*I is stressed* venting thread for Fall 2020 Applicants

[hopefulgrad2019]

2 minutes ago, Psych1st said:

Is a mass email kinda "one and done"? Like that's it?

Usually yes but it’s technically still possible to get an invite until you’ve received a rejection. 

[2ndTimeHopeful]

3 hours ago, Schy said:

Something definitely has to be said for perseverance. Try and keep your head up! So many people would have given up by now and I think it takes a lot to keep trying. It shows everyone how serious you are 

Yes. I’m determined. Downside is I need to retake the GRE if I apply a 4th time!!

[ImAFreudNot]

1 hour ago, hopefulgrad2019 said:

Usually yes but it’s technically still possible to get an invite until you’ve received a rejection. 

Also we have no idea how they do mass emails. It could be a mass email for only certain PIs, like there's a pre-set departmental email and as PIs give departments their list of names, the departments send them out, etc. People may also decline interviews and then you get pulled off some sort of wait list, but probably wouldn't know this until later since it's still so early in the process. A friend who just finished his PhD in psych gave me both potential explanations and said there was likely a dozen more possible explanations. All this is to say we really don't know much about the process, which only adds to the stressful nature of the whole thing! 

[hopefulgrad2019]

2 minutes ago, ImAFreudNot said:

Also we have no idea how they do mass emails. It could be a mass email for only certain PIs, like there's a pre-set departmental email and as PIs give departments their list of names, the departments send them out, etc. People may also decline interviews and then you get pulled off some sort of wait list, but probably wouldn't know this until later since it's still so early in the process. A friend who just finished his PhD in psych gave me both potential explanations and said there was likely a dozen more possible explanations. All this is to say we really don't know much about the process, which only adds to the stressful nature of the whole thing! 

Yep, it is really variable. I’m a 1st year PhD student so I can only speak to how my institution does interviews/rejections. 

[justacigar]

2 minutes ago, ImAFreudNot said:

Also we have no idea how they do mass emails. It could be a mass email for only certain PIs, like there's a pre-set departmental email and as PIs give departments their list of names, the departments send them out, etc. People may also decline interviews and then you get pulled off some sort of wait list, but probably wouldn't know this until later since it's still so early in the process. A friend who just finished his PhD in psych gave me both potential explanations and said there was likely a dozen more possible explanations. All this is to say we really don't know much about the process, which only adds to the stressful nature of the whole thing! 

These are the scenarios that give me hope! The uncertainty is definitely the most frustrating part of the whole process. 

[Schy]

1 hour ago, justacigar said:

These are the scenarios that give me hope! The uncertainty is definitely the most frustrating part of the whole process. 

Same here!!! I need to take it regardless of what happens bc my scores truly make me seem like an idiot... unless all programs miraculously decide the GRE is horrible and classist ??‍♀️

[PavlovsMonster]

This is my second clinical psych application cycle and honestly, I'm just chilling here in the forums and rewatching beloved television shows to take my mind off the results page. Once we get further into December/January I'm sure I'll be living on that page though. I do admit though that every time I see an email notification, my heart beats a little faster.

Last year I elected to take a gap year to pursue further research and clinical experience.  I think I've come to the conclusion that if it seems like I'm going to strike out with the programs I've picked this year again, I'm going to apply for some masters programs to further beef up my profile. While the experience at the clinic I'm working at has been amazing, I do miss school and learning. Ugh why must this field be so competitive?

[xChrisx]

20 hours ago, Psychological Yam said:

hiiiii i'm also SO stressed and no one is talking on my program's thread (IO) and there's only been a couple of updates about decisions on the results page (not from any schools i applied to) so all i'm hearing is crickets and i feel v v v alone right now.

to distract myself i've been working on some hard skills like learning R (hard) and my side business (blog / youtube)!

hope everyone has great plans for the holiday!

Hey! Post your Youtube so we can go support. Or PM if you're shy

[Schy]

11 minutes ago, PavlovsMonster said:

This is my second clinical psych application cycle and honestly, I'm just chilling here in the forums and rewatching beloved television shows to take my mind off the results page. Once we get further into December/January I'm sure I'll be living on that page though. I do admit though that every time I see an email notification, my heart beats a little faster.

Last year I elected to take a gap year to pursue further research and clinical experience.  I think I've come to the conclusion that if it seems like I'm going to strike out with the programs I've picked this year again, I'm going to apply for some masters programs to further beef up my profile. While the experience at the clinic I'm working at has been amazing, I do miss school and learning. Ugh why must this field be so competitive?

I'm in a similar position as you! This is my second cycle and I miss school so much ? If you do receive any rejections and they don't tell you why try and get an answer! Ole Miss told me in my notice why I was rejected (GRE Scores) So I think I'll wind up taking another gap year, continue working and studying rather than going for a Masters (personal choice that I'm not 100% sure on yet). 

[PavlovsMonster]

30 minutes ago, Schy said:

I'm in a similar position as you! This is my second cycle and I miss school so much ? If you do receive any rejections and they don't tell you why try and get an answer! Ole Miss told me in my notice why I was rejected (GRE Scores) So I think I'll wind up taking another gap year, continue working and studying rather than going for a Masters (personal choice that I'm not 100% sure on yet). 

