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Piagetsky

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  1. Upvote
    Piagetsky got a reaction from AlbertaUndergrad in Fall 2018 CANADIAN clinical psychology   
    What does this mean?  I've seen a few UCalgary invites on the results board.  Does anyone know what the process is?
  2. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to lewin in asking POI's or graduate office for updates   
    Yes. Learning how to wait for news (grants, awards, reviews) is part and parcel of academia.
  3. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to Clinapp2017 in asking POI's or graduate office for updates   
    Don’t email POIs about this. My current PhD mentor and old mentor at my undergrad have both commented on this making you look impatient. 
     
    If you really must know, email the grad admissions coordinator. Having gone through this process last year myself, I get the anxiety. However, you don’t really benefit at all by asking: you either learn you’re rejected or that you still need to wait. You can still work on building a backup plan without knowing your status. 
     
    I’ll also add several top programs don’t send out invites until mid to late January. The program I’m attending didn’t email me until late January last year to invite me to interview in February because they receive an extremely high number of applicants because of prestige and location.  
     
    Best of luck with everything! The process sucks, but resiliency and patience are important traits for the road ahead. 
  4. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to Stauce in Do I replace my cracked iPhone screen before my interview?   
    Yeah, you’re overthinking it. Do what you want to do. If they evaluate you based on a crack iPhone, you probably don’t want to go there anyways.
  5. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to Timemachines in Advise for my upcoming interview   
    Here's something thats helping me currently: I applied to programs and faculty with emphasis in neurospychology. There are a few annual conferences that are designed specifically for neuropsychological research and, as such, Ive looked up abstracts for people Im interviewing with to see what their most recent work is all about. Symposia and poster abstracts will not give excessive information away, however, you will know what's current..you'll also be familiar with their current preferred methodology and be knowledgeable about at least one active ongoing project in their lab. 
    I'd also recommend looking for common factors across publications - do they publish with similar folks? are they publishing with a particular cohort? Feel comfortable name-dropping. You saw that your PI publishes frequently with so and so...this is cool because abc and xyz (remember to keep it focused) - or you see that your PI pulls data from the CDC...or some longitudinal cohort ...think about ways in which you could complement these areas of your PI's methods, or why you'd be interested in working with them. Pick 2 or 3 papers max that you feel like you can really speak about knowledgeably whether its because you were surprised about the results, or the limitations sparked your interest, or you were interested in the methodology or research question. This will definitely convey your interest in your PIs research!
    Reread your personal statement too. I felt like I epically dropped the ball in a phone interview because I described very eloquently what I was interested in in my personal statement, but then never recapitulated over the phone until ~30 minutes into the conversation. This is a document you will not have in front of you so I think it's often overlooked to recap your own resume and pitch (via a statement) to a PI
    sincerely hope this helps!!
  6. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to ContentFaces in Fall 2018 CANADIAN clinical psychology   
    Last year I was accepted to Alberta's SCCP program on March 30 with no interview or contact prior to that point
  7. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to Timemachines in How to Deal with Rejection   
    I think this is a great thread. Im applying for the second time now with a very different outcome than my first time, two years ago. I had applied to 14 schools (clinical psych) and only heard from one (to which I was not accepted). 
    I was convinced that there was nothing I could have done differently or better, but that's not true. I think one thing that helped me beyond the "everything happens for a reason" bit is to remember that academia is highly insulated. Even now, I feel very strongly about the research I do and I work for a PI that is internationally recognized for her work in the subject matter...but my friends, parents, roommates, uber drivers, bartenders acquaintances (the list goes on..and yes, I bore strangers with science) have no idea who she is...and for that matter, couldn't care less. Life goes on. Life is bigger than prestige and academia. This attitude helped me to think more globally about my applications this time around. Having this attitude helped me maintain a sense of confidence in my writing (statement) and preliminary phone interviews. 
    With all of that being said, getting into a program was and continues to be a goal for me, and as such, I think that a person should commit and do what it takes to get there. I took a 10K paycut and had to move for my new job but it was worth it because my scientific productivity was high. I think the point there is to continue to be proactive! Email PIs, reach out to folks to express interest in their work...change your environment to reflect what you hope to achieve. if you're at a dead end lab - branch out and take an educated risk. Dont rush. I can't stress that enough. Im not a spring chicken and if you looked up the term impatient in the dictionary...you'd see my surly face..being impatient. But taking your time to really refine your interests will only pay off in the end.
    Finally..and I mean this as much as possible in a non sugar and spice and everything nice kind of way, but remind yourself that you know your shit and that you're a worthy candidate. Always stay curious and maintain humility, but that doesn't entail discrediting your accomplishments and hard earned/acquired skills and knowledge. Work your ass off so that next time you know you crossed the t's.
    Wishing you and everyone whose feeling down the best of luck. Keep yr chin up.
  8. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to Stauce in PhD Fall 2018 Applicants   
    I understand it’s stressful and I am concerned too but I wouldn’t be so fatalistic. Just look at LeftSkew’s data he posted— Tomorrow and next week are some of the biggest periods for invites. There’s still time.
  9. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to FacelessMage in POI out until after the deadline -- WWYD?   
    I'd email the grad coordinator, Etelle, to ask. She'd probably have a good idea if Dr. Maggi is taking students or not. 
  10. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to PsycUndergrad in Fall 2018 CANADIAN clinical psychology   
    Good luck! I interviewed there last year and was only notified ~10 days beforehand so you still have time! 
    I don't think I was very clear in my initial post, but if anyone here applied to the Concordia clinical program with a developmental or neuro supervisor, I wouldn't expect to hear back yet. According to friends who applied, they do interviews much later than the few clinical/health profs. 
  11. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to TakeruK in Skype Interview Tips, Do's and Don'ts?   
    Assorted tips:
    - Choose a computer and location that you have used to conduct Skype calls in the past. Do a trial run if you have not yet used that particular computer or location. 
    - Choose a private place with a good wifi or ethernet connection. I usually book a classroom or a meeting room. If you're at home, try to do it at your desk or a place with a plain background (i.e. not with your kitchen or bedroom in the background if possible).
    - Dress as if you were going in for a in-person interview. Try to avoid colours or patterns that don't show up well on video though (e.g. stripes)
    - Look into your webcam, not at your screen. 
    - Ensure there's enough distance and that the angle between you and the webcam is good. You don't want their screen to just be your head but you don't want to be so far away either. Probably a good idea to test your arrangement with a friend first.
  12. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to PsychBoy in SSHRC Doctoral Award/CGS (funding for 2018-2019)   
    and yes, each school has a quota to submit to the national competition; I believe your application is now being reviewed by Ottawa
    you'll hear from them in April approx. 
  13. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to Oshawott in SSHRC Doctoral Award/CGS (funding for 2018-2019)   
    They've received your application at the national level and are now reviewing it.
  14. Like
    Piagetsky reacted to Left Skew in Data on Grad Cafe Psychology Results   
    Hello everyone,
    I've seen quite a bit of chatter around the timing of results, and the answers are obscure. I wanted to provide my services, and give you all some extra data. The beauty of grad cafe is that it is one of the most (if not the most) centralized data source for graduate students. Some data examples: What schools are most popular, what degrees, applicant metrics, dates of results, etc. Yet, I've yet to find someone that uses this information to help those applying.
     
