2021 Clinical Psychology Applicants CANADA

[Sundaythecat]

8 hours ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

When do people expect to start hearing back from programs for interviews?

It depends on the program, but you can start hearing back as early as December. In my experience, most programs reach out in January! But hearing back/ having an interview in February or even March isn’t unheard of. 

[Mickey26]

10 hours ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

When do people expect to start hearing back from programs for interviews?

Dal: interviews are in mid-Dec (Source: I'm a current Dal grad student haha)

When I interviewed for 2019 admissions, interview invites typically went out Jan-Feb ish for the program I applied to! 

[emsmith]

1 hour ago, Sundaythecat said:

It depends on the program, but you can start hearing back as early as December. In my experience, most programs reach out in January! But hearing back/ having an interview in February or even March isn’t unheard of. 

It's so hard to stay calm while waiting! I'm trying not to think about it until after the new year, but it's hard when you know some schools are already emailing about interviews. Even just getting some of the automated emails saying they've received your CGSM application, or have accessed your application and it will be reviewed etc, is already giving me the jitters!

[freudianslipintogradschool]

24 minutes ago, emsmith said:

It's so hard to stay calm while waiting! I'm trying not to think about it until after the new year, but it's hard when you know some schools are already emailing about interviews. Even just getting some of the automated emails saying they've received your CGSM application, or have accessed your application and it will be reviewed etc, is already giving me the jitters!

Yup me too!!!!

[CateFace]

I'm not really sure about the process. From what I can tell, and from an email from faculty the program I've applied to typically reaches out mid January after the screening committee has reviewed all of the applications and forwarded them. 

So help me wrap my head around this. So application is reviewed, then forwarded to potential PIs - then they sometimes reach out for an informal interview? What is the difference between formal and informal? What if you've already had an informal zoom chat before the application process? What if you have confirmation that someone is going to take you on if you are admitted, then how is admittance decided? I'm just so confused by this whole process and really not sure what to expect? Who holds the most influence over this decision, just the reviewing committee and then then final word is the PI? What criteria does the applicant need to make it through that reviewing committee for the application to even end up on the PI's desk? 

I have literally begun having the nightmares about this, despite knowing to not expect anything until at the earliest January I'm waking up convinced I accidentally submitted a blank page instead of a proposal or something. 

[Regina77]

2 hours ago, CateFace said:

I'm not really sure about the process. From what I can tell, and from an email from faculty the program I've applied to typically reaches out mid January after the screening committee has reviewed all of the applications and forwarded them. 

So help me wrap my head around this. So application is reviewed, then forwarded to potential PIs - then they sometimes reach out for an informal interview? What is the difference between formal and informal? What if you've already had an informal zoom chat before the application process? What if you have confirmation that someone is going to take you on if you are admitted, then how is admittance decided? I'm just so confused by this whole process and really not sure what to expect? Who holds the most influence over this decision, just the reviewing committee and then then final word is the PI? What criteria does the applicant need to make it through that reviewing committee for the application to even end up on the PI's desk? 

I have literally begun having the nightmares about this, despite knowing to not expect anything until at the earliest January I'm waking up convinced I accidentally submitted a blank page instead of a proposal or something. 

that's kind of funny about accidentally submitting a blank page....I think we all have different versions of that nightmare. 

[Edge98]

3 hours ago, CateFace said:

I'm not really sure about the process. From what I can tell, and from an email from faculty the program I've applied to typically reaches out mid January after the screening committee has reviewed all of the applications and forwarded them. 

So help me wrap my head around this. So application is reviewed, then forwarded to potential PIs - then they sometimes reach out for an informal interview? What is the difference between formal and informal? What if you've already had an informal zoom chat before the application process? What if you have confirmation that someone is going to take you on if you are admitted, then how is admittance decided? I'm just so confused by this whole process and really not sure what to expect? Who holds the most influence over this decision, just the reviewing committee and then then final word is the PI? What criteria does the applicant need to make it through that reviewing committee for the application to even end up on the PI's desk? 

I have literally begun having the nightmares about this, despite knowing to not expect anything until at the earliest January I'm waking up convinced I accidentally submitted a blank page instead of a proposal or something. 