Yeah, I think I'll keep that in mind. Back in February, I went back and forth with my lab advisor and counseling professor on the pros and cons of Masters vs. gap years and decided on the latter. I retook the GRE in August, and while I did what I and the people around me would consider much better, my scores aren't at the superior range. I hoping a combination of higher scores, more experience, and a better worded and written personal statement will help my chances a bit more this cycle. It's just really unfortunate that what I want to do after grad school requires a program that often has ridiculously high GRE scores.

[ctn]

I've seen some people in here stressing about GRE scores and wanted to make a suggestion- try out a vocabulary podcast. The one I used was called VictorPrep and was the sole reason I did so well on the verbal section. It was nice to be able to multitask GRE prep while driving/cooking/etc. A number of the words I learned came up on the actual exam.

[computationaldd]

Hi! I'm about to die rn since some of my top schools started sending out invites...but not rejections yet (I guess I should be thankful for that ?)

[PokePsych]

5 hours ago, Psych1st said:

Is a mass email kinda "one and done"? Like that's it?

Although this is not common; I missed the mass email and interview week, my PIs invitee turned out to be a shitty person, had the online interviews (mind, I was halfway across the world), got waitlisted (guess pretty high), and still  made it in (was my top choice)

[ImAFreudNot]

As this appears to be a safe space for venting....WHY WOULD ALABAMA SEND OUT 'HAPPY HOLIDAY' EMAILS??????? My heart almost jumped out of my body when I saw it was UA Grad School and then it's a holiday email??? I cannot handle this haha.

[Lioness]

Just got a call from the same area code as my top school... it was a robo telemarketer. Pure evil. Do POIs even call anymore?

[hopefulgrad2019]

Just now, Lioness said:

Just got a call from the same area code as my top school... it was a robo telemarketer. Pure evil. Do POIs even call anymore?

Yes. 

[Lioness]

5 minutes ago, ImAFreudNot said:

As this appears to be a safe space for venting....WHY WOULD ALABAMA SEND OUT 'HAPPY HOLIDAY' EMAILS??????? My heart almost jumped out of my body when I saw it was UA Grad School and then it's a holiday email??? I cannot handle this haha.

 

OMG that is just so cruel!! Best of luck!

Edited December 20, 2019 by Lioness

[ImAFreudNot]

3 minutes ago, Lioness said:

Just got a call from the same area code as my top school... it was a robo telemarketer. Pure evil. Do POIs even call anymore?

I had both a robo call and a wrong number call from the same area code as one of my top three choices! POIs do still call or else I would 100% keep my phone on silent and ignore everything other than my email for the next month. Best of luck to you too!

Edited December 20, 2019 by ImAFreudNot

[fixology]

14 minutes ago, Lioness said:

Just got a call from the same area code as my top school... it was a robo telemarketer. Pure evil. Do POIs even call anymore?

That sounds like the worst! PI's will probably (hopefully) leave a message if they do call 

[2ndTimeHopeful]

12 minutes ago, fixology said:

That sounds like the worst! PI's will probably (hopefully) leave a message if they do call 

I did miss a call but it was immediately followed by an email letting me know she called. 

[2ndTimeHopeful]

I’m starting to think I have a false sense of the quality of my application. My schools have been inviting people to in person interviews & I sit in silence. Ugh. 

[justacigar]

2 minutes ago, 2ndTimeHopeful said:

I’m starting to think I have a false sense of the quality of my application. My schools have been inviting people to in person interviews & I sit in silence. Ugh. 

I'm in the same boat...both of the lower ranked programs I applied to already sent out interview notifications and I did not receive one. It's disheartening for sure, especially after beefing up my application since last cycle. Trying to stay positive but it is tough!

Hang in there and try to stay positive until you hear for sure rejections from programs! (though I can't seem to take my own advice ?)

[Vanilla Bean]

46 minutes ago, ImAFreudNot said:

As this appears to be a safe space for venting....WHY WOULD ALABAMA SEND OUT 'HAPPY HOLIDAY' EMAILS??????? My heart almost jumped out of my body when I saw it was UA Grad School and then it's a holiday email??? I cannot handle this haha.

That just happened to me too with another program! I was so annoyed!!!

[Vanilla Bean]

12 minutes ago, justacigar said:

I'm in the same boat...both of the lower ranked programs I applied to already sent out interview notifications and I did not receive one. It's disheartening for sure, especially after beefing up my application since last cycle. Trying to stay positive but it is tough!

Hang in there and try to stay positive until you hear for sure rejections from programs! (though I can't seem to take my own advice ?)

Same ?. I'm extremely confused and disheartened. I have a ton of research experience, a 3.9 undergraduate GPA, a master's degree, even a publication.. My mentors/professors assured me I was a competitive applicant for doctoral programs. Now I'm not so sure. ?

Unfortunately, I think there's just so many factors that determine who gets chosen and who doesn't. It's so hard to predict what will make you stand out for each POI.

Edited December 20, 2019 by lolhelp

[11082017]

6 minutes ago, lolhelp said:

That just happened to me too with another program! I was so annoyed!!!

I had back to back holiday emails with FSU and ASU!