JungWild&Free

I agree with both of the posters above. School A, even with only 3 years, may end up being a costly and mediocre experience if the fit is "meh" and funding not guaranteed. I would definitely get in touch with the department at School B, especially since it's already well beyond the point that they should have contacted you, and get some closure on School B, either way. The job sounds like a great option, and if you ultimately want to get your PhD and do your own research, you can use it as a couple more years of experience on your CV next time around.

Pretty much the same but with 13 applications. I don't think Social programs are ever "safeties" because they admit so few people that you are competing to be the ONE person chosen. If I had better chances of admission, I would have applied to less. It worked out pretty well: 1 phone interview (POI ended up with no funding), 3 in-person interviews, 2 acceptances with full funding. Oddly enough, 2 schools that were interested in me were an awful fit. Some schools I had great fit with didn't even contact me. In other words, fit matters but it also doesn't guarantee admission.

A waitlist is a list of prospective students, often in order of preference, that may be accepted if first-round students decline their spots. In my field, the people on the waitlist are usually people who were interviewed by phone or in-person, or who have had significant contact with the POI, but didn't get a first-round offer. This list is in place to help the school fill out the incoming class should offers be declined, and also, to give other qualified students a chance to be considered. However, in my field, only 1 or 2 students are admitted per POI, so the waitlist is usually a list of students who were interviewed and not given first choice, or students with significant contact with the POI or department. I would say that if you weren't told you are on a waitlist, you may or may not be. If your field admits large cohorts, there's no reason to think that they wouldn't have a long waitlist with many opportunities to be admitted once people decline offers. But if your field only admits a small number of students, then it would be odd to be on a waitlist with no contact with the POI or department.

I would say that a masters in psych isn't any more employable than a BA, but it could be more likely to bolster your application. I would probably be wary of doing it since you'll get an MA on your way to your PhD, you will likely have to repeat the coursework, and a lot of programs do not help your application (only the research-heavy, mentorship model MA programs seem to really elevate your application). If you can't find a program with cheap tuition, which would probably be a public school in the state you already live in, then it is probably not worth it if debt is your main concern. I think that even though taking graduate classes might not be the best solution to beefing up your CV, it is certainly something that will be clear on your application and makes it seem like you are familiar with the field. I don't see how getting more psych experience and interaction with professors could hurt you. It's probably not going to get you any automatic offers because you've proven you can do the work, but it may effect how they look at your GPA and it sounds as though you are getting research experience, which is definitely key to success in the psych admissions process. I encourage you to keep networking with professors to find strong LORs. I included one non-psych professor in my LORs, because she was my research mentor, we published together, and she basically said I was the best student she had ever had in her rec (she let me read it, she's that cool)...that's going to have weight even though she isn't in my field. BUT, because I did that, I made sure the other LORs were from psych PhDs. I think the History prof could fly if the things he is going to say about you are phenomenal. It is weird you can't volunteer as a non-student. I currently have a research assistant that graduated 2 years ago in Washington, DC who now volunteers with us and is totally unaffiliated with the university outside of his work in our lab. I was under the impression that this is not a widespread, but certainly a widely accepted, practice. Maybe there are other schools nearby that you could volunteer at? Or, maybe you can track down I/O psychologists that you could shadow or intern with? Many are in the private sector and people love free labor.

Lechmere, specifically, is on the green line and MIT is on the red line. You could walk to MIT from there but you will not want to in the dead of winter. If you decide to take the T, you will have to take it into the city and back into Cambridge. That is going to take a lot of unneccesary time if you aren't walking or taking a bus (not sure what the bus situation is in East Cambridge). You probably want to refer to the MBTA website when you find any place to see what kind of commute on public transpo you are looking at if you decided not to walk. Anywhere on the red line will be an easier commute to MIT than other lines unless there's a good, reliable bus near where you live. When I first moved here, I was on the red line and it was a lifesaver getting to know the city and the T.

