Once you've got your list of schools, then what?

[PizzaButt]

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I'm a non-traditional applicant (30, married, law background) who is applying to clinical and counseling psych programs. I don't have an advisor to help me since I've been out of undergrad for 8 years. So I'm not sure how to proceed at this point.

I've made my list of schools, and it has 34 schools on it (a few counseling, the rest clinical psych, all PhD). I know this is too many, but how many schools should a non-trad apply to? I'm thinking around 20 schools, so I probably need to whittle down my list. Or is that still too many?

My other question is now that I have my list of schools, what do I do next? Do I need to contact professors at these schools in the research area I want to be in to see if they are accepting students for the next year and/or to introduce myself? I have one school that is my number one choice--should I do anything special for that one?

When should I start downloading applications--or for those schools that don't have online apps, when should I call to request an application?

 

[Ollie123]

Next step is definitely to contact the professors you'd want to work with at those schools. That will likely knock anywhere from 5-15 off the list since VERY few professors accept a student every single year, and you might learn that some are not doing the kind of research you like anymore and are no longer a good fit. Or they'll come across as an dingus in the email and you will no longer want to work with them. I'd shoot for around 15, give or take.

Start working on applications as soon as you know for sure where you are applying. You can start drafting a personal statement even sooner, though you will be changing it since every school wants something different for the PS it seems. Still, you can at least get the core written.

I wouldn't do anything special for your #1 save for spending more time on the application, or perhaps more actively pursue contact with the professor (best of all, track them down at a conference).

Are there still schools that don't have online applications? I've never heard of any.

 

[psychwanabe]

I would say that 20 schools may be a bit much to expect your letter-writers to take on. If they are willing and you have the money to apply to that many, then have at it.

Your next step would indeed be to contact the professors at your chosen schools and express your desire to work with them. It would be wise to be familiar with some of their recent research and to ask them an intelligent question about it. Also, definitely ask them if they are accepting students. Then, continue to follow up and converse as they seem willing/able. Keeping in touch has been a theme I've noticed among those who have gotten in.

If you already have your GREs done, you're already out of school, etc., I don't see why you shouldn't get going on your apps. Get them and start the process whenever you feel ready. Make a chart of your schools, their requirements, and your progress on each. Stay organized, it's easy to lose track!

 

[positivepsych]

You've already answered all of your own questions.
YES, get offline and just do it.

 

[PizzaButt]

Thank you for your replies! This is super helpful, since I don't have the benefit of an advisor to help me with this stuff.

So when I'm writing this contact/introduction email to the profs, how much of my personal background do I say in the email? For instance, I'll let them know that I'm a non-trad applicant, that I'm older, etc. but should I mention my educational background and what I'm doing now to prepare for grad school--or leave this out? If anyone has an email that they've sent that they could PM me, that would be wonderful, since I'm unsure how much of this to include.

Also, someone mentioned that applying to 20 schools might be too much for some LOR writers. Why is that? For instance, when I applied to law school, I think they just wrote one standard recommendation letter and sent it to all the schools I was applying to. Is that not the case here? Do the LORs have to be different in some way for all the schools?

Also, don't professors dislike receiving all these emails from potential students, all asking the same thing? Do they actually respond to people?

 

[Ollie123]

They don't exactly love it, but they know its a part of the process. Everyone I wrote to except 1 responded, and that one got crossed off the list.

If they do your letters correctly, they should be tailoring it at least a little bit depending on the school. Different schools want different things, etc.

Do a search about writing the introductory emails, the question gets asked all the time and there's tons of threads on it.

 

[JockNerd]

Thank you for your replies! This is super helpful, since I don't have the benefit of an advisor to help me with this stuff.

So when I'm writing this contact/introduction email to the profs, how much of my personal background do I say in the email? [...] I'm unsure how much of this to include.

Here's one thread on that, there are more:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=438896

Just keep it nice and short. Introduce yourself and why you're interested in them. Maybe as a one or two simple questions about where the research is going or about a study they recently did.

