Fall 2015 Applicant Thread

[Gvh]

How can I find out what sort of funding would be available to me before I apply to a program? I've mainly been focusing on PI's, and programs, so what can I do to make sure I'll be fully funded? I've looked on the sites of a lot of places and it's not all that clear... I'm an international student coming from Canada I should add. 

 

You won't know exactly what kind of funding you'll get until you are accepted & receive your funding package - however most schools will detail possible funding opportunities on their application websites as well as any suggestions or restrictions. For instance, some programs will explicitly say all admitted students receive X years of funding with a stipend of $XX,XXX. Others say it depends on a number of factors depending on whatever it may be. If this isn't mentioned at all, I would email the grad secretary and ask. I did this for one of the programs I am applying to and found it very helpful. On a side note, if you do email the program be sure to include that you are international, as this can come into funding decisions. 

Edited July 21, 2014 by Gvh

[VulpesZerda]

Hey,

 

Ya I'm applying to cog neuro and clinical programs for the fall of 2015. So many schools I don't really know where to begin searching though. I'm searching a lot of 'top tier' places in the US because I don't really know many middle tier schools there. I"m from Canada where there's a lot fewer programs.

 

Don't search by tier of the school. Your primary indicator should be research match. I've heard from enough people to know that you'll get rejected if you don't articulate how your interests fit into a certain professor's line of research.

[Fishbucket]

Hey guys

 

 

On 7/21/2014 at 2:42 PM, Epoh said:

I'm searching a lot of 'top tier' places in the US because I don't really know many middle tier schools there. I"m from Canada where there's a lot fewer programs.

 

I compiled this list of all the Clinical Psychology programs in the US that give full funding. Thought it might help some people. Here it is:

 

Uof Arizona

Arizona State

U of Arkansas

Auburn

Baylor

Binghamton

Bowling Green State

Berkeley

Clark

Boulder

UConn

Denver

DePaul

Duke

Duquesne

Emory

George Mason

GWU

UGA

Georgia State

Harvard

U of Houston

U of I at Chicago

UIUC

Indiana State

Bloomington

Purdue

Kansas

Kent State

Louisville

Loyola Chicago

Maine

UMBC

College Park

U-Mass Amherst

U-Mass Boston

Memphis

U-Miami

Miami University (OH)

Michigan

Michigan State

Minnesota

Mississippi State

Missouri

Missouri Kansas City

Missouri St Louis

Nebraska

Nevada Las Vegas

Reno

New Mexico

UNC-Chapel Hill

UNC-Greensboro

North Dakota

U North Texas

Northern Illinois

Ohio State

Ohio University

Oklahoma State

Oregon

Pitt

Rochester

Rutgers

San Diego

South Carolina

South Florida

USC

Southern Illinois

Southern Mississippi

Stony Brook

Syracuse

Temple

Tennessee

Texas A&M

UT-Austin

Texas Tech

U Toledo

USUHS

Utah

Vanderbilt

UVA

Virginia Polytechnic

Washington

Washington State

WashU/WUSTL

WVU

Western Michigan

Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Wyoming

Yale

[AvatarPsych]

Please be aware though that the above is not a completely comprehensive list. There are a few programs just off the top of my head that aren't listed there.

[Fishbucket]

which other programs are they?

[Munashi]

Off the top of my head, University of Washington (UW) and Pennsylvania State University come to mind.

[gellert]

Also University of Iowa, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Boston University off the top of my head from friends' clinical applications.

[Epoh]

Don't search by tier of the school. Your primary indicator should be research match. I've heard from enough people to know that you'll get rejected if you don't articulate how your interests fit into a certain professor's line of research.

I should've prefaced it with 'profs who share my interests', which is basically clinical neuroscience examining mood disorders. There's actually a lot fewer 'top tier' schools with profs that fit my interests than i thought, but even the 'mid tier' which provide funding don't have many profs that fit me well, so even though im applying to clinical programs I don't know if I'll have 15 programs to apply to unless I include some cog neuro programs. In order of best perceived fit: Temple, Northwestern, University of Maryland, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin-Madison.... I mean I'm sure as hell not making it easy on myself with those choices.... I think I'll throw in the University of Colorado (Boulder) & University of Florida but that's all I ahve before I start looking at cog neuro programs (UC Davis, Berkeley, University of Alberta). 

 

I didn't really want to have those 'top' choices because I recognize how hard it is to get into them, but that seems to be where the research for mood disorders is right now, for neuropsych related measures. Feeling a bit gloomy about my chances in those programs to be honest. 

