Disheartened

[systematic pep]

Hi there,

I am new, and I apologize in advance for breaking any conventions in bloggery/forum posts, etc. I applied to two PhD programs in Clinical Psychology, both of which are very competitive. I am in an awkward position- one part of me "feels" I have what it takes to be an outstanding Clinical Scientist. The other side of me is discouraged. I do not have a great GPA nor GRE scores to make up for it-- so I decided upon submitting my applications that I probably will not hear back.

 

... And indeed, I have not.

Profile:

GPA: 3.29 (Institution within the Top 10 - US National University Ranking) Dean’s List: Fall 2011, Spring 2013

GRE: Q/V/W : 152/158/4.0

3 excellent letters of recommendation (including 1 from a PI I applied to work with)

6 research posters

1 first author & oral presentation at a leading scientific conference in the field of behavioral medicine

1 publication in a leading Obesity journal

5 years research experience combined (undergraduate + post-baccalaureate)

B.A. Psychology, Biological Bases of Behavior (concentration) Spanish (minor) Fluent in 3 languages, 2 graduate-level classes

-1 Undergraduate honors Thesis (I was overzealous in this project as an undergraduate student-- I took on too much and was sleep deprived during my last semester- Alas, the project was not where it needed to be in order to defend it. I am now working on an update of this project with my former mentor, and we plan to publish!)

Very brief description of interests: I want to go to grad school so I can conduct interdisciplinary research and obtain clinical experience in the fields of stress/depression, eating disorders, obesity, addiction, and related psychopathology. I am so eager to contribute to the academic community and can see myself teaching, generating and disseminating clinical science, while gaining clinical skills and learning advanced statistical techniques for identifying predictors of treatment efficacy and multi-factorial processes through which complex conditions can worsen or improve.

I am currently working at the Medical Center /Department of Psychiatry of my undergraduate institution, in a slightly different field than my undergraduate pursuits. I continue to be engaged in scientific inquiry, and I just know that this is the field I want to be in. when I look at my profile, I just cannot see how any admissions committee would even pick up the application.  I emailed 2 PI's at each institution that I applied to, and I heard back from each when I first wrote them. They have not written back, and I am truly embarrassed that my PI recommended me and I wasn't even considered for an interview. (It looks like all invitations have been extended in both institutions).

Any advice, encouragement, perspective, or opinions on my situation would be greatly appreciated. I think that my wonderful and over-sharing coworkers have heard enough of me, and so has my partner.  Should I give up? Is it ridiculous for me to think that I have a chance? I just want to go to grad school and work with a mentor that is happy to have me and work with me. That's what I had in undergrad and I wish I could just extend that to gradschool.

Sorry. I had to vent. the waiting game is eating me up. I welcome your thoughts/ideas -- please do not hesitate to be straight forward and honest.

 

ps: I might add that I took a  Medical Leave of Absence due to psychological/medical reasons in the middle of my undergraduate career. I returned after 1 year of treatment and was successful; I was asked to become a student ambassador for the Office of Student Returns, which was pretty sweet. In my applications I had to explain (NOT in my SOP, but in a separate document) what happened, and I did it in a brief, earnest and mature way. I can explain in more detail if needed.

 

 

Edited January 26, 2016 by systematic pep

[nka93]

I don't have much to say about your chances of being accepted. But I will say that I also studied psychology and though clinical isn't my area of interest, I know something about how difficult it can be to get admitted to psychology PhD programs. Clinical is the worst from what I have heard.

Last year I applied to PhD programs in I/O and was rejected from all of them. 3.84 GPA, decent but not amazing GRE, strong recommendations, and not nearly enough research experience. It was devastating at the time to watch the rejections roll in. I had never felt "not good enough" when it came to academics before. I was embarrassed to tell my professors. But the funny thing is that I cried on and off for a few days and then got over it. And shortly after that I realized that wasn't even what I wanted to do. I don't want to go the PhD route. A well respected professor of mine asked me if I wanted a recommendation on my last day of my senior year. I went to a graduation party thrown by the psychology faculty and had a ton of my professors express their support for me and encourage me to keep trying. Although it is incredibly difficult to put myself through the process again,  I've now applied to masters programs in the same field (along with human factors) and I am playing the waiting game. My GPA is up to a 3.9, and I have a publication I've coauthored under review. I'm feeling cautiously optimistic. 

