Angua

I don't have a list of "non-psychopathic" professors for you (though I've run into far fewer intolerable professors than you seem to have), but I wanted to point out that this is exactly what interviews and campus visits are for. A lot of what you are talking about is going to be very hard to find out before you meet, because (1) it's not something that's easy to summarize or quantify and (2) it's going to vary a lot from student to student. You must have had these experiences already: your friend complains that a professor you like is awful, or vice-versa. That's because personalities vary. And what seems people-hating to you may be wry and witty to me. It's easy to forget that the interviews are for you, too, but they are. It's absolutely okay to recognize how important personality fit is to you -- it's not going to be so important for everyone, but it is for you, and that's fine. But I still think it's probably easier to put off worrying about it until you've identified POIs who match in other ways -- in other words, until you get an interview. At that stage, you already know (or will be close to knowing) that there is a match in research interests, and you can focus on the personality issue. You will get a good sense of personality from the interview with the professor, and you can get more by targeting your questions. "What is your advising style?" is a good one that I think will elicit some good information about how the professor likes to interact with her students, and "What makes a student successful in this program?" or "What kind of student is not a good fit for this program?" will give you some insight into how they think about students as well (and should out any people-hating curmudgeons). Then, ask current students in the department what it is like to work with or interact with your POI. They will usually give you pretty good information. You can also get some information by running your list of POIs past some professor(s) you trust and asking for any advice or insight they have about your listed choices. They will often have inside information and past experiences that will be enlightening. If you really trust the professor and/or they know you especially well, you can specifically mention that you are concerned with personality fit, and that might also get you good info.

For those looking for full-time research work, Amy Cuddy at Harvard Business School just tweeted about an opening in her lab: https://sjobs.brassring.com/TGWEbHost/jobdetails.aspx?partnerID=25240&siteID=5341&AReq=32603BR There is a ton of social psychology going on in business schools these days, and Amy Cuddy's work is getting a lot of attention. This would be great experience for someone looking at grad programs in business, psychology, or public policy, I think.

While I generally agree with what others have said, I also want to point out that there are lots of small, non-research-oriented institutions (small colleges, community colleges, etc) that hire psychology professors. These jobs are often viewed as less prestigious by researchers in psychology, but might be what you are looking for. In general, these places would still require you to do research, but the pressure would be much less than at a research institution, and there is a much bigger focus on teaching than at a research school (where teaching is required but often not stressed). Most (if not all) will still require a PhD, which as others have pointed out, will require lots of research. Some of these smaller schools also grant PhDs -- but I would see where the people they are hiring did their PhDs before I attended one.

This seems like a good place to recommend resources for finding positions like these -- I know that it is remarkably difficult! Off the top of my head, I recommend: Higher Ed Jobs - They have a very large clearinghouse of job postings (lots of different kinds), and you can set up customized alerts to be emailed to you. The downside is that they have so many, so ferreting out the kinds of positions you want can be hard. I set up several alerts when I was searching, and in fact turned up a handful of relevant positions -- I actually think you'll have better luck with clinically-relevant positions than I did with non-clinically-relevant jobs. Cast a wide net, and you will certainly turn up some things to try applying for. SPSP.org - This website is trying to get up and running, and I have seen a few lab manager positions posted in the forums. This link is specifically to their job board, which has a few openings listed and may have more in the coming months (the SPSP folks are really trying to build up the site). This is theoretically a social psych site, but (1) other related posts get added, and (2) it's part of a general recommendation to check the message boards and websites of organizations like this. (For example, here's one that might be relevant to you: http://www.spsp.org/networking/apply_now.aspx?view=2&id=184696) APA.org - This is (obviously) not a specific job site, and this is tedious (fair warning!), but go to APA.org, look for "Divisions", and start poking through any division that sounds related/interesting to you. Some have websites, lists, or forums that will have postings for the kinds of jobs you are looking for (here's an example -- check the recent archives of this mailing list: https://sites.google.com/site/sscpwebsite/listserv). Many divisions have little to no site -- but those that do are likely to have good resources. Specific school sites - the other thing I did when I was looking was check the job websites of specific schools (for me, large schools that I thought were likely to hire full-time RA/lab managers, and those that I knew had labs relevant to my interests). This is even more tedious, but if you can set up alerts (or develop a system for checking promising schools regularly), it can pay off. Good luck! If I think of other resources, I'll pass them along. OH! One other piece of advice: if you're serious, then be sure to tell every professor you know that you are interested and looking. Networking is still the best way to land (and often to find) these jobs.

PMed you.

What area?

At some places, the funding has to be worked out before an official admission offer can be made. The fellowship would be a way of funding you, so if you were awarded the fellowship, it would typically be much easier for your POI to get you admitted -- because you'd already be funded by the grad college. So it's definitely a good sign, but by itself I wouldn't read it as a full acceptance yet. Good luck!

