jkathleen09

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Hi there! I'm joining the experimental psychology program. We have 24 incoming students in the psychology program, but I'm not sure how many are experimental. I'm moving down at the end of July-start of August. My lease is up in DC on July 31. I'm originally from South Carolina (just south of Charlotte), so if anyone has any questions about the area, feel free to let me know. I haven't looked at housing too much yet, but a friend emailed me a bunch of info. I'll look for it tonight when I get home.

Me too

I applied for the NDSEG and got the "you are still being considered" email on April 3. I'm wondering how late the yes or no emails typically go out. I've heard as late as mid-May, and I'm just wondering: those of you who were awarded the fellowship in the past, when did you find out?

No, it's the same field (experimental psychology). I spoke with them before applying, and they said this would be the only year I would be eligible to apply. I work as a DOD contractor right now, so I hope I've shown my ability to do research that is of interest to the DOD, but I've seen that the cognitive/behavioral awards given out are usually small in number compared to the other fields, so I'm not super hopeful

I think the bummer for me is the fact that I won't be eligible after this year. I'll be in my first year at my PhD program, and I will have 4-5 years of school to go, but I already have a Master's degree, so I won't be eligible next year. One way or the other, I just wish they'd send me a notification. Any cognitive/behavioral science folks gotten their acceptance letters?

Some of the finer details: School B takes longer to graduate because 1) They aren't being pushed, and they aren't pushing themselves. One of the students that showed me around was in year 3 and had yet to propose his Master's thesis. 2) They get part time instructorship in year 3, and they are required to teach 2 sections instead of 1. That adds a lot of work load. School A has a lower cost of living plus no tuition. School B requires paying in state tuition. That, combined with the lower assistantship and the fact that "budget cuts" were mentioned multiple times over the interview weekend and that many other graduate programs are in the process or have already closed gives me great reason for concern. The chair of the department said that they were not at risk of being closed though. I would have to take out loans at School B. School A would mean no loans. Another issue is that I've been in a Master's program, and I know how demanding it can be. An indicator of rigor for me is how many students are in relationships. About 70% of School B students were in relationships. Only 1 student at School A was in a relationship because "the program is too intensive for a relationship." So, I feel like school A would be more likely to give me the skills I need to become a better researcher. I'd largely made up my mind, but I was concerned that my desire to be close to my family was clouding my judgement- so I wanted some extra opinions. Thanks for the help guys, I feel a lot better about choosing School A now. EDIT: Also important to note, School A has funding guaranteed for 5 years while School B can only guarantee for 4.

Thanks Zabius, The time to completion gave me a lot of pause. I already have my MA, and I don't want to spend 6-8 years finishing up. I would like to be done in 4 and I think that kinda solidifies it for me. I just know how important research fit is, so I didn't want to make a rash decision. I guess I was just afraid that being 1.5 hours from my family was clouding my judgement, but that is how I was leaning anyway.

I was accepted to two schools (so far- still waiting on a few more). I'd like to choose between the two of them while I wait for my #1 school- so that they can extend an offer to someone who was waitlisted. School A is perfect in almost every regard. Good funding, rigorous program, lots of stats classes, close to family. The main drawback is that I'm more interested in School B's research. In all other ways though, School B is far worse. Funding is less secure, it's a pretty easy program with very little pushing, students take their time with some taking 7-8 years, and it's very, very far away. What do you guys think? Go with *slightly* less enjoyable research for a more enjoyable program and graduate experience, or deal with greater financial and emotional struggles for a more fun research lab? A key issue is that neither is really the research I plan to do for the rest of my life. It's hard to find a program that does the research I want, and those that do are the schools I'm still waiting to hear back from.