For Those Applying This Year

[twiggers]

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Hi all,

Just curious to kinda get updates from people who are applying this year.

1) What type of program
2) Geographical areas/specific schools
3) GRES done..and if so satisified or retaking them?
4) Personal statement done?
5) Letters of rec obtained?
6) Stress level?



In answer to above my journal thread covers most. 4 and 5 are not done. 6 is ridiculously high right now...OMG people were right when they recommended taking a year off. Taking a full load of classes, studying for GRES, getting apps together, commuting 15 hrs per week, working 20 hrs per week is getting to me. GRES on the 25th so hopefully the stress level will decrease (provided I score 600 and above on each area...if not them its redo time).

I'm really just curious to see if I'm the only scatterbrained, stressed out, freaked out applicant out there.
And who knows...maybe some of us are applying to the same schools.

 

[winnie]

My answers:

1. A mix of clinically-oriented PhD and PsyD (based on research interests, theoretical bents).
2. All over really, I'm not bound to any region.
3.Taken the general, will take the subject in a few weeks. There's no way I'd take the general again! I get bad test anxiety.
4. No, very little progress on that front. But I have got my letters of rec mostly sorted, and requested transcripts (3 schools in 2 countries, and the places I'm applying had some very particular instructions, so that took a lot longer than I expected.)
5. Obtained from one person. Two others are working on them now. The last person I just asked today.
6. Pretty high. Right now I'm worried about whether I'll have enough time to get good statements of purpose written.

Hang in there, Twiggers, I know how you feel. I'm working full-time too. It's tough!

 

[twiggers]

Thanks Winnie! Glad to know I'm not the only one feeling completely frazzled.

 

[pireis]

Hi everyone, this is my first time posting! Here is me:


1) Research-oriented Clinical PhD; interested in doing cognitive-psychopathology research, i.e. information-proscessing/associative learning approaches to psychopathology, esp. anxiety disorders.

2) Mostly mid-atlantic, a few new england, a couple midwestern. Here goes: U.Maryland, Penn State, Temple, U. Virginia, Yale, Harvard, Boston U., VCU, Vanderbilt, U. Georgia, U. Delaware, Northwestern, U. Indiana (despite the fact that I don't want to live there, I would really really love to go there), George Washington, U. Virginia-Curry school of education, Duke.

3) I am delighted with the GRE (mid 1500s). Don't be too impressed, though, my undergrad gpa (philosophy) is on the mediocre side, so I needed that boost!

4) A nice long-version draft is completed. Most of my places have the same essay requirements, so its now a matter of tailoring to the particular advisors I want to work with.

5) Two letters are written and I just gathered the courage to ask my "power" person the other day, YAY! I got a "yes."

6) Off the roof. As you can see, I don't have a lot of safetys. This is because I really want to do academic research as a career, so going the psyD route or a master's route won't work for me. The places with researchers I want to learn from are competitive, and there's not much I can do about it, so I'm basically completely stiff with fear at this point. 😱


I'm also working full-time, as a research coordinator in the psychiatry dept. at UPenn, and running my independent study (and the experiment of a clinical student there) in the psych dept at night. (which is completely freaky, I know: "come be in my psych experiment after dark!") I don't sleep, basically!

Luck to all of us!!!!!!

 

[Portlymutt]

1) What type of program
2) Geographical areas/specific schools
3) GRES done..and if so satisified or retaking them?
4) Personal statement done?
5) Letters of rec obtained?
6) Stress level?



Let's see...

1 - ma in Counseling Psych
2 - St. martin's in WA - only that one - bit o risk there
3 - n/a, though I studied lol
4 - sooo close - which brings me to questions...
5 - supposedly en route to the school
6 - it wavers - up and down - in with the good - out with the bad

I've revised my statement way too many times. I have a couple of questions for all of you. On the question of "Why this program?" - the program has 3 main faculty members - I'm excited about learning from all 3 each for specific reasons. Do I mention all three so as not to leave one out or do I just mention the one I'm most interested in? I was also thinking of mentioning specific electives I want to take, but maybe that is cheesy?

Also, small detail question on word format - Justify to the left or to both sides?

I think that's it for now.

Chris

 

[twiggers]

Wow you sound like you're well prepared for everything. And welcome to the forum pireis...keep us updated!
Sounds like your research experience is pretty good..and the GRES holy cow!!!!!!!!!!! I wouldn't even worry about your GPA with those scores!
A few of your schools overlap with mine..but I'm so scared because I'm not looking towards cognitive...I'm gearing towards developmental clinical.

Good luck!

 

[winnie]

I'd mention all three faculty, just in case the main one happens to be on sabbatical or something.

About the classes -- I don't know. Why not? Especially if you you have a specific reason for wanting to take them or they relate to specific interests you've already mentioned.

And I say left justify! I work in a publishing company and that's the way we do it round here. (Plus, when in doubt, swing left, I always say.)

Good luck with your app! You and Pireis are both way ahead of me!

 

[pireis]

Thanks, twiggers and winnie and all! I can use all of the encouragement I can get. I spoke with my advisor today, who convinced me to cut out all of my safety/marginals. Just can't get where I want to go with those places - she said, if I don't get in, I apply next year with a presentation or pub, it's only a year - it would be disasterous to go somewhere second rate. Well, true, but still, I want to be a grad student, soon! Ack!

And twiggers, don't be scared-what's your gpa, 3.9999 or something?! At least we won't be competing with each other with different interests (lucky for me!)! You'll be great.

Anyways, yeah Portly, I'd mention all 3 faculty too -- but make sure your reasons are sound, not like you're making something up to fit everyone. I would give stress to the one you're most interested in, too.

 

[twiggers]

Portly, I agree with all of the above people. Include all 3. Maybe email those faculty to assure they're taking students? That way it won't look like you didn't do your homework if one of them turns out to not be accepting.

Just got an email back from Wisconsin...freaking 1350 combined GRE minimum!!!!!!! OMG I'll never score that high......just did a practice last night and bombed it....my stress level is elevated times 1000 right now....only 3 days until test...stomach is churning already!
Getting so depressed about the dang test I'm starting to research child development and human development programs lol.

I don't think I'd be upset with a second rate school.....mainly because geographically it's where I want to spend the rest of my life...which is why I narrowed down to only midwestern schools. I'll take any darn school...BUT only if the research aligns with my own interests I won't sacrifice that aspect.

 

[twiggers]

Oh yea.....so late Monday I'll post and let ya know how GRES went 🙂 Could be a short, terse one or a really excited one! I hope it's the second 🙂

 

[twiggers]

Oops...forgot one other thing...pireis....yea my GPA is high (just above 3.9) but majority of schools seem to emphasize the GREs over the GPA....if I bomb em I'm pretty screwed. Some professors are indicating they won't even make it to their desk unless it is 1200 combined..others have indicated 1350 combined.

 

[pireis]

That's an encouraging thing to hear, twiggers, thanks - though I have not necessairly gotten the same impression. For instance, Yale did a study in the late 90s on how well the gre predicted the success (as measured by grad school gpa and advisor evaluations) in their own psych grad students over the previous 20 years. There was no significant correlation. In fact, gre scores correlated somewhat negatively with female psych grad student success! My high score might even be a bad thing there!!

Anyways, though -- I wish you the best of luck for Monday!