Fall 2015 School Psychology Applicants

[new here]

Hi everyone,

 

So I have ten days to compose a personal statement (which I'm not sure is possible, but I'm going to go ahead and give it a shot) and I'd really appreciate your help.

 

I'm wondering if it is  necessary to specify which faculty member I want to work with when composing a personal statement. The program that I am applying to only has three faculty members, and the application only asks for a "personal statement regarding goals and objectives for graduate study in school psychology." It does not ask applicants to specify who they'd like to work with. Do I still need to do so?

 

Also, any tips for putting together a personal statement and statement of purpose in a very short amount of time?

 

Thanks so much!

[PschoolPsychology]

Hi everyone,

 

So I have ten days to compose a personal statement (which I'm not sure is possible, but I'm going to go ahead and give it a shot) and I'd really appreciate your help.

 

I'm wondering if it is  necessary to specify which faculty member I want to work with when composing a personal statement. The program that I am applying to only has three faculty members, and the application only asks for a "personal statement regarding goals and objectives for graduate study in school psychology." It does not ask applicants to specify who they'd like to work with. Do I still need to do so?

 

Also, any tips for putting together a personal statement and statement of purpose in a very short amount of time?

 

Thanks so much!

 

Try not to look at it from the perspective of choosing which faculty member you want to work for, but instead write about the faculty member's interests that you find to be the most interesting. You don't need to pick out who you're going to be working under in your SOP but you want to make sure that they can see you as an applicant who's at least semi-familiar with the department and holds some related research interests, so it would be wise to mention some professor(s) you would like to meet.

 

10 days is long enough to write a decent-good SOP, but you've got to get the first draft done soon and then start the revision process. The longer that you wait the more difficult that it will become, so I would set a goal about completing it in the next few days and then revise them every chance you get after that.

[iphi]

I'm wondering if it is  necessary to specify which faculty member I want to work with when composing a personal statement. The program that I am applying to only has three faculty members, and the application only asks for a "personal statement regarding goals and objectives for graduate study in school psychology." It does not ask applicants to specify who they'd like to work with. Do I still need to do so?

 

PhD: yes, state who and why (not necessary to contact beforehand)

EdS: completely unnecessary, would not recommend.

 

Tips: focus on WHY school psych, WHY that school (If EdS can just talk about the program, not profs). How the program/degree will help you meet your goals. You can talk about "How I got here" but do not make it an autobiography.

[SchoolPsych_NYC]

Hi everyone,

 

So I have ten days to compose a personal statement (which I'm not sure is possible, but I'm going to go ahead and give it a shot) and I'd really appreciate your help.

 

I'm wondering if it is  necessary to specify which faculty member I want to work with when composing a personal statement. The program that I am applying to only has three faculty members, and the application only asks for a "personal statement regarding goals and objectives for graduate study in school psychology." It does not ask applicants to specify who they'd like to work with. Do I still need to do so?

 

Also, any tips for putting together a personal statement and statement of purpose in a very short amount of time?

 

Thanks so much!

 

Good luck with your SOP! I severely underestimated the process of writing one.. you should seek feedback from at least two sources and you need to give them sufficient time to review and revise. I took a week off from work to sit at my computer and get it all out. I thought I'd be done by the end of the week and it would all be over. It ended up taking about 6 weeks to finish, but that was mostly due to those who I asked for feedback and their schedules prolonging the editing process. You also don't want to overwhelm yourself and cause writers block. Start by reviewing your resume and picking out one internship/research experience that impacted you the most. If the schools you are applying to specify any questions that need to be answered, answer those first and then count your words to see how much room you have left for anything else you feel is necessary to mention. Hope you will be able to enjoy your holidays!

[Echidna]

Hi everyone,

 

So I have ten days to compose a personal statement (which I'm not sure is possible, but I'm going to go ahead and give it a shot) and I'd really appreciate your help.

 

I'm wondering if it is  necessary to specify which faculty member I want to work with when composing a personal statement. The program that I am applying to only has three faculty members, and the application only asks for a "personal statement regarding goals and objectives for graduate study in school psychology." It does not ask applicants to specify who they'd like to work with. Do I still need to do so?

 

Also, any tips for putting together a personal statement and statement of purpose in a very short amount of time?

 

Thanks so much!

