MsDarjeeling

I love everything juillet has said. The only thing I would add is if/when you are transitioning, do not leave your current adviser hanging. You've done 1.5 years of research with him already and so far have had a very positive working relationship. Do not burn a bridge and lose out on potential lor's or job references. Do whatever it is you need to do in order to polish up that data so he/another grad student can continue where you left off or it can otherwise be concluded. It doesn't matter if you're too tired, too busy, or you've already had work piled on by your new adviser. You are obligated to tie up loose ends to the best of your ability and that would give you something to show for all of your hard work. If anything is published you may still get to be listed as an author (yay!) or be invited to present at a conference (double yay!) and you don't want a hint of bitterness as he mentions your name.

Oh how I dreaded this part before starting my Master's program and dread it again as I do PhD apps. I have not breathed one word to my employer about school and I have no intention of doing so. You're also in Cali so I bet you already know how challenged the economy is right now and how employers are being as picky as possible. When I decided to go back to school I knew two things: 1) I needed a job and 2) I was replaceable. I have seen employees pretty much fired (usually they fashion it as a position elimination or lay off) for having outside goals/interests that will lead to their eventually leaving the company and moving on so I did not expect to be supported. Sad, but true. When it came time for interviews I was able to do the bulk of them on the weekend and schools gave me about 2-3 weeks notice. I found most schools were very accommodating to those of us with jobs and anticipated off hours interview times. There was one that had to be done during the day and I put in for a personal day. I am one of those employees that generally asks for 1 day off a year (my birthday) so I knew management wouldn't give me a hard time. If for some reason they had not granted the personal day I would have just called in sick and dealt with their dirty looks the next day.

The people who decide its worth it are the ones who go and take out the necessary loans or they go part time and work their way through to have fewer loans. I even know a few people who worked in unrelated and very financially comfortable fields, hated their jobs, were unimpressed by the money, and followed their heart right into social work. People like that know that this is absolutely what they want to do and the lack of money (while unfortunate) will not stop them. Some schools offer scholarships/grants or have student jobs that may help with the costs, but those are probably very competitive. I think it may be a stretch to say that you can't have a house or family, plenty of social workers do. You may not be one of those families taking lavish vacations or driving luxury cars, but that's ok.

The other two made excellent suggestions and I have one more. You mentioned specifically wanting to counsel women in domestic violence shelters, but do you have any experience working with that population? Many people (often women) have that goal and then find out way later it isn't something they enjoy for various reasons or they find out they absolutely love it and can't imagine doing anything else. In order to get experience I suggest becoming a victim advocate at an organization that works with this population. Typically nonprofits that have services for sexual assault or domestic violence victims are desperately in need of volunteers and they will be thrilled to have you. Your degree in psych will help, but it certainly isn't mandatory. You'll need to pass a criminal background check, be reliable, open to learning, and ready to deal with very very complex emotional and physical tragedies. The district attorney's office often has paid victim advocate positions, but they are few, not well paid, and very hard to get. It is likely the sequester nonsense or constant budget cutting in general is creating even more challenges.

There are some schools that offer small scholarships to first generation college students (there is generally other criteria as well). Other schools just consider it an aspect of diversity largely because it is not easy bucking whatever non-college route your family subscribes to and navigating the college system by yourself. It doesn't hurt you to mention it, but don't expect it to give you a huge leg up either.

I don't think your SOP is the proper place to reveal your sexual orientation. A diversity statement ok, but not the SOP especially if it didn't influence your decision. Keep in mind if you choose to identify yourself then you stop being just a neuroscience grad student and become a bisexual neuroscience grad student. That may sound ok now, but you may feel differently at a later time. I understand wanting to demonstrate that members of the lgbt community can be valuable in the sciences and further research, but it may be better to have people focusing on the quality of your work (because that is what matters) and not who you choose to enjoy adult recreation with.

Provided you did well, they won't care. A lot of students start at community college for a variety of reasons.....money, location, unsure of major, working full time, etc. Many students (myself included) have been accepted into graduate programs and attended a community college previously.