From what I've heard specifically about U of C is that the applications are reviewed by the committee (composed of core clinical faculty) and they rank applications form 1-3. The one's ranked as 3 are rejected, and the 1's and 2's (I think, it could just be 1's though) are forwarded to potential supervisors that were listed on your application. From there, they can interview to determine if they want you as a student. I'm not sure what happens after this, I think they make a recommendation to the committee based on their top choices. 

Edited December 9, 2020 by Edge98

[CateFace]

Just now, Edge98 said:

From what I've heard specifically about U of C is that the applications are reviewed by the committee (composed of core clinical faculty) and they rank applications form 1-3. The one's ranked as 3 are rejected, and the 1's and 2's (I think, it could just be 1's though) are forwarded to potential supervisors that were listed on your application. From there, they can interview to determine if they want you as a student. I'm not sure what happens after this, I think they make a recommendation to the committee based on their top choices. 

Oh thank you for this! That is nerve wracking though I hope I get into a 1 position - as I'm sure literally every applicant hopes! 

[broski]

4 hours ago, emsmith said:

It's so hard to stay calm while waiting! I'm trying not to think about it until after the new year, but it's hard when you know some schools are already emailing about interviews. Even just getting some of the automated emails saying they've received your CGSM application, or have accessed your application and it will be reviewed etc, is already giving me the jitters!

Y'all got emails about this? I haven't gotten any updates from schools, just the email that my CGS-M app was completed. 

[+ve regard]

16 hours ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

When do people expect to start hearing back from programs for interviews?

I heard from my POI to schedule an interview in early Feb. 

[PsychApplicant14]

Has anyone who applied to Dalhousie received any interview notifications? Supposedly they were planning to send them out today according to a post made by someone else.

[+ve regard]

4 hours ago, CateFace said:

I'm not really sure about the process. From what I can tell, and from an email from faculty the program I've applied to typically reaches out mid January after the screening committee has reviewed all of the applications and forwarded them. 

So help me wrap my head around this. So application is reviewed, then forwarded to potential PIs - then they sometimes reach out for an informal interview? What is the difference between formal and informal? What if you've already had an informal zoom chat before the application process? What if you have confirmation that someone is going to take you on if you are admitted, then how is admittance decided? I'm just so confused by this whole process and really not sure what to expect? Who holds the most influence over this decision, just the reviewing committee and then then final word is the PI? What criteria does the applicant need to make it through that reviewing committee for the application to even end up on the PI's desk? 

I have literally begun having the nightmares about this, despite knowing to not expect anything until at the earliest January I'm waking up convinced I accidentally submitted a blank page instead of a proposal or something. 

Here's my understanding of how my admission process worked...

1 - The applications are briefly pre-screened to check for minimum requirements and then these applications are forwarded to the faculty member(s) mentioned in the letters as POIs. 

2 - The POIs review them and then reach out to candidates they would like to interview (other programs have a "formal" interview day, sometimes with meeting multiple faculty, former students). I just interviewed one-on-one with my POI in early Feb. 

3 - the POI will send their top pick(s) to the admission committee. The committee deliberates and debates which POIs should be getting a candidate that cycle and look at the top applicant apps in closer detail. Sometimes you have a POI who really wants to take you but there isn't space that year (this happened to me in application attempts #1 & 2). This happened in Feb-early March. 

4 - my POI contacted me again to say that I was a top pick and the final decision about my acceptance rested with the admission committee depending on funding. 

5 - an official email came through the portal indicating that a decision had been made regarding my application. It linked to my acceptance letter, which came the first week of March. 

This was my experience at OISE, I hope it helps a bit!

 

[CateFace]

Just now, +ve regard said:

Here's my understanding of how my admission process worked...

1 - The applications are briefly pre-screened to check for minimum requirements and then these applications are forwarded to the faculty member(s) mentioned in the letters as POIs. 

2 - The POIs review them and then reach out to candidates they would like to interview (other programs have a "formal" interview day, sometimes with meeting multiple faculty, former students). I just interviewed one-on-one with my POI in early Feb. 

3 - the POI will send their top pick(s) to the admission committee. The committee deliberates and debates which POIs should be getting a candidate that cycle and look at the top applicant apps in closer detail. Sometimes you have a POI who really wants to take you but there isn't space that year (this happened to me in application attempts #1 & 2). This happened in Feb-early March. 

4 - my POI contacted me again to say that I was a top pick and the final decision about my acceptance rested with the admission committee depending on funding. 