I wouldn't call attention to it, though I'd be ready to explain it if asked. I assume that they already have your letters of reference, in which case they already know that your advisor is absent. Since you got an interview anyway, they apparently aren't that worried about it. If it comes up, I'd suggest giving a minimal (non-evasive) explanation and then moving on. Whatever the reason is, try not to sound overly negative, anxious, or defensive about it. After giving the reason, you could also point enthusiastically to the people who were willing to write for you. Good luck!

UC Davis 2/3 OSU 2/6-8 UNC - Feb 7 Virginia (UVA) 2/7 Arizona State (behavioral neuroscience) Feb 7-8 Northwestern, Feb 7-8 IU Bloomington, Feb. 7-8 U Iowa - Feb 8-10 USC 2/8 UC Berkeley 2/10-2/11 WUSTL, Feb 12-14 (Cognitive) NYU Feb 14/21 (Clinical) Western Michigan Feb 14-15 West Virginia Feb 14-15 U Chicago 2/15-2/17 Cornell: 2/21-22 University of Washington, Feb 21-22 Rochester: 2/21 Auburn (experimental), Feb 21-22 U Mich, Feb 21-22 Nova Southeastern, Feb 24 SUNY Albany (School Psych): 2/24, 2/25, 2/27, 2/28 Fordham (School Psychology): 2/25, 2/26, 2/27, 3/1 - all half day interviews Rutgers, Feb 28 American University (BCaN) Feb 28 UC Merced: 2/28-3/1 Chicago: March 9 (Behavioral)

UChicago Psych just finished interview weekend. I have no idea what that means if you haven't heard, but it likely means (at least) that you aren't being interviewed.

Just another good word about UIUC -- it's a great program in a great college town! PM me if you want more information about Champaign-Urbana or about UIUC in general. I am moderately familiar with the psych department (I was an undergrad there, and interacted with the psych department some while I was a lab manager in another department), but probably not the best person to ask for specific. Good luck!

I was in contact with a lot of the other interviewees at the places I interviewed -- so when acceptances went out, we compared notes.

Tell your MA program that you want to list it on your CV, and see if they have a suggestion about what to call it. I was in a similar situation, and the financial aid office basically made up a name for me to use.

You should definitely be prepared to walk -- all of my visits included campus tours, and even excluding the tour, many of them involved visits to multiple buildings for interviews, etc. You can always bring indoor shoes along and ask your student host (if you have one) and/or check out the specific schedule to see if you will need to be outside. If changing your shoes is not too big a deal (i.e., you can do it quickly), that may also be an option -- most places will give recruits a place to put your coats and bags when you are staying inside, so you could leave your outdoor shoes there. Frankly, though, I wouldn't count on that as an option, so if you try it, be sure the outdoor shoes are some that you won't feel bad wearing around all day.

Just as an aside, I talked a lot with UIUC profs last year, and they try really hard to let people know as soon as they are rejected. Now, UIUC is also often slower to get through applications (they frankly aren't the most organized profs in the world, and they start pretty late for Spring semester, which slows them down more), but once they start, they don't (historically) hold all rejects for the end like some other schools. Instead, they do a Yes-No-Maybe system, where the definite Yes's are admitted (very few of those), the Maybe's are contacted in general preference order (some will be admitted), and the No's are rejected immediately. The Maybe's will be held on to until they become Yes's or No's. What does this mean? It means that (historically!) once UIUC starts rejecting people, no news is good news!

I went to Etsy for my letter writers (although I'm closer to them than I would be to the average professor, having worked extensively with them for a while), and got something personal for each of them that related to their tastes. E.g., one got a vintage movie poster, one got a cool handmade necklace, etc. Along with a sincere thank you card, of course.

I agree that the best way to answer this question is to go and ask current students. I don't know anything specific to chemistry, but the grad students I know in other departments are relatively happy here. It is definitely (and perhaps a little more than most schools) an independent environment -- you are expected to find your own way in many respects -- but that is a good thing for many of us. If you want more guidance/built-in support, it may not be a good fit. But, again, the best way to find out is to ask students in your department. They will be candid with you about the pros and cons of the program. Congratulations, and good luck making your decision!

Yeah, my advice is to do as many as you can manage. It will be over in a realtively short period of time (a few months, tops), but the decision of where to attend will have important ramifications for your life for a long time. Plus, you will learn things at each visit that will help you better evaluate all of your options by showing you a broader universe of options. If you know there is nothing that could convince you to accept an offer, then don't waste everyone's time. But if there's a chance, I say visit. If general arguments aren't your style, here's some anecdata: I declined 3 visits last year: one because I knew there wasn't anything the school could do to overcome the best offer I already had, one because the trip was too long/expensive for me to make (and the reimbursement wasn't going to cover it) AND I pretty much knew that the program couldn't compete, and the third because I wasn't enthusiastic about the program and the trip was just one too many psychologically for me. Looking back on it, I wish I had visited at least the last one, although I'm happy with the way things turned out. More relevantly, though, the school I ended up had the last visit date of all of my invites, which was quite late last year. It was a somewhat unusual program relative to the others I applied to (i.e., related but different subfield), and I had already more or less settled on attending the first place I had visited. If this school hadn't been a relatively easy trip logistically and somewhat separate psychologically from the others, I would probably have cancelled it -- and missed out on the place that turned out to be far an away the best fit for me. So go to as many as you can!

