jitterbug1472

I bought the Samsung chromebook about 4 months ago. I use it probably every day. I prefer laptops to tablets, so having it is really nice because it makes my backpack noticeably lighter. It's really only functional with an internet connection, but start-up and connecting is incredibly quick. The first time I turned it back on after using it I thought I had forgotten to turn it off and it was just waking up from sleep mode. If you're not used to using Google drive, I would suggest trying it out before purchasing the chromebook. It's what you'll use for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations. They're all very user friendly and you can share them directly with people so that they can view and edit the documents without needing to attach them to emails and save them on your separate computers. The one problem is though, if your school uses online courseware (blackboard/moodle) you may need to take a couple of extra steps to upload papers. All you have to do is save the document as a .doc. Occasionally I do have trouble opening some documents. The chromebook allows you to view .doc files, but requires you to save it as a Google doc to edit it. Doing so can change formating. Some image or pdf files aren't able to be viewed. If your professor adds comments on a word document in Microsoft, you will not be able to view them. The chromebook is constantly updating. When I first bought it, I wasn't able to watch Netflix on it. But now I have an "app" for it. There are a bunch of apps for you to select from that are free. Ones that customize your browser, photo editors, course assignment organizers. I love it because I like using google. I have drive on my phone (Samsung Galaxy) as well, so when I update in one place it automatically updates on the other as well. Of course, that's true for using drive on any device. It does not have a cd drive, so if that's important to you, it's one thing to keep in mind. If you do anything that requires a lot of storage, like gaming, it's definitely not the right choice. But for surfing the internet and typing papers, it does the trick and is great for travel. I know one concern raised was that you can't download software you may need, like statistics programs. But I never planned on having that on my personal computer anyway. The computer in my office provided by my department has that software on it. If the same isn't true for you though, maybe it isn't the right choice. Oh, and instead of Skype you'll use Google hangout on it. Takes some getting used to but works well. It does require your friends to have a Google account though. I would say that it's a great personal computer, but if it's the only computer you'll be using, it may not be the right choice.

I'm coming to Temple in the fall for my PhD in social psych!

Hey all. Wasn't sure where to post this so let me know if there's a better thread, but - I've seen a lot of people updating recently about rejections from the Social Psych program at Syracuse. From what I can tell, a new professor was hired and the program only accepted one student to work under her. She extended the offer a few weeks ago and the student accepted so that's why rejections are coming now. Don't take it as a reflection on your credentials, her selection was based largely on fit with research experience (she intends to study how people prioritize goals in romantic relationships).

One of the things I've been trying to decide is if I want to wear heels or not. I've heard some people say that you shouldn't in case you tour the campus on the same day of your interview. But I'm another short girl, so I think the dress pants and flats combo makes me look like a little kid playing dress up. Either way, I don't think the shoes have to be strictly black. I'm actually having a harder time trying to figure out what to wear for the other parts of the interview weekend. Are jeans okay to wear to dinner, or should I bring a dress?

Here's a list of potential questions from "Mitch’s Uncensored Advice for Applying to Graduate School in Clinical Psychology." I think they apply well to most programs, not just clinical. Questions to ask Potential Advisors • What is your mentoring style? • How does one earn authorship in this lab? • How do students select research topics for their own thesis/dissertation, and what role do you play in this process? • What role do you see me having in this lab if I come here? Is there a grant on which I could work? • Are there opportunities for summer funding? • What opportunities are there to get involved in research collaborations with other labs? • To what extent can my interests as a student be incorporated into the broader interests of your lab, vs. how much would I be expected to carry out an existing line of research? • What supports exist in the department for students wishing to write their own grants? • What are the current projects in this lab, and in what directions do you expect the lab research to go over the next five years? • How many classes are typically offered to graduate students in (statistics, methods, therapeutic techniques, etc.) each semester/year? • What practicum opportunities are offered? • Do most students finish their dissertation before internship or during the internship year? • What types of statistical consultation are available on campus? • What type of collaboration (if any) occurs among the clinical faculty (or between the clinical and other faculty if a student has a strong interest in another area)? • Is it possible and/or typical for students to work with more than one faculty member? How does this work? • What are faculty/student relations like? What's the general climate of the clinical division and department (a good question to ask other graduate students). • What type of internship placements do students get? • What type of jobs have graduating students from the program received in the past few years. Questions To Ask Graduate Students • Is it possible to live comfortably on the stipend salary in this town? • What areas are best for grad students to live? • Timeline questions (what are the expectations and norms for completion of various program milestones - e.g., Master's, comps, dissertation, etc.) • What is it like to work with the advisor that you are applying to work with (e.g., how often does your advisor meet with you? Do you feel like your advisor is either unavailable, or a micromanager?). • If single and hoping to get into a relationship.... What is life like here for single students? Is this an easy place to meet other people our age? If LGBTQ, what is the scene here for LGBTQ individuals? How supportive is the community? • What kinds of resources/supports are available to minority students at this university/program? • How competitive vs. cooperative are grad students in this program? • To what extent does the training in this program focus on students' development as researchers vs. clinicians vs. teachers? • What sorts of teaching opportunities exist here for graduate students? Is there training for new teachers as part of the program? • Is funding guaranteed for the time I am here? For how long is it guaranteed? *I edited some formatting.

For the "If you're accepted to graduate school, what are your plans?" question, would a good answer refer to your academic plans, financial plans, plans for after obtaining your degree, or something else? "How will you be able to make a contribution to this field?" and "What do you believe your greatest challenge will be if you are accepted into this program?" Does anyone have suggestions for good or bad responses to these two questions? It seems hard to know the answers to both at this stage in the game. And, I see it debated again and again, but what do you think is the best way to answer "What other schools are you considering?" For me, this is tricky because my first interview is in Florida but all of my other programs are centered around NY and PA and I don't want them to get the wrong impression that I'm trying to stay close to home/would be unwilling to move.

School: University of Kentucky Area: Social Rationalization: I had emailed my POI in the Fall and he had said they may not have the funding to let me into his Lab. Location was the big draw for this one anyway. Word: Bleh.

I'd love to hear from anyone who applied to Lehigh or Florida State. Congrats to the people who have gotten interviews there!

Interview Weekends ASU (Quant) : Feb 20-23 Davis (Quant): Feb 25ish Duke (Social): Jan 24-26 KU (Quant) : Jan 25 Lehigh University - Interview Day - 2/15 Notre Dame (All): February 7-9, 2013 Stanford University (Social): February 14-16 UCLA (Social): January 10-12 
UNC (Quant): Feb 15
 UT Austin (Social): Feb 22-23 
UT Austin (HDFS): Jan 24-26
 UBC (Social): Feb 7-10 
USC (Social): January 24-25
 UC Irvine (Social): January 28-29 
UC San Diego (Social): February 7-8 Vanderbilt (Quant): Feb 14-16
 WUSTL (Social): Feb 21-23 Yale (Social): January 27-28 University of North Carolina (Social): February 7-9 University of Rochester (Social): February 1-3 UCSB Feb 22-23 Univ of Oregon February 1 - 3 University of Toledo (Exp-Social): Jan 25th or Feb 11th UC Berkeley (Social): February 11-12 American University (Social): February 11 IU-Bloomington (Social): Feb 15-16 Florida State (Social): Feb 21-24 I added FSU, but didn't copy the phone/skype/conferences list. Little bummed to see Lehigh up there, I had a phone interview with them Jan. 14. Guess it didn't go as well as I thought? Hopefully interviewing in person at FSU goes better.