I think this is maybe true if you study your behind off...but you shouldn't depend on getting this score with only 2 weeks of preparation if you are not good at math. Not trying to be a downer, I just think some people are not totally aware of what not being good at math means, and it usually doesn't get you above the 80th percentile with only 2 weeks of studying. 81st percentile means you did better on the math than the vast majority of people that took it, less than 20% of people performed better than you. Not usually the case if you are average or worse at math (I know it wasn't the case for me and I consider my math skills fairly average compared to the rest of my academic performance). If you need a minimum of 160, I would suggest taking more time to study. You can always take it multiple times if you don't get the right score the first time. I just don't want you to be discouraged and think you're the only one on this website that didn't hit that mark if you don't.

I found a lab manager job through the SPSP listserv which advertises academic jobs. I'm not sure what the I/O or Human Factors equivalent of that is, but maybe someone can help us out with a specific name? It could be another resource in the job search for a more relevant position to your future goals.

I think it's nice to get personalized gifts and, I also think it can be appropriate to spend more on people who invested a lot of time in you. I applied twice so 2 of my 3 writers did this process for me again, which is extremely time-consuming and was integral for my admission to a program. For my boss, I got him a combined thank-you/Christmas gift where I bought him some fun office knick-knacks from www.uncommongoods.com and he really liked them. I also got a writing/storytelling game for one of my writers with a very creative family from the same website, and she loved it. Both of those were $30 or less. For my mentor throughout college, though, I bought her a framed art print for her office which was about $50 shipped. I know it seems like a little much but this person shaped my college experience and career goals and spent a significant amount of time working towards my successes for the last 5 years. I included a thank you note with each and they all loved their gifts and did not seem surprised by how much I spent.

First of all, http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qB5pDmqRTIc/TwNIEpTXCVI/AAAAAAAAE0Q/mgvSRpKk1VA/s1600/ryan+gosling+run+hey+girl.jpg Think of all the men that will be lining up for you....jealous. Second of all, I'm so sorry! That's a bummer and it's never fun to go through a break-up while going through a life transition. I don't have experience with this particularly with school but my ex and I broke up the week I moved 1,000 miles from everyone I know when I moved to Boston alone. That was really hard and I thought I would feel lonely, but it actually ended up opening up so much time for me to throw myself into my new jobs. I'm actually glad that it happened so early after I moved because it motivated me to meet people and not stay in my little bubble and talk to my boyfriend all the time. Not that you would do that, but it might help you put yourself out there if you don't have that familiar "crutch." Hopefully, you can take the next couple of months to grieve and be ready to kill it when Fall comes. I know you will!

Totally agree, you should ask your new advisor what he/she thinks.

It does sound like Stony Brook fits more with a research-based focus and a mentor model. But I would ask all programs how many students they funnel into PhD programs if you want to ultimately want to go that route. Also, you can ask about the likelihood of you entering the PhD program at SBU at some point if you want to finish there. If you can't continue there, I agree that it might be hard to get a strong rec from them by the time you're gearing up to apply since it's only a year-long program. In terms of the ROI of the MA, I've heard that some masters programs for psych (probably those with less of a research/mentorship focus) are not that helpful if you already have BA in psych, but that some programs can elevate your application, and have a strong reputation for passing a lot of people into Doctoral programs (probably the other types of programs people have pointed out). I chose to lab manage instead of going for a MA and it served me well when I reapplied, and got me a great LOR. I think that, in general, people in the US know more about specific scholars overseas than they do about school reputations so it's hard to . If the guy you would be working with is relatively well-known in your area and you are really into his research, I think that could be just as valuable an experience to you as a MA.

If you're indifferent about the PsyD institution, I would take it out of the running. It's going to be your terminal degree, you want to be happy pursuing it. Is the masters you already got into funded? If you're going into debt, you should only do it because you love the program or you're going to make bank. How are your chances at the program you prefer? If you feel like it's a pretty positive reception, you may think about waiting to see the result. Either way, I would play the hypothetical game. If you got into both schools which would you go to? Would you be disappointed if you were accepted to one school after accepting the other offer? If you're really that much more excited about the other program, I wouldn't want to attend the program you were accepted to. You don't want to settle for a school just because you are unsure. A year is only a year if you take a gamble and lose on the new program. You will always have your masters. And, also, is that program living in a bubble? Who the heck doesn't know other schools require answers before June?