I don't think you should give up. But I do suggest you be open to reevaluating what you want or looking for alternative routes to get there. 

[systematic pep]

17 hours ago, newellka said:

I don't have much to say about your chances of being accepted. But I will say that I also studied psychology and though clinical isn't my area of interest, I know something about how difficult it can be to get admitted to psychology PhD programs. Clinical is the worst from what I have heard.

Last year I applied to PhD programs in I/O and was rejected from all of them. 3.84 GPA, decent but not amazing GRE, strong recommendations, and not nearly enough research experience. It was devastating at the time to watch the rejections roll in. I had never felt "not good enough" when it came to academics before. I was embarrassed to tell my professors. But the funny thing is that I cried on and off for a few days and then got over it. And shortly after that I realized that wasn't even what I wanted to do. I don't want to go the PhD route. A well respected professor of mine asked me if I wanted a recommendation on my last day of my senior year. I went to a graduation party thrown by the psychology faculty and had a ton of my professors express their support for me and encourage me to keep trying. Although it is incredibly difficult to put myself through the process again,  I've now applied to masters programs in the same field (along with human factors) and I am playing the waiting game. My GPA is up to a 3.9, and I have a publication I've coauthored under review. I'm feeling cautiously optimistic. 

I don't think you should give up. But I do suggest you be open to reevaluating what you want or looking for alternative routes to get there. 

nka93,

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me.   I am relieved to know that experiencing and navigating the challenges associated with applying to PhD programs is not uncommon, and surely, talented and bright students may not get it in- and this is not necessarily a bad thing.  It seems like you are an excellent student, admired by the faculty at your undergraduate institution, so that's wonderful! I suspect that professors are well aware of the difficulties in getting accepted into phD programs, and that getting accepted does not = "good enough" (or not). It involves many other factors, including funding, fit with program and mentor, and having a sufficiently high GRE score and GPA to merit the scholarships provided in PhD programs. If one of those is off, then rationally, other candidates will be reviewed and considered more thoroughly--  as sociologyapp2016 suggests/

I need to be more objective about the process of applying to clinical programs. I work/have worked very closely with faculty and two current clinical psychology students at my top choice; the department is also where I spent many years of my life studying and working. I think that reevaluating what I want and finding alternative ways to get there is valuable advice. Staying proactive midst uncertainty is probably the best thing I have done for myself, and it should not stop here. thanks for the encouragement.

(btw: Is I/O Psychology = Industrial/Organizational Psychology?)

[nka93]

1 hour ago, systematic pep said:

nka93,

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me.   I am relieved to know that experiencing and navigating the challenges associated with applying to PhD programs is not uncommon, and surely, talented and bright students may not get it in- and this is not necessarily a bad thing.  It seems like you are an excellent student, admired by the faculty at your undergraduate institution, so that's wonderful! I suspect that professors are well aware of the difficulties in getting accepted into phD programs, and that getting accepted does not = "good enough" (or not). It involves many other factors, including funding, fit with program and mentor, and having a sufficiently high GRE score and GPA to merit the scholarships provided in PhD programs. If one of those is off, then rationally, other candidates will be reviewed and considered more thoroughly--  as sociologyapp2016 suggests/

I need to be more objective about the process of applying to clinical programs. I work/have worked very closely with faculty and two current clinical psychology students at my top choice; the department is also where I spent many years of my life studying and working. I think that reevaluating what I want and finding alternative ways to get there is valuable advice. Staying proactive midst uncertainty is probably the best thing I have done for myself, and it should not stop here. thanks for the encouragement.

(btw: Is I/O Psychology = Industrial/Organizational Psychology?)

Of course! I haven't been very open about my experience last year until very recently. Most of my friends and family think I just decided to wait a year to apply for grad school. It obviously wasn't a good experience at the time but things have a way of turning out well. It feels good to share with someone who gets it. 

Yes, I meant Industrial/Organizational Psychology. 

I wish you the very best of luck! Keep trying!

