Fall 2019 Clinical Psychology Canadian Applicants!

[Clinicalh0peful]

1 hour ago, gillis_55 said:

Phrase it more as you're thinking about the full picture of your finances throughout the program. 

You are so GOOD at phrasing things! That is exactly what I am going to say ? I obviously wasn't going to phrase it like that but I didn't know how to word it without coming across as presumptuous. THANK YOU!

[Clinicalh0peful]

33 minutes ago, Psychology_101_ said:

Hi all! I hope everyone is well during this super busy and stressful time. I was hoping to get a little insight from this wonderful group. This is my second time applying to clinical psych programs and things are not looking particularly good in terms of receiving an acceptance for Fall 2019. Last year I received a waitlist offer and this year I had two interviews. I graduated this past June (e.g., class of 2018) and I feel this enormous pressure to start grad school as soon as possible, and oftentimes feel like I am "behind" in some way, especially in light of some recent rejections. Is there anyone here that took several years off/applied several times to get into clinical? Overall, I am feeling incredibly defeated and hopeless at the moment. 

Feel free to PM me if that is more comfortable for you. Thanks in advance everyone! 

Hey! So I applied last year and was rejected also, graduated in 2018, and then re-applied this year. From my experience and from talking to others, it seems as though the overwhelming majority of individuals have to apply at least twice, if not more. And reiterating what someone already said, it seemed as though at least half (if not more) of the individuals in interviews were working on Master's degrees, which was quite a surprise to me. That said, it clearly isn't necessary - people take time off to work or volunteer in labs, etc. I know at my home school the average age of the first year cohort this year was like, 27. So don't despair! As the end of the day, you're going to be 31/32/33 one way or another - might as well be that age with a PhD. At least, that's how I chose to look at it!

[nerdy_metalhead]

Hi everyone,

I noticed that convo on this thread shifted towards concerns on going to school later on and whatnot, so I thought this might be a good place to ask my questions and voice my concerns in hopes of getting some advice. I know at least one person here switched careers and now getting into clinical Psych. What motivated you? 

I graduated Hons BSc back in 2014, went on and did my masters in Clinical Forensic Psych afterwards in a prestigious school, then got a position and currently working in research in a major research institution in Canada. I have not applied to PhD since my graduation from Masters for a while and only applied to one school this year (assuming rejection already as I have not heard back). To be honest I am feeling rather hesitant about pursuing clin psych PhD, and this feeling comes and goes. On one part to get in would be a dream come true as I'm very passionate about forensic clin psych (both research and clinical parts of it, and had plenty of experiences to really understand what the field is about, all the ins and outs which I am happy with). On the other hand its a tad stressful considering I am not fresh off undergrad, the program takes at least 6 years, its rather small amount of funding throughout, all the research indicating prevalence of mental health issues in PhD students, all the negatives of being a woman in academia, and not an insignificant matter of being in my early/mid thirties by the time I graduate. I only applied to one program also because its my home city, and by accepting grad school I do not have to uproot my life and my fiance's life too, and most students in this school under my POI supervision graduate within 5 years, which is rather great. But chances of being accepted here are quite slim, and so I wonder if it makes sense to apply across Canada  next year and move if I were to be accepted.

I would really appreciate some advice, whether you have similar thought, and if so, what motivated you to pursue PhD in spite of these. I honestly dont want to be a downer here, and I am so humbled by all your guys motivation and success, its very inspiring. I got none of my friends who pursued clinical psych, so I honestly have no idea who else to reach out to here. Thanks, guys! 

[ventiamericano]

51 minutes ago, Psych_101 said:

This makes me sad. ?

A lot of grad students I met at the open house didn't hear until March - hang in there!!! They rank applicants and honestly, just because you're on a waitlist doesn't mean it's game over. The system sucks, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel!!! Things will work out!

[statsguy69]

1 hour ago, Psychology_101_ said:

Hi all! I hope everyone is well during this super busy and stressful time. I was hoping to get a little insight from this wonderful group. This is my second time applying to clinical psych programs and things are not looking particularly good in terms of receiving an acceptance for Fall 2019. Last year I received a waitlist offer and this year I had two interviews. I graduated this past June (e.g., class of 2018) and I feel this enormous pressure to start grad school as soon as possible, and oftentimes feel like I am "behind" in some way, especially in light of some recent rejections. Is there anyone here that took several years off/applied several times to get into clinical? Overall, I am feeling incredibly defeated and hopeless at the moment. 