I think this is true, but it's probably not a bad idea to make it known that you are going to probably have to apply again and get a tentative acceptance to recommend you again. You will be getting their agreement and reminding them to save their current letter for the future in one fell swoop.

I was checking my email in the kitchen before waiting tables at my second job. Only 5 more months of other people's detritus to go!

Good for you for getting so much interest right out of undergrad! You should be proud no matter what happens. Waitlists are both encouraging and awful. On the one hand, you have a chance. On the other hand, your chance depends on the chances and decisions of someone else. It's an unfortunate reality that you have to wait, but it will be over soon! There's not much you can do now (unless you have new publications or grants to add to your file) so I wouldn't stress out over what position you are on the waitlists. I applied right out of undergrad and was waitlisted at 2 places. I didn't get into either of them. What I didn't realize then, was that neither program was a good fit for me. I'm glad I didn't get in anywhere, because I got a great lab manager job that put me in a way better position for the Fall 2013 cycle. I felt the same way you do at the time, I wanted to start my life and I felt like waiting 2 years would be awful. But in the end, working for 2 years was a great experience that added a lot to my CV and got me a strong LOR. I encourage you to really think about how good the fit is between you and these programs. If you realize that it isn't good, you may want to get a research job like you said so you are in a better position in the next application cycle. I'm not saying you won't get in off a waitlist, you absolutely might. But I wish someone had told me this stuff back then. I absolutely would have taken the offer from the school that was more serious about me the first time around and I would be MISERABLE now. I dodged a bullet by being rejected. Don't be discouraged either way! If you do get rejected, ask what you could have done to strengthen your application and then make that happen before you apply again.

It seems like the tuition is by far the highest at Harvard out of your list. Michigan has the cheapest tuition, but you wouldn't qualify for in-state tuition so you'd pay the higher amount listed (or the school and the program will pay the higher amount). All of these schools are great, so you shouldn't be discouraged about any of them. And UM is a public university, but it's one of the highest ranked institutions in the US. These rankings put the MPP there at #3 in the country: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-public-affairs-schools/public-policy-analysis-rankings Private schools tend to have large endowments so they may be able to foot more of the bill than you assume, you shouldn't be worried that you have no chance of attending the more expensive schools. However, many people probably applied with UM being the top choice for them and it's a very well-respected school and program, so it's a good thing if you go there! Anyway, good for you and congrats on all those great acceptances! It doesn't seem like you (or they..) can go wrong!

Columbia? Stanford? I don't think you can really go wrong here. Even if the Stanford program is young, I'm sure it will be well respected and attract great faculty. Why is the location of Columbia a downside? It seems like NYC would be a great place to pursue international studies of any kind. In terms of the grad offers, if funding isn't a concern, I would decide based on the utility of the degree (in this case, the different degrees you would get at both programs) and the overall experience. However, if these aren't funded programs and you have a great job offer, you might think about taking it and seeing if they will foot part of the bill for your education. Think long-term. What is the best path toward the career you want in the future?

You GO girl. I don't see how this can be construed as unprofessional dress, it's your ring! So what if it's large, if it was small it would be more appropriate to wear? Either way, most of what it communicates about you is your marital status not your level of professionalism. Now, I might be jealous of its size as a female colleague, and that might lead me to comment on it, but it wouldn't make me think of you differently (except I would probably assume you had a sweet beach-front house you had never invited me to...and I thought we were friends!)

Somerville gives you a ton of access to tech companies and schools in Cambridge that would probably have a lot of use for someone with that background. I would suggest looking at the HR pages at Harvard, MIT, and Lesley to see if he can find any skilled administrative work (lab manager, research assistant, statistician) and then expanding the search to HR pages at companies with outfits in Cambridge. I had a friend that moved with her husband who had a Civil Engineering degree but had to be a valet for about 5 months before he found a good job (which is really not that long in the current market if you think about it). He didn't love it but everything worked out in the end. I think it will probably be hard to find a job before moving here if it isn't something you can apply to online. Networking never hurts either.

