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I thought it might be helpful to start a thread on the process schools go through when choosing which applicants to interview. I know it really helped me to consider what hurdles I had to get past before actually meeting the prof I wanted to work with.
A friend of mine works at one of the schools I am applying to - I'd rather not give the name. It is very research oriented, is usually ranked in the top 5 to 10 for clinical programs by US News (not that rankings are all that important), and receives around 300 applications per year. Anyway, they go through the following process:
1) Screen out people with very low GPA/GRE scores. My friend didn't know the exact cut-offs (the school claims not to have one), but thinks that the scores have to be pretty low.
2) Grad students skim through the personal statements and toss applicants that would be a poor match - doesn't matter how good their stats are or how many years of research experience. You could be published in Nature, but if you say you want to study Autism and no one who studies Autism is taking students, you're out. Also, if you write that your ultimate goal is to become a clinician, you're out.
3) Grad students reread the remaining personal statements and score them from 1-4 (based on experiences, writing ability, and fit with the program). Apps with a score of 3 or 4 get sent to the applicant's POI.
4) After this point, it varies by professor. They make decisions on who to interview (sometimes with input from their grad students, but not always).
I'm sure the process varies a lot from school to school, and also by type of program. This one is very "in house" - I've heard others decide by committee or are more reliant on graduate admissions to complete early screening.
I'm sure other people can share different methods...
A friend of mine works at one of the schools I am applying to - I'd rather not give the name. It is very research oriented, is usually ranked in the top 5 to 10 for clinical programs by US News (not that rankings are all that important), and receives around 300 applications per year. Anyway, they go through the following process:
1) Screen out people with very low GPA/GRE scores. My friend didn't know the exact cut-offs (the school claims not to have one), but thinks that the scores have to be pretty low.
2) Grad students skim through the personal statements and toss applicants that would be a poor match - doesn't matter how good their stats are or how many years of research experience. You could be published in Nature, but if you say you want to study Autism and no one who studies Autism is taking students, you're out. Also, if you write that your ultimate goal is to become a clinician, you're out.
3) Grad students reread the remaining personal statements and score them from 1-4 (based on experiences, writing ability, and fit with the program). Apps with a score of 3 or 4 get sent to the applicant's POI.
4) After this point, it varies by professor. They make decisions on who to interview (sometimes with input from their grad students, but not always).
I'm sure the process varies a lot from school to school, and also by type of program. This one is very "in house" - I've heard others decide by committee or are more reliant on graduate admissions to complete early screening.
I'm sure other people can share different methods...