gatorgrad

I just started my MA, and I'm not feeling much of this imposter syndrome that I have heard so much about. The coursework seems about the same as it did in undergrad for me, because I actually did all of the work in undergrad. The only thing I feel incompetent about is that I'm somehow missing something and not getting everything done that I need to (even though I'm following instructions and using the syllabi). It's only the second week, and I have already read 4 chapters of the DSM 5 and 3 chapters of another textbook, and written two 5 page papers.

I have an interview this Friday that I am driving 9 hours for, and it's my top choice. 1. Is a knee-length black dress, heels, and a cardigan alright? It's in the Florida panhandle, so it's chilly but not hot or cold. 2. If I am asked a question regarding why I believe I will be successful in the program/graduate school, must I keep it academic, or can I talk about something that I have personally been through that tested me in every way possible wherein I came out successful? I made no mention in my SOP, but I have lost almost 200lbs. in the last two years, and I feel it has helped me clarify the goals I have for myself in every way possible. Thank you

Florida Atlantic University is June 1. Many in Florida are March-May also.

I am applying to psychology MA programs - counseling and experimental. Most of the LOI instructions say something along the lines of "In your letter of intent, you should identify what area of psychology you are applying to, as well as any subfield or particular topic(s) within that area that you would like to focus on. You should address which faculty member(s) you would be interested in working with, based on their research interests. You can also mention any class or applied research project that demonstrates your interest in this area of study." Is quoting an author who truly inspired you to pursue the field tacky? It would be a 1-2 line quote at most, and I would cite it properly in APA, of course. Thanks!

My intended research interests (what I'm writing my UG honor's thesis on) falls under multiple fields of psychology, so I have several options.

Does anyone know of any Ph.D programs in Clinical, Social, or Experimental Psych with deadlines after February 1 for that fall semester? TL;DR - was supposed to take the GRE in August, was in the hospital all summer so I could't study. Rescheduled for October 31, but wound up with a full course load, full-time job and more health problems, so I rescheduled yet again for January 2, 2014. I graduate in the summer of 2014, and am set on starting a program in Fall 2014. I have several MA/MS programs I'm applying to because they have later deadlines (Feb 1-June 1 for the ones of interest), but I can't find any Ph.D programs with late deadlines. Any leads are appreciated. I've looked at over 30 programs and the latest I've found was January 1st. Thanks!

I'm in love with their program, but even moreso with their customer service. I purchased the 6 month plan back in May, and had planned on taking the GRE in August. I wound up in the hospital during the better part of the summer, so I was unable to study. A week or so before it was going to expire, I emailed them asking if they could renew for just a month (Now taking the GRE on 1/2/14) for a reduced price, and they emailed me back within 24 hours saying they had extended it FREE OF CHARGE until 1/3/14 because of my circumstances (I had offered to provide documentation for the medical stuff if they had wanted it for proof). I'm now crash-coursing it using Magoosh, ETS book, and my friends boyfriend who tutors for the SAT/LSAT/GRE/GMAT because I'm scoring extraordinarily low in quant - 90% in verbal, 20% in quant I seriously recommend it to anyone. The videos are extremely helpful, and if the video still leaves you confused, just email them - and get a response within 12 hours most times.

I had originally hoped to apply to doctoral programs, but I'm becoming more and more discouraged. TL;DR BA from U Florida in Women's Studies GPA 3.14 Second BA from Florida Atlantic in Psychology (current GPA 3.51, psych GPA 3.85 - two semesters to go, in the undergrad Honor's Psychology program. Interested in PTSD and sexual assault, as well as obesity as a deterrent for reporting sexual assault. I was supposed to be studying for the GRE all summer and taking it in July, but I wound up in the hospital - so I'm now studying for the GRE, working 30 hours a week, and taking 5 classes. I'm scoring in the V150, Q150 range for the GRE on practice tests - taking it on October 31. I have always had to work during undergrad, so I have ZERO extra curricula's, and ZERO research experience - though I will be doing an empirically based honor's thesis in the spring semester (after most doctoral deadlines, and in the middle of M.A deadlines) I want to teach and do research - I do not want to be a clinician. Do you all think I would be competitive in M.A. programs? I really doubt I'll get into any doctoral programs with my stats. Thanks for any advice!

This thread is making me feel sad. I had originally hoped to apply to doctoral programs, but I'm becoming more and more discouraged. TL;DR BA from U Florida in Women's Studies GPA 3.14 Second BA from Florida Atlantic in Psychology (current GPA 3.51, psych GPA 3.85 - two semesters to go, in the undergrad Honor's Psychology program. Interested in PTSD and sexual assault, as well as childhood obesity and adolescent social development. I was supposed to be studying for the GRE all summer and taking it in July, but I wound up in the hospital - so I'm not studying for the GRE, working 30 hours a week, and taking 5 classes. I'm scoring in the V150, Q150 range for the GRE on practice tests - taking it the end of October. I have always had to work during undergrad, so I have ZERO extra curricula's, and ZERO research experience. I will be writing an Honor's Thesis, but will not be starting it until after the deadlines for Ph.D programs. I want to teach and do research - I do not want to be a clinician. Do you all think I would be competitive in M.A. programs? I really doubt I'll get into any doctoral programs with my stats. Thanks for any advice!

That's actually a really great idea. Thanks for the last tip! I think I'll do that - give him a rough draft of something and ask him to work from that. Thanks!

