Early Consideration

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crazypsychstudent

Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) Candidate
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A lot of the programs I am applying to have an early consideration deadline. Is this binding?
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I've never heard of that.
 
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I've not heard of it very frequently for psychology, either; I think it's more commonplace with medical school. Regardless, I don't know if applying in and of itself is binding, but once they make an offer, then accepting it might be. The best way to be sure is to read any application materials they provide, and/or just email the department directly to ask.
 
I would email them and ask, but I've already emailed each school at least three times with different questions.... But they would have to tell me if it was binding, right? Also, would I have a better chance of getting in if I applied early?
 
A lot of fields do early consideration, though. My fiance did it for engineering.
 
crazypsychstudent said:
A lot of fields do early consideration, though. My fiance did it for engineering.
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What do you view as the rationale for such a thing? How does/would a clinical or counseling psychology program benefit from this?
 
You can always pick up the phone and call admissions/psych departments anonymously. You don't have to email.

Anyway, I'd be wary of early consideration anywhere and had not heard of it previously for clinical psych. You'll want to have the chance to meet faculty and students to discuss the programs. I don't know of any reputable program that conducts interviews this early. Additionally, you want all the information in front of you before making a decision on one program (i.e., funding, research opportunities…). It's not a good idea to just "get in" to a program (i.e., free standing professional school) - you want to find one that will matches your interests, provides good training, and will set you up for a successful career in psych. Don't be tempted by early consideration!
 
Agree with the others--while other fields may do this, psychology (particularly counseling and clinical) has not. Rather, psych has traditionally adhered to the April 15th deadline. I'd be wary of programs that attempt to buck the trend by scooping up potentially-desperate and/or anxious students before they've had a chance to apply and hear back from other schools.
 
Really sounds kind of sleazy to me. Try to lock you into a high cost low outcome program by playing on people's fears of not getting into a better program. Unless I am missing something?
 
So from these posts it sounds like early consideration IS binding. So what if I got my apps in early because I'm OCD like that. Are they going to turn around and say I have to decide sooner??
 
They may, but those are probably places you don't want to be anyway. I imagine if you look at accredited match rates and EPPP pass rates of these places, they will generally be lower than the average. So, your best decision would probably be to decline that early, binding agreement.
 
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crazypsychstudent said:
So from these posts it sounds like early consideration IS binding. So what if I got my apps in early because I'm OCD like that. Are they going to turn around and say I have to decide sooner??
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I think you are missing the most important message in this thread, do not apply to these schools.

However, if you choose to ignore such sage advice, I am still unsure that this would indeed be binding. Its not like they are going to sue you. They may just ask you to pay a down payment on your tuition or something. At that point, you will have to decide if you even want to waste the money.
 
psycscientist said:
Also, if you're wanting to get into the mental health field, you might want to avoid figures of speech like this that trivialize the actual experience of mental illnesses.

Great piece in HuffPo about this this week, too, for anyone interested: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-fuoco/lets-stop-using-mental-il_b_6091476.html
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Um, okay. I actually DO have OCD or I wouldn't say that. Yesterday my faculty mentor told me that my OCD is helping me stay organized through this process.
 
crazypsychstudent said:
So from these posts it sounds like early consideration IS binding. So what if I got my apps in early because I'm OCD like that. Are they going to turn around and say I have to decide sooner??
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As I mentioned earlier, I'd be surprised if just the act of applying binds you to having to accept an admissions offer if one is made, but I'm sure stranger setups exist. I would read through whatever information on the early application process they've provided/have available. Worst-case, you can likely withdraw your application before receiving a decision, you just would likely forfeit the application fees.
 
Bottom line is, you guys don't know if it is binding or not, so I am still at square one.
 
I'm just making observations about the characteristics of diagnoses in the real world. Most OCD disordered individuals are not super organized. Most OCPD disordered individuals are. Individuals with OCD usually have a hard time with organization due to their obsessions and compulsions taking up a good deal of their time.
 
crazypsychstudent said:
Bottom line is, you guys don't know if it is binding or not, so I am still at square one.
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Read the contract and form your own opinion or get expert legal advice or don't apply to a school that is trying to lock you in for what several posters feel are questionable reasons. I'm thinking those are your options.
 
You should listen to DynamicDidactic-- Do not apply to these schools.

