So what happens now?

[RCCH11]

This was the first time I applied to a phd program. Im not a recent college grad applying- I'm 34 and married in fact. I applied to 9 programs- never heard back from 1, got into one, and got waitlisted on another. The waitlist was my first choice. I spoke to the department yesterday and they told me that 100% of the offers were accepted and they never made it to the waitlist. So what happens now? Is that it-its over? I will definitely re-apply next year I am just wondering if its realistic to think that some folks said yes and may not go in the fall. I'm bummed because this program was really where I wanted to be and disappointed to be starting over again. This is my dream though so I will do what I must to make it work.

Thanks in advance for any advice provided. It is VERY MUCH appreciated.

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[neurobain]

It is possible that people will change their mind before September, but I wouldn't count on it. I assume you do not know where you fall on the waitlist or how long the list is, so even if people change their mind, it may still mean they won't get to you. Being waitlisted is much better than a rejection from the program because it does suggest there is enough interest that they didn't reject you. I would be trying to figure out what to do next. Without knowing specifics of what you have done already it is hard to give advice, but continue getting research experience (especially experience relevant to the research done at that program) is probably the best thing. Most researchers I know are very quick to say yes to free help! Also, I would reflect on my GRE scores in relation to what the program wants. If it was on the lower side of average, I would consider retaking the GRE. Finally, if you can shadow a psychologist or get assessment training, that could also be helpful.

 

[wtfook]

This was the first time I applied to a phd program. Im not a recent college grad applying- I'm 34 and married in fact. I applied to 9 programs- never heard back from 1, got into one, and got waitlisted on another. The waitlist was my first choice. I spoke to the department yesterday and they told me that 100% of the offers were accepted and they never made it to the waitlist. So what happens now? Is that it-its over? I will definitely re-apply next year I am just wondering if its realistic to think that some folks said yes and may not go in the fall. I'm bummed because this program was really where I wanted to be and disappointed to be starting over again. This is my dream though so I will do what I must to make it work.

Thanks in advance for any advice provided. It is VERY MUCH appreciated.

You said you got into one. Was that a place you absolutely could not see yourself going?

 

[Meteora]

As far as I am aware, April 15 is absolutely the deadline for the majority of programs in terms of offering admission.

I've heard of multiple occasions on which a student declined an offer at the last second (close to April 15), and the PI was unable to make an offer to the next person on the waitlist due to there not being any time left (meaning they couldn't take any students that year).

I'm really sorry to hear you didn't get into a program you liked. Are there any areas in your application you feel that you can improve?

 

[deleted343839]

Oh, how frustrating for your top choice to be just out of reach.

Out of curiosity, what is it about the other program that led you to turn down their offer? Though it's possible you would fare better with another round of applications next year, it's also possible that you'll find yourself in the same position.

 

[RCCH11]

There are definitely opportunities to improve my application. My undergraduate grades were weak. My graduate grades were very strong. My GRE Quant Score is weak. My GRE Qual Score is very strong. My research experience is limited to my master's thesis, my clinical experience is strong. I know that pulling up the Quant score, and maybe even the subject score, would be the best bet to fix the issue.

As far as the program I declined- and forgive me if this seems idealistic- I recognize that the role of the therapist is a pivotal role in a person's life. I'm afraid if I don't expose myself to the best training I am capable of attaining that I won't be good, and these are people's lives we are dealing with.

 

[psychRA]

How large are the cohorts at the program that waitlisted you?

If they accept a lot of student, and/or they admit students as a group rather than to specific mentors, the odds are better (though still small) that a spot would open up. If it's the type of program where students are admitted specifically to work with a particular mentor, it's less likely. The student your mentor accepted would have to renege, which is already quite unusual, and then you'd need to be next on the list.

 

[deleted343839]

There are definitely opportunities to improve my application. My undergraduate grades were weak. My graduate grades were very strong. My GRE Quant Score is weak. My GRE Qual Score is very strong. My research experience is limited to my master's thesis, my clinical experience is strong. I know that pulling up the Quant score, and maybe even the subject score, would be the best bet to fix the issue.

As far as the program I declined- and forgive me if this seems idealistic- I recognize that the role of the therapist is a pivotal role in a person's life. I'm afraid if I don't expose myself to the best training I am capable of attaining that I won't be good, and these are people's lives we are dealing with.

