2015 - Social Psych

[MyDogHasAPhD]

I would totally be okay with even a rejection at this point from SOMEWHERE just so I can stop obsessively checking my application status and my emails. I think the problem is we are on a forum surrounded by clinical people who are interviewing now and have heard something. Seems like social psych takes their precious time...Maybe this whole thing is one giant test!! Darn psychologists....

[Gepetto13]

I think each program has its own schedule of sending out invites.  Some like to do it before SPSP, some after.  But, given that SPSP is very late this year (end of February), I imagine no program will wait until March to make any decisions.  I think, realistically, if you/we haven't heard anything by about about February 5 or 6, we're SOL.

[FinallyAccepted]

I think, realistically, if you/we haven't heard anything by about about February 5 or 6, we're SOL.

Stupidly Optimistic about our Luck?

[Gepetto13]

Haha yes that's one interpretation

[sc9663]

I've heard back from 5 schools but if I remember correctly, these five had the earliest "due dates" for their applications, so that may be why. 

[avidman]

@ss_chen

 

When did you hear back from Denver? And who is your POI (if you don't mind I ask).

[sc9663]

@avidman

 

Sent you a message!

[MyDogHasAPhD]

I think each program has its own schedule of sending out invites. Some like to do it before SPSP, some after. But, given that SPSP is very late this year (end of February), I imagine no program will wait until March to make any decisions. I think, realistically, if you/we haven't heard anything by about about February 5 or 6, we're SOL.

Ugh. Life is hard.

[EastCoasting]

For what it's worth, during my 2 application cycles I didn't get any good news earlier than the end of January. The vast majority of invites came at the end of December/early January.

[Emily89]

Hi all! I've been creepily reading this forum for awhile, but I wanted to formally join in this anxiety-ridden time! I have applied to 6 Social programs and 1 clinical program. I am basically just going to echo all of the frustration with not hearing a single thing yet! I too am surrounded by friends and coworkers who have all applied to clinical programs, and all (except maybe one) have heard from at least 2 schools. The best of which already has 6 interviews. 6! I'm dying over here. 

When I first applied, I was really confident that I was a strong applicant, but with all of this silence and a depressingly empty e-mail, I'm really starting to question everything. Was my GRE too low? Did my GPA hurt me? Did my research in different areas of psychology actually hurt me? Did one of my recommenders secretly hate me?! It's all really great fun over here.

 

But I was also wondering if possibly, some of this silence could be explained by the reviewing process. My coworker, who applied to clinical, is under the impression that the people who hear first and earliest are the "extremes" - absolutely NOT and absolutely yes, please come interview tomorrow. And that maybe it has taken quite awhile to hear because I (we?) are in the middle. And it takes more time and deliberation to decide on some of our applications because we are not automatic yeses or nos. Also, I need to constantly remind myself that social doesn't always interview, which could also increase the time it takes to hear anything. Anyway, thanks to whoever reads my ramblings! And thank you for the support you never knew you were giving! 

[VulpesZerda]

Hi all! I've been creepily reading this forum for awhile, but I wanted to formally join in this anxiety-ridden time! I have applied to 6 Social programs and 1 clinical program. I am basically just going to echo all of the frustration with not hearing a single thing yet! I too am surrounded by friends and coworkers who have all applied to clinical programs, and all (except maybe one) have heard from at least 2 schools. The best of which already has 6 interviews. 6! I'm dying over here.

When I first applied, I was really confident that I was a strong applicant, but with all of this silence and a depressingly empty e-mail, I'm really starting to question everything. Was my GRE too low? Did my GPA hurt me? Did my research in different areas of psychology actually hurt me? Did one of my recommenders secretly hate me?! It's all really great fun over here.

But I was also wondering if possibly, some of this silence could be explained by the reviewing process. My coworker, who applied to clinical, is under the impression that the people who hear first and earliest are the "extremes" - absolutely NOT and absolutely yes, please come interview tomorrow. And that maybe it has taken quite awhile to hear because I (we?) are in the middle. And it takes more time and deliberation to decide on some of our applications because we are not automatic yeses or nos. Also, I need to constantly remind myself that social doesn't always interview, which could also increase the time it takes to hear anything. Anyway, thanks to whoever reads my ramblings! And thank you for the support you never knew you were giving!

Welcome! I hope you're right :-)

[FinallyAccepted]

Hi all! I've been creepily reading this forum for awhile, but I wanted to formally join in this anxiety-ridden time! I have applied to 6 Social programs and 1 clinical program. I am basically just going to echo all of the frustration with not hearing a single thing yet! I too am surrounded by friends and coworkers who have all applied to clinical programs, and all (except maybe one) have heard from at least 2 schools. The best of which already has 6 interviews. 6! I'm dying over here. 