Edited July 28, 2014 by Epoh

[VulpesZerda]

I should've prefaced it with 'profs who share my interests', which is basically clinical neuroscience examining mood disorders. There's actually a lot fewer 'top tier' schools with profs that fit my interests than i thought, but even the 'mid tier' which provide funding don't have many profs that fit me well, so even though im applying to clinical programs I don't know if I'll have 15 programs to apply to unless I include some cog neuro programs. In order of best perceived fit: Temple, Northwestern, University of Maryland, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin-Madison.... I mean I'm sure as hell not making it easy on myself with those choices.... I think I'll throw in the University of Colorado (Boulder) & University of Florida but that's all I ahve before I start looking at cog neuro programs (UC Davis, Berkeley, University of Alberta). 

 

I didn't really want to have those 'top' choices because I recognize how hard it is to get into them, but that seems to be where the research for mood disorders is right now, for neuropsych related measures. Feeling a bit gloomy about my chances in those programs to be honest. 

 

Okay good. I'm kind of having the opposite problem where top universities don't have anyone in my area of interest. I wonder if that means my interest isn't "hot" and yours is.

 

Some anecdotal advice about the top programs...I have a few friends who are graduate students in various fields, who were rejected by all their mid and low tier programs and accepted or waitlisted to all of the top tier/prestigious programs. So, don't worry too much as long as there's a fit!

[Gvh]

Okay good. I'm kind of having the opposite problem where top universities don't have anyone in my area of interest. I wonder if that means my interest isn't "hot" and yours is.

 

Some anecdotal advice about the top programs...I have a few friends who are graduate students in various fields, who were rejected by all their mid and low tier programs and accepted or waitlisted to all of the top tier/prestigious programs. So, don't worry too much as long as there's a fit!

 

I can corroborate this; one of my friends who applied to 6 PhD programs didn't even get an interview anywhere but Harvard, where he is now a 4th year grad student. The process works in mysterious ways!

[Epoh]

Okay good. I'm kind of having the opposite problem where top universities don't have anyone in my area of interest. I wonder if that means my interest isn't "hot" and yours is.

 

Some anecdotal advice about the top programs...I have a few friends who are graduate students in various fields, who were rejected by all their mid and low tier programs and accepted or waitlisted to all of the top tier/prestigious programs. So, don't worry too much as long as there's a fit!

Don't get caught up in biological/psychological trends! Stick to your guns and find your niche! It's a better route than being a cognitive neuroscientist interested in studying learning and memory and hippocampal functioning.... seems like every school has at least 2 or 3 'memory guys'. 

 

Normally I wouldn't sweat it, but a 3.5 GPA is not exactly ideal, despite the fact the rest of my application is quite strong and I am confident about all of my letters and GRE's, etc. I know the fit is there with maryland and temple and northwestern, my interests basically take what they are doing and spin it in a slightly different direction that is still close to what they do. That's relieving though, thanks!

[VulpesZerda]

Don't get caught up in biological/psychological trends! Stick to your guns and find your niche! It's a better route than being a cognitive neuroscientist interested in studying learning and memory and hippocampal functioning.... seems like every school has at least 2 or 3 'memory guys'. 

 

Normally I wouldn't sweat it, but a 3.5 GPA is not exactly ideal, despite the fact the rest of my application is quite strong and I am confident about all of my letters and GRE's, etc. I know the fit is there with maryland and temple and northwestern, my interests basically take what they are doing and spin it in a slightly different direction that is still close to what they do. That's relieving though, thanks!

 

Haha that's actually the area my faculty advisor is in at my liberal arts college. But I'm interested in health. I really love prevention and promotion, and figure maybe an obesity epidemic should lead to well-funded research...lol

 

I feel like almost everyone has at least one thing they're not happy with in their applications (mine will probably be GRE if I'm being realistic). 3.5 is good IMO. And all of us on here are pretty high-achieving so comparing with others probably doesn't help your worrying. The main reason I always worry is because this is such a crap shoot!

[Epoh]

Haha that's actually the area my faculty advisor is in at my liberal arts college. But I'm interested in health. I really love prevention and promotion, and figure maybe an obesity epidemic should lead to well-funded research...lol

 

I feel like almost everyone has at least one thing they're not happy with in their applications (mine will probably be GRE if I'm being realistic). 3.5 is good IMO. And all of us on here are pretty high-achieving so comparing with others probably doesn't help your worrying. The main reason I always worry is because this is such a crap shoot!

