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Posted
Just now, T.O.hopeful said:

Supervisor/research fit and location are most important to me.

But I also value the kind of electives they offer. The core classes will probably be the same across most programs but I feel electives is where you can really see what programs value as most important. 

Totally.

 

so I guess this is where I’m struggling. I think my ideal supervisor is at one school, but my ideal program is at another. 
 

How would you decide!!!

Posted
Just now, freudianslipintogradschool said:

Totally.

 

so I guess this is where I’m struggling. I think my ideal supervisor is at one school, but my ideal program is at another. 
 

How would you decide!!!

That is difficult, for me personally I would go with the ideal supervisor as I feel that will have a higher impact on your overall competencies than the ideal program. But again, I think this may vary a lot. I feel I'm so super biased too, my current supervisor has been an absolute dream mentor and I have gained so many valuable opportunities and learned so much from her, I don't think I'd trade that in for the world. 

Posted
6 minutes ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

Totally.

 

so I guess this is where I’m struggling. I think my ideal supervisor is at one school, but my ideal program is at another. 
 

How would you decide!!!

What factors are you considering when you say "ideal program"? Is it the courses, location, ?

Posted
8 minutes ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

Totally.

 

so I guess this is where I’m struggling. I think my ideal supervisor is at one school, but my ideal program is at another. 
 

How would you decide!!!

I think it depends on what makes the supervisor ideal and how they differ from the supervisor at your ideal program. If it was their personality, work ethic, etc. that just really fit well with mine, I'd probably put that pretty high up on my list of priorities (more so than program) just because I find this vital to being able to do my best work. Not to mention, 6+ years working closely with someone you just aren't as comfortable with or don't get along with as well as you could sounds pretty tough, more so than 6+ years in a program that maybe lacks a course or two or has a slightly different structure. Research fit, though still a priority, I wouldn't value quite as much because I only applied to labs where I had interest in the research and could probably develop stronger interests in over time. That's just me though!

As for program, courses aren't too high on my list of priorities because I imagine that if there was an area I really wanted to learn about, I could try to pursue related research or do some independent learning. That said, someone else's point about using courses to gauge the school's priority is really wise. Clinical orientation is also important to me because I'm interested in a clinician-type job after grad school, but I guess it would depend on how flexible the school was and whether a clinical vs academic/research career was your end goal. 

 

Posted
8 minutes ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

Courses, location is a bit closer, clinical orientation

Hmm that's a tough one because those are all important aspects as well. When I first started looking into programs, I had my mind set on one specific supervisor because I thought they were the perfect fit for me. But when I emailed them to introduce myself, I found out they weren't taking any students for 2021/22 admission. It felt so deflating, I almost didn't want to apply anymore. But then I realized I had been operating with tunnel vision only thinking that person was my best fit. I re-read other faculty bios at the same school, as well as at other schools and ended up identifying more supervisors that also seemed like a good fit for me. 

So anyways long story short lol, I (personally) would be willing to accept my "second choice" supervisor if it meant the courses, location, and clinical orientation were better. But that's just me. Being with the ideal supervisor for 2 to possibly 6 years is huge and so I completely understand why that would be #1 for most people! 

Posted (edited)
2 minutes ago, T.O.hopeful said:

Hmm that's a tough one because those are all important aspects as well. When I first started looking into programs, I had my mind set on one specific supervisor because I thought they were the perfect fit for me. But when I emailed them to introduce myself, I found out they weren't taking any students for 2021/22 admission. It felt so deflating, I almost didn't want to apply anymore. But then I realized I had been operating with tunnel vision only thinking that person was my best fit. I re-read other faculty bios at the same school, as well as at other schools and ended up identifying more supervisors that also seemed like a good fit for me. 

So anyways long story short lol, I (personally) would be willing to accept my "second choice" supervisor if it meant the courses, location, and clinical orientation were better. But that's just me. Being with the ideal supervisor for 2 to possibly 6 years is huge and so I completely understand why that would be #1 for most people! 

Yes I totally get this! The supervisors at the school where the program is better are still great. But one i feel like I might burn out whereas the second I feel is less productive/toward end of career. Which is why the supervisor at school B is the perfect fit but the school is just not checking off ALL my boxes. It’s still not bad it’s very good, just difficult to gauge what’s more important!

