Fall 2019 Psychology PhD Applicants!

[socneuro]

Just now, vallaboop said:

Looking for advice! I am trying really hard not to sound desperate and annoying while trying to remain calm and not jump to the worst case scenario. While doing a lit search for work (I am a research assistant for a psychiatry department of a prestigious hospital associated with an Ivy league medical school) I came across the work of a professor at a university in New England. Her work is pretty much an exact match to my research interests and I got incredibly excited. The deadline for this particular PhD program was January 1st, however I contacted the program director and asked if it was still possible to apply. The programs website stated that in certain circumstances they would continue to accept applications after the deadline. The woman I spoke with was super nice and incredibly helpful. She told me to reach out to the POI and see if I was a good fit for the lab. If this was the case then she would authorize the late application. I contacted the POI via email explaining the circumstances, my research interests, a little bit about myself and a copy of my CV. She answered almost immediately saying it was great to e-meet me and it sounded like we have incredibly similar interests. Then she asked if I was available to talk on the phone. I answered right away thanking her for her quick response and telling her that unfortunately I was booked for the rest of the afternoon but I would gladly make time to talk the next day (this was Monday). She never responded so I reached out yesterday to follow up. I told her I realized I was a little overeager and I didn't provide other times I was available. I let her know my schedule was pretty open this week so she could just let me know what time works best for her. Additionally, I told her that I would be in her area starting next week to do research interviews at a local mental health center and I would be more than happy to stop by her office to meet in person. She has not answered. Thoughts?? I am worried that I came across desperate/annoying and that I might have blown my chances. I also realize sending my app a week after the deadline was probably a detriment. However, I looked at her CV and realized that she was a consultant on a study I work on and she has published two papers with people I work with (small world!) which could potentially work in my favor as well. What should my next step be? Should I just sit back and cross my fingers? Any advice is greatly appreciated!! This is not my first rodeo with PhD applications and my confidence is taking a hard hit each go round. 

I wouldn't worry just yet if its only been a day or two. Professors do get busy or the email may have gotten buried in other emails. I'd probably wait a week and if there's no response then email again. After that I'd probably stop emailing so as to not be harassing at that point. If she responded the first time though it sounds like she's interested! I wouldn't think saying your busy one day would hold you back much as most people understand that people get busy every now and again. I think it's probably more likely that she just got busy herself.

[vallaboop]

23 minutes ago, socneuro said:

I wouldn't worry just yet if its only been a day or two. Professors do get busy or the email may have gotten buried in other emails. I'd probably wait a week and if there's no response then email again. After that I'd probably stop emailing so as to not be harassing at that point. If she responded the first time though it sounds like she's interested! I wouldn't think saying your busy one day would hold you back much as most people understand that people get busy every now and again. I think it's probably more likely that she just got busy herself.

Thank you! That calms my neuroses a bit. I will try to catch my breath and give her some time to respond. I guess I was just worried because she replied so quickly the first time.

[PsychGal]

To the Minnesota poster with the phone interview, did you apply to the DPCS program or the adult clinical psych? Also do you know if all faculty are conducting Skype interviews currently and would you mind DMing me your POI please? Thanks!

[ItsExistential]

Can the person who has an interview with Boston College clarify what psychology program they applied to, or send me the initials of their POI? Thanks!

[psycinfo]

Can the person who received a Skype interview with the University of Washington send me the initials of their POI? Thanks and congrats!

[holdingouthope]

For those who applied to Kentucky and/or UNC Greensboro, but haven't heard back...

I reached out to the program coordinators, and here's what I found out:

Kentucky: First round of interview invites have been sent out, but there's still a possibility of a second round. Interview dates are the end of this month, and final decisions will be made by mid-February.

UNC Greensboro: Initial reviews are still being made

Hopefully this helps ease some anxiety! I'm starting to get worried, but there's still hope.

[ItsExistential]

10 minutes ago, holdingouthope said:

For those who applied to Kentucky and/or UNC Greensboro, but haven't heard back...

I reached out to the program coordinators, and here's what I found out:

Kentucky: First round of interview invites have been sent out, but there's still a possibility of a second round. Interview dates are the end of this month, and final decisions will be made by mid-February.

UNC Greensboro: Initial reviews are still being made

Hopefully this helps ease some anxiety! I'm starting to get worried, but there's still hope.

This is great news! I am waiting on UNCG as well. Thanks for reaching out to them! 

