PhD/PsyD Second Year Applying

[wtfook]

Hi everyone. I have seen around here that some people have applied to doctoral programs a second and third year before getting accepted. I am currently in my second year of applying and I had some questions:

1) What did you do differently in the second or third years you applied? What was it that you felt like you did wrong or that you needed to change in order to present yourself better the following year?

2) I have gotten interview invitations but not from the same schools that invited me for interviews last year. Is this normal? I feel as though not getting invitations from schools I interviewed at last year is indicating something about my performance last year but I am not sure what. I want to figure it out before my interviews this year. Did anyone else have that same experience? What are your thoughts?

Thank you for your input!

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[rerope]

*rubs hands together* Come little ones! Take a seat around the fire and listen to Rerope's tale!

I'm applying for my second time and not third but I think I'd make the same changes I did the first time:
- Become more productive: I made sure to have my name as first author on something (book chapter, pub, conference paper, symposium, anything) and took on increasingly difficult roles/tasks
- More judicious on who I chose to write my LORs (I feel incredibly indebted to my recommenders for how much care they put into each letter)
- Worked on SOP for months, had many MANY drafts, and carefully selected what I would and wouldn't mention.
- Chose mentors before I chose schools: I picked POIs who's work matched my interest and experience then looked at the program's stats (i.e productivity, licensure, exam pass rates, match rates, etc)

The same thing happened to me where schools I heard from last time passed me over this round. While I feel like it was an issue of 'fit' (I was more vague last time and shoehorned my experience to fit the professor) there are a wide variety of factors that contribute to this (including increased competition, decreased funding etc). I doubt its a performance issue but hopefully others will chime in.

HTH

 

[theSteppenwolf]

Ditto, and...

a second masters degree with additional research experiences (not in my area of interest, but that's a long boring story). This is my third and final cycle.

The other thing is there are many factors outside of our control as applicants. You could guess about about why you were attractive last go around and not this time until the cows come home and never hit on the real reason (and even if you were correct you would never know it). The same professors may or may not be a priority for taking new students. Funding may be scarce. Other applicants may be more attractive for any number of reasons. Departments may be shifting focus to new areas of research. In short, a million things that happen behind the scenes of a university that people outside of the faculty will never be privy to.

What I really focused on this last time around was being strategic about the POIs and programs to which I applied, contacting POIs sometimes a year before applying (I was able to exchange emails, have phone calls, Skype calls, and in-person meetings with many), obtaining bullet-proof recommendations from professors that know me well and can speak to my strengths at length, and crafting the best SOP/PS that accurately reflected my interests and career aspirations. Basically, I have devoted myself to being the best candidate I can be and recognizing that the rest is totally up to chance.

 

[wtfook]

Thanks for the feedback guys! It's all really helpful.

 

[Justanothergrad]

Consider less attractive geographies

 

[WisNeuro]

Consider less attractive geographies

Eww, like the Dakotas?

 

[Justanothergrad]

Eww, like the Dakotas?

Ugh. Everyone has limits.

 

[rerope]

Consider less attractive geographies

This too! I forgot to mention but I nearly sabotaged my app by only applying to the coasts. I got lucky with some interviews but If I have to apply again I'll be picking schools anywhere that doesn't have brutal winters.

 

[CheetahGirl]

Eww, like the Dakotas?

You've got to be kidding, right? North Dakota and South Dakota are beautiful! I was surprised myself until I visited this past summer. And we rode horses through the Black Hills Forest, near Mount Rushmore. Amazing. Deep down, I really want to be a Cowgirl.

OP, I gained acceptance my second time around. I will reply with more later.

 

[NeuroWise]

Eww, like the Dakotas?

I gotta plug for the wild mountain west. Idaho, Utah, and Colorado specifically. It's the best place to live. OP should apply there and constantly struggle with the desire to go play (read: fly fish, hunt, be alone in the woods) and not do work.

 

[WisNeuro]

I dunno, I need large bodies of water nearby, Great Lakes or an Ocean. Keep your mountains

 

[NeuroWise]

To each their own. It's super great how massive and diverse this country is.

 

[WisNeuro]

To each their own. It's super great how massive and diverse this country is.

True, although I can't imagine the Dakotas will be as beautiful after a few massive oil pipeline accidents in teh future if things go as planned.

 

[NeuroWise]

True, although I can't imagine the Dakotas will be as beautiful after a few massive oil pipeline accidents in teh future if things go as planned.

I actually have first-hand experience working in North Dakota with oil drilling companies. The drilling sites require a ton of water for various reasons, and I drove an 18-wheel tanker while applying to grad school. During the winter, it is the worst place on the planet, I'm convinced. But in the spring and summer, it's gorgeous. Lets hope there are no accidents because I can almost guarantee oil and the pipeline are staying in ND.

 

[WisNeuro]

We can hope for no accidents, but we know that is rarely the case. I saw firsthand the damage caused when about 1 million gallons spilled from a pipeline into the Kalamazoo River, and the laughable fine that was paid to help with cleanup. I'm not holding out too much hope, especially after we gut the EPA and tear down the already weak regulations against the industry.