zapster
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Posts posted by zapster
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Need info. on housing options between Verano / Palo Verde (on campus) on one hand and off-campus close-proximity to UCI (e.g. Harvard Court / Cornell Court / Stanford Court / Berkeley Court etc.) on the other. Would be great to get first-hand views on the following aspects (keeping in mind a family with kids; need a 2-bed).
- Which options are better for school-going kids (playground, company / other kids, activities / facilities etc.)
- Do all of these fall within the same school zone
- Difference in facilities such as laundry / pool / gym / parking
- Difference in rents for a 2-bed (I have seen the rents for the on-campus options)
- Are the off-campus options in close proximity to UCI primarily filled with UCI students
- Any key positive or negatives for any of the options
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"With the accumulation of relevant experiences in psychology, many tentative ideas sparked in my mind"
Show don't tell - I would suggest elaborating on these experiences, the ideas they generated, and hence how the ideas relate to the field you now want to pursue.
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If you are still looking for advice !
I would not elaborate too much on why you made the shift from Pol.Sci. to IT unless you have something very substantial to say (i.e. completely avoid childhood experiences!) - the fact that you have made that choice earlier and are sticking to it if fine (it would have been more important to elaborate on it, for example, if you were pursuing this degree straight after your Pol. Sci. without any IT experience).
Instead focus more on (i) how your experiences in IT have led you towards the goal of pursuing the MSIT program and (ii) how it will help you fulfill future career goals.
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Research
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When you say "graduate degree in a different field" - I assume you are talking about a PhD in another field - if so, why do a PhD if you do not want to continue in academia / research?
I would recommend completing the Masters program (how long till you can get that?). If you do, you should be able to find engineering jobs without the need for a PhD. In fact, with a Physics/Maths background, there are plenty of jobs in Consulting, Finance, Economics, etc. which you may also want to look into, if only for a year or two to get a different perspective.
A Masters program will also strengthen your profile if you do want to pursue another PhD program finally. Also take this time to think through your options more carefully and get some research experience - a letter from a research advisor or a published paper, even if not in a top tier journal, should improve your PhD application.
Best of luck !
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Is there a word / page limit on the SOP - If there is, ensure you cover all the specific points required as per the brief comprehensively before you add in the 'extras'. If not, I would suggest adding in your past research experiences as well to whatever level of detail you are comfortable. You should try to form a link between the past research experience and "reasons to pursue graduate study" / "career plans" - Even if your research experiences are not exactly in the same sub-field etc., try to see how these can lead up to the required brief.
Another suggestion is to break up the SOP into sections that clearly identify the points as per the brief and then a section on how your research experiences contributed to this. So you allow the reader to scan through selectively and read only parts that he/she wants to, at the same time providing enough information for a reader who is interested in the details - this is a purely personal opinion, so go with what you are comfortable with !
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In addition to all of the above - some programs have a specific cut-off on the TOEFL 'Speaking' section to qualify as a Teaching Assistant.
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Thank You notes - along with a request for even better letters for the next years' applications ?
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On the contrary, I believe most business schools are well funded (MBA programs!) and offer lucrative full tution waivers+stipend to PhD students. Extramural funding on the other hand is (probably) less common in the business PhD programs. Do correct me if I am totally off course here !
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Hi graham...thanks, yes I have added cmu sds to my list as well.
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Thanks...will get in touch with some of the profs. Definitely want to pursue academia.
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Thanks QLL, that is helpful...yeah practically no psych coursework apart from a very basic introductory course, or coursework from a highly contextual (OB) perspective.
Have recently indulged in a bit of self-study, but nowhere as rigorous as say what 12-15 credits of undergrad psych coursework (thats an e.g. of what some programs seem to ask for) would involve. I think the more I review the programs in detail, the less eligible I seem to be...
. Not giving up though - someone recommended giving the GRE subject test in psych to make up for it (even though most programs I am looking at don't mandate it) - which is a good idea except I don't think I'm well prepared enough to get a really good percentile there based on my current knowledge, and a not-so-good score may hurt more than it helps (viz. my general GRE scores are Q 170 / V 164)? Is that an indication in itself that I'm under-prepared and should not be pursuing this line of thought - at least for this year ?To the question of why quant psych - am definitely not as interested in I/O psych - but a program that is based in a behavioral eco or computational sciences and which allows strong interdept. ties with a psych / cognitive sciences program may be a suitable alternative ? In fact decision sciences & behavioral eco programs where what I started with initialy, but very few places have a pure behavioral eco orientation, especially one that is more geared towards the psych / behavioural area. Most of them seem to focus more on applications to consumer behavior etc. rather than theory or behavioral models, or computational models of cognition etc. I've also realised that cognitive science programs with a strong computational orientation may probably be better suited - but the same issue re. level of psych coursework remains. Unfortunately after a few months of research, I am more confused than I was earlier !
I realise I am rambling on now so will stop and let the experts comment....
p.s. to give you an idea of the kind of programs that interest me...Cornell (PCD program), Indiana (math. psych), Ohio State (Quant Psych - Judg & decision making), Purdue (Math. & cogn. Sc.), UC Irvine (Cog. Sc. / Math. Beh. Sc.), UI-Urbana Ch. (research re. Beckman Inst.), UPenn (Dec. Processes).
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Hey...am also planning to apply for some quant psych programs for fall 2013, but have not finalized which ones yet. I came across the field whilst researching programs on decision sciences and behavioral research (e.g. the kind of program CMU has), and quickly realised that quant psych had a lot of what I was looking for. Whats your story ?
Also, on what basis have you shortlisted the programs you are applying to - are you aware of any specific strengths that these programs have? What I am still trying to figure out is whether a strong psych background is necessary to apply successfully? The programs I have researched so far seem to give a mixed opinion - any views? My background is engineering followed by an MBA, with a reasonable (though not fantastic) background in mathematical and statistical courses, computer programming, some experience in SAS, and about 10 yrs of completely irrelevant work experience. No psych, lab or core research experience. Any feedback on my profile for quant psych ?
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