[systematic pep]

On 1/26/2016 at 9:03 AM, sociologyapp2016 said:

Chances are, your application won't even be read because of GRE cutoffs. You should retake the GRE so you can have a real shot at the programs (or aim lower).

sociologyapp2016,

It was not all talk! Your feedback is indeed very valuable to me. It would make sense that admissions committees would want to weed out people who do not meet all of the basic requirements, including GRE cutoffs.

I apologize for not responding directly to your message. I mentioned you in my response above " If one of those (factors) is off, then rationally, other candidates will be reviewed and considered more thoroughly--  as sociologyapp2016 suggests." Your feedback helped me think about it more objectively and made me feel better (I am thinking that perhaps the PIs I talked to never even saw my application?) I actually had more questions for you regarding the process, if  you are open to questions.

 

[systematic pep]

15 hours ago, nka93 said:

Of course! I haven't been very open about my experience last year until very recently. Most of my friends and family think I just decided to wait a year to apply for grad school. It obviously wasn't a good experience at the time but things have a way of turning out well. It feels good to share with someone who gets it. 

Yes, I meant Industrial/Organizational Psychology. 

I wish you the very best of luck! Keep trying!

Thank you! Best of luck to you as well @nka93. I probably will try to aim lower (as  @sociologyapp2016 suggests) and apply again with a better GRE score -- hopefully this will be enough to actually get a real chance. I have to wonder if my medical leave is KOD, but that's out of my hands, really.,..

[Gvh]

@systematic pep, I'm not in clinical psych, but I am aware of how competitive it is and generally what is needed to get into a funded program. This is probably not news to you, but I think seriously investing in retaking the GRE (to get to 80+ percentile ideally across sections) and applying to MANY more programs will stand you in better stead. If both your GRE scores and GPA are on the lower end it can make it difficult to get through the first rounds of review. Best of luck!

[systematic pep]

51 minutes ago, Gvh said:

@systematic pep, I'm not in clinical psych, but I am aware of how competitive it is and generally what is needed to get into a funded program. This is probably not news to you, but I think seriously investing in retaking the GRE (to get to 80+ percentile ideally across sections) and applying to MANY more programs will stand you in better stead. If both your GRE scores and GPA are on the lower end it can make it difficult to get through the first rounds of review. Best of luck!

 Thanks @Gvh. I will definitely start making a long list (and saving  up for app fees!) and find potential mentors that are a good match - We will see how it goes.

Getting 80+ percentile on the GRE Quant is going to be tough, but I will give it my all!  I am also making plans to be more involved in projects in my current lab-- it is a different field of research, but may be that's what I need to do right now.

[sjoh197]

Out of curiosity, do the programs you are looking at have either later deadlines, spring admission, or are you looking at applying next fall application season?

9 minutes ago, systematic pep said:

 Thanks @Gvh. I will definitely start making a long list (and saving  up for app fees!) and find potential mentors that are a good match - We will see how it goes.

I ask, because your approach to this could change depending on how much time you have. If you are looking at applying for the spring semester, or even waiting a whole year, you could easily improve your GRE score quite a bit. Also, you would have much more time to talk with potential advisors and "shop" around for programs that you might not have been aware of. 

I think a lot of the grad school app cycle is part luck. I think that you can do just fine if you keep trying. 

[systematic pep]

@sjoh197 My programs generally only accept applications for starting in the Fall. So I have until December 1 to retake the GRE. My plan is to take it in April and then again in June, to reassess my competitiveness. You are totally right about shopping around! I am sure there are other programs (PhD or maybe masters?) that I am not aware of that may be a good fit/lead me to a PhD eventually.  thanks for the encouragement! 

[psychgal2112]

On 1/27/2016 at 3:28 PM, systematic pep said:

@sjoh197 My programs generally only accept applications for starting in the Fall. So I have until December 1 to retake the GRE. My plan is to take it in April and then again in June, to reassess my competitiveness. You are totally right about shopping around! I am sure there are other programs (PhD or maybe masters?) that I am not aware of that may be a good fit/lead me to a PhD eventually.  thanks for the encouragement! 