[ItPhBeLikeThatSometimes]

2 hours ago, vallaboop said:

Looking for advice! I am trying really hard not to sound desperate and annoying while trying to remain calm and not jump to the worst case scenario. While doing a lit search for work (I am a research assistant for a psychiatry department of a prestigious hospital associated with an Ivy league medical school) I came across the work of a professor at a university in New England. Her work is pretty much an exact match to my research interests and I got incredibly excited. The deadline for this particular PhD program was January 1st, however I contacted the program director and asked if it was still possible to apply. The programs website stated that in certain circumstances they would continue to accept applications after the deadline. The woman I spoke with was super nice and incredibly helpful. She told me to reach out to the POI and see if I was a good fit for the lab. If this was the case then she would authorize the late application. I contacted the POI via email explaining the circumstances, my research interests, a little bit about myself and a copy of my CV. She answered almost immediately saying it was great to e-meet me and it sounded like we have incredibly similar interests. Then she asked if I was available to talk on the phone. I answered right away thanking her for her quick response and telling her that unfortunately I was booked for the rest of the afternoon but I would gladly make time to talk the next day (this was Monday). She never responded so I reached out yesterday to follow up. I told her I realized I was a little overeager and I didn't provide other times I was available. I let her know my schedule was pretty open this week so she could just let me know what time works best for her. Additionally, I told her that I would be in her area starting next week to do research interviews at a local mental health center and I would be more than happy to stop by her office to meet in person. She has not answered. Thoughts?? I am worried that I came across desperate/annoying and that I might have blown my chances. I also realize sending my app a week after the deadline was probably a detriment. However, I looked at her CV and realized that she was a consultant on a study I work on and she has published two papers with people I work with (small world!) which could potentially work in my favor as well. What should my next step be? Should I just sit back and cross my fingers? Any advice is greatly appreciated!! This is not my first rodeo with PhD applications and my confidence is taking a hard hit each go round. 

She's probably hasn't been in the office much if it's still their winter break. It's also grant writing season for a lot of professors. If she wasn't interested, she wouldn't have responded that positively to your first email...your best bet at this point is probably just to wait it out.

[vallaboop]

4 minutes ago, ItPhBeLikeThatSometimes said:

She's probably hasn't been in the office much if it's still their winter break. It's also grant writing season for a lot of professors. If she wasn't interested, she wouldn't have responded that positively to your first email...your best bet at this point is probably just to wait it out.

Good point. Thanks! My anxiety just needs to take a chill pill

[paraent]

Can't shake the feeling that I was a bit too uneven for my Brown interview Monday (I was a bit sleep-deprived!) but it seems that I'm bound to get more chances before they decide who will be invited to campus or not. Vanderbilt is similarly ranked and seem to be making much better progress there, though I suppose in the back of my head I was hoping to stay in the northeast US. If I were more clearheaded I'd probably be focusing more on my schools that have broken the top 20. 

I wonder how much rank matters for a person's career. Suppose my best result this year were a top 30 school. If I were sure I could get into a top 10 by waiting another year and building my CV, would that be the right call? Or would it just unduly slow my career by another year? Of course I know that it's the lab I should be focusing on over departments, but department data useful for comparision is much more accessible than single-lab stuff (beyond H-indices and whatnot). And perhaps more concretely, some credible research suggests that graduates frop top 10 departments are vastly overrepresented in professorships and so on, but on the other hand postdocs seem more important in theory and yet also reasonably accessible. Hmm.

Either way, think I might spend some time this month applying to non-grad school stuff in case I do end up in a situation where another year as a postbac turns out to be the best available option.

[shockwave457]

5 minutes ago, paraent said:

Can't shake the feeling that I was a bit too uneven for my Brown interview Monday (I was a bit sleep-deprived!) but it seems that I'm bound to get more chances before they decide who will be invited to campus or not. Vanderbilt is similarly ranked and seem to be making much better progress there, though I suppose in the back of my head I was hoping to stay in the northeast US. If I were more clearheaded I'd probably be focusing more on my schools that have broken the top 20. 

I wonder how much rank matters for a person's career. Suppose my best result this year were a top 30 school. If I were sure I could get into a top 10 by waiting another year and building my CV, would that be the right call? Or would it just unduly slow my career by another year? Of course I know that it's the lab I should be focusing on over departments, but department data useful for comparision is much more accessible than single-lab stuff (beyond H-indices and whatnot). And perhaps more concretely, some credible research suggests that graduates frop top 10 departments are vastly overrepresented in professorships and so on, but on the other hand postdocs seem more important in theory and yet also reasonably accessible. Hmm.

Either way, think I might spend some time this month applying to non-grad school stuff in case I do end up in a situation where another year as a postbac turns out to be the best available option.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to rankings but would pay more attention to student outcome data. Aside from that, just doing a quick cursory view at the institutions those at my current undergrad institution went to, theres an even mix of schools that aren't in the top 10 but are faculty so I wouldn't necessarily let ranking dictate where you want to go. 

[coloradopsyched]

Has anyone heard back from University of Northern Colorado for Counseling Psychology PhD interview?

[PsychM]

@paraent I completely agree with @davidfreire20. I wouldn't pay too much attention to that. A program wouldn't be accredited if it wasn't good. Rankings matter much more at the undergraduate level than at the doctoral level. Ivy League and top ranked schools sound great but when you are applying for internship, post docs, and eventually a career, they don't look at the rankings or the prestige of the name of the school very much, they are looking at your experiences, expertise, etc. as compared to others. Student outcome, such as internship match rate, is very important in determining if the program will set you up for success or not. In short, rank or prestige of a program is unlikely to matter when it comes to your future career. That is my opinion at least!