 

Hey! I think it's totally do-able to get it done in your time limit. Granted, it won't be as good as one you started a month or so in advance. But that won't matter when interviews and acceptance letters start coming in

 

In my opinion, your goals and objectives for graduate study do involve who you're working with, so I think it's good to talk about your research interests. From there, show how the profs at the universities you're applying to fit in with your own goals. It can be brief or go into a lot of detail (that's on you). But it's good to show how the program/profs tie into your interests and will help build on them. They don't have to be direct matches, just interesting pairings. If you would be happy to work with all three, show/say why all three are good fits and specifically what they're good for.

 

Good luck!

[Guest lacrosse789]

I'm asking so many questions, I hope this is useful to others, too! 

 

Does anyone know the etiquette for speaking to/interacting with current graduate students on interview days? Ideally, I'd like to know what not to ask.

 

Is it considered tacky to ask them about their funding or the atmosphere of the dept. (as in, are there problems)?

 

thanks! 

[iphi]

Does anyone know the etiquette for speaking to/interacting with current graduate students on interview days? Ideally, I'd like to know what not to ask.

 

Is it considered tacky to ask them about their funding or the atmosphere of the dept. (as in, are there problems)?

 

 

You can ask. I would not necessarily expect a straight answer. Our department has a couple terrible things happening and we lie our asses off to prospective students about it. All in all re: grad students just be respectful and you should be alright. The problems come in when you treat them badly.

[new here]

Hi everyone,

 

Here's yet another question by a frantic applicant who decided to apply this round way too late (me):

 

I asked three professors to write my letters of recommendation. Two of them submitted their letters already. The third professor emailed me today and told me that he had finished writing my letter.

 

Unfortunately, he just followed this up with another email informing me that he will be out of town (starting the day after tomorrow) and will not be back until after some of my application deadlines. He also said that he will have limited acces to his email while he is away and might not be able to upload my letter of recommendation.

 

He could have uploaded his letter before he left. However, the schools that I am applying to do not email professors (asking them to upload a letter of recommendation) until after applicants have submitted their applications. Unfortunately, there's no way that I can finish these applications in one day, so that he can upload his letter before he leaves.

 

So what happens now? Do schools even bother looking at applications if one letter of rec. has not been submitted? I'm guessing not...

 

Thanks so much!

[ed_psy]

Hi everyone,

 

Here's yet another question by a frantic applicant who decided to apply this round way too late (me):

 

I asked three professors to write my letters of recommendation. Two of them submitted their letters already. The third professor emailed me today and told me that he had finished writing my letter.

 

Unfortunately, he just followed this up with another email informing me that he will be out of town (starting the day after tomorrow) and will not be back until after some of my application deadlines. He also said that he will have limited acces to his email while he is away and might not be able to upload my letter of recommendation.

 

He could have uploaded his letter before he left. However, the schools that I am applying to do not email professors (asking them to upload a letter of recommendation) until after applicants have submitted their applications. Unfortunately, there's no way that I can finish these applications in one day, so that he can upload his letter before he leaves.

 

So what happens now? Do schools even bother looking at applications if one letter of rec. has not been submitted? I'm guessing not...

 

Thanks so much!

 

Are your deadlines Jan 15th? I am still revising my SOP, so you're not alone. I think the main things you need are SOP and transcripts/GRE, but you can upload electronic copies of transcripts and report your GRE (if applicable) them. I also have schools that doesn't send out notification until after my application is submitted. I am still trying to get a professor to write a recommendation (He agreed and then haven't responded afterwards....now it is almost new years etc I'm planning to email again on the 2nd.) I am hoping to submit everything by the 7th the latest.

I believe schools will wait til everything is in.

[Applemiu]

So what happens now? Do schools even bother looking at applications if one letter of rec. has not been submitted? I'm guessing not...

Thanks so much!

 

Don't worry, letters can be a little bit late (a few days/one week/ even a little bit more), the important thing is that you submit the application on time. See other threads on TGC.

[new here]

Thanks so much to everyone who gave me advice on composing my SOP! Everything you guys said was really helpful. Also, I know my incessant questions are probably getting annoying at this point, but....

 

One thing that I'm still wondering about is how closely matched an applicant's research interests have to be with those of faculty (when applying to doctoral programs). I understand that it is unlikely that an applicant's research intrests will be exactly the same as the professor he/she is applying to work with. However, how close do these interests have to be? (For example, I am interested in studying a specific population within the school setting. The professor that I am applying to work with also studies this population, but she has a slightly different focus. Is this close enough?)

 

 

Also, yes, ed_psy, a lot of my deadlines are january 15th too. It's good to know that I'm not alone :-)

Unfortunately, some of my deadlines are even sooner (January 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 9th)!