If you haven't already, I highly recommend looking into Magoosh for GRE prep (lol not sponsored! It has just personally helped me a ton!!) Though it is all online, it is an incredibly interactive and useful resource! All materials are divided into videos (which you can watch at your own pace), all practice questions (I think they have enough questions for 11 full practice tests or something like that) are accompanied with a written explanation AND a video explanation, and on top of that, they have staff you can message to answer any additional questions about the material (say, if you still don't get a concept)! 

Good luck and keep up the faith: "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end."  

Edited January 30, 2016 by psychgal2112

[Foreveronward]

 

On 1/26/2016 at 10:52 PM, systematic pep said:

Hi there,

I am new, and I apologize in advance for breaking any conventions in bloggery/forum posts, etc. I applied to two PhD programs in Clinical Psychology, both of which are very competitive. I am in an awkward position- one part of me "feels" I have what it takes to be an outstanding Clinical Scientist. The other side of me is discouraged. I do not have a great GPA nor GRE scores to make up for it-- so I decided upon submitting my applications that I probably will not hear back.

 

... And indeed, I have not.

Profile:

GPA: 3.29 (Institution within the Top 10 - US National University Ranking) Dean’s List: Fall 2011, Spring 2013

GRE: Q/V/W : 152/158/4.0

3 excellent letters of recommendation (including 1 from a PI I applied to work with)

6 research posters

1 first author & oral presentation at a leading scientific conference in the field of behavioral medicine

1 publication in a leading Obesity journal

5 years research experience combined (undergraduate + post-baccalaureate)

B.A. Psychology, Biological Bases of Behavior (concentration) Spanish (minor) Fluent in 3 languages, 2 graduate-level classes

-1 Undergraduate honors Thesis (I was overzealous in this project as an undergraduate student-- I took on too much and was sleep deprived during my last semester- Alas, the project was not where it needed to be in order to defend it. I am now working on an update of this project with my former mentor, and we plan to publish!)

Very brief description of interests: I want to go to grad school so I can conduct interdisciplinary research and obtain clinical experience in the fields of stress/depression, eating disorders, obesity, addiction, and related psychopathology. I am so eager to contribute to the academic community and can see myself teaching, generating and disseminating clinical science, while gaining clinical skills and learning advanced statistical techniques for identifying predictors of treatment efficacy and multi-factorial processes through which complex conditions can worsen or improve.

I am currently working at the Medical Center /Department of Psychiatry of my undergraduate institution, in a slightly different field than my undergraduate pursuits. I continue to be engaged in scientific inquiry, and I just know that this is the field I want to be in. when I look at my profile, I just cannot see how any admissions committee would even pick up the application.  I emailed 2 PI's at each institution that I applied to, and I heard back from each when I first wrote them. They have not written back, and I am truly embarrassed that my PI recommended me and I wasn't even considered for an interview. (It looks like all invitations have been extended in both institutions).

Any advice, encouragement, perspective, or opinions on my situation would be greatly appreciated. I think that my wonderful and over-sharing coworkers have heard enough of me, and so has my partner.  Should I give up? Is it ridiculous for me to think that I have a chance? I just want to go to grad school and work with a mentor that is happy to have me and work with me. That's what I had in undergrad and I wish I could just extend that to gradschool.

Sorry. I had to vent. the waiting game is eating me up. I welcome your thoughts/ideas -- please do not hesitate to be straight forward and honest.

 

ps: I might add that I took a  Medical Leave of Absence due to psychological/medical reasons in the middle of my undergraduate career. I returned after 1 year of treatment and was successful; I was asked to become a student ambassador for the Office of Student Returns, which was pretty sweet. In my applications I had to explain (NOT in my SOP, but in a separate document) what happened, and I did it in a brief, earnest and mature way. I can explain in more detail if needed.

 

 

I'm in a very similar situation as you. It's almost eerie actually. I could be your I/O Psych twin, if I didn't decide to run off to Management PhDs. (They publish in the same journals, so why not?). You are good enough. Imposter syndrome is a real thing, and a frustrating leech of one at that. Did you enjoy your research? Surely you did, otherwise you wouldn't have done it for so long. Those recommendations wouldn't be stellar unless you had what it took. The faculty who wrote for you have their reputation on the line when the refer you. They won't be hyper enthusiastic about a subpar student. 

