Insiders' opinions on programs/ranks wanted

[hpinvent]

dear 'insiders' of the field (grad students, psychologists..)

as much of the interviews will be held on the weekends of february
some/many applicants including myself are having a bit of a difficulty handling the interview conflicts.
this is troubling b/c turning one down in favor of another may mean turning down the only program that may accept you.
so it would be really great if some of you may volunteer to provide some insight on comparing the conflicting programs..so that we'd have some more useful information in making our life changing decisions.
please let us know if any of you familiar with different programs are willing to share some private opinions about the program!

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[paramour]

On every single program out there? That might be a bit . . . difficult? Perhaps people should post the programs they wish feedback on and those who may have interviewed there can either respond in the thread or PM you with any pertinent details.

G'luck.

 

[hpinvent]

oh defninitely not on all the programs.. i just didnt want to put my situation on the spot. i was hoping to see if any one would volunteer to share their ideas

 

[EquestriAnn]

I would interview at the one which, if you got into all of them, you would ultimately choose. You have gotten to the interview so you probably have a pretty good shot (as long as you don't mess up royally). If you think you are a better match for one of them, choose that one! If you give more details I might be able to offer more insight, I was thinking about the same situation as well but I haven't heard back from several schools yet so I don't want to get ahead of myself. I would also consider communicating with your POI and see if you can come another weekend. I have been offered two and both of my POIs emphasized that if I couldn't make the official interview weekend, they would love for me to come whenever else works for me.

 

[JockNerd]

I would interview at the one which, if you got into all of them, you would ultimately choose.

I think that's a good plan. I don't know how useful opinions on individual programs are. It seems to me that whether I would recommend a school or not would depend more on the POI than what uni it is.

I had one conflicting interview. I just did a phone interview with the second-choice.

 

[childphdapp]

I just got an interview at a great school (School "A") that seems like a GREAT match but my top 2 choices for grad school also have interviews during the weekend this school offered (they offered Thursday/Friday [which overlaps w/ interviews for Choice School #2 which interviews students Thursday-Sunday - 4 days!] and Sunday/Monday [which overlaps w/ interviews for Choice School #1 which interviews students Monday/Tuesday]).

I am pretty confident I will be getting an interview for Choice School #2 based on a discussion my boss had w/ the school's training director about me and apparently he thought I was a super strong match for my POI at that university. Anyways, I definitely don't want to schedule the interview during the slot for Choice School #1 since that's my top choice and well ... hands down, I would go there if I got accepted ... but I don't know what my chances are of being called for an interview.

The other issue is, Schools 1 and 2 are local vs. School A is somewhere I've NEVER been (though I've never visited either campus). So I'd like to travel to School A and visit the campus to see if this is even a realistic choice for me.

Any advice? Supposedly Schools 1 & 2 will be sending invites out by Friday. I told School A I had to "see which day I could take off" before I get back to her ...

ETA: School 2 offered me an interview. I will be skipping the 2/22 activities and only attending the 2/23 activities meaning I can go to school A's formal interview on 2/22 and miss out on their social activities on 2/23. It's a good trade-off. It means I will be flying directly from School A to School 2, but atleast I will have the opportunity to see both campuses. Still waiting on School 1, but the dates are open atleast. Worst comes to worst, I fly from School A to School 2 to School 1. Now that will be a fun blur!

 

[psychanon]

I just got an interview at a great school (School "A") that seems like a GREAT match but my top 2 choices for grad school also have interviews during the weekend this school offered (they offered Thursday/Friday [which overlaps w/ interviews for Choice School #2 which interviews students Thursday-Sunday - 4 days!] and Sunday/Monday [which overlaps w/ interviews for Choice School #1 which interviews students Monday/Tuesday]).

I am pretty confident I will be getting an interview for Choice School #2 based on a discussion my boss had w/ the school's training director about me and apparently he thought I was a super strong match for my POI at that university. Anyways, I definitely don't want to schedule the interview during the slot for Choice School #1 since that's my top choice and well ... hands down, I would go there if I got accepted ... but I don't know what my chances are of being called for an interview.

The other issue is, Schools 1 and 2 are local vs. School A is somewhere I've NEVER been (though I've never visited either campus). So I'd like to travel to School A and visit the campus to see if this is even a realistic choice for me.

Any advice? Supposedly Schools 1 & 2 will be sending invites out by Friday. I told School A I had to "see which day I could take off" before I get back to her ...

This is what I would do if I were you.

1. Email your contact person at Schools 1 & 2 and ask if there's any way if they could give you some indication of your likelihood of getting an interview. Express that you understand if they cannot tell you, but that you are in a bit of a bind. Explain that you have been invited for an interview at another school on the same weekend, but that you feel that their school is a stronger match and that you would like to prioritize going to their interview if possible.
2. As an alternative, ask if you could come interview on another date, especially given that you are local.
3. Double check that School #2's interview is actually 4 days-- that seems unrealistic to me. It may be that they are giving applicants the option of coming for a period of time (1-2 days) within that window, which may allow you to visit more than one school that weekend.
4. You could also check with School A to see if they have an alternative time for you to visit, but I wouldn't do that unless you are sure that you have a conflict (as many people on the board will attest, you can be positive that you'll get an interview only to have it not work out).

One more piece of advice: Avoid ranking programs before you interview. You may be surprised. I've known many people who have reversed their school rankings after interviewing.

