Rejected from ALL schools this year Ph.d

[colleen0974]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey Everyone,

I just graduated last month with my Bachelors in Psychology from Temple University. I was an undergraduate Research assistant in Dr. Kendall's Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders clinic (for 16 months). I had letters of recommendation from working at the lab and 2 other professors. I applied to 13 Ph.D. programs. I had a decent gpa and an not that great GRE. Although I heard that if you get interviews, the GRE no longer matters. I went on 3 interviews and even got an interview to my number one school! Felt like the interview went great and the school really was even better than I expected. The other 2 schools I interviewed at, I wasn't too thrilled about because I found out the funding wasn't as good as I thought, etc. In the end I got rejected from EVERYWHERE. I really was not expecting that and felt that I would be accepted at least somewhere. I applied to Clinical-Community Ph.D., School Psychology Ph.D. and Counseling Ph.D.

I was really shocked and upset but I started applying for R.A. positions. I know part of the reason I wasn't accepted anywhere was because I was just coming out of undergrad and didn't have any other experience. However, I even had trouble finding open positions and I interviewed for some and got rejected from those too! Out of desperation I even started applying for lower level psych jobs, to which I got a lot of mass e-mails saying they found someone better experienced. (frustrating) I started looking up masters programs in the area even though it was really late in the year and a lot of the deadlines had passed or it wasnt even what I wanted.

I finally found a masters program I felt was good for me! I applied and got accepted and my research interests match really great with one of the faculty. It is a masters in general psychology with a thesis, basically to prepare you to go on to Ph.D.

Now I find myself questioning my original plans and if its even still what I want???

Does anyone else who got rejections find themselves thinking that way? I don't know if I'm just kind of upset or if it's not really something I want. I'm the type like if you don't want me, then forget you!! lol

But basically my research interests are African American minority well-being, primarily adolescents and children. Also, African American academic achievement, racial identity, etc. I really like program development and intervention surrounding these areas. This research areas are kind of difficult to find at a lot of schools (especially ones that are a little less competitive) so I definitely had trouble with that. But most of my schools that I applied to did overlap with my interests.

Now, I find myself interested in counseling of inmates/forensic psychology stuff. But I'm not sure if I'm just afraid to reapply to the same type for fear of being rejected. Part of my interests are issues regarding mass incarceration and the racial factors that play a role in this, which kind of goes off the psychology track. Sometimes, I get confused if I should even be pursuing a Ph.D in psychology and if I am kind of missing my calling here and should be focused on something else.

Just wondering if any other rejectees found themselves questioning their plans and changes their mind or if they stuck to it and eventually succeeded or plan to stick with their original plans??

All feedback on anything related to these topics welcome!!

Colleen

 

[PsyDLICSW]

Hey Everyone,

I just graduated last month with my Bachelors in Psychology from Temple University. I was an undergraduate Research assistant in Dr. Kendall's Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders clinic (for 16 months). I had letters of recommendation from working at the lab and 2 other professors. I applied to 13 Ph.D. programs. I had a decent gpa and an not that great GRE. Although I heard that if you get interviews, the GRE no longer matters. I went on 3 interviews and even got an interview to my number one school! Felt like the interview went great and the school really was even better than I expected. The other 2 schools I interviewed at, I wasn't too thrilled about because I found out the funding wasn't as good as I thought, etc. In the end I got rejected from EVERYWHERE. I really was not expecting that and felt that I would be accepted at least somewhere. I applied to Clinical-Community Ph.D., School Psychology Ph.D. and Counseling Ph.D.

I was really shocked and upset but I started applying for R.A. positions. I know part of the reason I wasn't accepted anywhere was because I was just coming out of undergrad and didn't have any other experience. However, I even had trouble finding open positions and I interviewed for some and got rejected from those too! Out of desperation I even started applying for lower level psych jobs, to which I got a lot of mass e-mails saying they found someone better experienced. (frustrating) I started looking up masters programs in the area even though it was really late in the year and a lot of the deadlines had passed or it wasnt even what I wanted.

I finally found a masters program I felt was good for me! I applied and got accepted and my research interests match really great with one of the faculty. It is a masters in general psychology with a thesis, basically to prepare you to go on to Ph.D.