I'm telling you, everyone has a massive hard-on for the hippocampus, and understandably so but let's spread some of the research interests around a little bit, I thought universities encouraged diversity! Well, maybe not Harvard. Unfortunately I refuse to contribute to the skyrocketing obesity rates for the sake of your academic success but I KNOW there's plenty of people who would love to support your efforts. From my perspective preventative work is interesting in the field of mental health, especially with the lack of viable treatment options for people who struggle with these disorders. I would make the case preventative work in that field is as important as any other, especially with depression rising up the depth charts in human problems according to the UN....

 

Ya, I'm not overly thrilled with a 3.5 (despite the fact I acknowledge it is a solid GPA) just because I want to get into clinical, and my competition is fierce. I have a lot of other things going for me that I am going to have to convey somehow, someway in my letter I guess. 1000 words may not be enough for my sotry though, I started off my degree with clinical depression and graduated while taking care of my terminally ill father for 2 years, that's not exactly a 2 sentence and I'm done explaining sort of issue!

[VulpesZerda]

Ya, I'm not overly thrilled with a 3.5 (despite the fact I acknowledge it is a solid GPA) just because I want to get into clinical, and my competition is fierce. I have a lot of other things going for me that I am going to have to convey somehow, someway in my letter I guess. 1000 words may not be enough for my sotry though, I started off my degree with clinical depression and graduated while taking care of my terminally ill father for 2 years, that's not exactly a 2 sentence and I'm done explaining sort of issue!

If one of your letter writers knows you well and knows about these circumstances, they should be able to mention it in their letter so that you don't have to and you can focus on your research interests within your 1000 words. But yeah 3.5 is definitely impressive considering all of that.

[Epoh]

If one of your letter writers knows you well and knows about these circumstances, they should be able to mention it in their letter so that you don't have to and you can focus on your research interests within your 1000 words. But yeah 3.5 is definitely impressive considering all of that.

I haven't exactly been upfront with my issues to my supervisor, she's not an emotionally available person, but she'll be looking over all of my application before I apply which was kind of her, so she'll see my 'issues' I ahd to deal with during my degree. The other two letters are strong, but they don't know my well enough to include those issues. Whether my supervisor decides to say something about it or not I don't know. 

 

It's hard because my interest in clinical psychology and research was really fuelled by my own depression, but I don't really want my 'problem' to be the center of attention in a personal letter. And of course my passion was really what carried me through the tough times with my dad. So it's tricky.

[citypsych]

@Epoh, just something to consider:

 

http://psychology.unl.edu/psichi/Graduate_School_Application_Kisses_of_Death.pdf

[Saman]

@citypsych- That was a great resource. Thanks for sharing..

[Epoh]

@Epoh, just something to consider:

 

http://psychology.unl.edu/psichi/Graduate_School_Application_Kisses_of_Death.pdf

Well, it's time to change my approach immediately I guess... because the very first paragraph told me the mental health route was not a good idea. Thanks for this resource!

[Gvh]

From my understanding, it seems it is fine to talk about previous health issues as long as doesn't sound like you're complaining or making excuses. If you find a way to cleverly disguise it in a way makes you look strong and determined without undermining you in some way, then I don't see why the reader would have a problem with it - it might even be beneficial. However, this can prove to be tricky, I am sure! 

[VulpesZerda]

I think it's definitely tricky. I've heard, "have some heart, don't be dull" but I also recognize that it's not supposed to be too "personal", despite the name. I think we all have had experiences in our lives that shape our research interests. I tried to deny this for a while because I didn't want to come off like I was attempting to "fix" the issue in my life that led me to become interested in research (my family). Btw, I'm NOT trying to fix my family, but their behavior led me to ask a lot of questions in high school/early college that I found an entire body of research on - bam. Now I want to do research that applies to the entire population, but mainly adolescents. I guess it's best to convey that our personal experiences were more of a starting point that led into a strong interest in the field. In my SOP drafts, there is no mention of my family whatsoever. It's not appropriate...so I say that my interests started when I did my first internship. Which is somewhat true because this was the time I realized I could make a career out of research.

[Epoh]

It's one thing to discuss the environment you grew up in and it's entirely another to discuss your own personal struggles and weak moments I would say, even if you end up reframing them in a clever way that sheds light on your interests. You can't control your family, and if anything your resiliency might come off as impressive. The depression issues for me were a big part of my interests in psychology initially, as you said, they were a starting point for me taking in interest in understanding circumstances that put individuals at risk for these disorders, congitive, neuro and environmental markers but I just don't think it's worth the risk to talk about. Unfortunately the application process is probably going to force me to lie or at least vastly stretch a story about how I became interested in psychology, kind of like your internship position. It'll probably sound cheesy regardless though... 