Edited by freudianslipintogradschool
Posted
Just now, freudianslipintogradschool said:

Yes I totally get this! The supervisors at the school where the program is better are still great. But one i feel like I might burn out whereas the second I feel is less productive/toward end of career. Which is why the supervisor at school B is the perfect fit but the school is just not checking off ALL my boxes. It’s still not bad it’s very good, just difficult to gauge what’s more important!

Are they having open houses? That may bring a lot of clarity for you and how you feel about the school too. It is so hard to gauge from a brochure or profile!

Posted
7 minutes ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

Yes I totally get this! The supervisors at the school where the program is better are still great. But one i feel like I might burn out whereas the second I feel is less productive/toward end of career. Which is why the supervisor at school B is the perfect fit but the school is just not checking off ALL my boxes. It’s still not bad it’s very good, just difficult to gauge what’s more important!

It's certainly a lot to consider! But sometimes, your decision gets made for you just based on where you get accepted, i.e. if school B accepts you and school A doesn't...well there's your decision! Alternatively, if more than one school accepts you, it may be a tricky decision, but ultimately it's a good problem to have as the power is in your hands.

Maybe it could be better to not spend too much time thinking about this until perhaps you have more information about where you've been accepted. I read that you usually don't have to accept offers until April (?). So, if that's the case, maybe just wait and see what happens for now ?

Posted
11 hours ago, freudianslipintogradschool said:

What do y’all rate as the most important when deciding on a school? Genuinely curious

 

supervisor/research fit 

clinical training

school culture

prestige

location

connections to practicum/internship opportunities

As someone who is already in a program, I would prioritize supervisor fit. Specifically fit with their personality, supervision style, approach to research. Your supervisor is one of, if not the biggest determinant of your grad school experience. Practicum opportunities or training can be worked around and supplemented, but things can get BAD if your supervisor is a poor match. 

Posted
Just now, PsycUndergrad said:

As someone who is already in a program, I would prioritize supervisor fit. Specifically fit with their personality, supervision style, approach to research. Your supervisor is one of, if not the biggest determinant of your grad school experience. Practicum opportunities or training can be worked around and supplemented, but things can get BAD if your supervisor is a poor match. 

Thanks for the advice!!! Super helpful

Posted
1 hour ago, PsycUndergrad said:

As someone who is already in a program, I would prioritize supervisor fit. Specifically fit with their personality, supervision style, approach to research. Your supervisor is one of, if not the biggest determinant of your grad school experience. Practicum opportunities or training can be worked around and supplemented, but things can get BAD if your supervisor is a poor match. 

So true!! Don't forget overall lab fit too; its not just your supervisor but also other students/staff in the lab that you'll be interacting with (obviously the supervisor is the most important one but still). Try and get a feel for the overall feel/culture of the lab, throughout my undergrad I've seen students come work at the lab I worked at and what was an AMAZING atmosphere fit for me just really didn't jive with them for whatever reason. They left as fast as they could haha. 

Posted
34 minutes ago, Psychy said:

I can't speak for the person who posted on the results page, but I don't believe the graduate director at Calgary has sent out official invitations yet.  Would love to hear if anyone has more information though!

Official interviews have NOT been sent out yet. These are invites from POIs.

Posted
1 hour ago, iamstressed said:

Anyone know what's happening with Ryerson? Should we be assuming a rejection if we haven't heard by now...

Would like to know as well, ya girl is getting sorta desperate over here

Posted
1 hour ago, iamstressed said:

Anyone know what's happening with Ryerson? Should we be assuming a rejection if we haven't heard by now...

 

34 minutes ago, carlrogersfan98 said:

Would like to know as well, ya girl is getting sorta desperate over here

If it makes you both feel better, I had contacted the graduate program administrator to ask about a timeline for interviews and what not, and they said that faculty are currently contacting students for interviews and will keep doing so throughout the month! 

Posted
On 1/8/2021 at 12:56 PM, freudianslipintogradschool said:

Yes, my statement and official transcripts still state "required" on the portal!

Did this ever change for you guys? Mine say required and incomplete for the application status...

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