 

[dontknowitall]

School A e-mailed me Monday night 11:00pm with interview invite. School B is supposed to make invites the end of this week and possibly early next week. At this time (of course I can't really be sure), I prefer School B. How long can I leave School A hanging?

I just feel slightly inappropriate e-mailing School B to ask if I have an interview or not. Especially since they have kept us in the loop the whole time about when decisions would be made (via e-mail).

Thoughts? Advice?

Thanks!

 

[psychanon]

School A e-mailed me Monday night 11:00pm with interview invite. School B is supposed to make invites the end of this week and possibly early next week. At this time (of course I can't really be sure), I prefer School B. How long can I leave School A hanging?

I just feel slightly inappropriate e-mailing School B to ask if I have an interview or not. Especially since they have kept us in the loop the whole time about when decisions would be made (via e-mail).

Thoughts? Advice?

Thanks!

I assume that you know that School A & B have interviews on the same day?

You could send them an email along these lines:

"Dear so and so,
I am an applicant for the clinical psychology Ph.D. program (I applied to Dr. So and So). I understand that applicants will be notified on late next week or early next week. I also understand that the interviews are scheduled for February so and so. I was wondering if there are any alternative dates available for the interview. I ask because I was invited for a different interview on Feb. so and so; however, School X is my top choice, and I would like to ensure that I have the opportunity to interview there should I be invited prior to making my travel plans."

It's a sticky situation, because you don't want to piss off School A. But remember, it's also a very lucky position to be in!

 

[psy19]

This is not an interview conflict, but...

What are your opinions about the clinical program at Louisiana State University? And has anyone interviewed there? LSU isn't listed in the interview database, so if anyone has input, I'd really appreciate it! And please feel free to PM me if you don't want to post here.

 

[dontknowitall]

School A e-mailed me Monday night 11:00pm with interview invite. School B is supposed to make invites the end of this week and possibly early next week. At this time (of course I can't really be sure), I prefer School B. How long can I leave School A hanging?

I just feel slightly inappropriate e-mailing School B to ask if I have an interview or not. Especially since they have kept us in the loop the whole time about when decisions would be made (via e-mail).

Thoughts? Advice?

Thanks!

Here is the update: I did receive the invite from School B!!! And I do understand that it is a very lucky position to be in. But here is my further question:

I e-mailed School A and asked if there were any alternatives to the interview date that was given. The answer was "No. If you cannot come please tell me and I will extend the invitation to someone else." However, School B states that if you cannot make the date you can do a phone interview. Will doing a phone interview rather than an in person interview hurt my chances at being accepted? I am very seriously interested in both schools and, to be honest, really want to visit both places before I make a decision.

What do you think? I have to decide by Monday!!!!

 

[psychanon]

Here is the update: I did receive the invite from School B!!! And I do understand that it is a very lucky position to be in. But here is my further question:

I e-mailed School A and asked if there were any alternatives to the interview date that was given. The answer was "No. If you cannot come please tell me and I will extend the invitation to someone else." However, School B states that if you cannot make the date you can do a phone interview. Will doing a phone interview rather than an in person interview hurt my chances at being accepted? I am very seriously interested in both schools and, to be honest, really want to visit both places before I make a decision.

What do you think? I have to decide by Monday!!!!

First off, congratulations-- sounds like you're doing really well. Secondly, ugh, what an annoying situation-- sounds like School A is being really inflexible. There's no obvious solution here, and it depends on a number of factors that I don't know-- how much more do you like School B compared to School A, how well do you think you would do at phone interviews compared to in person. But what I would probably do is to go to the interview at School A and take the phone interview at School B-- it would just be too risky to give up all chances of getting into School A. However, you should do something to communicate to School B that you are NOT turning down their in-person interviews because you prefer School A, as this is not the truth and it's what they may assume. You can probably be relatively honest-- say that you are going to School A because they did not offer an alternative interview date, but that you feel that School B is ultimately a better match for you, and that you're only going to interview at School A as a back-up should School B not work out (you may not want to mention the actual school unless they ask). Also, how far is School B from you? It may be easier to arrange a day visit sometime if you are not that far; if it is a plane ride away, it is more complicated. Hope that helps.

 

[lilies05]

dontknowitall-

it always helps to stress prior "commitments". You can tell school B that you've already commited to another professor about an interview, and even though school B is your top choice, you've already made a commitment to visit school A for that weekend.

no one can fault you too much for keeping your word. it's worked for me for 25 years at least

 

[psypsypsy]

dontknowitall-

it always helps to stress prior "commitments". You can tell school B that you've already commited to another professor about an interview, and even though school B is your top choice, you've already made a commitment to visit school A for that weekend.

no one can fault you too much for keeping your word. it's worked for me for 25 years at least

I agree; I think the best reason not to be able to make the interview weekend is just to state that prior to receiving their interview offer, you had already committed to going on this other interview. Even better if you can say that you already bought tickets for it. But, I would stress that you are very interested in that program, and ask if there is a time you could come to visit for a day or something (if that's feasible).

 

[xlittlemissalix]

This is not an interview conflict, but...

What are your opinions about the clinical program at Louisiana State University? And has anyone interviewed there? LSU isn't listed in the interview database, so if anyone has input, I'd really appreciate it! And please feel free to PM me if you don't want to post here.

I also have an upcoming interview at LSU and would appreciate any information anyone can give!

 

[smitten]

.

 

[kyril]

I have one at Yeshiva Clinical Health, and there is next to nothing in the database. anyone have any insight, tips pointers? it'll be my first interview!

many thanks,

K