Your GRE score is the most pressing issue. I'm in the same boat. (I scored a whopping 22% percentile in math, if it makes you feel better). My other two scores were good, but I'm going to echo the poster above- GRE scores will (often) put you out of the running before you even get on the start line. It's cruel, and studies have shown that GRE scores aren't the best predictors of graduate performance, but they're the only horse and pony show in town. If I were you, I would throw everything you can into bettering your GRE score. It might take a year, but think about all the extra research you can do as well. If you split your time between GRE and research, you'll be so far ahead of the other applicants it won't even be funny. 

I know waiting another year is awful, but you haven't heard back yet, so don't lose hope. If you do have to wait another year, I want to tell you that it gets better. This is the end of my 'year of waiting and GRE prep'. I was in your shoes last year, but one year isn't that bad. You can still apply to quantitative/research based Experimental Master's programs (since most deadlines for those are Feb/March) if you think that might boost your application. Or perhaps a summer REU?
 

My last piece of advice is to reach out to any of the faculty members that have been responsive during the application process. I actually spoke to one of my top choice faculty members and he ended up calling me on the phone multiple times and visiting with me when I was at his university. I was truthful about my subpar GRE score (the exact percentile, at that). He still encouraged me to apply. My point is, if you make a connection, one of them will go to bat for you. (Though it's far better to utilize your time studying... I let my Master's thesis and general laziness get in the way). 

If you want to talk in pm or rant to anyone, I'm here for you. Stay strong

[rosali]

6 hours ago, psychgal2112 said:

If you haven't already, I highly recommend looking into Magoosh for GRE prep (lol not sponsored! It has just personally helped me a ton!!) Though it is all online, it is an incredibly interactive and useful resource! All materials are divided into videos (which you can watch at your own pace), all practice questions (I think they have enough questions for 11 full practice tests or something like that) are accompanied with a written explanation AND a video explanation, and on top of that, they have staff you can message to answer any additional questions about the material (say, if you still don't get a concept)! 

Good luck and keep up the faith: "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end."  

I second using Magoosh! It's not cheap, but it's totally worth it. The tutorial videos and practice tests helped me raise my verbal score 4 points, and my quant score, like, 10. I studied/practiced for about an hour (almost) every day in the few months leading up to the tests, and scored slightly above the average accepted scores for my programs. It was waaaaaay more effective than the book I had. Plus, you get to use it for 6 months, so after you take the GRE once, you can look at the areas you want to focus on, and really hone in on those. Good luck!

[EdNeuroGrl]

First thing is that many many many psych (clinical and research oriented) applicants apply more than once.

Don't be discouraged.

Use this time between now and next go around to learn, shore up your weaker academic areas, retake the GRE (with LOTS of study time), publish, and get recognized.

I applied twice, then being discouraged, took two years off and worked full time. I decided at the end of my first year off that I couldn't stand being away from research. So, since I knew I was not terribly competitive number-wise, I decided to get my Master's degree. I was accepted right away, no problem (not a competitive program). This gave me time to flesh out my research interests, get to know the field better, bring up my GPA (my undergrad GPA was 3.3 and my grad GPA is 4.15), and start making more professional connections. My original GRE scores were unimpressive, and I took a Kaplan GRE course over several weeks and brought them up a lot!

After talking to a bunch of people and getting some perspective, I found a few weaknesses I had going in that probably killed my application before.

-My SOP was not focused enough on what I wanted to do or accomplish with my career. It was too vague and it spent far too much time telling a story about personal growth. Since I was targeting highly competitive and research focused field, I needed to demonstrate that I had really thought through why I was doing what I was doing and how I was going to do it. I also talked about my disability and I have no idea if that hurt my chances (I suspect that it may have). I didn't this most recent time around. While it is important to why I'm doing what I'm doing, I managed to talk about this without identifying myself as having a disability.

-I had clear weaknesses in my quantitative background... or not clear weaknesses, but ambiguities that could cast doubt on whether I could succeed in the stats courses involved in a graduate psychology program. Since I started my Master's program, I have taken every graduate stats course I could get my hands on. The only stats course that is offered in Psychology or Education that I have not taken is multi-level modeling. I have gotten A's and A+'s straight through with no exceptions.