Feel free to PM me if that is more comfortable for you. Thanks in advance everyone! 

Hi there, 

I'm in my first round of applications so I can't provide much advice with respect to time off... I ended up using my 5th year in undergraduate to get some relevant clinically-oriented research experience while finishing my degree. Just wanted to say that I'm in a similar scenario; graduated this past June and I applied this year. I was also slightly older than some of my undergraduate peers when graduating, and don't think I got in this year, so I can definitely relate to feeling "behind" in a way... you're not alone. I can certainly relate to feeling demoralized. As some people have mentioned, it's not uncommon for people to be doing their Masters (or to have acquired one) when applying. It also doesn't seem too uncommon for people to be in their early-mid 30s when finishing their PhD. As people have reminded me, in the grand scheme of things, a few years probably isn't a huge deal. I think many of us are in this situation... more  than I had previously thought.

[PsyHike]

Hi everyone,

Did anyone hear back from the UWindsor Adult program after the interviews?

[a display name]

2 hours ago, NogitsuneX said:

Hi everyone,

Did anyone hear back from the UWindsor Adult program after the interviews?

Hi! I interviewed for the Windsor Adult program as well but haven't heard anything. I saw some acceptances posted on the results page on February 14th- fingers crossed for the waitlist but at this point I'm assuming rejection ? 

[AlbertaUndergrad]

On 2/13/2019 at 3:05 PM, matche11 said:

Offers from University of Alberta SCCP have begun! First official acceptance yay

 

Anyone know anything about how their funding works? There was no info in the offer letter

Congrats! I am in my first year of the program - you can apply for an RA or TA position in the spring and apply for funding (like CGS-M) in your first year if you haven't already. Would you mind DM'ing your POI?

[PsychologyLife1]

Rejected from UBC-V

[Stickyknow]

16 minutes ago, PsychologyLife1 said:

Rejected from UBC-V

I know they did interview last week... ... I haven't heard anything from the school yet (no interview invite), so I guess it's going to be a rejection as well. Sigh...... I wonder whether you were interviewed? 

[higaisha]

UBC-V had me SHOOK i'll never forget getting rejected so fast n furiously by them LOL

[PsychologyLife1]

Hahaha I feel you!!!!!

[PsychologyLife1]

20 minutes ago, Stickyknow said:

I know they did interview last week... ... I haven't heard anything from the school yet (no interview invite), so I guess it's going to be a rejection as well. Sigh...... I wonder whether you were interviewed? 

I wasn’t interviewed so this was expected!

[FacelessMage]

8 hours ago, Psychology_101_ said:

Hi all! I hope everyone is well during this super busy and stressful time. I was hoping to get a little insight from this wonderful group. This is my second time applying to clinical psych programs and things are not looking particularly good in terms of receiving an acceptance for Fall 2019. Last year I received a waitlist offer and this year I had two interviews. I graduated this past June (e.g., class of 2018) and I feel this enormous pressure to start grad school as soon as possible, and oftentimes feel like I am "behind" in some way, especially in light of some recent rejections. Is there anyone here that took several years off/applied several times to get into clinical? Overall, I am feeling incredibly defeated and hopeless at the moment. 

Feel free to PM me if that is more comfortable for you. Thanks in advance everyone! 

I think I've mentioned this in other threads on this board, because I've been here way too long, but I had to apply four times before I got accepted into a clinical psych program (5 years after I graduated from undergrad, although I got an experimental masters in between). I was rejected TWICE from my current program before finally getting in, and didn't receive a single interview during my third application cycle.

The reality is, clinical psych applications are extraordinarily competitive, and sometimes getting accepted or not can depend on stuff such as who else is in the same application pool, how many funded spots there are for a particular program, and, although a lot of programs won't admit it, department politics do play a bit of a role (e.g., sometimes certain POIs are given priority for accepting students than others). It's definitely normal to be down and hopeless during this process, since it is tough (tougher than grad school itself in a lot of ways). The key thing is to be persistent, and to try to do as much as possible between applications to give yourself a boost! In a lot of ways, there's value in not entering grad school right away after undergrad (e.g., can save some money, get some life experience that you wouldn't necessarily get in school, etc.), so try to look at it as a positive thing (even though it's hard).  

