School Psychology Fall 2023 (Canada)

[SACP786]

Is it too soon to make this thread?

Edited June 21, 2022 by Notorious K.I.M.

[Par88]

Are there any school psych programs you know of, in the less competitive side  ?

[SACP786]

22 hours ago, Par88 said:

Are there any school psych programs you know of, in the less competitive side  ?

Since there are only four CPA-accredited PhD programs for school psychology, they're all very competitive by nature. However, if your goal isn't a PhD there's Mount Saint Vincent and University of Calgary which both offer terminal masters programs (meaning you can work in those provinces with just a masters degree). For these programs, the requirements are less intense and they generally admit more students.

I would say University of Toronto, Western, and McGill are all extremely competitive due to the sheer volume of applications they receive for so few spots. These schools offer between 4-8 spots per program. They also admit students with the expectation that you will progress to the PhD, so extensive research experience (RA work, honours degree, existing MA/MSc/MEd), clinical work, and publications/presentations are expected at the minimum. 

[Par88]

35 minutes ago, Meringue said:

Since there are only four CPA-accredited PhD programs for school psychology, they're all very competitive by nature. However, if your goal isn't a PhD there's Mount Saint Vincent and University of Calgary which both offer terminal masters programs (meaning you can work in those provinces with just a masters degree). For these programs, the requirements are less intense and they generally admit more students.

I would say University of Toronto, Western, and McGill are all extremely competitive due to the sheer volume of applications they receive for so few spots. These schools offer between 4-8 spots per program. They also admit students with the expectation that you will progress to the PhD, so extensive research experience (RA work, honours degree, existing MA/MSc/MEd), clinical work, and publications/presentations are expected at the minimum. 

Thanks a lot for mentioning the programs ! Do I still need to have a supervisor and pre-contact faculty members before applying for school psychology program , like the way it is expected for MRes programs ? 

 

[SACP786]

5 hours ago, Par88 said:

Thanks a lot for mentioning the programs ! Do I still need to have a supervisor and pre-contact faculty members before applying for school psychology program , like the way it is expected for MRes programs ? 

 

To my knowledge, no (though it depends the school). Your application goes through multiple rounds of revision so by the time you make it to the interview phase it's likely a faculty member will already be assigned to you based on the interests expressed in your SOP.

Most faculty members don't even know if they can accept new students until the new year anyway so in my opinion, contacting faculty prior to applying doesn't make a difference. 

[clinpsych2022]

For any undergraduate students looking to apply to clinical/school/counselling psychology, the Canadian Psychological Association has a mentorship program where mentees (undergrads) can connect with current grad students to talk about the application process, interviewing strategies, and their process for getting accepted to grad school (among other things)! Please see this message about the program from CPA below:

"Calling all undergraduate students! We have extended the deadline for mentees to apply to the CPA Student Mentorship Program! Submit your applications by September 5th at 11:59PM EST and don’t miss out on a great opportunity to get involved and learn more about graduate school, career paths, and more! Find out how to apply at cpa.ca/students/mentorship/. If you have any questions or want to send in your application, contact the program coordinator at chairelect.cpastudentsection@gmail.com."

[LiveLovePsych]

Hey! Applying to the fall 2023 cohorts for SCCP and SACP MA programs in Canada. Any tips you’ve received?

 

[sara_2024]

Hey! I just found this forum. I initially was just applying for counselling programs but also decided to apply for school psychology programs. Would you mind sharing where you are applying to? 

[SACP786]

On 12/1/2022 at 10:05 PM, sara_2024 said:

Hey! I just found this forum. I initially was just applying for counselling programs but also decided to apply for school psychology programs. Would you mind sharing where you are applying to? 

McGill and UoA. The rest are clinical/counselling programs with developmental streams! What about you?

[sara_2024]

I applied to Mcgill too! The other one was Ucalgary. Have you heard back from any of the professors at Mcgill? 

