stuck...no acceptions, still waiting..

[Trying2Smile]

Ok, so this is gonna be a long post so i apologize in advance but this is something ive been losing sleep over on a day to day basis and i am posting this as a cry for help b/c i feel like im so stuck right now w/ very limited options..

I graduated from Penn State in Dec.2008 w/ a psych degree and a 3.09 gpa...I applied to several grad schools and both doctorate and masters program (yea i know, im kicking myself right now..why the hell didnt i just apply to all masters?) The schools I applied to are: GW,Rutgers,American,Temple,NYU,Boston University,and Pitt...My number 1 choice is temple..i love their counseling psychology program and I love phillie, it would be a dream come true to get accepted and to move there in the fall..

Okay, so I got rejected from every single grad school except Temple,NYU,and Boston but I also havent heard anything back from those schools yet and its already mid-April..I am really confused about Temple b/c their deadline was Feb.1st and they contacted me in mid January (shortly after I sent the last of my app materials in) they wanted me to come in for an interview..the guy for some reason stressed that it would be most beneficial for me personally if i come on Feb13..so of course I went, the interview went really well..it was a group interview but I still felt like i got my voice heard..at the q&a session they held after the interview they tell us that they only accept 20 or so students each year..so of course I flip out and have been nervous and anxious ever since. And the fact that I am not accepted anywhere yet has gotten me soooo nervous..

Sometime after the interview I get a little insider info from a guy who works there who also works for my dad at his company that he talked to the people over in that dept and the lady there told him that its surely a good sign that they didnt contact me after the interview..ok good news right?

Its almost the end of April, I have been rejected from every grad school that has gotten back to me so far and I am on my breaking point here..I called temple a bunch of times, finally someone got back to me and said she would check out what the holdup was on my application and if theyve even reviewed it yet...i just feel like the longer i am waiting the smaller chance i have of getting accepted...

My GRE scores are extremely low...i took the general and the psych one and here are my exact scores:

Verbal: 440

Math: 250

Psych: 580

I know i know...im a horrible standardized test taker but thats the only downside to my application i feel like b/c everything else is good...i have a good resume (I volunteered at a crisis hotline, worked w/ Mentally challenged patients in group homes, worked w/ kids in school settings) i have a 3.09 gpa..my transcript is good..(more a's and b's than c's i think) and i know my profs gave me good recommendations..so why the hell am i getting rejected left and right? do the gre scores really matter that much especially when they see that everything else about me is good and doesnt match up? im so confused and lost about everything..all this waiting and rejecting and compulsive mail checking has caused panic attacks, there are times when i just break down and cry b.c i have no idea whats gonna happen...i dont mean to be dramatic on everyone but im just telling the truth b/c i dont know what to do anymore, psychology is something I knew for a lonngg time that that is what I wanted to do for a career and I just feel like all my hardwork isnt paying off, the past 3months have been nothing but waiting,dissappointment and straight up heartache...what the heck should i do? please help!!!

PS: I was browsing the topics before i joined..i find it a little more comforting knowing that there are other people out there in the same boat as me if u kno what i mean..i wish we would all just get in somewhere already!!

[math123]

I'm really sorry. It sounds like you should wait and see what Temple says, as that appears to be your first, and best, option. If things don't work out this year, contact the programs and try to find out what about your application stood out, and perhaps work to better it.

[socialpsych]

I hate to say this but 3.09 is really not a competitive GPA for PhD programs...actually, it is the kind of GPA you need good GRE scores to make up for. I imagine that for adcoms, your GPA and GRE are each red flags on their own, and the fact that they are both so low means they reinforce each other (because they make it seem less likely that either one was some kind of fluke).

I don't know what kind of GRE preparation you did but perhaps you should look into something more intensive, if you have the means and if there is a chance it will help. If raising your scores is not an option, I think your only chance is to address the low scores and GPA hardcore in your SOP. Why do you think they should accept you over applicants with substantially higher GPA and GRE? Honestly, not a rhetorical question--why? What do they need to know about you that will convince them that you belong in a psych graduate program? You need to have a well articulated answer, and, for programs where you don't get screened out of the pool just based on your numbers, make this case strongly.

Also, again you may have done this during this application cycle, but if you re-apply you should definitely ask all the faculty and grad students you know to read your SOP and make sure you are getting the tone right. The adcoms are looking for a certain kind of thing and it's just hard to know without extensive feedback whether you've hit on it or not. Especially with the weaknesses in your application, you will need to make sure it sounds like you are a serious candidate but at the same time not making excuses.

My $0.02. Sorry about how this cycle went, and best of luck! If you strike out this cycle, the door is not closed. If you can support yourself in the meantime, regroup and try again next year and you may have better luck. Sounds like you are sure this is what you want to do--I really really hope you find a way to do it!

[Trying2Smile]

I know my gpa is too low for Phd..i didnt actually realize this until later, but surely it cant be too low for masters programs..why would temple contact me before the application deadline to interview me? It seems to me that if they really thought i wasnt competitive enough they wouldve rejected me right off the bat as alot of other schools already did..i guess im just trying to stay positive..

