2020 Clinical Psychology Canadian Applicants

[springxsummer]

On 12/2/2019 at 11:12 AM, Cascadia said:

Oh nice! You never know, depending on your research experience it could be just as competitive as an honours thesis!

I am only applying to clinical psychology programs at UBCO, UBCV, UVIC, SFU UofC, Waterloo, McGill, Dalhousie. I thought about counselling programs as well, but I don't have the prerequisite courses to apply for most programs. 

Best of luck to you! 

I surprised it is so quiet on here... the 2019 thread  was quite active. Where is everyone applying?

The pre-reqs do make it difficult, especially given that they can vary significantly across schools. I definitely appreciate the more stream-lined nature of clinical applications.Good luck to you as well .

The quietness is so weird, I agree.

[Stressed&CoffeeObsessed]

Hi all!

I'm new to GradCafe so this forum was exciting to find! I'm American and have no experience with Canadian programs, so was wondering if anyone would have any feedback on my chances.

I applied to the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Dalhousie. I have a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology and my GPA and GRE scores are pretty good (3.94 GPA, 160 Verbal, 5.0 Writing, 149 Quant [which I know is not ideal]). I have lots of poster presentations and research experience though, and published my Masters thesis. I'm currently a research coordinator at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. I'm just not sure if these things will make up for my Quant score...

Also, when do people usually hear back from Canadian programs? Do people get accepted in January/February, or earlier? Just not at all sure how this usually works.

Thanks for any help you can give! :) 

[Mickey26]

1 hour ago, SaraW said:

Hi all!

I'm new to GradCafe so this forum was exciting to find! I'm American and have no experience with Canadian programs, so was wondering if anyone would have any feedback on my chances.

I applied to the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Dalhousie. I have a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology and my GPA and GRE scores are pretty good (3.94 GPA, 160 Verbal, 5.0 Writing, 149 Quant [which I know is not ideal]). I have lots of poster presentations and research experience though, and published my Masters thesis. I'm currently a research coordinator at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. I'm just not sure if these things will make up for my Quant score...

Also, when do people usually hear back from Canadian programs? Do people get accepted in January/February, or earlier? Just not at all sure how this usually works.

Thanks for any help you can give!

Hi I'm currently a 1st yr Clin Psych student at Dal  I was in your shoes only a year ago haha (time flies!) PM me if you have questions!

[iamstressed]

Question about GRE scores, I'm not applying this year but I will be next. I have the general gre but not the subject. Ryerson states the subject is not required but recommended and uoft says you can write as late as april. Anyone know anyone who didn't have the subject one for ryerson? Or who wrote late for UofT?

[absolutelynott]

Hello! I am applying to University of Ottawa and currently working on my statement of interest. I was hoping someone here who is currently applying to UOttawa or has applied in the past could offer a bit of insight. How much of your statement did you spend talking specifically about your POI(s)? I'm truly passionate about the work of the POIs I'm applying to, and I want to convey that, but I also want to balance the statement with talking about my own history, qualifications, and interests. Anyone know what they look for at Ottawa?

[Temperance]

On 12/7/2019 at 8:28 AM, iamstressed said:

Question about GRE scores, I'm not applying this year but I will be next. I have the general gre but not the subject. Ryerson states the subject is not required but recommended and uoft says you can write as late as april. Anyone know anyone who didn't have the subject one for ryerson? Or who wrote late for UofT?

Is that writing in April 2019 for Fall 2020 admission?  It doesn't make sense to require the test score for admission but not see the score until well after admission decisions have been made, so that's not writing the test late so much as you have to write it earlier than what is normally suggested (i.e., September or October sitting).

[SoundofSilence]

20 hours ago, teenygreeny said:

Hello! I am applying to University of Ottawa and currently working on my statement of interest. I was hoping someone here who is currently applying to UOttawa or has applied in the past could offer a bit of insight. How much of your statement did you spend talking specifically about your POI(s)? I'm truly passionate about the work of the POIs I'm applying to, and I want to convey that, but I also want to balance the statement with talking about my own history, qualifications, and interests. Anyone know what they look for at Ottawa?

