2021 Clinical Psychology Applicants CANADA

[broski]

32 minutes ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

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. 

That sounds like an efficient method. I have an informal interview scheduled mid-August as well, but this one was scheduled by the prof herself. Wouldn't hurt to contact profs again and get the ball rolling on actual conversations 

[Rapunzel116]

2 hours ago, clinical_psyc_hopeful said:

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

Im going to submit my scores still I think because I did fairly good in the verbal section at least haha. If I had average/ not amazing scores then I wouldn't bother to submit them.

[LostSoulInPsychology]

2 hours ago, clinical_psyc_hopeful said:

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

General advice - send them if very competitive for that school, keep it on the DL if theyre not. i.e. only use it to aid you not to hurt you

[LostSoulInPsychology]

1 hour ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

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. 

Do you guys think (thought I should ask with all this talk going on) that it's not a good idea to send an email asking oh are you taking students for next fall and leave it at that? Kinda wanna focus all my energy on applications and not on talking to POI who might not even see my application if there are a lot of other competitive applicants if that makes sense. What do you guys think of this approach?/What benefits are there to talking to POI (outside of the obvious - i.e. learning abt their more current research & figuring out research fit)?

[freudianslipintogradschool]

4 minutes ago, shubeydubeydoo said:

General advice - send them if very competitive for that school, keep it on the DL if theyre not. i.e. only use it to aid you not to hurt you

What if I did good on verbal and writing (80s) but 50s in quant?

[freudianslipintogradschool]

3 minutes ago, shubeydubeydoo said:

Do you guys think (thought I should ask with all this talk going on) that it's not a good idea to send an email asking oh are you taking students for next fall and leave it at that? Kinda wanna focus all my energy on applications and not on talking to POI who might not even see my application if there are a lot of other competitive applicants if that makes sense. What do you guys think of this approach?/What benefits are there to talking to POI (outside of the obvious - i.e. learning abt their more current research & figuring out research fit)?

I think it helps with asking Qs like what kind of supervisor they are and if you would fit with the prof and in their labs culture. Also if they publish etc .. I guess these things are more important if you don’t wanna just do therapy

[LostSoulInPsychology]

50 minutes ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

What if I did good on verbal and writing (80s) but 50s in quant?

50s in quant is kinda broad, like if its 59 thats probs competitive at a fair few schools but 51 might be a bit on the lower end. But also don't quote me bc I havent looked through statistics for GRE's for any schools due to it getting waived

 

49 minutes ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

I think it helps with asking Qs like what kind of supervisor they are and if you would fit with the prof and in their labs culture. Also if they publish etc .. I guess these things are more important if you don’t wanna just do therapy

I see what you mean, those things still matter even if you want to only do therapy too. I mean I'm not gonna sign away the next 7 yrs of my life without being well-informed right?

So it has nothing to do with increasing chances of admission hey? Like contacting POIs

[PsycUndergrad]

53 minutes ago, shubeydubeydoo said:

Do you guys think (thought I should ask with all this talk going on) that it's not a good idea to send an email asking oh are you taking students for next fall and leave it at that? Kinda wanna focus all my energy on applications and not on talking to POI who might not even see my application if there are a lot of other competitive applicants if that makes sense. What do you guys think of this approach?/What benefits are there to talking to POI (outside of the obvious - i.e. learning abt their more current research & figuring out research fit)?

It’s totally fine to do that. Those questions can be asked in the actual interview. Speaking as a current clinical student, pre-interview contact with POIs is not as big of a deal as it seems. It’s actually not that common to have early meetings like that and I know a lot of faculty who avoid it. 

[Mickey26]

9 minutes ago, PsycUndergrad said:

It’s totally fine to do that. Those questions can be asked in the actual interview. Speaking as a current clinical student, pre-interview contact with POIs is not as big of a deal as it seems. It’s actually not that common to have early meetings like that and I know a lot of faculty who avoid it. 

Honestly, I didn't have any pre-interviews prior to applying and I was still offered interviews in 3/5 of the schools I applied to. Yes we had email exchanges prior to me submitting an application in Dec (eg brief chat about research), but I never did an informal meeting. 

1 hour ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

What if I did good on verbal and writing (80s) but 50s in quant?

When I applied for Sept 2019, you wanted something over the 50th percentile for quant. So I'd say its not a bad score

[freudianslipintogradschool]

11 minutes ago, shubeydubeydoo said:

50s in quant is kinda broad, like if its 59 thats probs competitive at a fair few schools but 51 might be a bit on the lower end. But also don't quote me bc I havent looked through statistics for GRE's for any schools due to it getting waived

 

I see what you mean, those things still matter even if you want to only do therapy too. I mean I'm not gonna sign away the next 7 yrs of my life without being well-informed right?

