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lypiphera

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  • Gender
    Female
  • Location
    USA
  • Interests
    Decision-making, legal psychology, morality
  • Application Season
    2013 Fall
  • Program
    Social Psychology

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  1. For anyone that has reapplied for the NSF GRFP, or know of people who did, did you use the same basic project in your second application and just edit based on reviewers, or did you have a new project your second year? Or if you plan to reapply, what do you plan to do? I ask because I got an honorable mention last year and have now already completed the main project I talked about in my application. I'm not sure if I should just use the same application to start with anyways and just edit what they said, or if I should be writing about a follow-up project since I've now completed the one I talked about. The only thing reviewers comment on was expanding broader impacts, so they liked the project itself. On the one hand, I did well enough to get HM, so I don't want to stray far, but on the other hand, I don't want them to think I've done nothing in my first year. Of course the general topic will be the same, but the actual project I discussed in the research essay will be done by the time I reapply. What do you all think, or what did you do?
  2. Given that your employers wrote you letters of recommendation, they must know there's a chance you would be leaving and wouldn't be upset if so. I can't imagine not telling them immediately - if you have a good relationship, they would be happy you will be moving on and will be glad to know ahead of time. I let my manager know right away when I had decided, and they were happy to have advance notice. I picked my end date, and I've been helping train my replacement the last couple months. Unless you have a really bad relationship with a spiteful boss, I don't see any reason to not tell them. They knew it was coming and helped you get there, so they deserve to know in as much advance as possible what your plans for.
  3. If you know you want to go for a PhD, definitely apply to both. As others mentioned, most PhD programs cover the same coursework as masters and you can get your masters on your way to a PhD. You will have lost time getting the masters first, and it will likely have less funding than a PhD program Having said that, there are two reasons to apply for master's programs as well. One is if you can't get into a PhD program because of your undergrad credentials. Yours don't seem that bad, so if you can get great rec letters and a really convincing statement of purpose, I would think you would have a shot. Still good to apply to both. The other reason is that many careers only require a masters, so make sure to look into potential careers and see what the qualifications are.
  4. For the general GRE, I didn't take it multiple times, but I did study a lot before taking it the first time and did well. My two main sources were a Kaplan study guidee and the ETS website, which has a lot of good material, practice tests, and even software that lets you practice taking the test exactly how it will look on test day. That won't be as important for you since you already took it, but they had live sessions and workshops and more, and I never paid for anything other than the Kaplan book. My advice would be to go through the whole book, making sure you are solid on all the basic math concepts, and then take as many practice tests as you can find, reviewing each time to understand every wrong question.
  5. Good luck to you all on housing assignments! I turned down the guaranteed housing and plan to find an off-campus apartment close by. Anyone else doing the same?
  6. I might try posting this in the Sociology forum. As a non-sociology major, I'm not sure how to give advice on this, and I want you to get the best answer for your field. I'm not really sure what you're trying to study - is there some hypothesis you are testing? Again, this is from my expertise in psychology, so maybe someone in sociology would immediately know what you are talking about.
  7. I have done this twice and used methods others have mentioned. The first time, I had my parents sign as a guarantor, which was an option in my lease if you don't make 3x the rent. The second time, didn't have a job yet and my husband's job wasn't even close to 3x, so I gave them a copy of my bank statement to show that I had enough money to support us until I found a job. If neither of those two are an option, I would just show the complex your budget, proving you have enough to pay for rent and living each month, and hope your credit is good enough that they are satisfied. If a place still isn't satisfied after that, they are probably only want "higher-class" people there, and you'd be better off finding another place that isn't snobby.
  8. I would second the Samsung comment - I have a series 9, and even if you don't need the high-end processing or solid state drive, I've been very happy with its durability and portability. My favorite distinguishing feature (I am assuming this is on the other series as well) is the matte screen - it doesn't have the glare problem of a regular LCD screen, so I can use it outside or in bright light just fine. I wish more laptops had that. I got mine right as they were about to come out with the updated model, so I got it at a great deal for $900 (I think the new model is around $1400). As the previous poster mentioned, the lower numbers have a lower price for what is still a great laptop.
