hopefullyio

Hey guys! I'm just adding a link to a post on reddit by an IO Psychology professor who is answering questions about grad school. It looked like he would be answering questions for the next few days (through 10/27). This might be a good resource for some of the people on here with questions that are hard for us to know as other applicants! https://www.reddit.com/r/IOPsychology/comments/3pox8l/iama_the_io_psychology_professor_that_runs_the/

I'm starting to feel like the deadlines are approaching quickly! The first due date for me is December 1st, and I want things done a few weeks before that... I'm applying to 11 programs (7 I/O PhD and 4 Organizational Behavior PhD). I'm hoping that that's enough, but I'm wondering if I should add a few more more. Which programs are you applying to?

It probably isn't as important for programs with collective decisions; it won't hurt an application to express interest though. In general, I've gotten the advice from faculty and grad students in my research lab that it's almost always better to show the initiative by contacting someone.

I'm only applying to PhD programs, so I'm not sure if the protocol is the same for master's programs! I've emailed a few professors who I would want to be potential advisors to express interest in their research, confirm if they are accepting students for this cycle, and mention my own research interests. There isn't a set way to contact people. Try to keep things professional, brief, and make things specific to each person to avoid looking like you just spammed a bunch of people. I've gotten a pretty big range too! I had a few people seem excited, a few polite responses, and some that didn't answer. I think a lot of what we hear back depends on the person and timing.

Good luck next week! I'm thankfully done with the GRE. In terms of the application process, I've contacted a few faculty, have my letters of recommendation lined up, and am starting my personal statement this week. We'll see how that goes:)

I'm applying this cycle too! My research interests are mostly in decision-making, motivation, group dynamics, and selection. Which programs are all of you considering?