A few thoughts. By all means, work on your GRE score, but if you made it to the interview stage, that was probably not the deciding factor in the final rankings. If you can get more research experience, that would be helpful.

If you turned down a program that has a poor reputation or poor internship match rates, good for you for making a tough but sound decision. However, a basically solid program that may have some weak points is better than no program. Know that your training does not end in graduate school. Often your most meaningful clinical training happens on internship and postdoc (and beyond).

 

[jmiah717]

Sorry you didn't get in your top choice. I'm a little confused why you'd turn down the other. Why apply and go through the interview and all that if you weren't interested? Just change your mind?


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[Sharewithme]

This was the first time I applied to a phd program. Im not a recent college grad applying- I'm 34 and married in fact. I applied to 9 programs- never heard back from 1, got into one, and got waitlisted on another. The waitlist was my first choice. I spoke to the department yesterday and they told me that 100% of the offers were accepted and they never made it to the waitlist. So what happens now? Is that it-its over? I will definitely re-apply next year I am just wondering if its realistic to think that some folks said yes and may not go in the fall. I'm bummed because this program was really where I wanted to be and disappointed to be starting over again. This is my dream though so I will do what I must to make it work.

Thanks in advance for any advice provided. It is VERY MUCH appreciated.

I'm so sorry you got rejected. I'm going to send you a personal message. I'm organizing a support group for graduate school applicants, and since my research interests are in grief/loss, I really want to help you through this bad news while helping you feel strong enough to apply again if graduate school is your true goal. Other viewers of this post who are interested in group are welcome to join, too. Just let me know (by personal message or however).

Kind Regards,
Sharewithme

 

[RCCH11]

It was a tough decision to turn down the program I was admitted to. I based the decision on reputation and speaking with some folks who went there. It seemed like it wasn't a good match for me. Not easy.

As far as the class size- we were told about 100 people got interviews out of an applicant pool in the 350-500 range. Of that about 20 would gain entry into the cohort. I don't know how many were waitlisted. The faculty at this program is very well recognized. Its a heartbreak for sure.

 

[wtfook]

It was a tough decision to turn down the program I was admitted to. I based the decision on reputation and speaking with some folks who went there. It seemed like it wasn't a good match for me. Not easy.

As far as the class size- we were told about 100 people got interviews out of an applicant pool in the 350-500 range. Of that about 20 would gain entry into the cohort. I don't know how many were waitlisted. The faculty at this program is very well recognized. Its a heartbreak for sure.

Yeah that's a hard decision to make for sure but if you look at old threads, you'll find you're not the only one who has made a similar decisions. It's 5 years of your life at least. You definitely wanna make sure it's the right decision for you.

 

[TechnicalPrototype]

As far as I am aware, April 15 is absolutely the deadline for the majority of programs in terms of offering admission.

I've heard of multiple occasions on which a student declined an offer at the last second (close to April 15), and the PI was unable to make an offer to the next person on the waitlist due to there not being any time left (meaning they couldn't take any students that year

Really? Was that specific to the university? CUDCP outlines that you can offer admission after April 15th. Just give the prospective student "reasonable time" to make a decision. And in years like this one, the deadline is actually the first Monday after April 15th, since it fell on a Saturday.

 

[Meteora]

Really? Was that specific to the university? CUDCP outlines that you can offer admission after April 15th. Just give the prospective student "reasonable time" to make a decision. And in years like this one, the deadline is actually the first Monday after April 15th, since it fell on a Saturday.

I'm really surprised to hear that, as far as I was aware April 15 was the date across the board for American programs! The cases I've heard about this happening must be university-specific, then.

 

[biscuitsbiscuits]

I actually just received an acceptance off a waitlist today (April 20). And I declined the offer, which I assume will go to the next person on the list. So it's still in motion for some schools!

 

[EmotRegulation]

April 15th is there to give applicants time to make their choices, and for notifying programs of decisions. If there are spots available, a program can absolutely offer admission after April 15th. It does happen sometimes. If the top choice applicant waits until April 15th to decide between 2 programs, the "loser" program may then have a spot available, and they may want to fill it. As someone who didn't even interview for grad school until March 31st because my adviser had to go back to the applicant pool, I can tell you that getting a late offer is advantageous for the program if they want to fill a spot, and to an applicant who might have thought "it's over."