gatorgrad

I'm incredibly serious when I say you should purchase a dictionary, or download a dictionary app for your phone. English is not my first language (Russian is) and I read the dictionary to learn many words at once. Even more, keep a thesaurus or thesaurus.com with you as you're reading the dictionary. When you encounter a word you don't know the meaning of, make an index card, or a list and write the word + definition down. THEN, go to the thesaurus, and write down a couple synonyms and antonyms for that word. This is more strategic for someone trying to learn the language for practical use rather than a test like the GRE, but the dictionary and thesaurus are the basic tools for the english language. I've been speaking English for over 10 years now, and I've actually scored better on exams in English than I have in Russian. I find myself more proficient/fluent in English than Russian now, too. Take this seriously if you want to go to a grad school in the US. You'll need to write lab reports and communicate with people. Knowing the logistics as well as the syntax and alternates in the language can only help you. Have you thought about getting a private tutor?

Very true. I've seen so many horror stories about LOR's not getting sent in time. I have at least 8 programs I'm applying to, so I feel like it's the respectful thing to do to give such ample time and notice.

How much did it cost you to apply to graduate programs in total? Included in this would be GRE costs, app fees, transcripts, etc. - basically any cost incurred during application season. I'm applying for next Fall, and I have $250 saved so far, but the fact that I want to apply to at least 10 programs, and each have an app fee of at least $40 is becoming worrisome to me. I don't have the money to throw around, since I'm a FT student and work FT, as well. How far in advance did you start saving for this stuff? I'm thinking I should save at least $1000 for this entire process. Does that sound too high? Too low? Thank you!

Surviving Your Stupid, Stupid Decision to Go to Grad School by Adam Ruben

I'm planning on applying to doctoral programs for Fall 2014, so deadlines are December of this year. I don't have a set list of programs I'm applying to yet, but would it be wise to ask for an LOR now, so that the professor is at least somewhat prepared to write the LOR's when I need them? Most of the programs I am looking at have their own forms to fill out - they don't want a regular letter written. I'm just wondering how early is too early (if at all) to ask for an LOR that I wouldn't need until the end of the summer. Thank you!

You are incredible. Thank you so much for taking the time to do that for me!

That's interesting that you mention widening my interests. I've been told by several professors at my current institution that I may need to narrow my focus a bit. I have also been cautioned that adding in the specific of obesity might disqualify me from many because it takes considerably longer to parse out an even smaller subpopulation of individuals who have gone through something that is severely underreported as it is. I also had not heard of Dr. Hansen before. Looking at his publications and research, it seems that he only does research on children in relation to sexual abuse. Any advice you can offer would be appreciated! You are the first person I've spoken with that is still obtaining their education in an area that is even remotely close to mine. It's so rare!

Would they have to be in the same department? If not, I've found several schools where combining a psych POI and a sociology or women's studies POI would give me the necessary credentials.

I'm currently working on a second bachelors. I'm starting the application process this summer, and applying to doctoral programs for Fall 2014. My research interests are extremely specific. I've been told by a professor at my current university that I should expect to find difficulty in finding professors to advise me. He suggested I go through research and literature related to my interests, and look their CV and faculty profiles up. I've looked at over 300 people so far, and found 3 that could possibly work. The only problem is that they haven't answered my emails! Ultimately, I am looking to do research with victims of sexual assault that experience PTSD/rape trauma syndrome. Specifically, I am interested in researching self-perception as a rape victim versus a rape survivor, how those identities are often bounced between following sexual assault, and how those identities are constructed through the effects of stigmatization of rape victims in society. I would love to include the specificity of obesity into the research, since there seems to be a lack of work in that area, as was mentioned multiple times in theFat Studies Reader, edited by Rothblum and Solovay. I'm looking at clinical psych as well as social psych programs, but I'm coming up very short. Does anyone have any knowledge of a program/POI that could handle this? I've come up with a list of 3 people so far, but I want to apply to at least 9-10 programs. Any help would be tremendously appreciated. My list so far: Dr. Peterson at U Michigan, Saint Louis Dr. Muehlenhard at Kansas Dr. Walker at Nova Southeastern University