Remember, you got this! You just have to believe in yourself! 

[+ve regard]

7 hours ago, s_bellow said:

I feel this enormous pressure to start grad school as soon as possible, and oftentimes feel like I am "behind" in some way, especially in light of some recent rejections. Is there anyone here that took several years off/applied several times to get into clinical?

I currently have classes with students who are 50+ and just starting their MA/PhD. I applied 3 times over a span of 15 years and will be in my early 40s when I finish my PhD. There's definitely no age limit! It might feel like this is the best (or only) path right now but you can fill your life with amazing experiences that will alleviate the pressure you feel right now. I absolutely felt the same way when I first applied. 

I now look back on my first application materials and I would not have admitted me  

There is always time and there is always hope. Just keep moving forward! 

[Willy36]

5 hours ago, higaisha said:

UBC-V had me SHOOK i'll never forget getting rejected so fast n furiously by them LOL

Its alright, I was culled by UBC V in the early weeks of January (unless you were referring to that as well..in which case I totally feel you...). Apparently my POI had received 90+ applications alone....then later when another colleague of mine who also applied to the same person contacted her, the POI said that she was not able to take students "due to departmental circumstances that were out of [her] control". Strange..but sounds just about right when we're all talking about these "variables" that are completely out of our control 

[higaisha]

8 hours ago, Willy36 said:

Its alright, I was culled by UBC V in the early weeks of January (unless you were referring to that as well..in which case I totally feel you...). Apparently my POI had received 90+ applications alone....then later when another colleague of mine who also applied to the same person contacted her, the POI said that she was not able to take students "due to departmental circumstances that were out of [her] control". Strange..but sounds just about right when we're all talking about these "variables" that are completely out of our control 

HAHA same PI, seems we got the same nice copy-paste message after inquiring further  I thought she was popular but I was shocked that she basically got 5/7ths of the applicant pool all to herself. I didn't hear about the second part--I was hoping she would nab a really talented student, seems she had a great pool to pick from. Pretty shocking, imagine getting past the first round just to get trolled LOL bruh applications are hell for real.

[ventiamericano]

10 hours ago, Willy36 said:

Its alright, I was culled by UBC V in the early weeks of January (unless you were referring to that as well..in which case I totally feel you...). Apparently my POI had received 90+ applications alone....then later when another colleague of mine who also applied to the same person contacted her, the POI said that she was not able to take students "due to departmental circumstances that were out of [her] control". Strange..but sounds just about right when we're all talking about these "variables" that are completely out of our control 

 

2 hours ago, higaisha said:

HAHA same PI, seems we got the same nice copy-paste message after inquiring further  I thought she was popular but I was shocked that she basically got 5/7ths of the applicant pool all to herself. I didn't hear about the second part--I was hoping she would nab a really talented student, seems she had a great pool to pick from. Pretty shocking, imagine getting past the first round just to get trolled LOL bruh applications are hell for real.

I relate lmao, also got the same rejection letter early January (twice!!! because I clearly didn't get it the first time). Apparently, the grad committee screens out a bunch of applicants and then only directs successful candidates to the PIs. Hearsay, but makes sense. For instance, I heard they're super strict about the GRE and will scan applicants out off the bat - even their website says 80th percentile or above so rip to me

[Willy36]

24 minutes ago, ventiamericano said:

 

I relate lmao, also got the same rejection letter early January (twice!!! because I clearly didn't get it the first time). Apparently, the grad committee screens out a bunch of applicants and then only directs successful candidates to the PIs. Hearsay, but makes sense. For instance, I heard they're super strict about the GRE and will scan applicants out off the bat - even their website says 80th percentile or above so rip to me

Yeah ...the GRE is my weakest point for my application... too bad written sections are kinda thrown under the rug...

[ventiamericano]

8 minutes ago, Willy36 said:

Yeah ...the GRE is my weakest point for my application... too bad written sections are kinda thrown under the rug...