I didn't contact anyone before hand. I don't recommend it as a plan (I could have saved a few applications if I had bothered), but it worked out totally fine for me.

This. Lewin pretty much nailed it, but just to re-emphasize, here are the kinds of things I'll be asking: What can I tell you about this school/program? [Answer questions] Who are you interested in working with (we don't really have a 1-to-1 advisor system)? [Give my thoughts about those people] What is your background (even if I already know)? What are you interested in researching? Where else are you considering? (Interesting fact I learned about you from your application or from conversation) is interesting, tell me about that? How's the weather? And several other insightful questions, I'm sure. For us, it's really about getting to know the candidates and helping them understand what it's like to be a student here. Because the questions aren't that hard, here are some tips on how to make a good impression: Be able to answer the questions above. These are softballs, so if you can't answer them, I'm going to wonder why you're here. Have questions of your own. Most of the grad students will want to be helpful to you, so give us that chance! Even if you asked the last 3 grad students all the same question, you never know when one of them will tell you something you haven't heard yet. Get used to asking the same questions over and over, and get used to giving the same answers over and over. Try not to get annoyed when 15 people ask you "so, what do you want to do here?" Don't be a jerk. This should be self-evident, but just in case: the grad students are looking at you as a potential classmate/friend/colleague. Nobody wants to work with a jerk. Frankly, most of the time, being a jerk (especially to the students) won't ruin your chances or get an offer rescinded, but still -- don't, okay? These are also your potential classmates/friends/colleagues, and you don't want to start somewhere with a reputation for being a jerk. Do be yourself (even if you are a jerk, I suppose?). Because this is your potential cohort, you want to figure out how well you will fit in. Again, you probably won't make your decision based solely on social fit with the grad students (and you shouldn't, obviously), but it's nice to know. That's all. Remember, unless they are jerks (and if they are, and you are, then match made!), grad students are sympathetic to your position. And if they are jerks, don't sweat your performance -- odds are good that everyone knows that guy is a jerk. We've all been where you are, many of us very recently, and we want you to be comfortable and get all of the information we can offer to help you make a good decision. Good luck!

Hopefully you'll see this in time -- don't blow off your bottom half! I have *plenty* of stories of people who thought "They'll only see me from the waist up" and then wound up having to get up during the interview! It's unusual, but if you're wearing pink pajama pants (true story), it will make an impression! Jeans are probably fine, as long as you aren't suit-and-tie from the waist up, but it's a good idea to make sure that if your pants are seen, they won't stand out. Good luck!

You probably know this, but it's worth noting in case others reading don't: many, many professors and programs prefer not to admit their own students. The biggest reason for this is cross-fertilization of ideas; the theory is that it is better to pull in graduate students who have had other perspectives taught to them, to keep things "fresher." The follow-up to this is that many hiring committees will wonder whether a student who got a PhD from the same school as her undergraduate degree has been exposed to a sufficiently broad number of approaches. Importantly, this means that many schools will shy away from admitting their own students "for their own good" (and also with an eye toward the program's hiring statistics) -- if it could be an impediment to getting you placed, they will think twice about doing it. Certainly, not all programs and professors think this way -- some think it is downright stupid. But if you applied to your own school, where you are a superstar, and you are not accepted, keep in mind that it may not be your fault!

Yes!! Obviously, find the right time (i.e., in a private setting with the student!), but it is definitely okay and a good idea to ask these "negative" questions, too. You don't want to focus on the negatives, but it's important to get a balanced perspective. Along those lines, I also asked many of the professors I talked to, "What makes a student not a good fit for this program?" And I got some really helpful answers.

Yes, it happens. I was interviewed by phone for one program, in person for another, and had a "chat" with one other POI last year, but the rest of my acceptances were all done without an interview. In at least one of those cases, there was some discussion between my POI and one of my recommenders about whether I was likely to accept, but nothing resembling an interview for me. Edited to add: Oh, I forgot -- there was one other school where I declined the interview.

Here are just a few style edits (because you asked about the English). This sentence: Although I have the foundation knowledge and artistic skill, I know they are not enough, especially considering that most animated films today use 3D animation, and the technology is rapidly developing. is cumbersome -- I would try to find a way to split it into two sentences if possible. Also (and this is really a personal style choice), "foundation knowledge" sounds very awkward to me. I would say "foundational knowledge" or just "foundation." I don't think it's necessarily wrong as it is written, it just sounds a bit odd. Good luck!