sdt13

I was wondering where this page was! I only applied to one Ed Psych program, as I am more interested in motivation and education is only one of my fields of interest. I applied to UT-Austin's Human Development, Culture, & Learning Sciences program, specializing in Learning Sciences. I dont know what the typical response rate is, but from what UT's website says for this particular area is that decisions will not be made until April. It also appears that they do not interview, which I thought was pretty strange. Is this common for this specialty?

I don't know how close you guys are to your undergraduate advisors or have an undergraduate mentor, but if so, have you "broken down" in from of them? This happened to me twice unexpectedly, but I think my mentor is just not as empathetic as one would hope. Without really knowing it, he would ask about my applications and when I would say I haven't heard anything yet, he would say things like "aww man!" or something to that effect. At one point I simply had to ask him to stop asking and let me tell him any news as it comes out of fear that I would go insane. I think this helped him realize just how stressful this process was for me and eventually he asked if I wanted to talk about it. I broke down proclaiming how I think I have no options if I dont get in (and I know most people say this, but for me it's actually true given the field I am interested is limited and I applied to all available programs in the US and Canada). Now we have a working dialogue about the situation and he has given me advice about various masters programs and other PhD programs to consider in the future. It's nice to have someone to not only help calm you down, but also provide advice about the situation (he and I are very alike, as he applied to all programs that I am currently applying to when he was an undergrad ~10yrs ago).

I had an informal meeting with my top POI's graduate students at a conference. As most others seem to have suggested, you have to be prepared. I think the general idea of talking with current graduate students is to get their perspective of the program and see what kinds of things are going on currently to help you determine whether or not it would be a good fit. When I met with the two graduate students individually, I prepared questions for each (although one graduate student was on her way out and the other was just starting so they had vastly different perspectives and experiences) and both conversations were directed by me and my interests. Now, I have also heard some crazy experiences from interview weekend this year. I won't get into details as some of these people may frequent these boards, but when you get nervous, try to maintain a filter when you talk. Don't tell any strange or off-putting personal stories to "make conversation". It really just freaks out the graduate students lol

The worst part for me is the fact that I applied to my undergrad university. I see the POI I applied to nearly every day and I have yet to hear a thing! It drives me absolutely insane any time we meet. Also, my top program accepted me, but I cannot receive an official offer until my POI works out the finances (apparently there is some crazy stuff happening with the Quebec government around education funding). I can now say I know more about Quebec's education policy than the US...

Is this for all programs? Is it common for Canadian schools to not hold interviews?

I am currently waiting on an offer from McGill pending funding and this is without an interview (this happened last week). However, I have been talking with this POI periodically since August. He did mention that McGill was getting a really early head start before the other Canadian schools, and I haven't heard a thing from the other two Canadian schools I applied to (and one application deadline was Dec. 1). Although, according to the results section, it does't look like I will hear back from those until at least March.

The only Ed Psych program I applied to was UT-Austin. I applied here specifically for a POI that has similar interests as mine but from an education perspective. However, I have yet to hear anything (but it seems like they don't conduct interviews).

I dont think anyone expects you to answer right away. My POI, who happens to be at my top choice, actually encouraged me to wait it out and see what other offers I get. He understands the process (I mean, they have all been in this position, too) and just wants me to choose what's best for me. However, once he told me that my application was approved by the department, I told him that his program was my top choice and so now I just need to hear about funding. I figured that would give him peace of mind while he tries to get me funded (i would be international so it's actually a bit harder to get funding). Now, I dont know if there is a formality in responding to an offer or just "waiting it out". Typically, once you have the offer you have until April 15th to decide (as my POI emphasized).

This is what I am really hoping for! I was just notified that I was approved by the social/personality department for a PhD position at McGill, however, my offer is contingent on funding. And just as an FYI, I dont know about any other Canadian programs, but I was told at McGill there is a difference in funding for a Quebec student (~$1200/yr), a Canadian student (~8k/yr), and an international/American student (~20k/yr).

What exactly are the chances of an American being funded for a Canadian PhD? My POI told me that American students cost significantly more to fund, so I was wondering if it was common or not.

I was considering applying to UK PhD programs (and still am pending my US/Canada response) and I was told that given the lack of teaching emphasis in UK PhD programs, it may be a bit more difficult to land a job that focuses more on teaching. Now this may not apply to your program specifically, but this was the advice I was given based on the research-heavy institutions I am interested in.

From what I've come across, this is hardly true. At my current school they make you start fresh regardless of your background. When doing my own research on other programs, the best I've seen is a school that will allow 6-9 transfer credits pending department approval, and it's usually just for basic first-year stats.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that my POI at McGill said that they (although I can only speak from the social perspective) were trying to get a head start before other Canadian schools. So, as CBrown said, it's apparently still pretty early.

My POI told me that he would call me after this meeting on the 8th to let me know the results. So, I imagine others would hear back sometime the following week, unless the profs hold off until funding is determined (which I was told, for me at least, would be toward the end of feb. - early march).

Is it common to send programs your updated CV? I've added so many things (conferences, 3 new independent projects, new research job, etc.) since I submitted my apps back in December and I think these things would only help strengthen my application. I know most of my programs are either currently or will be reviewing applications soon (by mid-Feb...for some reason most of my programs are slow), if that makes a difference.

Thanks for the info! I have a phone meeting with my POI tomorrow to discuss my ranking/chances of getting in. Hopefully it goes well, as it is one of my top choices...

I applied to McGill for a PhD in social/personality, Saskatchewan for an MA in applied social, and UVic for an Msc in social. So far I have only had informal contact with McGill and the POI at UVic asked me to resend my GRE scores. Other than that I haven't heard anything.

Earlier today I received an email from one of my top POI's asking to chat with him briefly tomorrow. He said that he wanted to review all other social applicants (note: he is both social and clinical, but I applied social) before he calls so that he can tell me how I ranked and what my chances are of getting in. Also, he stated that ranking is the only thing he wanted to talk about, but that we can set up another meeting in February. Is this common practice? I've been in contact with this POI on and off since August so I don't know if it's a courtesy thing, but in general I have no idea what to expect tomorrow since it's not an interview.

At my current school I heard that applicants not only interview with all of the faculty within their area, but with the current graduate students of their POI as well. This is in addition to staying with some one of the area grad students.

This is the exact type of program I was referring to as NOT being a waste of time. Rather, I was just saying to look out for those programs that focus only on teaching the basics of psychology (i.e., "taught courses" - which I have been told are typically for people who switch to psychology from a different field).

One of my back up plans is to apply to programs that focus on research methods in psychology. I've heard that going for a terminal masters in psychology is generally a waste of time for people who have majored in psychology, as it is really just a crash course in psychology. Maybe this isn't the case for all, but the one's with an emphasis on research methods vary from "taught courses" (thus there isn't much of a need for research fit) to "research based" programs (which will often require a research proposal with the application). Also, I've mostly looked into programs in the UK, as there seems to be more options for these types of programs (although in the US, I was told to check out Columbia's program at the Teacher's College).

Just as an FYI, I've heard that U. Houston (social) won't be meeting to discuss applications until approximately mid-February.

I applied to UT-Austin. Based on the website, I don't think they conduct interviews. I believe the website also said that decisions will be sent around April 1. Is this common?

VCU social - phone interview scheduled for Jan. 22

I got one of these from Missouri. I ignored the call because I was driving, but when I got home I saw that it said MO and freaked. I decided to google the number and low and behold - a credit scam.