psychcoffeegal Posted June 28, 2020 Posted June 28, 2020 Hi Everyone, I'm super new to this!! I'm a first time applicant applying to a number of PhD programs and a few interesting PsyD's. Currently, I'm making a list of schools to apply to which are mainly New York based (yes I know I am limiting my chances, but staying in the state is a priority for me). I just graduated with my MA in psychology and I am ready to advance my education further. I have almost 3 years worth of research experience and some clinical experience. I'm working on my thesis while contributing to other research projects and I have had one poster presentation at APA so far. My concern right now is the GRE's. I am a really horrible test-taker and even worse at math. I got my MA along with my BA in an accelerated dual degree program thats how I didn't have to take the GRE's. My GPA is a 3.9. I am studying for the GRE's but the testing centers by me aren't even open yet so things are still weird right now with COVID-19. I have so much anxiety with this whole process, I'm rooting for everyone who's applying this upcoming cycle !!!!
curiousgeorge221 Posted June 29, 2020 Posted June 29, 2020 (edited) A lot of school are starting to waive GRE. Edited June 29, 2020 by curiousgeorge221
Clinapp2017 Posted June 29, 2020 Posted June 29, 2020 On 6/26/2020 at 5:24 PM, psychstudent2020 said: Hi everyone! Just wondering what your opinions are on what minimum verbal and quant. GRE scores I should have to (realistically) apply for clinical PhD. For example, if I end up scoring less than 160 V should I re-write? The consensus I have heard is a safe score is 320 total; of course, closer to 160/160+ is better. It's not always a direct cutoff, but that's a good score.
Clinapp2017 Posted June 29, 2020 Posted June 29, 2020 9 hours ago, curiousgeorge221 said: A lot of school are starting to waive GRE. True, but just because a school is not requiring the GRE does not mean explicitly that POI's will not care. Some POIs, as dumb as it is, really care about GRE scores and use them to differentiate between some applicants. Unless schools have stated explicitly that no POIs will examine GRE scores, I will treat this with a grain of salt.
justacigar Posted June 29, 2020 Posted June 29, 2020 19 minutes ago, Clinapp2017 said: True, but just because a school is not requiring the GRE does not mean explicitly that POI's will not care. Some POIs, as dumb as it is, really care about GRE scores and use them to differentiate between some applicants. Unless schools have stated explicitly that no POIs will examine GRE scores, I will treat this with a grain of salt. I def agree with this - I would think super critically about not taking the GRE, even if programs are waiving it. I'm not necessarily a huge believer that the GRE is necessary or helpful, but unfortunately it can still hold a lot of weight in certain admissions decisions.
justacigar Posted June 29, 2020 Posted June 29, 2020 (edited) Okay, I'm back to shamelessly self-promote, but only because I created something that I hope some of you could use! Last cycle I started to organize myself by using a spreadsheet for all application related materials. I put quite a bit of time into it, and thought it would be best if other people were able to get some use out of it as well. If you want to see my reasoning for including the tabs and columns you can read that here: https://www.thedailypsych.com/blog/organizing-yourself If you prefer to skip the post and just make yourself a copy to see if you want to use it, you can go here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Tf77N8CTAS_S1VufvL5DqtZnOEqngJHyYid_QVPM6yc/copy?usp=sharing Also let me know if you have a different way of organizing - I'm always looking for more tips on how to store program info! Edited June 29, 2020 by justacigar RandomPotato, thirdtimecharmed, NoKappa and 1 other 4
psyconfused Posted June 29, 2020 Posted June 29, 2020 I recently briefly shared my experience on Twitter and was overwhelmed with the encouragement and support I received. It inspired me to want to learn more about other's experiences.You always hear about the end results and never really the journey. I would love to hear about your experience applying to doctoral programs justacigar 1
psychcoffeegal Posted June 30, 2020 Posted June 30, 2020 I'm honestly starting to worry about the GRE's. Standardized testing is not my strong suit and I was supposed to take it end of August but testing centers are still closed.... They do have at home testing but my house is super chaotic ughhh.. I only want to take it once and aim for a really good score (around 315). I have so much anxiety !!!