Hello there,

I am currently applying. Given that the prompt says a statement "in which you describe your research interests and how they relate to the potential thesis supervisors you have listed" my guess is that you should definitely include (and make clear enough) how your choice of POI fits in with your overall interests. Since it's a small space anyway, I would leave it at a couple of phrases/ up to one paragraph, to make sure you have enough left to highlight..well, your highlights

This is only my opinion and I don't have any direct info from the program. 
 

[_Pink_Freud]

Clinical psych PhD candidate at UWO here. Will check in periodically to answer any questions. Good luck to all applicants.

[Hell0]

4 hours ago, _Pink_Freud said:

Clinical psych PhD candidate at UWO here. Will check in periodically to answer any questions. Good luck to all applicants.

Hi!

PhD applicant here. I am currently completing my MA at a CPA accredited institution, but I am planning to pursue my PhD at UWO. Just wondering if you know when i should be expecting to hear back and whether UWO considers external applicants for PhD (and the likelihood)?

Thanks!

[_Pink_Freud]

18 hours ago, Yyxcn said:

Hi!

PhD applicant here. I am currently completing my MA at a CPA accredited institution, but I am planning to pursue my PhD at UWO. Just wondering if you know when i should be expecting to hear back and whether UWO considers external applicants for PhD (and the likelihood)?

Thanks!

We typically hold our interview day in early February so you'll know next month if you've been shortlisted. If you're an external applicant you'll have to start at the master's level.

[iamstressed]

On 12/9/2019 at 9:02 PM, _Pink_Freud said:

Clinical psych PhD candidate at UWO here. Will check in periodically to answer any questions. Good luck to all applicants.

How strongly do they take into consideration applications for funding like sshrc. Just asking because we can only indicate 3 institutions in the application.

[Psychology_101_]

Hi everyone! If anyone knows much about the SFU program, please send me a message! I would love to chat and pick your brain a bit.

[VanessaB]

Hi all,

I applied to the following programs for the Fall 2020 intake:

University of Alberta - MEd in School and Clinical Child Psychology
University of Toronto (OISE) - MA in School and Clinical Child Psychology
University of Saskatchewan - MEd in School and Counselling Psychology
University of Calgary - MSc in School and Applied Child Psychology
Mount Saint Vincent University - MA in School Psychology

This is my first (and hopefully last) time applying.  I will be turning 33 before the start of the Fall 2020 semester, so I'm itching to get going.  Everything I have done over the last few years has been completed with the goal of going to graduate school in mind, so my fingers are crossed!

I'm most interested in the U of A and U of T programs because training in school psychology is combined with clinical training, but honestly at this point in my life I would be happy to go to any graduate school that wants me!  I'm also most interested in the schools (and respective supervisors) who are most open to an arts-based thesis project.

None of the schools I applied to required the GRE.  However, I was interested in UBC's School and Applied Child Psychology program at one point, especially since they recently updated their curriculum, but in the end I decided it wasn't worth the time, stress, and money to write the GRE for one school.  If I don't get in to any programs this intake, I will reconsider my decision not to write the GRE.
 
I have three undergraduate degrees.  All of my degrees are from Canadian universities.  I have a BA in Honours Psychology, a BEd in Drama Education with a minor in Science Education, and a BFA in Dramatic Arts.  The BA was awarded in 2019 and the BEd and BFA degrees were awarded in 2011.  From my most recent degree, my Psychology GPA was 4.0/4.0 and my cumulative GPA was 3.94/4.0.  My cumulative GPA for my BEd was also 3.94/4.0 and my cumulative GPA for the BFA was 3.69/4.0.