I also wanted to mention that if one of my undergraduate supervisees came to me for advice on graduate school and was also struggling with clinically significant OCD symptoms, I would want to talk with them about that. I would strongly suggest finding a good provider and taking time to really engage in treatment (preferably Exposure with Response Prevention) before graduate school. Graduate school is difficult enough if you're NOT dealing with a mental illness.

I'm going to shut up now-- Mods, feel free to delete this if you feel it crosses the line into medical advice.
 
crazypsychstudent said:
Oh my that you're sitting here throwing diagnoses.
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People are just clarifying that the expression "because I'm OCD like that" doesn't mean what you seem to think it means. Having OCD does not mean someone is super organized or prone to getting things done on time; that's OCPD. You're the one who made it about you.
 
crazypsychstudent said:
Bottom line is, you guys don't know if it is binding or not, so I am still at square one.
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What does "binding" mean? It's a free country and this isn't a legal matter. This isn't an NBA contract or a no compete clause. You aren't even signing a document!

There are a dozens of legitimate reasons to withdraw offers of acceptance to applicants. Similarly, applicants should not verbally comitt to a program unless they are confident, but there are many reasons to withdraw commitments as well. I am a bit lost in the logic of a policy like this anyway. In the business and commercial world, this marketing strategy is actually only beneficial for unloading/selling products with low demand, NOT high demand. Obviously, as you already know, that's NOT the case in this field. It's a high demand product with no shortage of supply.
 
erg923 said:
What does "binding" mean? It's a free country and this isn't a legal matter. This isn't an NBA contract or a no compete clause. You aren't even signing a document!

There are a dozens of legitimate reasons to withdraw offers of acceptance to applicants. Similarly, applicants should not verbally comitt to a program unless they are confident, but there are many reasons to withdraw commitments as well. I am a bit lost in the logic of a policy like this anyway. In the business and commercial world, this marketing strategy is actually only beneficial for unloading/selling products with low demand, NOT high demand. Obviously, as you already know, that's NOT the case in this field. It's a high demand product with no shortage of supply.
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So if I do early consideration, I don't have to accept the offer sooner? I'm relieved to hear that.
 
thewesternsky said:
You should listen to DynamicDidactic-- Do not apply to these schools.

I also wanted to mention that if one of my undergraduate supervisees came to me for advice on graduate school and was also struggling with clinically significant OCD symptoms, I would want to talk with them about that. I would strongly suggest finding a good provider and taking time to really engage in treatment (preferably Exposure with Response Prevention) before graduate school. Graduate school is difficult enough if you're NOT dealing with a mental illness.

I'm going to shut up now-- Mods, feel free to delete this if you feel it crosses the line into medical advice.
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Well my professor told the entire class that graduate schools like to see OCD in applicants... Speaking of treatment, I'm sure 99.9% of frequent users on here would show traits of a mental illness. Actually, I read a study that found a relationship between antisocial traits and frequency of internet use. So please, stop analyzing every little thing I say and don't respond to my posts if you're not going to stay on topic!
 
I would appreciate a student who is organized and detail oriented. This is not a disorder.

Honestly, a student who is highly symptomatic of a psychiatric disorder (especially time consuming obsessions and compulsions) would be a pain and potential risk to patients. Not too mention unlikely to matriculate. So I have no idea what your professor is thinking.
 
crazypsychstudent said:
Well my professor told the entire class that graduate schools like to see OCD in applicants... Speaking of treatment, I'm sure 99.9% of frequent users on here would show traits of a mental illness. Actually, I read a study that found a relationship between antisocial traits and frequency of internet use. So please, stop analyzing every little thing I say and don't respond to my posts if you're not going to stay on topic!
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It sounds like your professor was either joking, or has no idea what OCD actually means.
 
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I agree with other posters that we need to be more careful about flippant use of labels like OCD, I will admit that I have been guilty of that myself in the past. Also, wanted to second what Wisneuro said about the difference between having some symptoms and an actual diagnosis. There are a lot of things I don't like about DSM-5 but when used as designed it helps to prevent some of the over-pathologizing that happens in our field and with the public. For most of the disorders there are criteria for duration, impairment, and distress that can help with that.
 
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Good article above. I can't stand when people do this. "I can't concentrate today. I'm so ADHD." Because that's what ADHD is, not being able to concentrate once in awhile.
 
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