[Gvh]

The line between cheesy and inspiring/impressive is a fine one, with every reader seeing it slightly differently. Ha, it's a tough thing to navigate. I haven't gone through the same problems per se, but there was a relatively rough semester during my MA during which I got a couple Bs and brought down my GPA. I thought about addressing it in my SOP, but ultimately, I don't think I will. But I think it CAN be done, you just have to be careful of how it might be interpreted. 

[KW58D]

I'll toss my 2 cents in... I've had admin members say that addressing a weak point of your app can shed light to the reasoning, yet have had others say that it brings attention to an area that you don't want, or it might be viewed as quibbling. To stay on the safe side I will not discuss any area I think is weak in my app because I don't want to hurt myself more. At the most I might in a round about way say how I look forward to improving that weakness through the program. All that in 1000 words or less of course!

[dftbkatie]

Is anyone else insanely nervous about applying this fall?!? Ahh, no matter how much I prepare, I can't help but not feel ready! I've been researching potential schools for the past year or so, and because my interests are very specific (LGBT issues, addiction and comorbidity) it's been very hard to find good fits! I e-mailed quite a few professors earlier this spring and received quite a few encouraging replies, although my top choice (Dr. Huebner at U of Utah) isn't able to accept new grad students this admissions cycle. 

 

I took my GRE this July, and got decent scores. I'm especially happy with my analytical writing score! It's so hard to know if they'll hold up throughout the admissions process though. My top schools are U of Tennessee-Knoxville, U of Montana, UCLA, UC-Santa Barbara, UNC, UC-Boulder, NYU, UC-San Diego and the U of Washington. These are the schools that seem most committed to the diversity I'm seeking! 

 

How do y'all feel about who to ask for recommendations? I'll obviously be asking the head of my lab... I've had clinical experience at a large mental health facility and a smaller rehab facility... Not sure if I should ask both directors, or just one? Also, I have a representative at disability services who could explain some of the challenges I've had to overcome. And additionally, a newly retired professor of mine who has advised me closely throughout my education. Is there any desirable combination?

[Generis]

Is anyone else insanely nervous about applying this fall?!? Ahh, no matter how much I prepare, I can't help but not feel ready! I've been researching potential schools for the past year or so, and because my interests are very specific (LGBT issues, addiction and comorbidity) it's been very hard to find good fits! I e-mailed quite a few professors earlier this spring and received quite a few encouraging replies, although my top choice (Dr. Huebner at U of Utah) isn't able to accept new grad students this admissions cycle. 

 

I took my GRE this July, and got decent scores. I'm especially happy with my analytical writing score! It's so hard to know if they'll hold up throughout the admissions process though. My top schools are U of Tennessee-Knoxville, U of Montana, UCLA, UC-Santa Barbara, UNC, UC-Boulder, NYU, UC-San Diego and the U of Washington. These are the schools that seem most committed to the diversity I'm seeking! 

 

How do y'all feel about who to ask for recommendations? I'll obviously be asking the head of my lab... I've had clinical experience at a large mental health facility and a smaller rehab facility... Not sure if I should ask both directors, or just one? Also, I have a representative at disability services who could explain some of the challenges I've had to overcome. And additionally, a newly retired professor of mine who has advised me closely throughout my education. Is there any desirable combination?

 

I'm definitely feeling nervous too! It's good to know I'm not the only one who is in this same boat. If anything, I feel like just keeping pace of all the little things is a lot to do! Overall, I got good grades in my major (Human dev, 3.9) and both my minors (psych, 3.9, statistics, 3.9), with a cumulative GPA of 3.72 (damn those lazy first two years!), so at least that's over with... I'm also approaching my 4th year as a RA for my undergraduate lab, 2nd year as a research analyst for a large research firm, have one publication out, one under review, one in revision stage. GREs are next month.

 

But still... I'm SO nervous! I know there is a terrible amount of luck involved, and it's so competitive!!! Glad to know it's not just me.

 

For your letters of recommendation, anyone who can speak to your challenges and justify why you are an excellent canidate despite any flaw in your record would be fantastic--then you don't have to spend precious lines in your SoP explaining it yourself. I heard it's good to have at least one professor who had you as a student write a letter to talk about your aptitude as a student, and definitely the PI of your clinical lab would be good. Everyone is different, but it seems like one of each would be a good combination.

 

Best of luck!