Regarding applied work and volunteer experience, I believe this is the strongest part of my application.  I am approaching the ten-year mark for being a certified teacher in the province of Alberta, so I have worn many hats in the field of education.  I have also volunteered as a Research Assistant for over two years and worked as a Research Assistant for about half a year.  As well, I have over three years of crisis line experience, two years of peer mental health education experience, two years of mentoring experience, and around two years of event planning/coordination experience.  I've also previously worked in other school-related roles.  For instance, I was a School Program Coordinator for a museum at one point in my life and I when I was younger, for a brief period of time, I used to travel to daycares and schools when I worked as a Storyteller.  Currently, I work for a university in the area of post-secondary recruitment, so I facilitate a lot of school visits, on- and off-campus presentations, and one-on-one and group meetings.  While I don't teach full time anymore, I substitute teach where my recruitment schedule permits.

In terms of the weakest part of my application, I don't have any publications.  However, I do have one conference presentation and I have one article (based on my thesis project) that has just gone through the peer-review process.  Also, I'm currently helping my former honours supervisor with some statistical re-analyses, but whether or not that results in a publication remains to be seen.  That being said, after doing some exploring and reading on various program websites, some programs like the one at the U of A aren't concerned about publications, so hopefully other universities will look beyond that weaker part of my application.

If anyone is in Calgary and wants to meet another fellow nerd, please do get in touch!  Or, if anyone has any advice or suggestions, please do let me know.

Thanks!

Vanessa

Edited December 14, 2019 by VanessaB
Grammar error

[PsycUndergrad]

On 12/11/2019 at 1:13 PM, iamstressed said:

How strongly do they take into consideration applications for funding like sshrc. Just asking because we can only indicate 3 institutions in the application.

Not a current student there, but was accepted (went elsewhere). The faculty member who accepted me didn’t care much about funding applications and didn’t mention it until I had already been accepted. I got the impression that it’s less important than at some other schools because the university already provides good funding (~25k) to all students. But someone actually in the program may have more insight. 

[VanessaB]

4 hours ago, PsycUndergrad said:

Not a current student there, but was accepted (went elsewhere). The faculty member who accepted me didn’t care much about funding applications and didn’t mention it until I had already been accepted. I got the impression that it’s less important than at some other schools because the university already provides good funding (~25k) to all students. But someone actually in the program may have more insight. 

I asked a current faculty member at the post secondary where I did my most recent degree.  She said that the committee for the SSHRC funding and the admission committee for each grad program are basically two separate entities.  More or less, this is why you sometimes encounter people who were waitlisted for a program, but then got SSHRC funding, and the program let them in.  Sometimes, even if you get SSHRC funding, if the program waitlists or rejects you to begin with, that program doesn't necessarily have to provide a spot for you.  With that I mind, I do know of a girl who was waitlisted for a program, she later found out she got SSHRC funding, and when she informed the school about it she was happily welcomed into their program.  When I spoke with someone at OISE a few months back, they basically just told me that if you don't apply for SSHRC funding prior to admission, it's expected that students apply for this funding once admitted into a program.  In a way, this makes sense because at that point you know who your supervisor is and you will likely have a better grasp of the project you will do, but each to their own; do what works for you!

[Psychology_101_]

 I was curious if most applicants have publications. If so, how many are necessary for you to stand out as a top applicant? It seems like the applicants are getting more and more competitive and wasn't sure if everyone had publications at this point.

Thanks in advance! 

[VictoriaLee]

Hi everyone! 

I just want to let everyone know that I really found the posts in this thread really informative. Keep the posts coming! 

I am an international applicant (Singaporean to be exact) of the SCCP PhD programme at UoT. I have a Master of Educational and Developmental Psychology from an Australian university, with a GPA of 3.857. I also have a publication under my name. I worked for 5 years as a psy assistant before I got my Master, and 3 years (and running) as a school psychologist after my Master. 

Honestly, when I looked at the stats of several Canadian universities, I am not too hopeful about my application. Even if the outcome may turn out to be unfavourable, at least I know I tried. 

Quick question: Does anyone know when will UoT inform the applicants of the outcome? 

[_Pink_Freud]

On 12/11/2019 at 1:13 PM, iamstressed said:

How strongly do they take into consideration applications for funding like sshrc. Just asking because we can only indicate 3 institutions in the application.

Coming with funding attached is always preferable. I can't make a more specific statement without knowledge of the overall application.

