50% Applicant Increases in Some Graduate Psych Programs This Year

[imemine]

8 hours ago, Clinapp2017 said:

FWIW - I think LORs in general carry a lot of weight, even pre-COVID, but may carry more weight now. If a POI knows your LOR writer(s), and they write glowing letters, I think that is a golden ticket.

I completely agree that strong letters make all the difference, but I wouldn't worry so much about who they come from. From my interviews last year I could tell that PIs place a TON of weight on the evaluations of both academic potential and personal character conveyed in LORs, but they don't need to come from colleagues they know well (or even know at all) in order to be effective. 

[t_ruth]

For me, I did look at GREs in the past (mostly for very high or very low scores), and definitely give weight to LORs, but the #1 factor for me was and is the personal statement--how does the applicant speak about research? how do they speak about *my* research in particular?

[Psyche007]

On 12/4/2020 at 1:10 AM, cccneuronccc said:

Whoa why did I hear the complete opposite that there are going to be a lot less people applying... I thought it would be less competitive this year, now I am anxious haha

As well as the economic downturn, waiving the GRE has probably encouraged more people to apply. I read something somewhere that the highly competitive nature of psych grad programs is in part related to an over-abundance of unqualified candidates applying. GRE waiver just encourages that.

And no, I don't believe the GRE is the ultimate assessment of suitability. It's just that making programmes more accessible by removing the GRE helps both qualified and unqualified applicants, not just people with poor GRE scores that are otherwise excellent candidates.

Your chances aren't necessarily affected. There is a possibility that you have the same amount of qualified applicants to compete against as before, because more applicants who aren't as qualified as you are are giving it a shot.

Edited December 11, 2020 by Psyche007

[Psyche007]

On 12/8/2020 at 3:47 PM, justacigar said:

The ironic part is, removing the GRE was supposed to make admissions less inequitable, but I do wonder if it's going to have the opposite effect. I think these are all very valid points!

The argument for meritocratic assessment was made and dismissed, as the GRE is seen as continuing privilege and inequity. It would be better to remake the test to assess the relevant qualities of successful candidates than remove it, but here we are.

It's always going to be about fit. There are three questions, in my mind, that need answering:

• Are you capable of undertaking and completing the work?
• Does your acceptance benefit both you and the mentor/lab/field?
• Do your personalities 'jive'?

If the answer to all three is 'Yes', then anything else is gravy. Lastly, there's not much you can do about the third question. Sure, you can work on yourself, or worse, misrepresent yourself, but the truth will out, so to speak.

[txpsychology]

One school I applied to actually saw LESS applicants (~ 50) than they have in the last 5 years. However, they still required the GRE. This could be part of it. This program is also a PsyD program (ISU), so they may not be experiencing the same trend as PhD programs. 

[TurnUp4Science]

On 12/3/2020 at 10:50 PM, PsyZei said:

I saw on Twitter there is talk about 50%+ applicant increases to various graduate psychology programs this year.

https://twitter.com/jayvanbavel/status/1334558142240321544?s=19

I don't know how true this is across the board, but just wanted to post a heads up. If the programs you applied at saw these type of increases, you may end up with a more competitive experience than some of us had in past cycles.

Remember to be kind to yourself while waiting for and getting results. I'm rooting for all of you.

B R U H

I totally thought there would be education burnout, fear of online courses, etc. which would tip the scales the opposite way. However I guess with higher rates of unemployment, GRE scores being waived at most institutions, this might have the counter effect.

Also, I feel sorry for the poor profs who need to filter out their top few.

[PsyZei]

On 12/15/2020 at 5:30 PM, TurnUp4Science said:

B R U H

I totally thought there would be education burnout, fear of online courses, etc. which would tip the scales the opposite way. However I guess with higher rates of unemployment, GRE scores being waived at most institutions, this might have the counter effect.

Also, I feel sorry for the poor profs who need to filter out their top few.

Same, I really thought there would be less people wanting to go through the additional stress of applying for programs this year, not more. Shows what I know ?