5 - an official email came through the portal indicating that a decision had been made regarding my application. It linked to my acceptance letter, which came the first week of March. 

This was my experience at OISE, I hope it helps a bit!

 

This totally helps! Thank you, and for anyone else sharing too thank you! I know it changes nothing but feels comforting to have an idea of how it might go! 

[rainydaychai]

4 hours ago, CateFace said:

So application is reviewed, then forwarded to potential PIs - then they sometimes reach out for an informal interview? What is the difference between formal and informal?

Speaking from my perception of the process, I think the distinction between a "formal" and "informal" interview is larger in the United States, and pre-COVID. Since USA clinical psych admissions overwhelmingly host applicants on campus during one specific weekend for a big to-do, informal interviews are anything before the big on-campus weekend (e.g., phone calls, Zoom interviews). Now, with most things being remote, I figure this stark distinction will blur. Even pre-COVID, though, many Canadian universities may host on-campus interview days but they aren't so much of a "big thing" and they often still gave you the option of interviewing virtually instead with no penalty. The program where I am a first year student at is in Canada and approached things this way pre-COVID, and never did informal preliminary interviews (to my knowledge).

Not saying that no Canadian clinical psych program ever did informal preliminary interviews but the distinction, especially now, would be a Zoom call and then... another Zoom call.

Edited December 9, 2020 by rainydaychai

[emsmith]

1 hour ago, broski said:

Y'all got emails about this? I haven't gotten any updates from schools, just the email that my CGS-M app was completed. 

Only a couple from certain schools! UBCO sent an email to tell me my application had been opened/will be reviewed, and I got a separate email saying my cgsm application will be forwarded to UBCO to review. I got an email from U of C saying they received my cgsm application and will review it. All boring, but still makes me anxious! I feel like once theyve opened it the rejection is imminent ? No emails at all from the other schools I applied to though.

[UroboroS]

1 hour ago, PsychApplicant14 said:

Has anyone who applied to Dalhousie received any interview notifications? Supposedly they were planning to send them out today according to a post made by someone else.

Wondering the same thing!

[UroboroS]

1 hour ago, +ve regard said:

Here's my understanding of how my admission process worked...

1 - The applications are briefly pre-screened to check for minimum requirements and then these applications are forwarded to the faculty member(s) mentioned in the letters as POIs. 

2 - The POIs review them and then reach out to candidates they would like to interview (other programs have a "formal" interview day, sometimes with meeting multiple faculty, former students). I just interviewed one-on-one with my POI in early Feb. 

3 - the POI will send their top pick(s) to the admission committee. The committee deliberates and debates which POIs should be getting a candidate that cycle and look at the top applicant apps in closer detail. Sometimes you have a POI who really wants to take you but there isn't space that year (this happened to me in application attempts #1 & 2). This happened in Feb-early March. 

4 - my POI contacted me again to say that I was a top pick and the final decision about my acceptance rested with the admission committee depending on funding. 

5 - an official email came through the portal indicating that a decision had been made regarding my application. It linked to my acceptance letter, which came the first week of March. 

This was my experience at OISE, I hope it helps a bit!

 

^^^ I second this. From my experience, most universities conduct a similar admissions process. 

 

[emsmith]

1 hour ago, +ve regard said:

Here's my understanding of how my admission process worked...

1 - The applications are briefly pre-screened to check for minimum requirements and then these applications are forwarded to the faculty member(s) mentioned in the letters as POIs. 

How stringent have you found the schools are with the minimum requirements? 

Obv if your GPA is significantly below the cutoff or you're missing something major you won't meet the criteria, but if your GPA is something like 3.68 instead of 3.7 for example, and the rest of the application is strong, is there a chance they might consider it?

I think my application is generally pretty strong, but I'm worried that with the number of applications this year they might take any excuse to whittle down the pile. I have transcripts from a few different universities (some with 4.0 some with 4.3 GPA scales), and one exchange program with a completely different grading scheme, so I'm worried that even if something gets lost in the translation of grades, my application just won't be looked at.

[Sundaythecat]

10 hours ago, Mickey26 said:

Dal: interviews are in mid-Dec (Source: I'm a current Dal grad student haha)

When I interviewed for 2019 admissions, interview invites typically went out Jan-Feb ish for the program I applied to! 

What is the interview/ admissions process like at dal? Do they do a lot of interviews/ make many offers?  There’s no program stats on the webpage! 

