Fall 2017 Clinical Psychology Applicants

[PsychLady17]

A little advice here...I applied to 12 programs, received 5 interviews, and have yet to receive any offers. I was rejected from one program post-interview by checking the online portal and seeing a rejection. No personal email or call was given to me to tell me I was rejected; I just happened to find the rejection letter. On the other hand, I interviewed at my top choice, however, received an email today from the POI stating that he doesn't know if he is going to accept a student or not anymore and gave his slot to another faculty member to accept a student. I didn't even receive common courtesy of this decision, but found this out by emailing and checking on the status of my application. I have 3 more interviews this week and only 1 out of the 3 I am truly interested in. Any suggestions on what could be my plan B if I am not accepted to any program? I will have a master's degree in clinical psychology in May, I have publications, research and clinical experience, as well as a perfect GPA. I didn't think I would be having to think of a Plan B, but things are not looking too good at this time. 

[8BitJourney]

8 minutes ago, PsychLady17 said:

A little advice here...I applied to 12 programs, received 5 interviews, and have yet to receive any offers. I was rejected from one program post-interview by checking the online portal and seeing a rejection. No personal email or call was given to me to tell me I was rejected; I just happened to find the rejection letter. On the other hand, I interviewed at my top choice, however, received an email today from the POI stating that he doesn't know if he is going to accept a student or not anymore and gave his slot to another faculty member to accept a student. I didn't even receive common courtesy of this decision, but found this out by emailing and checking on the status of my application. I have 3 more interviews this week and only 1 out of the 3 I am truly interested in. Any suggestions on what could be my plan B if I am not accepted to any program? I will have a master's degree in clinical psychology in May, I have publications, research and clinical experience, as well as a perfect GPA. I didn't think I would be having to think of a Plan B, but things are not looking too good at this time. 

A full-time lab manager/Study coordinator position would be your best bet if you already have a master's (especially if it can be in the lab of your top choice POI). If anything you'd be able to earn money to put towards applying next cycle and attending conferences. I'm in the same boat as you and it sucks right now.

[ServeNStudy]

BU Poster if you would be willing to share your POI's initials please PM me. Congratulations!

[stereopticons]

24 minutes ago, PsychLady17 said:

A little advice here...I applied to 12 programs, received 5 interviews, and have yet to receive any offers. I was rejected from one program post-interview by checking the online portal and seeing a rejection. No personal email or call was given to me to tell me I was rejected; I just happened to find the rejection letter. On the other hand, I interviewed at my top choice, however, received an email today from the POI stating that he doesn't know if he is going to accept a student or not anymore and gave his slot to another faculty member to accept a student. I didn't even receive common courtesy of this decision, but found this out by emailing and checking on the status of my application. I have 3 more interviews this week and only 1 out of the 3 I am truly interested in. Any suggestions on what could be my plan B if I am not accepted to any program? I will have a master's degree in clinical psychology in May, I have publications, research and clinical experience, as well as a perfect GPA. I didn't think I would be having to think of a Plan B, but things are not looking too good at this time. 

 

11 minutes ago, 8BitJourney said:

A full-time lab manager/Study coordinator position would be your best bet if you already have a master's (especially if it can be in the lab of your top choice POI). If anything you'd be able to earn money to put towards applying next cycle and attending conferences. I'm in the same boat as you and it sucks right now.

Start applying for jobs now. These jobs will be competitive, so apply to everything you can. Join listservs, search job boards, and ask people to forward jobs to you as they come across them. Working for a year (or several) is not a bad plan B at all, especially if you find a place where you can publish and get good recommendations. 

Most impotantly, though, if you want this, don't give up. This is my fifth round of applications, and I finally got in. If this is what you want, use this time to improve yourself and your application. If you aren't sure this is what you want, use this time to figure it out. Hang in there!

[duhfay]

Anyone waiting on (or hear from) UF? 