8 minutes ago, Meringue said:

McGill and UoA. The rest are clinical/counselling programs with developmental streams! What about you?

 

[SACP786]

11 hours ago, sara_2024 said:

I applied to Mcgill too! The other one was Ucalgary. Have you heard back from any of the professors at Mcgill? 

 

Nothing yet but I think it's PI-dependent. Some interview applicants and others don't.

[Molly12345]

On 12/8/2022 at 7:36 AM, Meringue said:

McGill and UoA. The rest are clinical/counselling programs with developmental streams! What about you?

Hi all! I just found this thread. I applied to four School and Clinical Child Psyc program in Canada! 

 

I am curious to know if you all reached out to your PI before applying. I am a bit confused on how the admissions process works, do you match after admission?

[SACP786]

8 hours ago, rk1199998 said:

Hi all! I just found this thread. I applied to four School and Clinical Child Psyc program in Canada! 

 

I am curious to know if you all reached out to your PI before applying. I am a bit confused on how the admissions process works, do you match after admission?

For some schools yes, though we did not formally meet via Zoom/in person. The general process is:

• Contact faculty to see if they're accepting students.
• Submit application listing PIs you want to work with.
• Admissions committee does pre-screening (i.e., rejects those who don't meet the programs' minimum requirements).
• The faculty member(s) you listed in your application receive your application and review.
  • At this stage, they may do prelim interviews.
  • From the applications they receive, they will shortlist 10-15 applicants they present to the faculty.
• The faculty decides which 6-8 students are offered admission. 

In short, having a pre-existing relationship or contact with a PI doesn't really make a difference since its the committee's decision, not just one PI deciding. It will certainly help you make the shortlist though.

[Cdn_Psych_Today]

Invite for interview today for PhD 

[SACP786]

23 hours ago, Cdn_Psych_Today said:

Invite for interview today for PhD 

Congratz! Where at?

[Cdn_Psych_Today]

20 hours ago, SACP786 said:

Congratz! Where at?

Calgary - PhD program, unsure if they are doing it at the MSc program

[SACP786]

On 12/24/2022 at 12:40 PM, Cdn_Psych_Today said:

Calgary - PhD program, unsure if they are doing it at the MSc program

Good luck! Sending you lots of hugs.

[Molly12345]

Does anyone have an idea of when Master's interview invites will go out?

[SACP786]

3 hours ago, Molly12345 said:

Does anyone have an idea of when Master's interview invites will go out?

Depends on the school. 

• University of Alberta, University of Calgary, Mount Saint Vincent, and University of Manitoba do not have interviews. 
• OISE SCCP prelim interviews have started being sent out (according to the clinical thread). 
• No word on McGill/unclear if they will be holding interviews.

[Cdn_Psych_Today]

I can confirm there are NO formal interviews for MSc admits at Calgary, only for PhD

[sara_2024]

3 hours ago, Cdn_Psych_Today said:

I can confirm there are NO formal interviews for MSc admits at Calgary, only for PhD

Omg thats good to know! But also feels a little more intense. Do you have any idea when people will hear back? 

[Cdn_Psych_Today]

17 hours ago, sara_2024 said:

Omg thats good to know! But also feels a little more intense. Do you have any idea when people will hear back? 

I'm thinking early february based on previous years

[Molly12345]

Received an interview invite today for UofT SCCP program! 

[sara_2024]

12 minutes ago, Molly12345 said:

Received an interview invite today for UofT SCCP program! 

Congratulations! Best of luck with it. I didn’t apply to uoft but would you mind sharing if you had contacted the PI beforehand? 

[Molly12345]

Just now, sara_2024 said:

Congratulations! Best of luck with it. I didn’t apply to uoft but would you mind sharing if you had contacted the PI beforehand? 

Thank you so much! I actually did not reach out to this PI beforehand. I applied to four schools across Canada and did reach out to the PI's at the other three schools (chatted with two via email and met with one via Zoom back in Nov)!