Now I find myself questioning my original plans and if its even still what I want???

Does anyone else who got rejections find themselves thinking that way? I don't know if I'm just kind of upset or if it's not really something I want. I'm the type like if you don't want me, then forget you!! lol

But basically my research interests are African American minority well-being, primarily adolescents and children. Also, African American academic achievement, racial identity, etc. I really like program development and intervention surrounding these areas. This research areas are kind of difficult to find at a lot of schools (especially ones that are a little less competitive) so I definitely had trouble with that. But most of my schools that I applied to did overlap with my interests.

Now, I find myself interested in counseling of inmates/forensic psychology stuff. But I'm not sure if I'm just afraid to reapply to the same type for fear of being rejected. Part of my interests are issues regarding mass incarceration and the racial factors that play a role in this, which kind of goes off the psychology track. Sometimes, I get confused if I should even be pursuing a Ph.D in psychology and if I am kind of missing my calling here and should be focused on something else.

Just wondering if any other rejectees found themselves questioning their plans and changes their mind or if they stuck to it and eventually succeeded or plan to stick with their original plans??

All feedback on anything related to these topics welcome!!

Colleen

I was in your position about four years ago. Although your credentials sound great (gpa, research expereince) the GRE may be what is holding you back. I personally have had a long battle with standardized tests such as the GRE. The GRE was the reason I was rejected from everywhere. I had to get an MSW just in case I would never get in to clinical psychology. I originally wanted a PhD in clinical, but my GRE scores will never be above 1200 not matter what I do, so I am getting a PsyD from a reputable university based program. I am more interested in clinical work anyway.

Have you talked to your advisor or other faculty about reasons for your rejection? You may want to talk to those who wrote letters for you and maybe show them your statement of purpose. Not everyone gets in their first time. In fact almost no one does. So try again after getting feedback from your faculty and taking the GRE again.

When I got rejected from everywhere, I did alot of research and decided to get an MSW becasue they can do therapy independently with a masters. I took the GRE again and had a great internship at a medical school doing therapy. I suggest making the most of your MA program by getting more research expereince, publicaitons and practicum expereince. Hope this helps.

 

[roubs]

I'd like to echo PsyDLICSW a bit. First of all

Although I heard that if you get interviews, the GRE no longer matters.

This is a generalization that has no basis in fact. It may be true of some labs/schools but not true of others. It'd be helpful to try and get a better GRE score.

I'd have advisors/grad students read over your SOP and even try and find someone you could do a mock interview with to give you detailed feedback on your interviewing skills.

Did you apply to a diverse range of programs or were your 13 schools all top tier?

 

[cara susanna]

Would you mind sharing your GRE scores?

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I'd like to echo PsyDLICSW a bit. First of all

This is a generalization that has no basis in fact. It may be true of some labs/schools but not true of others. It'd be helpful to try and get a better GRE score.

I'd have advisors/grad students read over your SOP and even try and find someone you could do a mock interview with to give you detailed feedback on your interviewing skills.

Did you apply to a diverse range of programs or were your 13 schools all top tier?

Agreed. Even in my program, I know there are professors who heavily factor GRE scores into their admissions decisions, and other professors who often won't even know the scores of their applicants (once it gets past any departmental cut-off). It really does vary from lab to lab.

Having others review your materials, and going through mock interviews to receive feedback can generally never hurt. Also, you'll probably find that you're a lot more at-ease, confident, and better able to coherently articulate your interests and experience during your second go-round compared to your first.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Would you mind sharing what school psych programs you applied to, either here or via PM? While most are somewhat more lenient than clinical programs about the GRE, I can think of a couple that, in my experience, weigh it pretty heavily.