 

-I had research experience in behavioral protocols but none in the neuroscience area explicitly. After a few conversations with people leading labs I was interested in, I realized that the average grad student I was up against had at MINIMUM 2 years experience doing neuroimaging research. I had one person flat out tell me that he was not willing to bring anyone into his lab that could not run neuroimaging analyses independently... That was a little under a year ago, so I joined a neuro lab as soon as I could BUT I was not going to have that kind of competitive profile in the 6 mos I had to apply. :-( If I don't get in anywhere (this is my 4th ap season) this will be why. On the one hand, I can fix this by next go-round, but I don't think, at this point, it will be necessary. 

 

-Nobody knew who I was. This sounds a bit soft, but in the last year and a half, I have been developing relationships by sharing ideas and discussing them with the researchers in the field, I've been seeking them out at conferences, following them on twitter, linkedin, and research gate I make sure that they can recognize me and that they have the opportunity to see that I am passionate and committed to what I'm doing. In a few occasions a researcher has been intrigued enough by an idea I had that they've wanted to read over some of my papers I wrote for my master's courses and discuss the ideas and theory behind it.

I think this has helped because it is really the only way I can get leverage over the massive number of people who have much better scores, grades, and research backgrounds than I do. I know which parts of me are less shiny and they're mostly on paper (I came from a very nontraditional background for my field, grades not so hot, no exp in the specific research techniques they use, etc), once I can get into a conversation I can show people what I am worth and get them to work with me. I'm not sure how applicable this is to you, but I've found very few resources that really talk about this component *shrug* so I think it is worth putting out there.

Of course you NEVER want to be aggressive with the above, if you don't find ways to let them decide to come to you, then this will backfire HARD. Basically, my rules of thumb are to always be genuine, always follow through, and always do it because I want to engage in the idea with whom ever will talk to me (this means grad students, the public, researchers outside of the field, and if I'm lucky, the PI's I want to work with). Do it because you love the work, not because you're trying to market yourself to someone.

____________

All  in all though, all of the above is supposed to show that if you really want to do it, don't give up. Every time you apply you will get better. If you keep working on research in the field, going to conferences, people will start associating you with your work, which will be a big draw b/c you can demonstrate how awesome you are, instead of making them take a gamble on how well you will do. You are already way better off than I was when I first applied :-)

 

[daisy_may]

You should apply again next round! And probably to a few more programs! I've applied twice now... last year I applied to 15, interviewed at 2 and ultimately didn't get in.

This year I applied to 10, interviewed at 3, and have been offered acceptance at 1 so far. 

Don't be discouraged! Start your research for next round now... study & retake the GRE (even though I didn't) any higher scores will help! And maybe have an old professor look over your SOP for next round!  I also took masters level courses and continued my research and I think that it definitely helps! Be persistent! The POI who accepted me I applied to and interviewed with last year and it worked out this round! 

Clinical psych application process is really hard and it takes many people multiple rounds to get in! 

[systematic pep]

On 1/30/2016 at 11:08 PM, psychgal2112 said:

If you haven't already, I highly recommend looking into Magoosh for GRE prep (lol not sponsored! It has just personally helped me a ton!!) Though it is all online, it is an incredibly interactive and useful resource! All materials are divided into videos (which you can watch at your own pace), all practice questions (I think they have enough questions for 11 full practice tests or something like that) are accompanied with a written explanation AND a video explanation, and on top of that, they have staff you can message to answer any additional questions about the material (say, if you still don't get a concept)! 

Good luck and keep up the faith: "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end."  

HI @daisy_may.. thanks for the advice! My current Kaplan textbook/online resource expires in June, so I may give it a full shot first and then consider other options. I practiced some, but did not really take advantage of all of the resources. I appreciate hearing your experience! It may be worthwhile having staff to talk to for guidance. The GRE prep I currently have does no offer that option (to my knowledge).

[systematic pep]

On 1/30/2016 at 3:12 AM, Foreveronward said:

 

I'm in a very similar situation as you. It's almost eerie actually. I could be your I/O Psych twin, if I didn't decide to run off to Management PhDs. (They publish in the same journals, so why not?). You are good enough. Imposter syndrome is a real thing, and a frustrating leech of one at that. Did you enjoy your research? Surely you did, otherwise you wouldn't have done it for so long. Those recommendations wouldn't be stellar unless you had what it took. The faculty who wrote for you have their reputation on the line when the refer you. They won't be hyper enthusiastic about a subpar student. 