Also, someone mentioned that applying to 20 schools might be too much for some LOR writers. [...]Do the LORs have to be different in some way for all the schools?

Painfully, there's going to be a different letter of rec form for EVERY school. It's really gross and I can't believe there's no standardized form that a school could append if it wanted to. But, every one is pretty similar--rate the applicant on a few scales, answer a few short questions, add a letter is you want, that sort of thing.

Also, don't professors dislike receiving all these emails from potential students, all asking the same thing? Do they actually respond to people?

My experience is that they're almost all happy to talk to people interested in their work. Some of them seem not to like it very much, but that seems kind of douche-baggy to me. I'd be happy to have people expressing sincere interest in my research and in working with me. "Hi, are you taking a student?" e-mails probably get old, though...

 

[Duckygirl]

... that seems kind of douche-baggy to me...

Ahhhahahahaahaa! Thank God someone still has their humor about them. I can never not laugh when someone drops the D.B. reference. 😆

 

[psychanon]

So when I'm writing this contact/introduction email to the profs, how much of my personal background do I say in the email? For instance, I'll let them know that I'm a non-trad applicant, that I'm older, etc. but should I mention my educational background and what I'm doing now to prepare for grad school--or leave this out? If anyone has an email that they've sent that they could PM me, that would be wonderful, since I'm unsure how much of this to include.

you don't have to mention that you're "older." 30 isn't really that old to be applying-- it's above average, but not so out of the norm that it merits mentioning. You could mention that this is a second career for you, that you're coming from law, but don't go into too much detail. Keep it short and snappy.

 

[GiantSteps]

Painfully, there's going to be a different letter of rec form for EVERY school. It's really gross and I can't believe there's no standardized form that a school could append if it wanted to. But, every one is pretty similar--rate the applicant on a few scales, answer a few short questions, add a letter is you want, that sort of thing.

I have written this elsewhere, but many schools which have on-line applications also allow for on-line LORs which are not so painful for the writers. The schools which have their on-line websites serviced by the same company (I do not no the name of this biggest one off-hand) allow the writers of letters to easily transfer information so each one is not from scratch. I know some of you said you dealt with older people who were computer illiterate so you have to know if your write can handle these computer functions.

 

[JockNerd]

I have written this elsewhere, but many schools which have on-line applications also allow for on-line LORs which are not so painful for the writers. The schools which have their on-line websites serviced by the same company (I do not no the name of this biggest one off-hand) allow the writers of letters to easily transfer information so each one is not from scratch. I know some of you said you dealt with older people who were computer illiterate so you have to know if your write can handle these computer functions.

OH Online letters ROCK! 😀 I love them, and so did the people writing letters for me. Just wonderful. But of the 13 places I applied, only 3 used them.

 

[Ollie123]

I think it was about the same (3 or 4 of 13) for me as far as online letters go.

But yes, they make everything MUCH easier. Unfortunately, we seem to have a very high percentage of computer-illiterate people in this profession. Which perhaps is one reason we are ridiculously slow to adopt to new technology compared to other professions. Its actually kind of painful for me to see how some labs function. I swear with a small grant and free reign I could triple their productivity.

I mean really, sitting someone down next to an empty computer to fill out a huge packet of paper? Unless you're booking more people than you have free computers, what POSSIBLE reason could there be for that?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

But yes, they make everything MUCH easier. Unfortunately, we seem to have a very high percentage of computer-illiterate people in this profession. Which perhaps is one reason we are ridiculously slow to adopt to new technology compared to other professions.

Many of the older faculty let their RAs crunch the numbers on the computers, and they stick to their preferences. I had a LOR from a guy who never turned on his computer, though it held his post-it notes. He is a true old-schooler (teaching since the 60's) and he wrote everything long hand (and had the secretaries type his letters).

I can't imagine life before computers, though I *did* do it!

-t