sing something

There are only a handful of funded Masters programs in psychology (search these forums and you'll easily find some lists). This means it is reasonable and possible to REALLY research the faculty at each one. An initial glance at the faculty research interests page of their websites might make it seem like there is no one that shares your interests, but dig deeper. I found my adviser by reading his Masters thesis and realizing a potential area of overlap in his findings and my research interests - even though at first glance our research interests seemed completely different. When I emailed him to ask if he had considered this line of research, he said it was actually a direction he had been thinking about taking his research in for a while!

I will most likely be attending William & Mary for my Masters in psychology in the Fall. Anyone else headed to W&M in the fall?

Is there a local temp agency? That would be my first stop. In addition to the ideas above, you could look for housecleaning jobs, by posting ads/looking for jobs like this on websites like craigslist and care.com.er post a

Could the person that heard from the psychoogy Masters program at William and Mary PM their POI (if this is who the invite was from)?

I would just send a short email thanking him for double-checking for you and reiterating your interest in his work and your excitement for the coming decision.

I applied to social and have not heard anything yet. I've assumed this is a rejection, but I suppose I don't know for sure.

Look at the suggestions for future research in the discussion sections of relevant articles. See if you can think of a method for answering a question that other researchers in the field have identified as being important.

I'm guessing they send it to all applicants since the decisions are made after the FAFSA priority deadline. I know for certain this is the case at the University of Denver.

It definitely varies, mostly based on cost of living in a particular location. The best I've seen is 30K-ish for top programs in high cost of living areas (such as parts of CA). 10-20K is more typical.

I would go with dressy ankle boots. If you end up attending grad school in a cold weather city, a lot of people where warm, waterproof boots to work and then change into heels or flats. For an interview situation where you won't have that opportunity, ankle boots all the way.

I haven't received the response I was hoping for from my doctoral applications. I'm considering applying to Masters programs with later deadlines (Feb. 15 at the earliest), but I'm not sure. Does anyone know of any mostly funded masters programs in psychology? How important is precise research fit in masters programs? I know a lot of masters programs are accepting of students who don't have defined research interests. I wouldn't categorize myself as such, but I am having troubles finding masters programs that are a good research fit and am open to pursuing other lines of research in similar fields to strenghten my research skills and to solidify my interests. I don't know if this is a) a good idea or how to sell this in a statement of purpose. I would be doing myself a disservice to pretend like I do not have any developed research interests (even if the program was OK with this), but I'm afraid I would not get into a program that does not have POIs in my field if I mention my research interests. Does anyone have any insight?

My mom: "even if you don't get in anywhere this year, simply being at the point to apply to competitive programs is impressive." ...anyone can apply. Granted, I have put in a lot of work to be what I consider a "competitive" applicant, but simply being able to apply means nothing.

How were you able to take graduate level classes? Did your undergrad simply allow this through regular registration or...?

Log in here: https://www.applyweb.com/cgi-bin/ustat?formcode=stanford&action=logoff

You would think if they had already ruled us out they wouldn't bother to update our statuses to complete...they would just update to rejections. I know that's wishful thinking.

When I first started visiting the grad cafe I considered it an unhealthy indulgence. It made me even more obsessive and spastic than I already was. Today, I view it quite differently. The forums on this site, as well as the people I've chatted with through PM, have provided me with a much better idea of what I should be aspiring toward. I have gained a better idea of the experiences and knowledge held by my competitors and colleagues, and this has helped me to improve myself, my research, and my applications. Unfortunately, I discovered all of this after I submitted all of my applications. Still, I am happy to have an idea of what I can do to better prepare for grad school, or for another round of applications if necessary (knock on wood). I thought everyone might benefit from discussing their plans for improving between now and grad school or now and next year's application cycle. As for myself: -I want to focus more on my hard sciences and statistics background. I am taking an advanced bio course, a chem course, and an advanced stats course this semester. -I need to read more literature in my field. I don't feel that I'm behind on this necessarily, but I could always read more. -I need more relevant lab experience. No one at my school does research in my field. I need to make it a priority to seek out this experience elsewhere. -my SOP is a mess. If I have to reapply next year, I will focus way more on my research and way less on everything else. What about you guys? (I swear this is way more cathartic than it might seem)

Beef, mushrooms, black olives, and feta cheese on deep dish crust with lots of mozzarella. Mmmm.

You shouldn't try to prove your intellect by proving your parents intellect. Yes, there may be a genetic component, so demonstrate those good genes by showing them what YOU have to offer, not your parents.

From what I have heard, sending an extra letter is never a bad thing. If the adcomm doesn't consider extra application materials the letter probably won't even get matched to your application. If they do, it will be seen as a positive something extra. It certainly won't be seen as "the kiss of death." Relax. The fact that more people want to recommend you than is necessary is something you should be happy about - and the school will be too.

Invitation to a recruitment weekend is equivalent to an interview for most schools, as its been explained to me. For social programs, your chances of receiving a formal acceptance after this weekend are much higher though. Most programs invite 1-2 people for every 1 slot, whereas clinical programs might invite 3-5 per slot.

I think you're gpa is okay. Anything over a 3.5 should be enough not to rule you out, but you could definitely benefit from boosting it to at least a 3.6. Research experience is key, so get involved in a meaningful way with a lab now, in addition to the research and thesis experience you anticipate next year. A stellar GRE can also do a lot to offset an average gpa. I am applying to phD programs with a 3.59, so I'll tell you how it goes...

I first contacted admissions via email Nov. 19. I was told the status would not be changed for a couple of weeks after the deadline due to the huge number of applicants. I would say its been much longer than a couple of weeks, though, so I sent another email (I called originally the first time and admissions requested I direct inquiries to their email account). I will post in here when I receive a response.

I applied to the affective science area of the psychology department at Stanford and I have a couple of questions for any other applicants. 1. Does anyone else's application status read "incomplete?" I was assured that this was normal and did not mean my application materials were incomplete. Instead, it meant the status had yet to be manually changed by someone in the admissions office. I see now in the results section of this website that applicants are beginning to hear back about interviews, however, and this has made me nervous about my "incomplete status." 2. Has anyone applying to the affective science area been invited to an interview? If so, who contacted you with the invitation. If it was your POI, please specify which professor. Thanks and congrats to anyone who has received their interview invite!

I would absolutely get those grades 'voided.' I have always seen 3.5 as the benchmark gpa for what is considered OK for phd acceptance - not that it's impossible with lower, but that those who are accepted with less than a 3.5 are the rare exception. Congrats on the GRE scores! And I think your research experience sounds fine. It might not be what makes you stand out but it definitely seems to be in the realm of what competitive programs look for.I also think quality plays a large part - how you can demonstrate what you gained from the research in your SOP and interviews. The opportunity for authorship indicates to me that it has been a substantial experience, and not just bare minimum RA work.

I would say definitely take your department chair up on his offer. If nothing else, you can send four letters. Even if you are strictly limited to three, it sounds as if his letter could be stronger than one of the ones from your professors. It sounds like most of your application package is solid, except for your cumulative gpa. It is definitely strong enough for a masters program, so you might consider getting your masters first and then applying to phd programs. That being said, the upward trend in your gpa will definitely be considered. Some schools use gpa-gre formulas, so rock the gre and that should also help. I would also ask one of your letter writers to address the gpa - either provide reason for your rocky start (relatively...in the normal world a 3.3 is hardly rocky) or simply point out the upward trend and your increased motivation/work ethic/understanding of difficult material, whatever it may be..Good luck!