justacigar Posted June 30, 2020 Posted June 30, 2020 On 6/29/2020 at 7:27 PM, psyconfused said: I recently briefly shared my experience on Twitter and was overwhelmed with the encouragement and support I received. It inspired me to want to learn more about other's experiences.You always hear about the end results and never really the journey. I would love to hear about your experience applying to doctoral programs. Done! I hope you share the results eventually - it would be really interesting to hear other responses.
psychstudent2020 Posted June 30, 2020 Posted June 30, 2020 Hey everyone. Just wrote the GRE at home and it did not go as planned. I had a really bad experience with Proctor U. Scores were 156 V and 152 Q I am wondering if you guys think I should wait and see if schools are going to waive the GRE requirement before I schedule a re-test? I also am wondering if anyone has applied in the past with similar scores to what I got?
PsychApplicant2 Posted June 30, 2020 Posted June 30, 2020 1 hour ago, psychstudent2020 said: Hey everyone. Just wrote the GRE at home and it did not go as planned. I had a really bad experience with Proctor U. Scores were 156 V and 152 Q I am wondering if you guys think I should wait and see if schools are going to waive the GRE requirement before I schedule a re-test? I also am wondering if anyone has applied in the past with similar scores to what I got? I’m sorry about your experience. A lot of people are having issues with ProctorU I would wait and see what schools do before you reschedule. psychstudent2020 1
psychstudent2020 Posted June 30, 2020 Posted June 30, 2020 Also, what is everyone's opinions on submitting the GRE subject scores this year when they are optional? I don't want to sign up for the test just to realize that schools won't care about it this year!
psychcoffeegal Posted June 30, 2020 Posted June 30, 2020 10 minutes ago, psychstudent2020 said: Also, what is everyone's opinions on submitting the GRE subject scores this year when they are optional? I don't want to sign up for the test just to realize that schools won't care about it this year! I'd say it depends on the program you are applying to and reach out to admissions for each school to inform them about the GRE crisis and explain your situation. Everyone should be aware that this crisis was unprecedented and has caused many people stress... I'm at the same place but with the general GRE's. Waiting until September to see what happens! PsychApplicant2 1
psyconfused Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 A current student and I (not a student) created a list of programs waiving the GRE for program in Canada and US: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1f6ZyVGn-opa_ijRyntHxfJJkaSNya4h-bwEDeDGInv4/edit justacigar 1
justacigar Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 2 hours ago, psychstudent2020 said: Also, what is everyone's opinions on submitting the GRE subject scores this year when they are optional? I don't want to sign up for the test just to realize that schools won't care about it this year! I'm taking the opportunity to apply to programs that would normally require the subject test this year, with the hope my extensive psych background demonstrates mastery. I think it would really depend on your educational history - if your degree(s) are in psychology, if you have research/clinical experience related to psychology, the subject test seems unnecessary. But if you have a degree in something else you might need it to beef up your application package ya know? I think I'm also taking the waiving of standardized tests with a grain of salt...I don't think they won't care, I think they are trying to give themselves more options knowing that the pandemic has influenced testing. If someone had stellar subject test GRE scores AND similar experience as me, I have to think they would still take the GRE scores into account, but maybe I'm being pessimistic lol. psychstudent2020 1
penny4urthoughts Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 Best ways to study for Psych GRE? Textbook recommendations, flashcards, practice tests?