When I first applied, I was really confident that I was a strong applicant, but with all of this silence and a depressingly empty e-mail, I'm really starting to question everything. Was my GRE too low? Did my GPA hurt me? Did my research in different areas of psychology actually hurt me? Did one of my recommenders secretly hate me?! It's all really great fun over here.

 

But I was also wondering if possibly, some of this silence could be explained by the reviewing process. My coworker, who applied to clinical, is under the impression that the people who hear first and earliest are the "extremes" - absolutely NOT and absolutely yes, please come interview tomorrow. And that maybe it has taken quite awhile to hear because I (we?) are in the middle. And it takes more time and deliberation to decide on some of our applications because we are not automatic yeses or nos. Also, I need to constantly remind myself that social doesn't always interview, which could also increase the time it takes to hear anything. Anyway, thanks to whoever reads my ramblings! And thank you for the support you never knew you were giving! 

 

The silence is all fine and great, but it's the silence when everyone else is hearing something that CAN be problematic. Many programs haven't said a peep yet, but if a program you applied to has already sent out all of their invites to a program's interview weekend, you can probably assume that you're not on a short list. So you can't judge based on the university or other social psych programs. You can only really compare to other people in the same program with the same POI. So yes, the silence is due to the reviewing process (for the most part).

[mb712]

I started with a list of about 15 programs and ended up applying to around 10. It seems like the 5 I eliminated are the 5 who have sent out definitive information to applicants already.

This post brought to you by my silence induced nervousness increase.

[avidman]

Hi all! I've been creepily reading this forum for awhile, but I wanted to formally join in this anxiety-ridden time! I have applied to 6 Social programs and 1 clinical program. I am basically just going to echo all of the frustration with not hearing a single thing yet! I too am surrounded by friends and coworkers who have all applied to clinical programs, and all (except maybe one) have heard from at least 2 schools. The best of which already has 6 interviews. 6! I'm dying over here. 

When I first applied, I was really confident that I was a strong applicant, but with all of this silence and a depressingly empty e-mail, I'm really starting to question everything. Was my GRE too low? Did my GPA hurt me? Did my research in different areas of psychology actually hurt me? Did one of my recommenders secretly hate me?! It's all really great fun over here.

 

But I was also wondering if possibly, some of this silence could be explained by the reviewing process. My coworker, who applied to clinical, is under the impression that the people who hear first and earliest are the "extremes" - absolutely NOT and absolutely yes, please come interview tomorrow. And that maybe it has taken quite awhile to hear because I (we?) are in the middle. And it takes more time and deliberation to decide on some of our applications because we are not automatic yeses or nos. Also, I need to constantly remind myself that social doesn't always interview, which could also increase the time it takes to hear anything. Anyway, thanks to whoever reads my ramblings! And thank you for the support you never knew you were giving! 

Hello, so I read your post and wanted to see if I could help.

 

1. Some people have heard back and some people haven't. If you applied to the same schools as your coworkers and you are the only one that hasn't heard back, that COULD be a bad sign, but it also could be nothing.

 

2. You said that your coworkers have heard back for the most part from Clinical programs. In general Clincial Programs decide sooner than most programs (not sure why, but based on what I have see from the results page on the grad cafe site, that is the trend).

 

3. I do hope that you get some interviews (assuming you deserve it =) ), but in the event that you don't, try not to blame yourself. Personally, I think best-of-fit matters more than anything in this application process. If you have great credentials, that is great! But if the school isn't looking for someone like you, that isn't your fault by any means.

 

Anyway, there is plenty of time left. I have heard back from 2 schools (U Rochester and Ohio State). I still haven't heard back from 6 others (maybe I got rejected from the others, don't know). At the end of the day, a little hope goes a long way.

 

Best of luck!

 

Note: If you want to have an idea of which schools are sending invites and such, then -> http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=psychology

 

But please use it at your own risk. This site can be quite despairing.

Edited January 19, 2015 by avidman

[MyDogHasAPhD]

I also applied to two clinical. I've assumed they're rejections at this point. I am still holding on to hope for my social programs. According to history, I should hear a definitive something this week.

I start classes again next week. It will be a welcomed distraction at this point.

[psych face]

[...]

Also, I need to constantly remind myself that social doesn't always interview, which could also increase the time it takes to hear anything.

[...]

 

I didn't know this. If that's true, I'm going to hold out hope for one of my top choices. Most of my schools haven't notified of anything yet, to anybody, so it's really annoying. Not all the programs I applied to are Social. And I applied to some backups as well, so I'm not that worried. But, word, not to interview, how can a "Social" program resist it? /tongue in cheek

[Emily89]

Hello, so I read your post and wanted to see if I could help.

 

1. Some people have heard back and some people haven't. If you applied to the same schools as your coworkers and you are the only one that hasn't heard back, that COULD be a bad sign, but it also could be nothing.

 

2. You said that your coworkers have heard back for the most part from Clinical programs. In general Clincial Programs decide sooner than most programs (not sure why, but based on what I have see from the results page on the grad cafe site, that is the trend).