[Mickey26]

10 hours ago, Sundaythecat said:

What is the interview/ admissions process like at dal? Do they do a lot of interviews/ make many offers?  There’s no program stats on the webpage! 

Process is a bit different this year since the GRE was removed. They've now picked a single day for interviews with the program. Typically you would interview with ONLY your potential supervisor which could be any day in Dec. Offers typically roll out before Xmas. 

Cohorts are usually 4-6, with the largest being 8 (which they are not doing anymore LOL too big for Dal's capacity). If you'd like the program stats, I'm happy to provide them to you via email. Just PM me with your email . You're right that its not part of the website for some reason. 

[clinicalpsychstudent]

13 hours ago, emsmith said:

How stringent have you found the schools are with the minimum requirements? 

Obv if your GPA is significantly below the cutoff or you're missing something major you won't meet the criteria, but if your GPA is something like 3.68 instead of 3.7 for example, and the rest of the application is strong, is there a chance they might consider it?

I think my application is generally pretty strong, but I'm worried that with the number of applications this year they might take any excuse to whittle down the pile. I have transcripts from a few different universities (some with 4.0 some with 4.3 GPA scales), and one exchange program with a completely different grading scheme, so I'm worried that even if something gets lost in the translation of grades, my application just won't be looked at.

Obviously I can't be certain here because nobody truly knows what goes on behind closed doors with the application committee, but I've always heard that they cut anyone below the GPA threshold, no questions asked. Its sort of their way of skimming down the number of applications, and that anyone under the GPA threshold is typically not sent forward to any PIs. That said, I do think they take some care to make sure they're calculating GPAs correctly for people who have multiple schools/transcripts.

[+ve regard]

14 hours ago, emsmith said:

How stringent have you found the schools are with the minimum requirements? 

Obv if your GPA is significantly below the cutoff or you're missing something major you won't meet the criteria, but if your GPA is something like 3.68 instead of 3.7 for example, and the rest of the application is strong, is there a chance they might consider it?

I think my application is generally pretty strong, but I'm worried that with the number of applications this year they might take any excuse to whittle down the pile. I have transcripts from a few different universities (some with 4.0 some with 4.3 GPA scales), and one exchange program with a completely different grading scheme, so I'm worried that even if something gets lost in the translation of grades, my application just won't be looked at.

I hate it when answers begin with "it depends" (sorry!)....but it very likely depends on the program and POI. I have heard that if you have lots to offer in other areas, many POIs will overlook minor blips and argue for you as their pick anyway. Some programs encourage you to explain special circumstances (e.g. periods of leave, a rough term, return to school later in your career etc.). 

The best advice I got from the administrative contact was to "make the admissions committee's job easy"...so to position and lay out your credentials and experience in the most logical way possible, equivalent to their grading scales, course offerings etc. It must be crystal clear how you fit into their program. 

[emsmith]

1 hour ago, clinicalpsychstudent said:

That said, I do think they take some care to make sure they're calculating GPAs correctly for people who have multiple schools/transcripts.

Thank you! I'm pretty sure I meet the requirements but it's sometimes hard to tell when not every school website has a gpa calculator or conversion for other grading schemes/countries. It's good to know they take it seriously though!

Just now, +ve regard said:

The best advice I got from the administrative contact was to "make the admissions committee's job easy"...so to position and lay out your credentials and experience in the most logical way possible, equivalent to their grading scales, course offerings

Haha! The answer is always "it depends" isn't it!  This is really good advice, thank you! I did this with my other experiences in my statement, but not specifically with my grades. If I have to re-apply next year I will definitely keep this in mind. 

[xtrahotlatte]

Does anyone know when we will typically hear back from schools? Specifically from York, OISE, UTSC, Guelph, Waterloo and McMaster? I have an interview next week with a prof over Zoom from Mac but I'm not even sure if she is accepting students, as her name was taken off the list of profs who are accepting. Thoughts??

[coffeeinmyveins]

2 minutes ago, xtrahotlatte said:

Does anyone know when we will typically hear back from schools? Specifically from York, OISE, UTSC, Guelph, Waterloo and McMaster? I have an interview next week with a prof over Zoom from Mac but I'm not even sure if she is accepting students, as her name was taken off the list of profs who are accepting. Thoughts??

Is your Mac interview informal or formal?