Yes it happens. It sounds like your professor may have been trying to indicate that while it is possible, PhD programs in Psych can be very competitive (especially if Clinical is your choice) and not all undergrads are ready for grad school (limited research experience, unclear research interests, unclear career aspirations, lack of maturity, etc). You could always schedule a meeting with her to get more feedback on whether or not you're ready. It could be she feels you aren't and you would benefit from taking a year to gain more research experience or from doing a Master's (not necessarily a leg up, but a chance to further develop skills/interests) first. It would also be helpful for you to get feedback from other professors in your department.

Hey congrats to you and your mom! I was in a similar position and I too started and completed undergrad with parents who only had high school diplomas. When I started grad school neither of them had completed college so I was still considered first generation. Well my mom, like yours, had been taking classes at the community college and she finally finished last spring when I was nearly halfway through my Master's program. Even though my mom is now college educated (seriously doesn't get old saying that!) the professors/admissions people I've talked to have said I'm still considered first generation because she finished after me.

Location is extremely important to me and I have opted to select programs to apply to that are a good fit and in places that I would be comfortable living in. Cost of living is also a huge factor and as much as I love my home state it will be better for me financially (and academically) to go out of state. I am not leaning toward the tenure track when I'm done with my studies, but regardless I have no intention of just going anywhere that will take me in terms of a job. As fuzzy said, quality of life is extremely important. I think have geographic preferences limits your options sure, but it doesn't make it impossible to find the right job for you.

Considering how little space you have in your SOP I don't think you should waste a ton of space addressing this issue. Did you retake those courses and do better the next time around? If so then you could say something like "Unfortunately I did not do well in three courses, but retaking them gave me the opportunity to better understand the material and improve my grades." Then go right into talking about your strengths. Plenty of undergrads fail courses, especially in the first 2 years, and the reasons can vary. Now if you didn't repeat those courses and just took a semester off or something then you'd have to give a little more information. You could say something like "During the beginning of undergrad I had some personal/family challenges that made it difficult to keep up academically. I made the decision to take some time off, focus on those matters, and then returned when I felt better able to handle school." Then go right into talking about your strengths.

Well sure its possible and I bet if you search the forums you'll find posts by people in that situation who got in. If this is the position you're in the key is to highlight the skills and experience you do have. Have you been conducting research? Have you done any volunteer (or paid! *gasp*) work in your field? Have you maintained a good gpa? Great lor's? Great writing sample? All of those things are relevant when adcom's look at applicants.

I'm not in your field, but I had the same concern when I started writing my CV. Limited research, had spent over a decade working in a completely different field, ummm aren't I only going to have a page of nothingness? As fuzzy suggested above I started looking at CV's in my field. I looked at those of seasoned professionals to first get an idea of what it will look like later on and then I looked at grad student ones to see what it may look like now. From there I noted all of the sections that would eventually be on it, had that as my template, and started working. Any section that I had nothing to put in was removed such as publications, presentations, professional associations, & grants/scholarships/fellowships. Eventually I'll have things to put under those headings, but right now it would look silly to just put "none" under them. Then for the sections I did have stuff for I was amazed at how much I could list there. It helped to look at my regular resume/work history and have drafts of my CV reviewed by others for additional input on format and what to include. It is now 6 pages and the feedback I've gotten has been extremely positive.

I keep dreaming about a huge plate of nachos and a stiff drink lol.

I love what biotechie said, but would also like to add that often the support for underrepresented minorities is not department specific. There may be an office of student affairs, grad student support services, diversity coalition, or something similarly titled on campus that assists grad students from all walks with a variety of issues including the feeling of being an outcast. They may also have a directory of community resources, social events, etc.

Nice to hear an update on this and it sounds like everything worked out for the best.

I say send the letter and be sure to get one of those return receipt things so you know it arrives. Then follow up via phone in a week, never mind if you just get voice mail. If he has an assistant you can also try reaching out that way. If he agrees that only gives you 2 of 3 letters right? Have you done any community service projects within any clinical population? "Clinical population" is broadly defined so you have a lot of flexibility here. I have never ever had trouble getting letters from volunteer projects because they figure its the least they can do since you work for free. Did you do any research/interning post undergrad? If so perhaps you can reach out to someone there. Oh what about teaching or tutoring experience? That could work in a pinch. I would not go with a LOR from an unrelated job, but others may have different opinions.