So it has nothing to do with increasing chances of admission hey? Like contacting POIs

Exactly it’s a big commitment! I mean it may help you stick out in some way but I know a lot of people who contact PIs and never hear from them for interviews etc

[clinical_psyc_hopeful]

1 hour ago, shubeydubeydoo said:

General advice - send them if very competitive for that school, keep it on the DL if theyre not. i.e. only use it to aid you not to hurt you

My scores arent the greatest so I really don't want to submit. But i am worried that I may be penalized for not submitting. Thoughts?

[LostSoulInPsychology]

Just now, clinical_psyc_hopeful said:

My scores arent the greatest so I really don't want to submit. But i am worried that I may be penalized for not submitting. Thoughts?

Probs don't submit them then imo. It won't be something that will hurt your application I don't think, because there'll be a fair few applicants without GRE scores submitted either (guilty as charged!)

[Chebben]

Hi everyone, 

Just wanted to touch base as a recently admitted student that if I got in with a 49 in quant, so can you! Anything is possible, especially when the gre scores are optional ?.

Just make sure the other components of your application are strong! 

I agree that you probably shouldn't submit if your scores aren't strong, but remember that's not the only thing they consider.

Good luck everyone! ?

 

[Rapunzel116]

22 hours ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

What if I did good on verbal and writing (80s) but 50s in quant?

Thats like the same as what I got ? I got 86th for verbal and 52 for quant but from what ive heard from current grad students most places really dont care as much about the quant. I also have heard one supervisor say that they still wont take any students who dont submit the GRE (which I dont think will be a common opinion) but I think it really is depends on the school/ supervisor so its hard to know whats best. Im planning to submit mine still because I think they are good enough that they wont hurt my chances. 

[freudianslipintogradschool]

31 minutes ago, alissay16 said:

Thats like the same as what I got ? I got 86th for verbal and 52 for quant but from what ive heard from current grad students most places really dont care as much about the quant. I also have heard one supervisor say that they still wont take any students who dont submit the GRE (which I dont think will be a common opinion) but I think it really is depends on the school/ supervisor so its hard to know whats best. Im planning to submit mine still because I think they are good enough that they wont hurt my chances. 

Yes, I'm quite conflicted... I was speaking to a supervisor (who I actually plan on applying to) and she mentioned that my scores are good but she doesnt want my quant score (56) to stick out unnecessarily even tho I have a great stats mark /:. I did raise the point that if I don't submit it may seem that I just did poorly across the board -- still debating what to do tbh

[higaisha]

The above two replies from faculty seem kind of unsportsmanlike in light of waived requirements. Not really fair for programs to say "its optional" but if you don't submit then it implies you have something to hide/coverup, even in light of good stats marks/etc. Oh well, guess faculty are entitled to weigh the GRE however they like.

Edited August 7, 2020 by higaisha

[Mickey26]

1 hour ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

Yes, I'm quite conflicted... I was speaking to a supervisor (who I actually plan on applying to) and she mentioned that my scores are good but she doesnt want my quant score (56) to stick out unnecessarily even tho I have a great stats mark /:. I did raise the point that if I don't submit it may seem that I just did poorly across the board -- still debating what to do tbh

Protip I tell all my mentees: if you perceive something as being a shortcoming on your application (GRE quant scores, etc), always ask at least one of your references to address it explicitly and say WHY its not a shortcoming (eg explain away the perceived shortcoming). For example, have the referee say in their letter that although you scored lower on the GRE quant, you have demonstrated mastery in stats based on your performance in your stats classes (A, A+ etc). 

I say "perceived" bc as applicants, we're v critical about our own application! So honestly a 56th quant score might not actually be a shortcoming to faculty (I think thats one of the best quant scores I've personally seen/heard of), but you can still get a referee to address it in their letter regardless.

[LMoll]

While we’re on the topic of scores and whether or not to send, I am also wondering whether I should be confident in sending my scores. I’m relatively proud of my quant and AWA scores (65th in quant and 93rd in AWA) but I’m a little insecure about my verbal score (72nd). If anyone can shed some light on this I’d really appreciate! I go back and forth on whether or not I’m happy with them. For uManitoba (one of my top choices) they still require their GRE scores and I fell exactly on par with their average admitted verbal score and well above their quant and AWA... but I know many other schools have higher standards. Thoughts? 

[broski]

2 hours ago, higaisha said:

The above two replies from faculty seem kind of unsportsmanlike in light of waived requirements. Not really fair for programs to say "its optional" but if you don't submit then it implies you have something to hide/coverup, even in light of good stats marks/etc. Oh well, guess faculty are entitled to weigh the GRE however they like.