 

3. I do hope that you get some interviews (assuming you deserve it =) ), but in the event that you don't, try not to blame yourself. Personally, I think best-of-fit matters more than anything in this application process. If you have great credentials, that is great! But if the school isn't looking for someone like you, that isn't your fault by any means.

 

Anyway, there is plenty of time left. I have heard back from 2 schools (U Rochester and Ohio State). I still haven't heard back from 6 others (maybe I got rejected from the others, don't know). At the end of the day, a little hope goes a long way.

 

Best of luck!

 

Note: If you want to have an idea of which schools are sending invites and such, then -> http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=psychology

 

But please use it at your own risk. This site can be quite despairing.

I am awful at computers, but I wanted to thank both avidman and shana.teacher for their help! I think I have a pretty good handle on it so far (only one of my schools have been posted about, and it was just a random post it looks like), it's just the waiting game for me so far! But thank you guys so much for your guidance. I am new to gradcafe this year. It is very helpful to see the results, but as avidman pointed out, can definitely be stressful! But I'm relieved to hear that you all have some similar frustrations and that I am not alone  

[Generis]

I think clinical might happen quicker because it's so popular and the process might be more systematic (although social is definitely second in popularity).

But the silver lining is that most schools are back from break now, and the holiday weekend is over. I'd imagine there will be more movement by the end of this week and into next week

[MyDogHasAPhD]

Just got a rejection from University of Michigan P&SC. Sad but it was expected. Sigh....

Edited January 21, 2015 by MyDogHasAPhD

[TXInstrument11]

FYI - Just called Oregon (social) to confirm the interview date posted on their site. They have sent all invites out at this point.

 

I knew I was reaching a bit with this one since they have a strong, competitive program. Oh well. I'm not sure if I've been waitlisted or not, but I am going to treat this as a dead-end at the moment. 

[AnomalousApplicant]

Hi all, 

 

My name is Josh and I am new here. I applied to 11 schools this round after getting rejected by all 3 that I applied to  last year. I was also just informed of my rejection to Michigan.

Edited January 21, 2015 by JLS912

[MyDogHasAPhD]

Hi all, 

 

My name is Josh and I am new here. I applied to 11 schools this round after getting rejected by all 3 that I applied to  last year. I was also just informed of my rejection to Michigan.

 

Over 600 applicants... sheesh.

[randoperson]

I feel pretty stupid for only applying to four programs, but even finishing those applications was very difficult. I ended up taking a lot of time off from my minimum wage job to work on them, so much so that I almost got evicted recently, and even then I only just barely got my four apps done. I don't understand how y'all have time to work on 10-11 apps, honestly. Did you finish half of them by October or something?

[PsychandPhilo]

I feel pretty stupid for only applying to four programs, but even finishing those applications was very difficult. I ended up taking a lot of time off from my minimum wage job to work on them, so much so that I almost got evicted recently, and even then I only just barely got my four apps done. I don't understand how y'all have time to work on 10-11 apps, honestly. Did you finish half of them by October or something?

Some of them. My top choices I was preparing SOPs in October and the actual application in November. It was still stressful then, since I'm still a full time student with jobs as well. The earlier you're prepared, the easier it is. To be honest though, the number doesn't really matter if you're happy with those programs, plus applications get expensive.

[VulpesZerda]

I feel pretty stupid for only applying to four programs, but even finishing those applications was very difficult. I ended up taking a lot of time off from my minimum wage job to work on them, so much so that I almost got evicted recently, and even then I only just barely got my four apps done. I don't understand how y'all have time to work on 10-11 apps, honestly. Did you finish half of them by October or something?

 

I was able to copy/paste a lot of my SOP and then change a few sentences and/or the opening and ending to make each fit more closely. Definitely not for all ten, but for many this was the case. As for the applications themselves --filling out basic information about myself, transcripts, etc.-- I started my accounts in September and chipped away slowly every weekend. This was KEY for me because since all of that crap was done so early, I was actually able to sit down and double check/submit all ten applications in one weekend.

 

I asked for letters in the summer, and they were uploaded in November for the most part. My CV is a document I constantly updated and polished, and I didn't submit a writing statement. The GRE is what threw off my whole system because I ended up having to retake it. So, I had to pay for an extra test and lose quite a few shifts at work from studying and sitting for the exam twice. It's definitely not easy! Don't feel stupid for the number of programs you applied to. Everyone applies to different numbers for different reasons.

 

 

Some of them. My top choices I was preparing SOPs in October and the actual application in November. It was still stressful then, since I'm still a full time student with jobs as well. The earlier you're prepared, the easier it is. To be honest though, the number doesn't really matter if you're happy with those programs, plus applications get expensive.

 

Seriously, so expensive. I was building up my savings account for months; I set aside roughly a thousand dollars to apply, deal with ETS, and order transcripts from two colleges.

Edited January 22, 2015 by VulpesZerda