Somewhere around $900-$1100 to live alone, probably more like $500-$600 to live with roommates. It looks like you can get exceptionally cheap places but the recommendations I've gotten from people in the know put the price more around the $1000 range for a 1BR

One of your problems was probably the amount of applications you put out. Because a lot of PhD programs only take a handful or students, or less, most people apply to several (I applied to 13!) So I wouldn't be that discouraged by the first rejection because it sounds like you sort of put all your eggs in one basket. The trend in B-schools to hire psychologists means that, yes, they did their PhD in psychology. But consumer behavior is also a social science, and it's much more related to marketing than, say, developmental psych. There is definitely a trend for people with social backgrounds to go into marketing, but they have to make the same case you will have to going to psych from a marketing background: why is your experience relevant and why do yo want this degree instead of a consumer behavior degree? In all reality, the majority of marketing students still come from business backgrounds and less come from social backgrounds. I don't see either background hurting you in the current climate of inter-connectivity. And, like I said before, B-schools appreciate business experience way more than psych programs will (unless you worked in some type of social work or charitable capacity).

Agreed. I contacted then and almost all of them knew for sure if they were taking students or not. Some said that they wouldn't know if they will have funding until around the time that decisions are made, even when I contacted about a month before.

I would add that it is important that you are learning things you want to learn. One of the reasons I chose psych over marketing programs was the fact that I don't want to sit around listening to lectures about the 4 Ps and hearing about Nike's brilliant marketing strategy. I want to learn about psych. In terms of the curriculum differences across programs in the same area, they appear to look markedly similar to me for the most part, at least in my field.

I agree that post-interview questions can be the most helpful in terms of the information you glean. I think there are a few reasons for that: 1) Everyone's job during the visit is to woo you so all answers are usually pleasant, that seems to change slightly afterwards and 2) You don't really know what you care to know until you are comparing different schools. Because of that, I also asked different questions of Faculty and Students, but I contacted others too. For instance, I contacted a post-doc, past students and professors and friends I knew with ties to the school. I was concerned about certain things based on the comparison the programs I was choosing between. Those questions were along these lines: -How productive are you able to be? Does your adviser push you toward publication? Are you able to be first author? How does your adviser help you move from conceptualization to publication? Is he/she very involved or do you so most of it on your own with approval from him/her? (For faculty: how important is it for your students to publish? About how many articles would you expect from a graduating student? What are the opportunities for collaboration and when can I expect that to begin?) -What is the culture of the department like? Are people close or do they just see each other at work? What aspects of the department help you be successful in your program? How much do they help prepare you for the job market? How much networking do they help you do? How much opportunity is there to practice public speaking and presenting research (i.e. brown bags, teaching, break-out sessions, lab, conferences...) (For faculty: what is your idea of the ideal student? What is your mentorship style? Would you call it hands on or off? I am interested specifically in X, are you interested in combining our interests to pursue research about Y?) -Are there teaching resources on campus? What is the participant pool like? How easy is it to get data? How many classes do you typically take? How is your work/life balance? Is your adviser understanding of outside commitments like family? (For faculty: is the small pool a barrier for productivity? Are there other resources to help you gather data? How much time would I spend on research as opposed to class? How often would we meet? Would there be a lab meeting with other students and undergrads? How did he/she see my relationship with other grad students going? What is the competition for lab resources?) These are all fairly specific to questions I wanted to ask. My advice is to focus on the pros and cons of the schools and then formulate a question list to address those cons AND pros. You don't want to convince yourself that school B is better because of an opportunity that you may not even really have or you may not have for a few years. Also, no one acted like I was being rude or pushy, even when I asked questions about academic reputation so people are very much willing to help. But, obviously, be tactful.

I think it really depends on what career you are going into as zapster mentioned. If you are going to be making a ton of money, then it might be worth it to go to Georgetown if you think it will get you to that career. But people often say don't go into debt for grad school. This may be less of a consideration for people going into Medicine, Law or Business where there is major cash to be made. Also, it's hard to say which program is better since grad school rankings are so different from undergrad rankings and the programs seem to be comparable enough. You can probably consult with professors you know in the field and get a better picture about how much better the program fit is for you. I wouldn't take on a ton of debt just for a graduate degree if it isn't going to accomplish your long-term career and financial goals, though.