2021 Clinical Psychology Applicants CANADA

[freudianslipintogradschool]

1 hour ago, clinical_psyc_hopeful said:

How long should I wait before sending a follow up email after not receiving a response from a POI? Have you guys started emailing professors? How has your response rate been? Mine has been pretty low, so I am wondering if I should hold off until lat aug/sept

I've emailed 2, one responded in a week -- it's been a week since I've emailed the second and haven't heard back yet..

[philoquant]

33 minutes ago, LMoll said:

I emailed 11 POIs on Monday. 6 got back to me and I'm still waiting on 5. I was surprised that it took those six between 20 mins and 1 day to respond (didn't think it would be so soon before I got a response). A lot of POIs take late July and early August off for vacation is what I've heard, so I'm probably going to wait 2 weeks as well before considering a follow up. 

 

I emailed 6 pois this week and 5 responded. I'm going to wait for a while to follow-up with the one, but I was wondering: what do you say in a follow-up email?

[broski]

1 hour ago, shubeydubeydoo said:

Thank you for the helpful info! I feel like this gets me a decent little start, is it only the big 3 that provide funding? What about provincial level stuff?

& does anyone else reading this have any info/tips of where to look?

Provincial in Ontario there's OGS, Quebec there's the FRQSC, AB there's the AB Graduate Excellence scholarship. Those are the ones I know of. I think these scholarships are based on merit and specific criteria like are you enrolled in a FT grad program in this province. Also I'm pretty sure these scholarships aren't taxed even if they pass the minimum tax bracket. 

Also for funding, can't forget about TA-ships, RA-ships (from your PI's own pool of grant funding), GA-ships, but you'd have to put in the hours for these dollars. There are also department/university-specific scholarships based on merit or other factors. Some departments guarantee a certain amount of funding for their students, while others don't (or they don't explicitly say so). By guaranteed, they usually mean the funds will come from a combination of TA, RA, department scholarships, etc. for X number of years in the program. 

Also if you're doing research in a specific area, you can apply to relevant institutions that can fund you. For example if you're doing cancer research, different cancer societies and research institutes can give you scholarships based on a submitted research proposal. Ofc these are competitive too. Another thing is you probably will apply for/try to get funding every year ... while you're doing courses, practicums, etc. 

[LMoll]

2 hours ago, philoquant said:

 

I emailed 6 pois this week and 5 responded. I'm going to wait for a while to follow-up with the one, but I was wondering: what do you say in a follow-up email?

Not sure about this to be honest... I haven't given it much thought as of yet, but def waiting until at least the first week of August to reach out again. If anyone has info on this lmk!!

[selflovewarrior]

Hi all! I am a current clinical psych student at Queen's - I thought I would post here in case anybody was looking to get some advice.

I recognize that this year is a bit weird with the pandemic on top of an already very competitive application process. So feel free to reach out to me privately or ask question directly on this forum.

I see somebody has already posted the Excel document regarding GRE scores this year. This document has also been floating around on Twitter and thought I would share it for those who may need some help with their personal statement: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ArfbHnIctoVUVC6xvwjkREB70tXTwdd08-OyJNOk7Aw/.

Best of luck to everyone this year!  

[LostSoulInPsychology]

20 hours ago, broski said:

Provincial in Ontario there's OGS, Quebec there's the FRQSC, AB there's the AB Graduate Excellence scholarship. Those are the ones I know of. I think these scholarships are based on merit and specific criteria like are you enrolled in a FT grad program in this province. Also I'm pretty sure these scholarships aren't taxed even if they pass the minimum tax bracket. 

Also for funding, can't forget about TA-ships, RA-ships (from your PI's own pool of grant funding), GA-ships, but you'd have to put in the hours for these dollars. There are also department/university-specific scholarships based on merit or other factors. Some departments guarantee a certain amount of funding for their students, while others don't (or they don't explicitly say so). By guaranteed, they usually mean the funds will come from a combination of TA, RA, department scholarships, etc. for X number of years in the program. 

Also if you're doing research in a specific area, you can apply to relevant institutions that can fund you. For example if you're doing cancer research, different cancer societies and research institutes can give you scholarships based on a submitted research proposal. Ofc these are competitive too. Another thing is you probably will apply for/try to get funding every year ... while you're doing courses, practicums, etc. 

Appreciate it man thank you so much

[iamstressed]

Do grant/financial award applications have to be submitted the same time as our actual applications?

[selflovewarrior]

1 hour ago, iamstressed said:

Do grant/financial award applications have to be submitted the same time as our actual applications?

If you're referring to external awards such as CGS-M, the answer is no - they have their own separate deadlines (e.g., the deadline for CGS-M is Dec 1). However if you are applying for internal awards, then it may be possible but you should check that on an institution basis.

[psychstudent2020]

Hi guys i'm in the process of sending POI emails and have a couple of questions...