I know we can't control what profs do but damn.....if GRE requirements are waived then profs should be bros and respect those requirements. Several studies have shown that GRE scores poorly predict grad school and future performance. I'd expect researchers to be aware of this evidence and act accordingly. Then again, GPA, prior research experience, etc. may also be poor predictors of performance. This discussion just opens up a whole new can of worms ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Edited August 7, 2020 by broski

[Mickey26]

16 minutes ago, LMoll said:

While we’re on the topic of scores and whether or not to send, I am also wondering whether I should be confident in sending my scores. I’m relatively proud of my quant and AWA scores (65th in quant and 93rd in AWA) but I’m a little insecure about my verbal score (72nd). If anyone can shed some light on this I’d really appreciate! I go back and forth on whether or not I’m happy with them. For uManitoba (one of my top choices) they still require their GRE scores and I fell exactly on par with their average admitted verbal score and well above their quant and AWA... but I know many other schools have higher standards. Thoughts? 

UManitoba can be waived as per individual request. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1f6ZyVGn-opa_ijRyntHxfJJkaSNya4h-bwEDeDGInv4/edit?usp=sharing

Edited August 7, 2020 by Mickey26

[LMoll]

17 minutes ago, Mickey26 said:

UManitoba can be waived as per individual request. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1f6ZyVGn-opa_ijRyntHxfJJkaSNya4h-bwEDeDGInv4/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you, yeah I saw that! But is seems like requests like those are for dire circumstances. My scores exceed their requirements. I’m more concerned about whether to submit to other schools if anyone has perspective on that. 

[freudianslipintogradschool]

54 minutes ago, LMoll said:

Thank you, yeah I saw that! But is seems like requests like those are for dire circumstances. My scores exceed their requirements. I’m more concerned about whether to submit to other schools if anyone has perspective on that. 

I don’t think you have anything to be concerned about, your scores are fantastic!

[LostSoulInPsychology]

2 hours ago, broski said:

I know we can't control what profs do but damn.....if GRE requirements are waived then profs should be bros and respect those requirements. Several studies have shown that GRE scores poorly predict grad school and future performance. I'd expect researchers to be aware of this evidence and act accordingly. Then again, GPA, prior research experience, etc. may also be poor predictors of performance. This discussion just opens up a whole new can of worms ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Yo facts. Also what about people who were scheduled to write the GRE but pulled out once they saw all these unis waiving it, are we supposed to get penalized for wanting to save money and time (and stress of studying)? Mad ting

[NeuroLim3]

On 8/5/2020 at 9:13 PM, Mickey26 said:

Honestly, I didn't have any pre-interviews prior to applying and I was still offered interviews in 3/5 of the schools I applied to. Yes we had email exchanges prior to me submitting an application in Dec (eg brief chat about research), but I never did an informal meeting. 

When I applied for Sept 2019, you wanted something over the 50th percentile for quant. So I'd say its not a bad score

What sort of email exchanges did you have? I'm in the same boat as the person you were replying to after sending out a bunch of emails. Some professors have said they cannot do interviews before applications, some have just acknowledged my CV and said they are accepting, and a couple requested a Zoom meeting. Should I suggest Zoom meetings with profs that acknowledge my CV and respond to my email? I'm not sure if its a valuable way to spend my time given what you are saying. How common is it, or I guess how necessary is it to have this meeting prior to applications? Or, can I simply just express my interest now and once I have applied?

Also, seeing as you're in the program, I'm curious to find out what your research and clinical experience was like going into the program?

[PsycUndergrad]

17 minutes ago, NeuroLim3 said:

What sort of email exchanges did you have? I'm in the same boat as the person you were replying to after sending out a bunch of emails. Some professors have said they cannot do interviews before applications, some have just acknowledged my CV and said they are accepting, and a couple requested a Zoom meeting. Should I suggest Zoom meetings with profs that acknowledge my CV and respond to my email? I'm not sure if its a valuable way to spend my time given what you are saying. How common is it, or I guess how necessary is it to have this meeting prior to applications? Or, can I simply just express my interest now and once I have applied?

Not the person you asked, but I’m also already in a clinical program. I would personally not request a zoom meeting unless they bring it up first. It’s not that common. I was kind of clueless about this when applying and actually only emailed about half of my POIs, and had a pre-interview meeting with one. I still got 3 (out of 6) interviews, mostly at schools where I’d had no prior contact. The one thing all faculty commented on was the strength of my statement of interest and strong research match with their labs. I think this time is probably better spent on research and refining your application materials. Those will get you to the interview stage, which is when the connection and personality fit come into play.