what you've said, I'm not sure what you're worried about. You just described an extremely stellar application. You have tons of experience, publications, top scores in GRE and strong letters. Is your AW score or SOP not in a good state? Do you not have experience working with human subjects?

I think you're worrying over nothing

[Kylar]

2 minutes ago, tracerad said:

Best on what you've said, I'm not sure what you're worried about. You just described an extremely stellar application. You have tons of experience, publications, top scores in GRE and strong letters. Is your AW score or SOP not in a good state? Do you not have experience working with human subjects?

I think you're worrying over nothing

I'm mostly worried that I don't have an academic or research background in psychology (it's all engineering and ecology) and don't have any clinical experience, so a school/POI would have to take a pretty big bet on me for affinity/actual ability in psychology.

[AceRad]

1 minute ago, Kylar said:

I'm mostly worried that I don't have an academic or research background in psychology (it's all engineering and ecology) and don't have any clinical experience, so a school/POI would have to take a pretty big bet on me for affinity/actual ability in psychology.

That's where your statement of purpose is gonna shine!

[xxxxxxxxxx]

1 hour ago, liznlex said:

Could you expand on the funding being a red flag? Does that usually indicate that they are not well established or something else? One of the programs I'm applying to offers partial funding... as an out of state student I would have the out of state fees waived, but still have to pay in-state tuition.  Should that be a concern about the quality of the program? Obviously I would rather go somewhere that would fund me fully, but the in-state tuition is pretty inexpensive and I am very interested in the research opportunities at this university ! 

Professors, post-docs, and pre-doc students/interns I've worked with have always strongly advised to stay away from unfunded or partially funded programs. There is a lot of literature on this for graduate student applicants which advise students to steer away from these kind of programs/getting in any debt during their graduate education for Clinical Psych. Multiple advisors I work with (all very respected in academia) also believe this very strongly. The majority of reputable clinical psych PhD programs across the country have students pay zero out of pocket (which means they're fully-funded, with tuition waivers, etc.), allowing their students to use their stipend/fellowships for actual living expenses (Which should be the point). This allows their students to focus more on their projects/academics, achievements vs. working additional roles/jobs and barely making ends meet in order to pay for their tuition. I've read on other useful student forums that taking out loans while in graduate school or attending programs that are not fully-funded is a big mistake.

Big picture: In the 4-5 years you're in a research-based program, you're providing clinical services to the community, advancing your mentor(s) research working as a graduate student RA and possible therapist, doing all of this work with the goal of obtaining a solid experience by the time you're off to internship. You should not be paying a dime (except some student fees here and there every semester) towards your graduate education (I'm looking at you, for-profit PhD/PsyD diploma mills and mediocre PhD programs that aren't fully funded ?)

Edited November 25, 2018 by checkingmyemail

[pgt2018]

I know that there have been mixed responses on this in the past but where are you guys re: emailing POIs after you submitted your application? 

I'm thinking of thanking those who I had spoken to over the phone/Skype and those who had responded to me enthusiastically over email to inform them that I had applied, but wondering if this is even an acceptable practice nowadays. Thoughts?

Edited November 25, 2018 by pgt2018

[socpsy]

6 minutes ago, pgt2018 said:

I know that there have been mixed responses on this in the past but where are you guys re: emailing POIs after you submitted your application? 

I'm thinking of thanking those who I had spoken to over the phone/Skype and those who had responded to me enthusiastically over email to inform them that I had applied, but wondering if this is even an acceptable practice nowadays. Thoughts?

I'm thinking about doing this, but maybe a few days/a week after the app deadline. It's all about getting them to pay attention to your app when they're reviewing them, so I'd think that would make the most sense?

[EileanDonan]

3 hours ago, socpsy said:

Also, is anyone waiting on schools to match up GRE scores to their recently submitted applications? Two of mine say "Awaiting" still.