1. if you hear back from your first choice would you still email other professors so you have people as "backups" or does this look bad? 

2. for those who don't respond should you email again? 

And also ... unrelated question: when applying for CGS external scholarships you can only indicate 3 programs on your application but if you receive the award can you bring it to a program that you did not indicate on your application? 

 

[freudianslipintogradschool]

7 minutes ago, psychstudent2020 said:

Hi guys i'm in the process of sending POI emails and have a couple of questions...

1. if you hear back from your first choice would you still email other professors so you have people as "backups" or does this look bad? 

2. for those who don't respond should you email again? 

And also ... unrelated question: when applying for CGS external scholarships you can only indicate 3 programs on your application but if you receive the award can you bring it to a program that you did not indicate on your application? 

 

I would still email other profs.. many profs entertain multiple students who email them. I know a few people who had a phone call with the same supervisor prior to applications and none of them got interviews with this PI. 
 

So while it’s nice to hear back from profs many of them say I look forward to your application etc. to many many students.
 

definitely follow up with those who don’t email you back. 
 

And unfortunately no you can’t bring CGS with you if you got it at one school but not another

Edited August 2, 2020 by freudianslipintogradschool

[HopefulPsych2020]

8 hours ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

I would still email other profs.. many profs entertain multiple students who email them. I know a few people who had a phone call with the same supervisor prior to applications and none of them got interviews with this PI. 
 

So while it’s nice to hear back from profs many of them say I look forward to your application etc. to many many students.
 

definitely follow up with those who don’t email you back. 
 

And unfortunately no you can’t bring CGS with you if you got it at one school but not another

anecdotally, as someone who has spoken with successful matriculates about the "flirtation" of pre-application interviews, there are two pieces of advice that stuck with me.

1. don't count your chickens before they hatched. even if YOU feel interviews went well, these PIs are also being approached by highly qualified applicants that are also trying hard to establish a personal connection. from what i heard, i would really only say establishing a "personal connection" helps if you 1) score a RA position to work with the POI before the cycle, or 2) find out you two have a common connection in the field - which will show up in your application hopefully through LORs anyway.

2. application is king. i took this lesson from the medical school community's phrase "GPA is king". you hear stories about how people apply without once speaking with the POI, perceiving their interviews to be mediocre, and getting the "cold shoulder" in their follow-ups post-interview. Yet they still get in.

the best advice is can give, especially for those other neurotic people here on this forum, is to focus on your application, not on "courting" POI (potentially a huge time sink). if anyone else has differing views, it would be great to hear them.

[higaisha]

3 hours ago, HopefulPsych2020 said:

the best advice is can give, especially for those other neurotic people here on this forum, is to focus on your application, not on "courting" POI (potentially a huge time sink). if anyone else has differing views, it would be great to hear them.

+1 on this. Didn't get in, but I wasted so much time coming up with the ~perfect~ email to send POIs and I cringe now bc 1.) they were way too long, 2.) weren't worth the often copy-pasted or very brief responses I got and 3.) didn't count for anything--POIs I didn't email interviewed me and POIs who I had pleasant back and forth with didn't interview me. I admittedly wasn't too strong a candidate back then, so maybe thats why (lol). Also, it's fun to get responses from people you admire a lot, which was validating for me at the time, but it definitely doesn't count for much (if at all) in the greater scheme of things. 

Edited August 3, 2020 by higaisha

[freudianslipintogradschool]

Hi all! I have upcoming meetings with potential PIs and I’m wondering what are some good questions to ask them? 
 

[NeuroLim3]

Hey guys, how are your emails going with POIs? I sent a bunch out yesterday and this morning, and have been getting a few responses acknowledging my CV and email and saying they will look out for my application. Others are saying they will not be able to take on clinical students, but can take on experimental students. Does anyone know how this process works? I understand admission to the clinical program is more competitive than the experimental program...do they just want to secure experimental students for their labs? How do professors get matched with students?

 

[NeuroLim3]

On 7/28/2020 at 12:21 PM, broski said:

My question for you is: are you interested in doing research as a career/getting into academia and/or getting into a PhD after a masters program? In that case, looking for a PI who is active in research could be a top priority. Mentorship style, healthy lab environment, match, etc. can be just as if not even more important. I would consider all these factors holistically. If you have 3-5 labs/school then you have more freedom to judge and select between PIs. I think in a Masters program these factors might be less important than in a PhD as the time commitments are different. But I think they're still important as a masters PI could help you build further connections, or give you research and publishing opportunities that will make you competitive for a PhD or other career options.

Reach out to as many profs you want at each school. You're trying to explore your options and profs know this. A lot of PIs don't update their websites, pub lists, CVs, etc. ?  You'll need to do an interview with them and/or talk to their current/past grad students to get a sense of what they're like as a mentor, what kind of research they're doing now, and ask other questions. So at this point I would cast a wide net, meaning that I would consider profs who don't necessarily meet all of my criteria because that could change + websites (esp Ratemyprof) don't tell you everything. I would also read their publications to see if their research is interesting to you. 