 

[colleen0974]

My GRE was 500 verbal and 580 quantitative.... which I knew was definitely not going to get me into any regular clinical programs. My gpa was a 3.5. My GRE and gpa were within the range of most of the schools I applied to, I didn't apply to ones who had averages way above mine. I applied to

Georgia State University- Clinical/Community - went on interview
Depaul University- Clinical/Community - no interview
Virginia Commonwealth University- no interview
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee- School Psych - went on interview
----didnt really like the vibe here and the funding was misleading
Tulane University- School Psych - no interview
Akron University- Counseling Psych - no interview
Kent state University- School Psych - went on interview
University of South Carolina- School Psych- no interview
North Carolina State University-school psych - no interview
Lousiana State University- School psych - no interview

These 2 I got interviews but decided I really wasnt into these schools anyway so I didnt end up going on them:
Duquesne University - School Psych
University of Houston- School Psych


Now that I'm starting this master's program I feel like it could help because I will be in more stats and research classes, do a thesis with an advisor, etc. I also plan on taking the GRE's again bc I know I need to do better if I want to get in somewhere. I'm kind of confused about the new GRE though because they are changing the whole scoring system and I wonder if schools will be able to evaluate what's good and what's not.... schools won't be able to say 1300 and up or something. Also I'm concerned that if I take a GRE course like Kaplan and do a lot better on the New GRE that it won't be viewed that way because of my old scores and the confusion with judging the new scores and standards for what is good.

When I reapply again I am planning on also applying to schools where I could get a LPC because I want to have a back-up in case things don't work out. It's also frustrating because since I'm 22 and just out of college and soon to be starting a Master's program I don't really have an income other than summer jobs. When I say the schools I'm applying to and the process of flying to schools for interviews my parents aren't too happy about me spending all this money. My parents wan't me to go somewhere local, but they don't understand the process of finding a good fit with a school, looking for schools that offer funding, finding a research area your interested in, etc. Did anyone else run into this problem? It's a difficult process to be applying for these programs but it makes it worse when my family is making it seem like I'm wasting my time and that I could be getting my degree right around the corner if I wanted to.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the help and feedback.

 

[aequitasveritas]

Really tough spot ur in. I understand the angst. Spend this year evaluating your goals and do some time in insight oriented therapy with a good psychologist (well that's what I'd do).

You need to get published in a field close to professors you want to work with if a research institution is your goal.

If gre doesn't bump up, I wld abandon the idea of a phd and look into other fruitful and fulfilling paths.

 

[colleen0974]

I was in your position about four years ago. Although your credentials sound great (gpa, research expereince) the GRE may be what is holding you back. I personally have had a long battle with standardized tests such as the GRE. The GRE was the reason I was rejected from everywhere. I had to get an MSW just in case I would never get in to clinical psychology. I originally wanted a PhD in clinical, but my GRE scores will never be above 1200 not matter what I do, so I am getting a PsyD from a reputable university based program. I am more interested in clinical work anyway.

Have you talked to your advisor or other faculty about reasons for your rejection? You may want to talk to those who wrote letters for you and maybe show them your statement of purpose. Not everyone gets in their first time. In fact almost no one does. So try again after getting feedback from your faculty and taking the GRE again.

When I got rejected from everywhere, I did alot of research and decided to get an MSW becasue they can do therapy independently with a masters. I took the GRE again and had a great internship at a medical school doing therapy. I suggest making the most of your MA program by getting more research expereince, publicaitons and practicum expereince. Hope this helps.

Thanks! I think I may do a program where I can get licensure through MSW or a counseling program... thanks for sharing your experience too!

 

[colleen0974]

also did anyone do Kaplan GRE classes or other classes that they felt were helpful? I am not good with standardized tests and i did A LOT of studying on my own, memorized over 1400 words, did math problems, etc. I think I might need a class to really make the difference though...

 

[PsychAndMusic]

also did anyone do Kaplan GRE classes or other classes that they felt were helpful? I am not good with standardized tests and i did A LOT of studying on my own, memorized over 1400 words, did math problems, etc. I think I might need a class to really make the difference though...

I did a Kaplan class. If youre someone who has a hard time getting motivated to study on your own then the class is helpful but otherwise I'm not sure its worth the price. I do have to say that it was a great review for the Q section but personally, it didn't help my V score one bit. Though I'm not sure theres really any right way to study for the verbal. Maybe I'm just bitter 😛 but I memorized 600 words for the test and only about 5 of them appeared.

 

[cara susanna]

Princeton Review online tutoring raised my verbal score 90 points. That wasn't the section I needed to raise though, haha.