  9. All the schools I went to had different procedures for how/what to fill out and how long it took. I think it's fine to ask for confirmation politely, saying you just to make sure there's nothing else they need from you, but after that I would probably wait at least 3 months before asking about reimbursement. My checks arrived ranging from 2 weeks and 2 months, and I did not always get a confirmation. Some wanted physical receipts in person, others said email was fine.
  10. I like this idea a lot, and I think it would help smooth over most of the issues. If you have a website where you talk about your research interests and talk about possible RA positions, you can direct people to apply through the professor/professor's lab, again, IF your professor approves of it all.
  11. I think it would be fine IF your professor thinks it is fine. I would put that as the final word - if you run it by them and they think it's a good idea because the projects are different enough to not fall under his/her lab, then go for it. If they seem skeptical, it's not worth pushing it. They will need to sign off on whatever you do and ultimately be responsible for your RAs, etc., but I don't think there's anything inherently wrong about having your own lab website as long as everything is open and honest.
  12. School 2 sounds like a no-brainer. You love the advisor, it's a better fit for your interests, the funding will make a huge difference, and you're already accepted to a PhD program. AND, it's the one that you already accepted. Withdrawing from an ofer after you agreed does not go over well, and may start you off with a bad reputation that could hurt more than a few higher ranks may help. If it was a difference between a top 10 school and a top 250 school, I might reconsider, but a difference in rankings of 25 is just not that big of a deal. Already being in a funded top 25 PhD program in a great school is just such a great offer I can't imagine risking that for a chance of a higher ranking (and possibly lower fit). You say you think you can get in anywhere, but it just doesn't work that way. Schools have so many great candidates that at the top tier, it ican be a crap shoot that is no guarantee, even for the best student.
  13. If it's been that long, it's certainly appropriate to email. Most likely you were waitlisted - I found out I was on a waitlist after emailing a school after an interview, and I got the feeling I wouldn't have heard if I hadn't emailed them (about another matter, actually). If they didn't outright reject you and you didn't get an offer while someone else did, they likely send out the first wave of acceptances and will move on to the next waves once people respond to the offer. It can get very close to the deadline when you find out, but it's certainly still possible. Good luck!
  14. Your clinical experience sounds good, and one year of research experience is decent (obviously more is better but it's not a big barrier), though having some kind of publication will be important. If you haven't done research before, I'm guessing you don't have publications, so do your best to get at least 1 poster presentation in. Usually an RA can present a poster with a study he/she is working on, maybe not the main analysis that will be in the paper. If you are a co-author on a paper, that would be great, but it's unlikely to be published (or even accepted, if it's not done yet) by the time you apply. If it is submitted or in progress, you can list it as long as you are clear that it is only submitted or in preparation (and don't like the journal it is submitted to). Since you only took a few psych classes and will not be done with your Masters when you apply, I would recommend taking (and acing!) the GRE subject test in psych. It will show you do have a good knowledge of psych even if you didn't take the classes. All the schools I applied to said the GRE Subject test was not required, though some said it was recommended, especially if you didn't major in psych. Study a bit and take it soon so you have time to take it again if needed.
  15. It sounds like you're doing it right, so the only thing to do is keep doing it. Jobs are always in flux, so just keep contacting labs, hospitals, business, etc., and searching for openings. If you're near a VA hospital, I would highly recommend looking into health services research there. I work at one now in research (with a BA and no other experience) and it's a great experience, lots of research training. We have a high turnover because it's a common job for students who have a bachelors and want experience before grad school - people are hired to be an RA for specific projects for a set time period. I know our center doesn't always keep job openings up to date, so just call and ask (or if you can get a professor to mention you, that's even better). I know my LORs were really what made the difference in my application, so make sure they are strong. If grad students are the only ones who can write you good ones, than I guess that's what you can do, but if you can get a professor to do at least one positive one (if not thorough), that would be a good bonus. Just keep doing searches for research assistant jobs (e.g. http://emrandehr.jobamatic.com/a/jobs/find-jobs/q-Research+Assistant) - don't give up when you've gotten through them all; just widen your field and start again. Some that require experience should be satisfied by what you've done already, and it never hurts to apply. About your interested in research, it sounds like your interests lie within I/O, Social, and Cognitive psychology just as well as HF (maybe even more than), so look into jobs in those areas as well. When applying, you can cast a wide net and look into all of those areas, focusing on the topics that you mentioned.
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