Kind of shocking though, no? Like how come my accuracy with calculating the volume of a cylinder counts but not my ability to write or think critically? Lmao... because in practice I'll definitely be assessing my patients with protractors and not critical thinking skills

[Willy36]

15 minutes ago, ventiamericano said:

Kind of shocking though, no? Like how come my accuracy with calculating the volume of a cylinder counts but not my ability to write or think critically? Lmao... because in practice I'll definitely be assessing my patients with protractors and not critical thinking skills

It's such an archaic form of screening for applicants...but alas I feel like its just a gigantic cash grab. I know the GRE is weighted differently across other schools...and some schools don't even ask for it (Concordia I believe), although 'recommended'. UTSC also says that they'll even look at your application w/o the GRE scores ... but will need you to take it (out of obligation?) should you be conditionally accepted.

To quote the Mars Rover: "My batteries are low and it's getting dark"; captures exactly how I'm feeling right now with this whole application process

[nerdy_metalhead]

1 hour ago, ventiamericano said:

Kind of shocking though, no? Like how come my accuracy with calculating the volume of a cylinder counts but not my ability to write or think critically? Lmao... because in practice I'll definitely be assessing my patients with protractors and not critical thinking skills

This was definitely the most frustrating part for me. And my POI at UTSC told me that they look at Quant score to gauge how you will do in PhD (makes little sense to me, apart from the fact that program is stats heavy, so why not test stats instead?).  

41 minutes ago, Willy36 said:

It's such an archaic form of screening for applicants...but alas I feel like its just a gigantic cash grab. I know the GRE is weighted differently across other schools...and some schools don't even ask for it (Concordia I believe), although 'recommended'. UTSC also says that they'll even look at your application w/o the GRE scores ... but will need you to take it (out of obligation?) should you be conditionally accepted.

To quote the Mars Rover: "My batteries are low and it's getting dark"; captures exactly how I'm feeling right now with this whole application process

Did you have to take Psych GRE? I got time for next year to retake it, but I wonder if I should (got 81st percentile). It's mandatory for schools I am applying for, not just recommended.

[statsguy69]

Are quantitative scores typically weighted more than verbal GRE scores? My quantitative score was average but my verbal scores were quite high

[nerdy_metalhead]

2 minutes ago, s_bellow said:

Are quantitative scores typically weighted more than verbal GRE scores? My quantitative score was average but my verbal scores were quite high

Not for most schools. I believe most are looking for a high verbal. But UTSC is looking for a high quant. 

[reindeerland]

 

 

 

2

23 hours ago, nerdy_metalhead said:

On the other hand its a tad stressful considering I am not fresh off undergrad, the program takes at least 6 years, its rather small amount of funding throughout, all the research indicating prevalence of mental health issues in PhD students, all the negatives of being a woman in academia, and not an insignificant matter of being in my early/mid thirties by the time I graduate. I only applied to one program also because its my home city, and by accepting grad school I do not have to uproot my life and my fiance's life too, and most students in this school under my POI supervision graduate within 5 years, which is rather great. But chances of being accepted here are quite slim, and so I wonder if it makes sense to apply across Canada  next year and move if I were to be accepted.

PM me if you'd like to chat more about this!

I did a masters in experimental medicine not knowing what I wanted to do straight out of undergrad (and learned that an academic career in "experimental medicine" wasn't the right fit for me). The high rate of mental health issues among PhD students is certainly no myth, however, it depends a lot on the kind of relationship you have with your mentors (little support = worse outcomes). I have a good hunch that smaller programs like clin psyc will lend themselves to a more supportive learning environment than programs that toss you into the ocean and expect you to emerge 4 years later with a dissertation. That being said, talking to grad students currently in the labs you're looking at is an absolutely invaluable way to get a better understanding of lab culture, research expectations, authorship, mentorship styles etc. 

I too only applied to a handful of schools in my area because I don't want to leave a support system that I've spent a good chunk of time cultivating -- it's definitely not a bad approach AT ALL to prioritize what you'll need to be successful in a grad program! Applying elsewhere might increase your chances (depending on the kind of research fit you have with other PIs), but it also may come at a cost to other parts of your life.