 

[samusb]

I'm in a similar boat, and I'm at the point where I don't know what else I can offer to programs. I applied to 11 this past year- admittedly all top-tier PhD programs. I had one excellent interview at a really top program but was waitlisted as the first alternative and didn't get it when the student above me accepted. My GREs are V710, Q730, Psych 750. GPA is a 3.78, I've got great letters, several publications (including co-authored a book) and presentations (I've even presented grand rounds for psychiatry depts), excellent clinical and research experience (most recently 2 years as the RA of a major NIH study at a prestigious institution), and I had one interview, no acceptances. It was my second time applying, too, so I assume that the nitty gritty of the actual application process didn't send me astray (I think my research ideas are well formed and several clinical professors gave my personal statement a thumbs up). So, what now? My only guess is that my research experience is with adults, whereas my interests are in children and adolescents.

 

[MarshmallowsNOM]

I have a somewhat related question- I'm assuming that the people reading this thread are like me and are applying for the 2nd or 3rd time, or maybe even more. So are people applying to the same programs/ same PI's that rejected you the first time around? I personally am looking into applying to some new (clinical PhD) programs, but I still really would like a shot at some of the programs I got rejected from last year. I am just wondering if there is any point to this, or if I didn't make the cut last year that means I have no chance and shouldn't waste my app fee. What are other people doing about this?

In particular, I know I was a front runner for one program (the PI called and talked to my current boss) but I didn't end up even getting called for an interview! Should I apply again and hope that if I was a contender last year, I will have a better chance this year? Or would the PI recognize my name and throw out my app since they already know I didn't make the cut last year?

 

[GingerTex]

I didn't get accepted for a clinical phd until my third round of applications, and I have a few thoughts for those in this painful situation.

When thinking about alternatives to perservering another year, I tried a few different paths but kept coming back to psych research, and I decided I wanted to do psych research in some way EVEN IF I never got in (research specialist and project management-type jobs).

I think the difference in finally getting acceptances was my research experience matching with the professor to the extent that she said one of my publications was something she would have quoted in her most recent article. Before I thought I was a good match, but considering how relative "matching" can be, it was hard to know, so when she said that in our interview it clicked for me.

It helped and I'd recommend it, but I don't think it ultimately made a difference that I took a Kaplan course and was able to raise my score a lot, for a score north of 700 in each Q and V.

Also, it helped that I didn't give a darn about "top tier" schools, though I did pay attention to internship match rates, and as long as that was decent, the work with the professor matters the most. This has been said time and time again on this forum, and it is so true. If you're just applying to top tier programs or a limited number of programs you're shooting yourself in the foot. I will be working with an brillant prof who is genuinely adored by her current students, and I know I'm better off there than other "higher tier" schools I applied to.

Another thing that might have helped was that I wasn't trying to be perfect in my interview; I was more myself, more visibly the person they would be seeing in the lab every day, not nervous or over-professional.

I had applied to the same program before, but my application was dramatically improved (pubs, scores, better match).

If you can't imagine doing anything else, knowing the pain and risks, keep doing it.

 

[thewesternsky]

I personally am looking into applying to some new (clinical PhD) programs, but I still really would like a shot at some of the programs I got rejected from last year. I am just wondering if there is any point to this, or if I didn't make the cut last year that means I have no chance and shouldn't waste my app fee. What are other people doing about this?

You should apply again, especially if you've in any way improved your application. My third attempt, I was accepted at 3 schools I'd previously been rejected by. (2 that I'd been rejected by TWICE!).

 

[colleen0974]

I didn't get accepted for a clinical phd until my third round of applications, and I have a few thoughts for those in this painful situation.

When thinking about alternatives to perservering another year, I tried a few different paths but kept coming back to psych research, and I decided I wanted to do psych research in some way EVEN IF I never got in (research specialist and project management-type jobs).

I think the difference in finally getting acceptances was my research experience matching with the professor to the extent that she said one of my publications was something she would have quoted in her most recent article. Before I thought I was a good match, but considering how relative "matching" can be, it was hard to know, so when she said that in our interview it clicked for me.

It helped and I'd recommend it, but I don't think it ultimately made a difference that I took a Kaplan course and was able to raise my score a lot, for a score north of 700 in each Q and V.