[humanisticPOV]

53 minutes ago, paraent said:

Can't shake the feeling that I was a bit too uneven for my Brown interview Monday (I was a bit sleep-deprived!) but it seems that I'm bound to get more chances before they decide who will be invited to campus or not. Vanderbilt is similarly ranked and seem to be making much better progress there, though I suppose in the back of my head I was hoping to stay in the northeast US. If I were more clearheaded I'd probably be focusing more on my schools that have broken the top 20. 

I wonder how much rank matters for a person's career. Suppose my best result this year were a top 30 school. If I were sure I could get into a top 10 by waiting another year and building my CV, would that be the right call? Or would it just unduly slow my career by another year? Of course I know that it's the lab I should be focusing on over departments, but department data useful for comparision is much more accessible than single-lab stuff (beyond H-indices and whatnot). And perhaps more concretely, some credible research suggests that graduates frop top 10 departments are vastly overrepresented in professorships and so on, but on the other hand postdocs seem more important in theory and yet also reasonably accessible. Hmm.

Either way, think I might spend some time this month applying to non-grad school stuff in case I do end up in a situation where another year as a postbac turns out to be the best available option.

I've heard that rank of the school is no where near as important as the quality of your research experience and the prestige of you mentor (i.e. it'd be better to have a well-respected mentor at a not-so-well-known school than a so-so mentor at a top school). At the same time, It probably depends on you're ultimate career goal; if you're looking to be a professor at a prestigious college then maybe holding out for a top 10 ranked department would be your best option. Personally, I would feel SO lucky just to receive ONE acceptance offer I can't believe that someone would consider turning an offer down just for the chance to go to a "top" school! I'm just hoping for my personally ranked "top" school and a good match for my interests. I have paid 0 attention to the "official" school rankings.

[PsychApplicantFall2019]

@paraent I am only going to address a small part of your concern, but I would not put to much stock in how you feel the interview went. I understand that it can feel really bad, but the faculty may have a totally different impression than you have. 

[holdingouthope]

48 minutes ago, coloradopsyched said:

Has anyone heard back from University of Northern Colorado for Counseling Psychology PhD interview?

I am waiting to hear from them as well, but haven't seen anyone post yet...

[MichaelMonroe]

3 hours ago, holdingouthope said:

For those who applied to Kentucky and/or UNC Greensboro, but haven't heard back...

I reached out to the program coordinators, and here's what I found out:

Kentucky: First round of interview invites have been sent out, but there's still a possibility of a second round. Interview dates are the end of this month, and final decisions will be made by mid-February.

UNC Greensboro: Initial reviews are still being made

Hopefully this helps ease some anxiety! I'm starting to get worried, but there's still hope.

What program is this for? I applied to UNCG for HDFS but I know most people on here are Clinical. 

[coloradopsyched]

28 minutes ago, holdingouthope said:

I am waiting to hear from them as well, but haven't seen anyone post yet...

I will post if and when I hear!!

[holdingouthope]

17 minutes ago, coloradopsyched said:

I will post if and when I hear!!

Thank you, I'll do the same!

[holdingouthope]

32 minutes ago, JaniceMontgomery said:

What program is this for? I applied to UNCG for HDFS but I know most people on here are Clinical. 

Yeah, it's for the Clinical PhD program.

[JKPsych]

Did anyone else other than the results page poster hear anything from UVA curry's clinical and school program?

[Jae7]

Has anyone heard anything about FIU (cognitive neuroscience)???

Thank you! 

[psychclin]

31 minutes ago, Jae7 said:

Has anyone heard anything about FIU (cognitive neuroscience)???

Thank you! 

I heard back from their clinical program yesterday, and I know different depts but my POI’s did say that they had only finished reviewing applications just yesterday so my guess would be that by the end of next week everyone should begin hearing back. They received an astronomical amount of applicants this year (at least for the clinical program which I know is completely different but you never know, just passing Along what I’ve heard)  

Edited January 10, 2019 by psycash

[ItPhBeLikeThatSometimes]

1 hour ago, Jae7 said:

Has anyone heard anything about FIU (cognitive neuroscience)???

Thank you! 

I applied for developmental but no! (Lowkey losing my mind over it because when we spoke in october my POI really hyped up how quickly they supposedly review apps)

[Jae7]

36 minutes ago, psycash said:

I heard back from their clinical program yesterday, and I know different depts but my POI’s did say that they had only finished reviewing applications just yesterday so my guess would be that by the end of next week everyone should begin hearing back. They received an astronomical amount of applicants this year (at least for the clinical program which I know is completely different but you never know, just passing Along what I’ve heard)  

 

2 minutes ago, ItPhBeLikeThatSometimes said:

I applied for developmental but no! (Lowkey losing my mind over it because when we spoke in october my POI really hyped up how quickly they supposedly review apps)

Thank you both for your answers! As one of you said, "low-key losing my mind" too lol I'll keep waiting till next week...I was also thinking that maybe clinical apps were reviewed first, so I guess wait till next Wednesday or so? I'll keep you posted as soon as I hear something!