Edited February 27, 2017 by duhfay
additional question

[That Research Lady]

51 minutes ago, PsychLady17 said:

A little advice here...I applied to 12 programs, received 5 interviews, and have yet to receive any offers. I was rejected from one program post-interview by checking the online portal and seeing a rejection. No personal email or call was given to me to tell me I was rejected; I just happened to find the rejection letter. On the other hand, I interviewed at my top choice, however, received an email today from the POI stating that he doesn't know if he is going to accept a student or not anymore and gave his slot to another faculty member to accept a student. I didn't even receive common courtesy of this decision, but found this out by emailing and checking on the status of my application. I have 3 more interviews this week and only 1 out of the 3 I am truly interested in. Any suggestions on what could be my plan B if I am not accepted to any program? I will have a master's degree in clinical psychology in May, I have publications, research and clinical experience, as well as a perfect GPA. I didn't think I would be having to think of a Plan B, but things are not looking too good at this time. 

Also, give these last 3 your all. Go into each interview as far it's the most interesting program ever (because people can sense if your not excited). There were two schools I thought were towards the end of the list and after visiting them I fell in love with both. Keep an open mind and give these last ones a chance to impress you.

I'll just add that I only applied to 5 schools that were almost perfect fits for me. It allowed me to take time to thoroughly tailor each application packet and I had an unusually high interview rate. I know applying to many programs can be helpful, but it can be hard to tailor that many applications.

I'd agree that a project manager position would be ideal, just in case. Veterans Affairs pays a generous amount for these positions but working in a small lab at a university can help with pubs/presentations. Make sure wherever you get hired that they'll let you be productive!

[stereopticons]

1 minute ago, That Research Lady said:

Also, give these last 3 your all. Go into each interview as far it's the most interesting program ever (because people can sense if your not excited). There were two schools I thought were towards the end of the list and after visiting them I fell in love with both. Keep an open mind and give these last ones a chance to impress you.

I'll just add that I only applied to 5 schools that were almost perfect fits for me. It allowed me to take time to thoroughly tailor each application packet and I had an unusually high interview rate. I know applying to many programs can be helpful, but it can be hard to tailor that many applications.

I'd agree that a project manager position would be ideal, just in case. Veterans Affairs pays a generous amount for these positions but working in a small lab at a university can help with pubs/presentations. Make sure wherever you get hired that they'll let you be productive!

Just a note about VA positions-- mine was a great experience, but VA is currently under a hiring freeze except for special positions, so these will be very hard to come by this year. 

[PsychLady17]

58 minutes ago, 8BitJourney said:

A full-time lab manager/Study coordinator position would be your best bet if you already have a master's (especially if it can be in the lab of your top choice POI). If anything you'd be able to earn money to put towards applying next cycle and attending conferences. I'm in the same boat as you and it sucks right now.

Thank you for the advice.

[PsychLady17]

15 minutes ago, That Research Lady said:

Also, give these last 3 your all. Go into each interview as far it's the most interesting program ever (because people can sense if your not excited). There were two schools I thought were towards the end of the list and after visiting them I fell in love with both. Keep an open mind and give these last ones a chance to impress you.

I'll just add that I only applied to 5 schools that were almost perfect fits for me. It allowed me to take time to thoroughly tailor each application packet and I had an unusually high interview rate. I know applying to many programs can be helpful, but it can be hard to tailor that many applications.

I'd agree that a project manager position would be ideal, just in case. Veterans Affairs pays a generous amount for these positions but working in a small lab at a university can help with pubs/presentations. Make sure wherever you get hired that they'll let you be productive!

Yes, you are correct. I will keep an open mind. Thank you for this information. 

[PsychLady17]

44 minutes ago, stereopticons said:

 

Start applying for jobs now. These jobs will be competitive, so apply to everything you can. Join listservs, search job boards, and ask people to forward jobs to you as they come across them. Working for a year (or several) is not a bad plan B at all, especially if you find a place where you can publish and get good recommendations. 