Also, it helped that I didn't give a darn about "top tier" schools, though I did pay attention to internship match rates, and as long as that was decent, the work with the professor matters the most. This has been said time and time again on this forum, and it is so true. If you're just applying to top tier programs or a limited number of programs you're shooting yourself in the foot. I will be working with an brillant prof who is genuinely adored by her current students, and I know I'm better off there than other "higher tier" schools I applied to.

Another thing that might have helped was that I wasn't trying to be perfect in my interview; I was more myself, more visibly the person they would be seeing in the lab every day, not nervous or over-professional.

I had applied to the same program before, but my application was dramatically improved (pubs, scores, better match).

If you can't imagine doing anything else, knowing the pain and risks, keep doing it.

Thank you!!! This really helped me a lot!!

 

[ClinicalPHD5]

I would apply to MSW programs and funded school psychology master's programs as well the next time you apply. Your GRE scores are too low for good PhD programs so why not be flexible and expand your search? Plus, you will be in school for two years vs. 6 years.

It seems like a waste of time to apply three years in a row while your life is on hold unless you have the time and money to do this each year.

 

[ClinicalPHD5]

Wow, i'm so impressed by the persistence. I can't even imagine what its like to apply 3 times around for graduate school. Honestly, phd in psychology is not worth applying 3 years in a row for. In many clinical settings, social workers and other masters level folks do the same type of work for similar pay as licensed psychologists. I would switch places with you to be 22 years old again and have the option to go into another field that is less competitive and more in demand....

 

[missmia]

Princeton Review helped me so much. I hired a tutor from PR and I raised both scores immensely.

 

[PsyDGirl25]

I was feeling similar to you my first time around applying to grad school. Don't lose hope! It sounds like you have very strong credentials and you are not alone! It might just be about strengthening your credentials even more now because things are so competitive out there. I did not get in to any doctoral programs at first, but had also applied to a few masters programs, and got in to two of them I think. I decided to just go for the MA, which ended up really helping me when I applied again to doctoral programs two years later. Not only was this great prep for doctoral work, but I got almost all of my core course credits tranferred over from my MA to my Psy.D., which ended up saving me a lot of time and money for doctoral courses. Another added bonus is that is helped when applying for extenships and internships to have a MA from before. In addition, it is going to help me get licensed more quickly and paid a higher salary as I am working on licensure...

Just my two cents. I think an M.A. seems like the way to go if you don't get in to the doctoral program of your choice the first time around.

Another thing to consider would be a Masters in Counseling or Social Work if you are thinking you would like to do clinical work. Counselors and Social Workers can often do very similar work to Clinical Psychologists in private practice settings, and you would be spending much less time and money to get through school. The only difference is that you may be more limited in the types of jobs available to you, but there is certainly a lot out there for counselors and social workers. Many group practices in my area consist of doctors, couselors, and social workers all working alongside each other.

 

[wigflip]

If the GRE really is the sticking point for psych admissions committees (ridiculous--undergrad grades are a much better predictor of grad school success), you might be able to combine your interests by pursuing clinical licensure at the masters level and doing a doctorate in a non-psych social science discipline (sociology, criminology, social work doctorate, etc.). Whereas psych folks interview and typically programs take the GRE pretty seriously, non-psych programs let YOU interview THEM (at recruitment events) and sometimes don't really consider the GRE. People who could have never gotten into a good psych PhD program are superstars in sociology, feminist studies, ethnic studies at my school.

 

[yadashley]

Have you thought of applying to PsyD programs? For some reason, PsyD tends to continue to get a bad wrap because they are genearlly "less research-focused," however, this is not necessarily the case. Many programs still require dissertations, and have many research classes/projects to choose from. If you particularly are interested in counseling and multicultural issues, there are a few PsyD programs which focus on cultural competency and diversity issues, with opportunites to do research, conferences, etc. PsyD programs tend to be larger class sizes and will accept more people. Also, some APA accredited programs may not require GRES, check out some of those programs. Though my psyd program was clinical, they focused on cultural diversity and some research as well. GREs were required, however, they looked at these the least. Good luck.