 

And thanks, applemiu. Once I finished freaking out, I read some other threads on letters of recommendation, and I feel significantly better now :-)

[Applemiu]

One thing that I'm still wondering about is how closely matched an applicant's research interests have to be with those of faculty (when applying to doctoral programs). I understand that it is unlikely that an applicant's research intrests will be exactly the same as the professor he/she is applying to work with. However, how close do these interests have to be? (For example, I am interested in studying a specific population within the school setting. The professor that I am applying to work with also studies this population, but she has a slightly different focus. Is this close enough?)

 

I think that "fit is in the eye of the POI"!

What you have described is a very close fit, but it all depends on the POI, on what he/she wants to study next.

Some POIs want to go on studying a very narrow topic, while others may want to expand it, or get started on a new project. I think that we can just give it our best shot and see what happens. Fit is also a matter of personality and research/mentoring style. That's why is wise to apply to a number of schools.

[ed_psy]

Need suggestions again.  So I never heard from the professor after he agreed he will write me a recommendation. I asked for his office hours so I can bring him the materials, but he never responded. Should I go ahead and send out the requests from the schools? I sent him another email after not hearing from him for two weeks, attaching the materials like my CV, SOP etc (I know the holidays was in the way and all).

[PschoolPsychology]

Need suggestions again.  So I never heard from the professor after he agreed he will write me a recommendation. I asked for his office hours so I can bring him the materials, but he never responded. Should I go ahead and send out the requests from the schools? I sent him another email after not hearing from him for two weeks, attaching the materials like my CV, SOP etc (I know the holidays was in the way and all).

 

How close are you to your next deadline? One things that comes to mind is to see if his office hours are posted on the university's website anywhere, but I'd say that you could very well be in the lull period now where he is unreachable in person. Start planning for a worst case scenario where you may have to message somebody at the program you're applying to in order to explain the situation while also possibly reaching out to another professor to see if they'd be willing to give you a last second LOR.

 

Don't freak out to much over the things that are out of your control though, as I've read other applicants say that they've been accepted to programs when their LOR's were submitted after deadlines. Make sure that you get in all of your other materials on time and continue trying to make contact with the professor and the program

[ed_psy]

Thanks for replying. The first deadline is Jan 15th....the rest is February and March. I'm applying to masters program. I have been contacting him about recommendations since November, but he was quite slow with response or just doesn't reply after reading it. The holidays and finals were in the way so he told me he didn't have office hours available since he had some conferences to attend. After a few emails he said he will write me one and asked which programs I am applying to and that was the last I heard from him. I'm going to submit my application for the January ones early next week so hopefully I will hear from him before that. I'm not sure if I can still edit the application after submission (sending request for LOR). I'm finalizing my SOP right now.

 

How close are you to your next deadline? One things that comes to mind is to see if his office hours are posted on the university's website anywhere, but I'd say that you could very well be in the lull period now where he is unreachable in person. Start planning for a worst case scenario where you may have to message somebody at the program you're applying to in order to explain the situation while also possibly reaching out to another professor to see if they'd be willing to give you a last second LOR.

 

Don't freak out to much over the things that are out of your control though, as I've read other applicants say that they've been accepted to programs when their LOR's were submitted after deadlines. Make sure that you get in all of your other materials on time and continue trying to make contact with the professor and the program

[PschoolPsychology]

Thanks for replying. The first deadline is Jan 15th....the rest is February and March. I'm applying to masters program. I have been contacting him about recommendations since November, but he was quite slow with response or just doesn't reply after reading it. The holidays and finals were in the way so he told me he didn't have office hours available since he had some conferences to attend. After a few emails he said he will write me one and asked which programs I am applying to and that was the last I heard from him. I'm going to submit my application for the January ones early next week so hopefully I will hear from him before that. I'm not sure if I can still edit the application after submission (sending request for LOR). I'm finalizing my SOP right now.

 

If you can't edit the application after submission you should be able to have the recommendation mailed from the professor directly to the program so that the application can be considered complete, though that isn't the preferred route for you or them

[ed_psy]

Oh. I'll wait for his reply.

If you can't edit the application after submission you should be able to have the recommendation mailed from the professor directly to the program so that the application can be considered complete, though that isn't the preferred route for you or them

[Applemiu]

I'm not sure if I can still edit the application after submission (sending request for LOR). I'm finalizing my SOP right now.

 

I applied to Phd programs in Psychology, and all the application programs allow to send reminders to the recommenders after the deadline - a few, if not all, allow to change a recommender if needed. Why don't you ask someone in the administration? 