What kind of questions do you suggest I ask in email to get this info? Is this something I should do now or later on after I've sent my application/gotten an interview?

[laura23]

10 minutes ago, NeuroLim3 said:

Hey guys, how are your emails going with POIs? I sent a bunch out yesterday and this morning, and have been getting a few responses acknowledging my CV and email and saying they will look out for my application. Others are saying they will not be able to take on clinical students, but can take on experimental students. Does anyone know how this process works? I understand admission to the clinical program is more competitive than the experimental program...do they just want to secure experimental students for their labs? How do professors get matched with students?

 

There’s no real “matching” process. Professors generally choose the students they want to admit. If they aren’t accepting a clinical student it’s usually because 1) clinical admissions has a strict limit and they don’t have priority to take student this year, or 2) they want experimental students because clinical students have more courses/less time for research. 

[clinical_psyc_hopeful]

Do you think its a good idea to add POI's that you have had meetings with or are interested in on LinkedIn?

[clinical_psyc_hopeful]

20 hours ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

Hi all! I have upcoming meetings with potential PIs and I’m wondering what are some good questions to ask them? 
 

This guide has some good questions to ask on Page 30 http://mitch.web.unc.edu/files/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf

[broski]

1 hour ago, NeuroLim3 said:

What kind of questions do you suggest I ask in email to get this info? Is this something I should do now or later on after I've sent my application/gotten an interview?

I would try to schedule a Zoom meeting or something. I would do this in the Fall, at least that's what I'm planning to do. By that time profs may have a more solid idea of whether/not they're taking students, their funding situation, etc. 

For questions, I second @clinical_psych_hopeful. Specifically Mitch's guide page 30 and onwards.

[freudianslipintogradschool]

Just now, broski said:

I would try to schedule a Zoom meeting or something. I would do this in the Fall, at least that's what I'm planning to do. By that time profs may have a more solid idea of whether/not they're taking students, their funding situation, etc. 

For questions, I second @clinical_psych_hopeful. Specifically Mitch's guide page 30 and onwards.

I’ve had a few profs be willing to schedule a call with me now, it seems that September is gonna be super hectic for people considering the start of school and getting used to remote teaching 

[Rapunzel116]

Hi guys! This will be my second year applying just wondering if anyone has any general advice guidelines for what to say in an initial email to POIs? Last year I did fairly general ones stating my research interests/goals and how they relate to theirs but didn't hear back from a few or had very general responses saying to apply. Thanks!!

Also is anyone else low key annoyed that they spent a ton of time and money on the GRE only to have it waived? I just re-took it online a month ago ?

[LMoll]

6 minutes ago, alissay16 said:

Hi guys! This will be my second year applying just wondering if anyone has any general advice guidelines for what to say in an initial email to POIs? Last year I did fairly general ones stating my research interests/goals and how they relate to theirs but didn't hear back from a few or had very general responses saying to apply. Thanks!!

Also is anyone else low key annoyed that they spent a ton of time and money on the GRE only to have it waived? I just re-took it online a month ago ?

Yes I'm so peeved!! Like I studied for months, did well, but I don't want to spend loads of money sending the scores if I don't need to. Basically only wrote it as a safety blanket if I don't get in this year. If you look at it from that perspective it's less frustrating lol

[clinical_psyc_hopeful]

Is anyone still submitting scores to universities that waived the GRE and kept it optional?

[broski]

3 hours ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

I’ve had a few profs be willing to schedule a call with me now, it seems that September is gonna be super hectic for people considering the start of school and getting used to remote teaching 

You bring up some good points about the start of Fall term. Hmm maybe I should email them again mid-late August and this time directly request a meeting? Is that what you did? My reasoning was that profs may not be 100% certain they're taking students until the fall, and if I contact them in the fall they might be more likely to remember who I am. 

[freudianslipintogradschool]

16 minutes ago, broski said:

You bring up some good points about the start of Fall term. Hmm maybe I should email them again mid-late August and this time directly request a meeting? Is that what you did? My reasoning was that profs may not be 100% certain they're taking students until the fall, and if I contact them in the fall they might be more likely to remember who I am. 

Totally get where you're coming from. My game plan was email and ask if they're taking a student and simultaneously request a meeting. 2/3 profs got back to me; 1 said yes she's taking and she is happy to chat (in the process of scheduling a meeting now) and the second I emailed in July she told me I would be a good fit she is just ironing out stuff in her clinic so we are meeting mid August. 

 

My plan is to talk to them and express interest, see how I can fit in their lab etc. Potentially maintain contact after that if possible (e.g., follow up with more questions) and then send another follow up in Oct/Nov saying Hi again just wanted to say I am applying now and reiterate I am super interested in your work.