Your GRE score is the most pressing issue. I'm in the same boat. (I scored a whopping 22% percentile in math, if it makes you feel better). My other two scores were good, but I'm going to echo the poster above- GRE scores will (often) put you out of the running before you even get on the start line. It's cruel, and studies have shown that GRE scores aren't the best predictors of graduate performance, but they're the only horse and pony show in town. If I were you, I would throw everything you can into bettering your GRE score. It might take a year, but think about all the extra research you can do as well. If you split your time between GRE and research, you'll be so far ahead of the other applicants it won't even be funny. 

I know waiting another year is awful, but you haven't heard back yet, so don't lose hope. If you do have to wait another year, I want to tell you that it gets better. This is the end of my 'year of waiting and GRE prep'. I was in your shoes last year, but one year isn't that bad. You can still apply to quantitative/research based Experimental Master's programs (since most deadlines for those are Feb/March) if you think that might boost your application. Or perhaps a summer REU?
 

My last piece of advice is to reach out to any of the faculty members that have been responsive during the application process. I actually spoke to one of my top choice faculty members and he ended up calling me on the phone multiple times and visiting with me when I was at his university. I was truthful about my subpar GRE score (the exact percentile, at that). He still encouraged me to apply. My point is, if you make a connection, one of them will go to bat for you. (Though it's far better to utilize your time studying... I let my Master's thesis and general laziness get in the way). 

If you want to talk in pm or rant to anyone, I'm here for you. Stay strong

@Foreveronward Thank you for your support and encouragement, and for reminding me that faculty wouldn't recommend me if it was not legit, and about the "impostor syndrome". I am trying to keep that in mind. My perspective on having  to wait another year has changed slightly, now that I have realized I need to work on my anxiety to succeed in graduate school. Also, a new opportunity came along at work last week: I was asked to step in a clinical research coordinator by the director of the center I work at, which is honestly a pretty big deal (note: I did spend multiple days denying my own competence, extremely concerned/worried about the fact that I was promoted, because of course, everything will go wrong, I am not enough, etc....). It is hard to handle uncertainty and opportunities when you are realizing that "Plan A" may not work out... so you for reminding me that it gets better.

Regarding applying to experimental master's programs: A colleague-friend just applied to a master's program in clinical research, and it made me reconsider my options. Perhaps I could do something like that, which connects to all of my previous/current work experience and various of my future goals/options. (ps: What is an REU?)

As for reaching out to faculty members in the meantime, I am not sure that they were very responsive to begin with. And I am a bit hurt lol.... Although I received an email response to my letters of interest, they did not reach out to me after that or during the interview candidate selection process. I read online that some people were contacted by faculty directly to let them know that although they were not chosen for interview, they are highly competitive/on an alternate list. But I have not heard anything at all--- not even from my former advisor. Interviews were yesterday in both schools.  :/

Thanks again..

[rising_star]

6 hours ago, systematic pep said:

(ps: What is an REU?)

REU = Research Experience for Undergraduates. They're funded by the National Science Foundation.

[daisy_may]

You should try Baron's test prep! There is an online program that gives you lots of practice, as well as videos that will show you some trick as well as shows you how to do the problems if you get them wrong. 

[Steph93]

On 2/8/2016 at 4:22 PM, daisy_may said:

You should apply again next round! And probably to a few more programs! I've applied twice now... last year I applied to 15, interviewed at 2 and ultimately didn't get in.

This year I applied to 10, interviewed at 3, and have been offered acceptance at 1 so far. 

Don't be discouraged! Start your research for next round now... study & retake the GRE (even though I didn't) any higher scores will help! And maybe have an old professor look over your SOP for next round!  I also took masters level courses and continued my research and I think that it definitely helps! Be persistent! The POI who accepted me I applied to and interviewed with last year and it worked out this round! 

Clinical psych application process is really hard and it takes many people multiple rounds to get in! 

Hi @daisy_may, I know it's been a while since you posted this, but was wondering what your credentials were both times you applied?