Angua

Social was notoriously slow last year, from everything I've heard. My belief is that they have put out some feelers this year, but I wouldn't assume it's a reject just yet.

Yeah, I'd be interested in the Stanford POI as well! :-)

My research is cross-disciplinary in a way that is fairly uncommon, but a big part of my reasoning for attending grad school is to broaden and build up the psych side of my work. So there are a very small number of people doing *exactly* what I am most interested in, and a lot of people doing things closely related to my interests. All of which is to say, I had more than one POI almost everywhere I applied. In the rare case that one of them was exactly on point, I emphasized those people more. If there weren't 2 or 3 people at least that I thought I could really do good work for/with, I didn't apply, except where the one person was really on point. Like lypiphera, I worry that if I'm really only interested in the work of one professor, it puts me in a precarious position and could be really limiting. I'm much more excited about the schools where I could see myself with several people, because I want to work with (or, at a minimum, be able to get meaningful input from) more than one person.

The whole process is really excruciating, isn't it? It seems like business programs are generally on a slower schedule than social science programs, so I'm watching my psych applications ramp up with no signs of life on the business side. Oh well. Good luck to everyone!

I know I'm going to regret this... there's an app??

Oh, man, yeah. I've had to go back and verify who I talked about in some of my SOP's, and I basically shut my eyes until I've scrolled to the part where I think the name is, and very carefully refuse to read anything I wrote except *exactly* what I am looking for. Nothing can be done about them, I have already submitted all of my applications, and I'm terrified of finding mistakes or even just things I wish I could change. No thanks!!

Because there was some discussion on the interview thread about whether that was the right place for PM requests, I thought it would be a good idea to start a new thread. Here's a place to put your "Would the person who heard from ____ school please PM me your POI?" requests. I would suggest that you include some information to help people know that you are talking to them, such as the date the results were posted.

Me, too! I also wish (maybe...) that those who are on Twitter were posting about the review process!!

To me, that sounds perfect for "casual." You still want to look and feel put together, but if they say "casual" and not "business casual," I think jeans are totally fine (maybe even expected). Sounds like it will be a social event, and you want to look like you take the weekend seriously, but also like you can relax and fit in. Good luck!

Okay, it took some wrangling, but here it is: This is missing the note at the end that indicates that the rankings are Packer's own.

If you've gone off the deep end, I'm right behind you! I was just doing almost exactly the same thing. The good news is that folks in my programs did start hearing right around now and/or "next week" - so at least I'm right to be freaking out (and not, like, a month too early).

This made me giggle this morning.

Can you make some link from the band to your studies? I'm thinking like: "Yes, that's me. I've been singing/playing with them for a few years - since I was a freshman (or whatever). It's a hobby I really enjoy, and it's even given me the opportunity to _____. Thanks for asking!" Where you fill in the blank with something related to your field, like visiting a particular gallery or exhibit while on tour?

Welcome to the thread! Good luck to you!

I'm definitely starting to feel that way. I think I just really need to get absorbed in something... trying to throw myself into my work.

This makes me picture the adcom as just a group of evil masterminds, making arbitrary decisions with the sole purpose of causing the most frustration.

I agree with this.

I just wanted to add that, in the grand scheme of things, the "misgivings" here really aren't that terrible. I totally agree with everyone that it was really shady to choose to voice them in a LOR instead of in a conversation with you. But if I was reading that letter, and it was otherwise positive about you, I would read those two comments as indicating that he wanted to keep you -- which would be a good sign. And if you are (as I understand it) in field X, applying to field Y, and your letter from someone in field X says "Silvercat can do field Y while in field X, so I don't think he should transfer," I would think that the professor in field Y might logically think: if he wants to do Y, and I want to do Y, why should he do Y in X when he can do Y in Y? Er, if that makes sense.

/waves/

Saw this on Twitter this morning: -------------------------------- Dominic Packer ‏@PackerLab Interesting dissociation in words used in research statements by highest vs lowest-ranked applicants to grad program. http://db.tt/SuXW7yuE --------------------------------- The link goes to a picture of two word clouds - one with the most common words used by his top 8 applicants, the other with the most common words used by his bottom 8 applicants. Actually, it looks like there is some overlap, but the best applicants more frequently used words like "moral", "cognition", "processes", and "group". Here's the blurb on his lab page about what he does (I wasn't terribly familiar with his work): "Our lab investigates the mental processes that allow for collective life, with a particular interest how they facilitate or inhibit social change. We conduct experiments to better understand the cognitive and neural processes that give rise to conformity and dissent, prejudice, and moral judgment." So, the successful applicants were more likely than the unsuccessful applicants to use specific words that related to his research interests. No big shock, but it's interesting to see "behind the curtain," as it were.

Well, for me, the XYZ had to do with my quirky research interests, so it was a much more directly relevant question. I think you've both made excellent arguments, though, especially for an "XYZ" that is less central -- in this case, I'm not sure which category having a family falls into. I don't have kids, but if I did, I think I would still be uncomfortable where a member of the committee would feel it was okay to argue that I should not be admitted because I was a mother -- and where that person's opinion carried any weight.

Mine, too. I'm guessing that since they were all updated at once, there's some kind of process in the works? Like, someone finally looked through things because the files are about to passed off to the committee? Or maybe it's just whatever undergrad is in charge of checking the boxes finally got around to it. Sigh.

Good idea! You guys need to check out #overlyhonestmethods on Twitter over the last few days. Research humor! Including a few jokes by some pretty big names. Funniest thing I've seen in a while.

I think you've gotten some good advice. I just want to add another factor to think about: do you think you'd be happy in a program where "admitting" that you have children would hurt your chances? I know we're all focused on getting in, and nobody wants to say something that could negatively impact your admission odds. But if you don't tell them you have kids, you risk not knowing ahead of time if your program/advisor/colleagues are likely to make disparaging assumptions about motherhood. I've struggled with some similar questions ("Do I tell them XYZ up front, even though it might hurt me?"), and I just keep reminding myself that a program where I can't get in as myself is not a program I want to devote the next 5-7 years of my life to. Good luck, whatever you decide to do!

Definitely pick up a sportcoat from Goodwill, at least. Do you have any friends or relatives you could borrow a suit from?