[frankdux]

well, if it makes you feel any better just check out my signature. all that time, energy, and money spent into GREs, LORs, SOPs, transcripts, and grad application forms. all for naught. ...talk about having a door slammed in your face!

a lot of us know how you feel, but just realize that having to wait another year or two isn't that big of a deal.

[fuzzylogician]

i think you got some good advice here. Take this year to study for and retake the GRE. If at all possible, get a tutor to work with you on test-taking techniques. Your post makes you out to be an intelligent, articulate person, so I am sure that you can do better than your current score. As it stands, it is a huge liability in your app. I agree that you have to directly address your low GRE and GPA scores in your SOP. Spend a lot of time on this essay to make sure that you get the right tone and explain why you want to study psych and why programs should choose you over applicants who have significantly higher scores. Have every prof who agrees read and comment on your SOP, if possible try to have potential advisers from the schools you want to attend read and comment on it as well. They will give you the best feedback.

I'm sorry it didn't work out for you this year, and hope you will have better luck next year!

[purplepepper]

I'm going to disagree with some of the advice that's been posted. Scores do not make an application. Especially for an MA degree. (this comes from first hand experience, my undergrad GPA was lower than a 3.3 and I was admitted into 3 top ten programs for a Phd, including 2 ivies, albeit, I aslo already had a masters). I think your scores are fine for an MA, but if things don't work out this year, do put the effort into retaking the GREs...adcoms like to see improvement.

The most important aspects of your application are the qualitative ones. How was your SOP? Did you identify specific research interests? Being too broad and unfocused will definitely not get your application closely looked at. Did you identify a professor you would like to work with? How is your writing sample? How are your LORs? These are much much much more important than scores. A bad score won't sink you if your SOP is strong, but a bad SOP will sink you even if you have perfect scores.

If Temple doesn't work out, take a look at your essays and ask as many people that you can how you can improve them.

[washdc]

Your GPA is definitely, definitely do-able, but your GRE scores ... I would definitely recommend getting a tutor, and work for several months- take some practice tests, read GRE prep books. The GRE is learnable, the verbal is mostly memorizing new vocab words- and the math section is at the high school level, so you might just need to touch up on basic formulas & rules. & maybe don't do a psych subject test this time around, since it's in your field and you didn't score exceptionally well, I think it does more harm than good.

Stay positive, even if you don't make it through this year, it's completely possible to improve yourself as an applicant and do better next year.

[LTee]

I know exactly how you feel. I recently graduated with my BA in psychology, and Ive been working in a school setting with special needs kids for the past year. I applied to 2 (yes only two, dumb move) masters programs, actually Educational Specialist level, for School Psychology. Although I am completely aware that my GRE was horrific 390 V and Math, and 4.5 AW- I was hoping that the programs I applied for could look past this. I also have a 3.1 GPA, again I know its not great, but it's not too shabby either. I tried very hard to convey my passion and reasoning for entering a School Psych program, and I had good references(in my opinion.) I also have a lot of experience working with special needs children. I still haven't heard ANYTHING for these programs, Brooklyn College and Seattle U, other than my application is being evaluated. Im taking this as a bad sign, and I feel similar to you: questioning my life and what I should do. What IF I fail at bringing up my GRE, and I cant really do much about my GPA. Is there hope? So ya, people feel the same way as you do. All I can say is that things happen for a reason and if you (we) dont get in this time around there is probably a good reason for it later down the road. I think I just need to suck it up, carry on and keep applying if I fail to get in.

[Trying2Smile]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, the good news is I do have a plan b (i got accepted to a culinary school) something I've always had in the back of my mind if this whole masters thing doesnt work out...About my writing samples: i talk about my experiences working in the field and how it personally impacted me to want to study this more and reinforced my passion for this field..I made sure to emphasize certain individuals i worked w/ in particular and how my guidance helped them become better and how it made me feel...I think I might take the MATS next year actually (no math..and for me thats a good thing) so i just wanna hear some feedback on my temple story, what do u think all that means? from the way they contacted me..to now?

[socialpsych]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, the good news is I do have a plan b (i got accepted to a culinary school) something I've always had in the back of my mind if this whole masters thing doesnt work out...About my writing samples: i talk about my experiences working in the field and how it personally impacted me to want to study this more and reinforced my passion for this field..I made sure to emphasize certain individuals i worked w/ in particular and how my guidance helped them become better and how it made me feel...I think I might take the MATS next year actually (no math..and for me thats a good thing) so i just wanna hear some feedback on my temple story, what do u think all that means? from the way they contacted me..to now?

I think it means you are waitlisted. They are probably waiting for the first round of offers to shake out before they give you the final decision. If you had been either accepted or rejected based on your interview, they probably would have told you earlier. But I'm just making that up, don't listen to me.

I don't think it would be out of line to contact them and ask whether/when you can expect to hear.

[ajesusj]

I know some programs gave people an exceptionally long time to respond and you shouldn't really count yourself out until mid may. Even then, if you're on a waitlist, and someone changes their mind, some programs have made offers as late as August. Keep hope alive.