<p>I am applying for a Clinical Psychology program at LSU and cannot make the "interview day." </p>
<p>I understand these days are critical for the program admissions...so am I effectively blowing off my chances for acceptance? I work a very invovled job...and to get off for 2 days for admissions interviews just isn't possible right now.
And to tell you the truth, I've already called in "sick" to go to other school visits/interviews.</p>
<p>So I'm all out of days. They won't meet me on the weekend.
I'm assuming unless they don't find all the good people they need, it's game over for that program..</p>
<p>Also, what are the best ranking resources? I'm interested in Clinical psychology & neuroscience.
Thank you!</p>
<p>That’s really not cool that your lab does not allow you 2 days off for interviews. What kind of lab do you work in??? You are definitely blowing your chances by not showing up to the interview days, that’s for sure. Unless they are willing to do a phone interview, which doesn’t sound like the case here. </p>
<p>Why don’t you try going to the PI directly and just be frank about it? Every PI had to go to these interviews (med school or grad school) and know just how CRUCIAL these are. Clinical psych programs are extremely competitive and trust me, they WILL “find all the good people they need.”</p>
<p>On the other hand, if you’ve had a bunch of other interviews and if you think you’ve got one or two in the bag already, I guess you can skip one interview. Otherwise, I think you should do everything in your power to go to this interview. You’re only in that lab for a few more months (IF you get in somewhere) but this is your CAREER you’re talking about.</p>
<p>Well…that’s the thing. I work in a corporate lab in product development.
Working for “the man” and they would fire me as soon as they found out I was thinking about leaving for grad school.</p>
<p>I would totally just quit the job anyways…but I have a lot of debt that has to be paid off before going back to a program…since the stipends aren’t really a lot and I have wedding debt the job is paying it off until august.
So it’s really a pickle. I think i’m just going to forget about the LSU…because if I can’t keep this job and pay off my debt, I won’t be able to go to grad school…and if I call in sick or don’t come in, they’ll probably let me go.</p>
<p>I am totally with you on having a lot of debt to pay off before leaving - I have a bit of <em>gasp</em> credit card debt from undergrad years and gosh, it makes things that much stressful. </p>
<p>I don’t want to promote dishonesty but since this is SO IMPORTANT for your life, I’d try to come up with other excuses than calling in sick. I know, it’s bad, but I totally wouldn’t blame you if you did. Would anyone? I wish you the best of luck and I hope everything works out…</p>
<p>Different schools place different amounts of emphasis on the ‘visit day’. Some programs basically use it as a recruiting day where you are basically in unless you really mess up, whereas other programs use it as a solid interview visit where many invitees don’t get in.</p>
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