[b87]

Hey all - So I got offered an interview to the Univ. of Colorado Denver PsyD program, but come to find out I don't think it is APA accredited after all. I feel like an idiot because when I applied, I read the fine print incorrectly. It says the program is based on the APA and NASP models. Then later goes on to say the program plans to pursue NASP and APA accreditation at the earliest possible date.

 

I emailed the school to get some more details on this, but does anybody have any insight? Is it completely not worth going to a non-APA accredited school? My gut instinct says yes, but is it possible the school will get accredited soon (within the three years I'm there) and I could potentially graduate from an accredited program?

 

Le sigh. Can't believe I missed that huge red flag. Thanks for any info or advice you can share.

 

[athlete2academic]

I don't know much about the accreditation process (or accreditation itself), but I do know that in order to get accredited, programs must hold themselves to a high standard and fulfill certain requirements.

 

I too looked at UC-Denver, but did not apply because it was not APA accredited. Banking on a program gaining accreditation while you're enrolled is a huge gamble, though.

 

As I was applying last fall, I sought the advice of many professors. All I can say is this: every one of them strongly suggested that I do not apply to unaccredited programs. 

 

Congrats on the interview, though! A confidence boost at the very least. 

[Echidna]

Hi Everyone,

 

I have my first interview next week, and I'm wondering if any of you have tips concerning how to prepare. I haven't checked last year's forum for this sort of information yet, but I haven't found anything specific to school psych through google or yahoo.

 

I guess I'm thinking about things like, what questions should I expect, what are group interviews like, what are good questions to ask a program to get a better handle on personal fit, and so on. Hopefully someone can help.

[iphi]

Hey all - So I got offered an interview to the Univ. of Colorado Denver PsyD program, but come to find out I don't think it is APA accredited after all. I feel like an idiot because when I applied, I read the fine print incorrectly. It says the program is based on the APA and NASP models. Then later goes on to say the program plans to pursue NASP and APA accreditation at the earliest possible date.

 

I emailed the school to get some more details on this, but does anybody have any insight? Is it completely not worth going to a non-APA accredited school? My gut instinct says yes, but is it possible the school will get accredited soon (within the three years I'm there) and I could potentially graduate from an accredited program?

 

Le sigh. Can't believe I missed that huge red flag. Thanks for any info or advice you can share.

 

It depends, it says you live in Istanbul... what are your plans? Do you want to practice in the U.S.? What are your career goals? Do you have other schools that are accredited that you are waiting to hear back from?

 

You may as well take the interview... you can always decline later if you are accepted.

[SchoolPsych_NYC]

Fordham Interview days were emailed to all applicants today! They started reviewing applications today. This is what my email said:

 

"Approximately 30 Ph.D. and 50 P.D. and Bilingual P.D. applicants will be invited for a half-day on-campus interview on February 24, 25, & March 3rd, 4th 2015. The purpose of the interview is for us to meet prospective students in person in order to determine - for us as well as for them - whether Fordham is the best place for the next phase of their professional training as school psychologists.

 

Because of the large number of applications we receive every year, regrettably we can only invite a small group of applicants for an on-campus interview. All applicants invited for the interview will be notified via during the first week of February 2015, by a program faculty representative, not the Admissions Office, and more detailed information about the interviews will be provided in the invitation email message as well. Regardless of whether you are invited for an on-campus interview, you will receive an official decision about your application in March, 2015."

[jmg023]

I also have an interview for next week. I applied to Ed.S. programs and I was wanting some advice on what kind of questions I should ask my potential advisors? Should I ask specific questions about their research or more general questions about the program? 

 

Super nervous but super excited at the same time!!

[Guest lacrosse789]

 

Fordham Interview days were emailed to all applicants today! They started reviewing applications today. This is what my email said:

 

"Approximately 30 Ph.D. and 50 P.D. and Bilingual P.D. applicants will be invited for a half-day on-campus interview on February 24, 25, & March 3rd, 4th 2015. The purpose of the interview is for us to meet prospective students in person in order to determine - for us as well as for them - whether Fordham is the best place for the next phase of their professional training as school psychologists.

 

Because of the large number of applications we receive every year, regrettably we can only invite a small group of applicants for an on-campus interview. All applicants invited for the interview will be notified via during the first week of February 2015, by a program faculty representative, not the Admissions Office, and more detailed information about the interviews will be provided in the invitation email message as well. Regardless of whether you are invited for an on-campus interview, you will receive an official decision about your application in March, 2015."

 

 

Dang that's a ton of people interviewing for the program! Unless that's typical?