Edited December 19, 2019 by _Pink_Freud

[SoundofSilence]

Hello everyone!

It's been a little quiet on the Canadian clinical thread so I thought I would give it a little bump to keep it relevant for January (and on the first page ) .

I finally managed to get all my ducks (and references :)) ) in a row and applied to a final list of 9 clinical psych programs and 1 master's with strong research training.

To my surprise, the master's program moved quite swiftly and I had in very short order an informal email chat, then an interview and finally an offer  All in the span of about 10 days. I still can't believe it. 

This is my second year applying and hopefully I have learned some useful lessons from last year

Enough babbling. I am looking forward to being with you all for this new app season and hope things will remain as supportive and as positive as they have been in the past.

Wishing you all peaceful holidays and great success in the year to come! ?

[psyc2020]

3 hours ago, SoundofSilence said:

Hello everyone!

It's been a little quiet on the Canadian clinical thread so I thought I would give it a little bump to keep it relevant for January (and on the first page ) .

I finally managed to get all my ducks (and references :)) ) in a row and applied to a final list of 9 clinical psych programs and 1 master's with strong research training.

To my surprise, the master's program moved quite swiftly and I had in very short order an informal email chat, then an interview and finally an offer  All in the span of about 10 days. I still can't believe it. 

This is my second year applying and hopefully I have learned some useful lessons from last year

Enough babbling. I am looking forward to being with you all for this new app season and hope things will remain as supportive and as positive as they have been in the past.

Wishing you all peaceful holidays and great success in the year to come! ?

Congratulations!! 

I am surprised how quiet this thread is compared to last year at this time.

It is also very daunting with how the US Schools move a lot faster than Canadian. It is hard not to feel like "should I be hearing back too?" even though I know that the majority of Canadian schools do not start sending out invites until the new year. 

This is my third time applying, and I too, hope that I have learned some useful lessons from my past years. Hoping third time is the charm!!! 

[SoundofSilence]

17 hours ago, psyc2020 said:

Congratulations!! 

I am surprised how quiet this thread is compared to last year at this time.

It is also very daunting with how the US Schools move a lot faster than Canadian. It is hard not to feel like "should I be hearing back too?" even though I know that the majority of Canadian schools do not start sending out invites until the new year. 

This is my third time applying, and I too, hope that I have learned some useful lessons from my past years. Hoping third time is the charm!!! 

Thank you!

To be completely honest, I was thrilled the first two days, then it went down hill from there :)) I then realized that although the program and the POI are both great, I might not have enough funding so I have to scramble to apply to extra scholarships and fellowships. So back to research proposals, essays and chasing down references.?

Also, I totally get the feeling with US schools - I see how fast they move and I keep thinking that I won't get any doctoral program interviews this season and it's bumming me out.

Best of luck, hoping third is the charm for you! Happy Holidays! ??

[Cascadia]

Hi! Can those who posted on the results page that they received interview invites to Waterloo and UBC pm me your POI initials? Thank you!  

[2020]

I would also appreciate it if the UBC person could PM me your POI initials if you don't mind! Thank you very much!!

[PsychGirl2]

46 minutes ago, Cascadia said:

Hi! Can those who posted on the results page that they received interview invites to Waterloo and UBC pm me your POI initials? Thank you!  

Hey! Can you please send me the POI initials for Waterloo as well. Thanks!

[VanessaB]

I know this is the clinical form, but I see some other people on here also applied to some counselling programs, so I thought I'd let you know a few important things.  The University of Saskatchewan is no longer offering intake to their School and Counselling Psychology program for the 2020-2021 school year.  Unfortunately, they let prospective applicants know (via their website update only ?) that they are no longer going forward with the 2020 intake.  Due to the late delivery of this program update, I had already submitted my application materials to them including my letter of intent and resume.  Some of my references had already submitted their recommendations too. ?‍♀️ I hope others aren't in the same boat.  Thankfully I applied to four other schools, and U of S wasn't my top pick, so ?for some good news in the new year.

Edited December 28, 2019 by VanessaB