I put fun stuff on my calendar like I would any other school or work obligation. It makes me feel more obligated to do it because I scheduled it, especially if the fun involves other people. I also don't beat myself up when I get up early on a day off, have a pile of homework to do, and then spend the next 5 hours watching crappy tv lol. Sometimes it is good to turn off our brains =)

I too have a ton of unrelated work experience prior to applying for my Master's and am still working in that field as I apply to PhD programs. Instead of trying to justify my unrelated work experience I chose to highlight all of the other things I did outside of that which were relevant to my field of study. Volunteer work, job shadowing, research experience, public speaking, etc. In the interview for my Master's program I was asked if I had a day job and said something like "Yes and it is an unrelated field to what I want to study and ultimately do. I'm grateful that it allows me to maintain a basic standard of living, but it is not fulfilling and I'm interested in transitioning into a completely different field because of xyz." As I've reached out for LOR's or general advice on the PhD application process I have been asked why I'm not working in my current field because there are some opportunities. I've responded to this question by saying something like "I would love the opportunity to work within my field in a paid capacity. I've enjoyed all of the volunteer opportunities that have broadened my skills and so far the right paid opportunity has not come along yet. Until that happens I will remain in my current position." I have not had any negative reactions to either of these responses. If I'm asked more about the unrelated field I work in I'll keep my responses brief and redirect the conversation to what I want in the future. In my SOP and CV I didn't even mention unrelated work experience. I kept the focus entirely on what is relevant to the field I want to be in to avoid confusion.

I'm not an international student. I'm a California native and am doing my Master's here, so yes it is a lot easier to see my immediate family weekly. In a PhD program that won't be possible, but I've made sure to select programs that are near extended family so I don't feel isolated. There really isn't a typical weekend for me, but its not all work or study. I don't work weekends, but sometimes I have class which leaves less time for fun or mundane things like chores. When I don't have weekend classes I usually do about 4-6 hours of studying/papers/research. Then the rest of the time is fun, volunteering, catching up with friends/family, and whatever else seems interesting.

Exactly! While I agree that a redo shouldn't just be offered to a select few it is completely unfair to the students who followed the instructions, put in time and effort, and possibly used the option of meeting with the professor for assistance. Plus it gives the impression that one doesn't need to work hard in the first place because there will just be a redo opportunity later. Life seriously doesn't work that way. Sure some students learn at different speeds, but that doesn't mean they should be allowed a redo every time they didn't grasp something right away. You can learn just as much from your failures as your successes and I say that after having the experience of failing a class more than once because I just wasn't getting it quick enough despite my efforts. I had maintained all of the skills needed from the prereqs so going backwards wouldn't have helped. I seriously had to suck it up, ask for help, and work harder to grasp the new material. Eventually I did get it and aced the class. And let me tell ya, that is my favorite passing grade to date =)

2 years! Wow! I see my mom every week, sometimes a few times a week. We also talk on the phone a few times a week regardless of how much we see each other lol. Of course I'm also lucky that she lives within a reasonable drive from me. My plan to go much farther away for a PhD program will completely change this and I'll admit I've been refusing to think about it lol.

Aside from a school or employer blatantly discriminating (which in the US they can't legally do) I think your age will be a problem if you let it be a problem. Yes there will be younger graduates everywhere for you to work alongside, compete with, learn from, instruct, etc. If you lead with you're "I'm older and I *insert annoying assumption here*" then it won't win you any points with anyone you need to work with. When I was fresh out of undergrad I had no problem working with older graduates/workers/etc. In fact I hoped to learn from them which is exactly what happened most of the time. There were a few who basically had the attitude of their age making them somehow better than me, more professional than me, or more deserving of promotions/raises. This led to a lot of stress and irritation for everyone and management had to make some uncomfortable decisions. Some of those decisions benefited me and some didn't. Now that I'm in grad school and still in the working world I'm seeing a wider variety when it comes to age of new graduates/employees. I like it, I find that employers like it, and everyone can learn from everyone else if they come in with an open mind. If you're confident in your abilities and education then you'll be just fine.

I try my hardest to do at least one fun thing each weekend so the regular week doesn't seem to drag. Most of the time that works. So this weekend I volunteered at an event, it rained, but that was ok. I hung out with my mom and did some lounging.