I/OApplicant

For all the PhD programs I applied to, the deadline to make a decision was April 15. I think that's the standard.

Just wanted to let you all know that I just opened up spaces at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Maryland, and University of South Florida. Good luck to all those on the waitlist!

Congrats! Where are you accepting? PM me if you don't want to post.

For my offers, I got letters via email with the funding info in them and then mailed letters a few days later. If you haven't received that yet, you could probably reach out to the program director and ask about the funding situation.

I do think it's important to have an idea of how much the faculty are publishing, but the rankings don't indicate how much of that publishing is what student co-authors, which I think is even more important for prospective students. I'm also concerned about advisor experience/tenure because I've heard both positive and negative things about older professors: some say that are great because they have a larger network and are more well-known in the field, whereas others say that because they have tenure they are less motivated to publish and care less about student success. Of course, during the interview/visitation weekends, it's hard to judge this because obviously students and faculty are going to be raving about their own programs. Is it possible to get an objective perspective on this?

Hey everyone! At this point I have a few offers that I am considering (to all of those on the wait list, I will be making my decision soon!) but I am wondering how you all feel about the rankings posted on the SIOP website. How important do you think ranking really is for job prospects, especially non-academic positions? There is one program I really enjoyed visiting and feel like it would be a great fit for me, but it is not as highly ranked as some of the others I have been accepted to. Any thoughts?

I had two advisors contact me about doing the same thing. One is a younger, less experienced faculty member and the other is much more experienced and has great funding. They framed it in a way that it could only benefit me: I'd have two people who are available to help me, and also two sources of expertise to inform my research projects. After talking to other grad students, I think it's a good thing, but I could see how it could be difficult to not have one "primary" advisor. I think that if you like both of them and are interested in both of their areas of research, it will be an asset.

I feel the same way, @Southernbelle91. I haven't heard from UMSL but I was invited to the UGA visitation weekend, which is the weekend of Feb. 19. Good luck!

I think you can play this up as an advantage in your SOP -- just make sure that someone in the program is already engaged in each of the areas of interest you mention. Some programs even recommend that you have several multiple faculty members with whom you would like to work so that they know you are a good fit with the department as a whole. May I ask where you are applying?

Hi everyone! I am currently applying to I/O PhD programs as well. It is very stressful, as you all know, so I'd love to participate in this forum. Do any of you have advice on faculty that don't respond to inquiry emails? Should you try to email them again, or just apply without actually hearing from them? Any thoughts? Also, is there any advantage (other than stress relief) to applying early (i.e. now) rather than a week or two before the deadline? Does it affect the way your application is viewed?