Most impotantly, though, if you want this, don't give up. This is my fifth round of applications, and I finally got in. If this is what you want, use this time to improve yourself and your application. If you aren't sure this is what you want, use this time to figure it out. Hang in there!

This is my 2nd round and I feel like the same thing is happening over again, however I will keep being positive and hope for the best. Thank you for the advice. 

[That Research Lady]

43 minutes ago, stereopticons said:

Just a note about VA positions-- mine was a great experience, but VA is currently under a hiring freeze except for special positions, so these will be very hard to come by this year. 

The VA freeze does not include these types of positions anymore. The Director has exempt them (thank goodness).

[stereopticons]

51 minutes ago, That Research Lady said:

The VA freeze does not include these types of positions anymore. The Director has exempt them (thank goodness).

Oh, that's great news. I hadn't kept up with it and last I heard, the people at my VA were concerned about filling my position when I leave. Glad to hear that was exempted. 

[applicant17]

Looking for advice-I only received an acceptance to one program this cycle, and it wasn't very high on my list. However, I was fortunate enough to be offered a very prestigious international fellowship that I plan on accepting. My family and friends are adamant that I inquire about getting a deferral for next year from the program I was admitted to, but this makes me really uncomfortable. I'm nervous that it would be perceived as really rude, and that because of uncertain funding, etc faculty are generally unable to award deferrals for future years-I think it might be more offensive than just declining the offer. Can anyone weigh in with thoughts, or any experience you might have with handling this type of thing?

[NeisserThanILook]

13 minutes ago, applicant17 said:

Looking for advice-I only received an acceptance to one program this cycle, and it wasn't very high on my list. However, I was fortunate enough to be offered a very prestigious international fellowship that I plan on accepting. My family and friends are adamant that I inquire about getting a deferral for next year from the program I was admitted to, but this makes me really uncomfortable. I'm nervous that it would be perceived as really rude, and that because of uncertain funding, etc faculty are generally unable to award deferrals for future years-I think it might be more offensive than just declining the offer. Can anyone weigh in with thoughts, or any experience you might have with handling this type of thing?

I don't have much advice on the topic of deferrals, but if this program isn't very high on your list, are you sure that you would want a deferral? It seems like this fellowship experience may significantly increase your appeal as an applicant in future cycles, and therefore you may have a better shot of getting into a program that you're more interested in next time you apply.

[lml2968]

Congrats to posters accepted at BU and PSU! Would you mind sending me your POI initials, if you feel comfortable? Thank you!

[eveline]

When weighing options for entrance into PhD programs, should R1 vs. R2 vs. R3 institutions be a consideration? Or does this only matter when applying for academic jobs later on? 

[eeepsych13]

I saw a few people had posted about being wait listed, post interview at USF. Just curious what POI had already given notice to individuals. If anyone who has heard back from USF in any capacity and is willing to message me, that would be amazing! 

Edited February 28, 2017 by eeepsych13

[8BitJourney]

To the UMass Boston acceptance posters do you mind pm'ing me please? 

[MrTree]

To the Pittsburgh clinical acceptance posters do you mind PM'ing me your POI's initial, or whether it is only clinical or clinical-health joint program? This is my dream school and I would be more than grateful if you could let me know! Many thanks!

[eveline]

To the City University of New York (CUNY) posters - which school in the system are you referring to? 

[psychedout27]

Has anyone heard back from the University of Toledo? I saw someone posted something in the results thread. If you wouldn't mind private messaging me your POI I would appreciate it!

[angst]

2 hours ago, eveline said:

To the City University of New York (CUNY) posters - which school in the system are you referring to? 

City College, I believe. I heard from them last night. 

[eveline]

2 hours ago, angst said:

City College, I believe. I heard from them last night. 

Thank you. I'm waiting for notice from one of the other schools. 

[seachief]

For anyone who has heard back from Binghamton--could you possibly PM me your POI? It has been radio silence for me since the interview, and it's killing me!

Thanks so much!

[PNIplz]

Can the person accepted at Kentucky please PM me their POI?? I'm waitlisted there and dying.