Hi all! I'm starting to look seriously into doctoral programs as I'm looking to apply for Fall 2014 admission. A bit of background - I have a BA in Women, Gender and Sexualities Studies from 2011. I'm currently working on a second BA in psychology, and I'll be done in the Spring of 2014. For my first undergraduate thesis, I looked into media portrayals of rape victims, how rape victims construct their identity as a victim of rape, and the transition from viewing oneself as a victim of rape to a survivor of rape. For my second thesis, I'm going to be continuing that research, adding in rape trauma syndrome, and the correlation between the severity of it that is experienced, and previous exposure to slut shaming and rape stigma in media and culture. I've isolated ONE program which fits these needs to a T, and that is UMSL Ph.D in Clinical Psychology with a Trauma Studies certificate. There's a professor there that deals with research very similar to this, and I've contacted her, and she agrees that that program would be a superb fit for my interests. I'm just worried that I wouldn't get in because I don't have a Master's level degree. My first UG GPA was 3.2, and my current Psych GPA is 3.8 (which will be combined, so I need to get my GPA up in the next year) Anyways, the other program I'm looking at is the combined M.A./PsyD program at Widener. It gives the M.A. in Human Sexuality and the Psy.D in 5 years, and if you complete it in time, you don't pay for the M.A. level courses at all. This school is appealing because they have 100% placement for internships through the APA, but it's SO expensive, and not everyone qualifies for funding. What other areas could I look into? I'm honestly not sure if I want to ultimately do research or work in the clinical arena. Ideally, I'd love to do both, but I know that may not be a possible reality. Would just looking into Clinical Psych be a good idea, or should I look into Social Psych and then look for professors that have somewhat similar research areas? Second question: The university I'm currently at is very hardcore into evolutionary and developmental psychology, both in UG and graduate level. We have two professors who teach social psychology, but neither of them have research interests even remotely similar to me. My advisor has said "You might be out of luck in terms of writing a thesis, since I need an advisor that aligns with my interests. So frustrating! Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I've taken the basic liberal arts maths, college algebra, and pre-calculus. I still need to take statistics for my degree, so I'll have that knowledge base. I notice that trig is a big part of the quant section, as well as geometry. I've never been exposed to trig. Should I take the class, or will studying from the books be sufficient enough?

I'm working on a second BA right now. I have two LOR's from my first BA, but they're both from teachers who were doctoral candidates. I never really had any actual Ph.D'd professors. Would it hurt me to submit one of those along with an LOR or two from professors from my second BA? Maybe one from first, one from this one, and a previous employer? I know that having an actual Ph.D write an LOR is more valuable than a doctoral candidate, but the two letters I have are incredibly strong. Thanks!

I'm doing post-bacc work right now and applying to doctoral programs, but I've recently started doing this - scheduling off time for life - and I feel much less stressed and overwhelmed with the amount of work I have to do. Seriously - this is so helpful.

The problem is that at my current school, none of the professors have research interests even remotely close to my interest areas. I've spoken to my advisor, and the only option would be to do an unsupervised honors thesis, which is useless if it isn't going to be defended.

Hello! I'm a new member here, obviously. I'm currently pursuing a second BA, in psychology. My first is in Gender and Sexualities Studies from the University of Florida. I plan on applying to MA programs in Clinical Psych, as well as LMFT and LMHC programs for both the Spring 2014 and Fall 2014 cycle, as I will be done with my second BA in December 2013. During my entire college career, I have worked at least part time in addition to being a more than full time student (typically 15-18 credits/semester). I have a working GPA (first uGrad GPA was 3.14, current Psych cum GPA is 3.76 - they don't combine them until I apply so I know I have to increase my GPA more right now). My questions is about volunteer and research experience. One of the programs I am very interested in, Widener's M.Ed in Human Sexuality requires applicants to have experience in the field of human sexuality. Now, I have taken classes in it galore, having a degree in it, but I've never been able to find volunteer work or paid work in the field, because of my part time availability with school. I apply to jobs all over. I try to find volunteer opportunities everywhere I can, but there doesn't seem to be much in my area. Does anyone have any opinions on what my options could be? I live in South Florida, but I'm about 40 minutes from Fort Lauderdale, and about 1.5-2 hours away from Metro Miami where opportunities may present themselves in any sort of decent way. I've done the research on the programs I'm interested. Widener's program is the only one that seems to absolutely require experience, and I believe that my two degrees will suffice for the other programs. I also have taken the GRE already, but will be taking the new exam in February or March, since I'm studying over winter break. Thank you!