thirdtimecharmed Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 On 6/21/2020 at 2:12 PM, PsychApplicant2 said: Hi all! I'm applying this cycle. First time applicant; I'm quite nervous! I'm fully expecting to get rejected from every program just because of the competitiveness of these applications. I'm looking for balanced programs w/ emphasis on clinical and research. So far I plan on applying to Drexel, Northwestern Feinberg, University of Maine, UConn, Fordham, UF, and others. Taking my GRE in July (fingers crossed)! I have reached out to one POI so far with no response so I'm thinking I'll wait a bit until emailing other POIs. I'm applying to as many research coordinator positions as possible but a lot of places are unsure if they will be able to actually hire applications. It's all a mess right now! I know some schools are removing the GRE as a requirement, which is crazy. Hopefully everything goes smoothly for us applicants!! I actually spoke with a faculty about the GRE situation - they said while many schools are starting to remove the requirement, the faculty still like to see the scores. They told me that a sneaky way to still report your scores is to add them to your CV under schools/GPA. Just a tip I thought I'd share! justacigar, Micsmith1814, PsychApplicant2 and 1 other 4
PsyDuck90 Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 1 hour ago, penny4urthoughts said: Best ways to study for Psych GRE? Textbook recommendations, flashcards, practice tests? There is 1 free practice test from ETS you can take. There are also books from Kaplan, Princeton Review, and Barron which include practice tests. Most people recommend finding an undergrad intro to psych textbook and reading through that. The Psych GRE is basically just like a cumulative Psych 101 final. Psychology by Ciccarelli and White is what I use when I teach Psych 101. The 5th edition is the most current, but the pdf of the 4th edition can be found online for free. Or, if you have 1 lying around from undergrad, that'll definitely work too.
justacigar Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 1 hour ago, thirdtimecharmed said: I actually spoke with a faculty about the GRE situation - they said while many schools are starting to remove the requirement, the faculty still like to see the scores. They told me that a sneaky way to still report your scores is to add them to your CV under schools/GPA. Just a tip I thought I'd share! Thats a good tip! I'm also wondering if since it is an optional requirement now, schools will accept unofficial score reports rather than official reports from ETS? That would save soooo much money! Sending official reports last year was the most expensive application cost after actual application fees. PsychApplicant2 1
EileanDonan Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 11 minutes ago, justacigar said: Thats a good tip! I'm also wondering if since it is an optional requirement now, schools will accept unofficial score reports rather than official reports from ETS? That would save soooo much money! Sending official reports last year was the most expensive application cost after actual application fees. This occurred to me as well. 10-15 schools at 27$ a pop = 270-405$ saved! I can use that to apply to even more schools (and subsequently receive more rejections...)
PsychApplicant2 Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 1 hour ago, thirdtimecharmed said: I actually spoke with a faculty about the GRE situation - they said while many schools are starting to remove the requirement, the faculty still like to see the scores. They told me that a sneaky way to still report your scores is to add them to your CV under schools/GPA. Just a tip I thought I'd share! What if your scores aren’t high? Do they still want to see them? Thx for the tip!
HopefulMopeful Posted July 2, 2020 Posted July 2, 2020 does anyone know of any clinical or counseling PhD programs that are 4 years post masters degree? (Including internship) thanks!
Dazen Posted July 3, 2020 Posted July 3, 2020 Psych GRE registration is now open!! If anyone didn't know and plans to take it this fall (I am, since I'm not coming from a psychology background academically) I'd recommend signing up!
SendMeAnEmailPlz Posted July 6, 2020 Posted July 6, 2020 (edited) On 7/1/2020 at 8:17 PM, HopefulMopeful said: does anyone know of any clinical or counseling PhD programs that are 4 years post masters degree? (Including internship) thanks! University of Memphis (counseling) and possibly University of Georgia (counseling) Edited July 6, 2020 by SendMeAnEmailPlz HopefulMopeful 1
Dazen Posted July 8, 2020 Posted July 8, 2020 On 6/30/2020 at 6:14 PM, psyconfused said: A current student and I (not a student) created a list of programs waiving the GRE for program in Canada and US: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1f6ZyVGn-opa_ijRyntHxfJJkaSNya4h-bwEDeDGInv4/edit What's the best way to get you updates for this? CUNY/John Jay just announced all GREs are optional thirdtimecharmed 1
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