I have at least one school with this issue, and I sent my scores over two weeks ago. With the deadline almost here, it's definitely causing some unnecessary grief. I'll be contacting people about it tomorrow.

[Jung&Psyched]

6 hours ago, pgt2018 said:

i would call them to check. i sent mine a couple of weeks ago and all my schools have them as "Verified".

I would call the admission office and follow up.  I had one that happened with and it turned out that GRE scores had been filed with a different grad dept and not attached to my file ! They were quickly found, and my worries of my GRE scores not arriving on time were relieved ! 

[psychhealth101]

How many programs are you all applying to? I have 10 and am struggling to decide whether I should add one more decent program in an undesirable location just to increase my chances? Is anyone else applying to places where they like the program but not necessarily the location?

[PsychWannabee]

2 hours ago, psychhealth101 said:

How many programs are you all applying to? I have 10 and am struggling to decide whether I should add one more decent program in an undesirable location just to increase my chances? Is anyone else applying to places where they like the program but not necessarily the location?

 

I'm applying to 15, and I am applying to a program (looking at Nebraska-Lincoln) where I am not thrilled about the location; however, I really like what I have learned about their program.

My two cents: I would say that if you think it feasible for yourself and everyone else involved in your application process (letter writers, specifically) you should include that other application in an undesirable location if you really like the program. If you don't find the program attractive or a good fit for you, you shouldn't bother. Better to apply another year and attend a well fit program than end up attending a program you don't really like just for the sake of getting in somewhere.

[kiriamara]

Is anyone applying to the University of Tulsa? I'm trying to fill out the application except it looks like some entry spots are missing. I can't enter my past college institution or relevant work experience. There's a heading for the sections but nothing underneath....

[socpsy]

10 hours ago, psychhealth101 said:

How many programs are you all applying to? I have 10 and am struggling to decide whether I should add one more decent program in an undesirable location just to increase my chances? Is anyone else applying to places where they like the program but not necessarily the location?

I'm applying to nine. I've talked to people who have applied to 15-20 and got too many interviews to attend (hoping I have that problem), but like @PsychWannabee said, this is an investment on your end and you don't want to get into somewhere that's not a good fit in the first place.

HOWEVER, I wouldn't discount a place that would otherwise be a good fit beside it just being a meh geographic location unless that's a total dealbreaker for you.

[xChrisx]

8 hours ago, kiriamara said:

Is anyone applying to the University of Tulsa? I'm trying to fill out the application except it looks like some entry spots are missing. I can't enter my past college institution or relevant work experience. There's a heading for the sections but nothing underneath....

That's odd. I applied there and I don't have any issues. Email: grad-ga@utulsa.edu. They are very responsive.

[ResilientDreams]

Ack. That moment when your recommender says he can't find the email to submit your letter to your top choice school....

[socpsy]

1 minute ago, ResilientDreams said:

Ack. That moment when your recommender says he can't find the email to submit your letter to your top choice school....

Same boat. I'm playing a game of how many times can I remind my recommender to submit her last letter.

Usually you can resend it through the app portal though?

[ResilientDreams]

16 minutes ago, socpsy said:

Same boat. I'm playing a game of how many times can I remind my recommender to submit her last letter.

Usually you can resend it through the app portal though?

I already submitted everything on my end though and it's not letting me...

[Yiyu Liu]

1 hour ago, ResilientDreams said:

I already submitted everything on my end though and it's not letting me...

Maybe you should remind your recommender to check the spam box? The link is sometimes blocked.

[PokePsych]

1 hour ago, ResilientDreams said:

I already submitted everything on my end though and it's not letting me...

And otherwise contact the grad office of that program - there must be a way for them to resend it!

[ResilientDreams]

His spam folder auto-deletes after 7 days. But it's okay because I got it resent!!!

[PokePsych]

Finally submitted my app :') Don't know why it took me so long or why I was so 'nervous' about it.

[ResilientDreams]

I have one last app to submit that has a December 1st deadline and then I have two other apps outside of psychology that are due later.