Then what do I do? I really have no other options for an LOR - I know he's incredibly busy as he teaches, has a private practice, and does forensic psych work.

So, I have this professor for two courses. I've brought up the topic of a LOR already, since applications are due before the semester is even over. He's complimented me multiple times already for my engagement and enthusiasm in class discussion, even though the class has almost 200 people. I raise my hand and pose questions or concerns at least once a class. He told me what he normally does is have the student write their own glowing recommendation letters, then send it to him. He puts it on his letterhead and signs it and sends it in. Is this ethical? Obviously I could write a better LOR for myself than any professor ever could - but I don't know how common this is? Also, a second question about LOR - is it normal/alright for me to get an LOR from a professor who teaches in a subject that is not my major? I'm a psych major, applying to psych programs, but I had a professor for Sociology of Mental Health, and she offered to write me an LOR at the end of the semester when I had her because she didn't understand why I wasn't already in grad school with my writing and ideas. Thanks so much!

If I am registered with OSD at my university for a cognitive "disability" (ADHD), would it be beneficial or detrimental to mention it in my SOP/PS. If I mentioned it, it would be to demonstrate my ability to overcome it, maintaining a significantly high GPA while working full time. I don't want to hurt my application, nor do I want to sound like I'm playing the pity role - I don't ever do that. I rarely even use the services provided by my OSD, short of unlimited printing and the software they give us access to to help us speed-read using PDF versions of textbooks.

I just took my first practice GRE. I did horrible, to say the least. Q149, V145. I know that I am a poor standardized test taker. I did very poorly on the SAT and ACT in high school. I did poorly on the standardized tests throughout middle and high school. Despite this, I've managed one Bachelor's from a very good university, and I'm currently in the process of earning my second one. I have good grades, and my cumGPA is 3.56, majorGPA is 3.97. I can write papers of all sorts, and can take exams in classes, but standardized tests seem to do me in. I have 3 months to study for this test, as well as the Psych subject GRE. I have the Kaplan Premier book, and I'm going to purchase the individual verbal and quant books, as well. Are the Kaplan ones worth it, or are there others? I don't have a lot of money to put into this, like a course. I feel so discouraged right now. I'm always being complimented by professors on my writing abilities, so I know I'll do fine on the AW. I work as a writing consultant at my school, so I would have hoped to do better on verbal, as my everyday vocabulary is quite expansive. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

What about recommendation letters from graduate students whom you had for a class? I know they're not a Ph.D yet, but she knows me very well, and has told me outright that I'm the best student she's had in the few years she's been teaching. A letter from her would be invaluable, so I would think, but do adcom's look down on letters not written by a professor? The other 2-3 I have would be from Ph.D's.

Agreed with Psykir. I live in the area, and don't plan on applying to Nova because of the lack of funding. There's even a POI there with research interests incredibly in sync with mine, but I won't go and rack up hundreds of thousands in debt for a degree I can get paid to complete somewhere else. It's a wonderful program IF you have the money to pay for it outright and not rack up loans.

For anyone that attends, can you talk about your experience with the school and the city? I'm looking to apply to the Applied Social Psych doctoral program. I'm originally from New York City, but have lived in South Florida for the past 8 years, so I'm used to a more city/urban feel. How is the campus in terms of tolerance? Is it diverse? Is the climate typically more conservative, or more liberal? Thank you to anyone who can provide some insight!

Thanks! I'll check out her work

It's interesting you mention this. It was a concern of mine, but several of my professors have told me that my GPA, GRE, LORs, and statement can overshadow that if I make it clear that my reasoning for not having the research experience was because I worked full time while going to school full time. Isn't applying to Ph.D programs technically applying to M.A. programs, as well? Before one begins the actual doctorate, you have to write a thesis, anyways. I know several people who have gotten in without much/any research experience.

STEM generally looks more at experience and GRE, rather than explicitly GPA, no? At least that's how it was when I was applying to pharmacy school two years ago before I decided I hated chemistry. Psych is so competitive, which is why I'm worried.

I have a stellar GPA (I'll have a 3.94 after this current semester), and I work a lot. My sacrifice was EC's and now, I'm trying to figure out how to get some research experience before applying. That's going to be my biggest downfall - I have zero EC's or research experience.

I like RefWorks, but Son of Citation Machine works in a pinch, too! You just have to copy and paste them one by one, but it finds citations from all over the web, and they're very accurate.

I mean, I work full time. I have never qualified for "free money" through FAFSA. My entire undergrad - both Bachelors - are completely loan funded If I make enough money to not qualify for that, I doubt I'd qualify for fee waivers.

Yeeeeeesh. I won't have to pay for transcripts from my current university, but UF charges $10 per copy, electronic or otherwise, for alumni. Oy. Looks like it's time to cut the spending! Thanks for this! I think I just need to make a spreadsheet with all the costs. That's one thing I haven't added to any of my documents yet. I'm scared of the money part of this whole thing, because I'm terrified of being rejected from all the programs.

This is exactly how all of those paid courses go - Kaplan, Barrons, etc. They do a baseline test, then every 2-3 weeks, they give another full length exam to see how much improvement is going on. That's the only way to prepare for these exams - take full length timed practice tests every week or two. Don't spend your time studying inordinate amounts of material only to find out that it made no difference to your scores. If you take 2-3 tests and your scores don't improve, change your approach to the material.