    Until now...
     
    I used R (for those unfamiliar) to scrape the grad cafe results data related to psychology. I returned about 35000 records. There were a lot of un-tidy text strings (e.g., PhD and Ph.D.), especially in relation to program-title and institution; however, that is a project for another day. Data regarding dates and decisions did seem clean enough for me to analyze it and turn it into something nice for you all.
     
    So what is it....?
    Here is a PDF based on the results of all Psychology students (over 35000) since the origin of grad cafe. The first 3 tables show the 10 most common dates (by count) for getting an interview, getting accepted, and getting rejected ? .  I would do relative frequency and should've...maybe tomorrow.
    Then a longitudinal line graph (which shows these decisions throughout the year)
    Finally, one that focuses more on the "critical-period" when most decisions are made.
     
    Conclusion
    This was a piecemeal job that I should be done in R Markdown. I'll link my code at the end. Similar methods could be used to look at the "most popular" programs, probability of acceptance by degree type or program type, average GRE score for accepted candidates, and the list goes on. If anyone wants a csv of the dataset I used, please feel free to message me. I also welcome critiques and suggestions.  I wish you all the best.
     
    R code here
  15. Like
    Piagetsky reacted to Logan B. in Fall 2018 Psych PhD Interviews (not clinical)   
    nothing is worse right now than receiving stupid spam emails about cat litter coupons. Or emails (thanks to taking the GRE) from schools that are like "INVITED ....to apply!".
    ahhhh
  16. Upvote
    Piagetsky got a reaction from TakeruK in Professional Disclosure in your Personal Statement   
    This is totally off topic, but I wouldn't want you to include it in your application erroneously.  It's HIPAA (health information portability accountability act).
  17. Upvote
    Piagetsky got a reaction from Jay's Brain in Advice needed: contacting POIs already known to be accepting students?   
    I'm thinking about putting together an email that basically says "(Greeting)  I saw that you are accepting students on your website.  I am interested in your lab and am considering submitting an application, but I would like to know if my research interests are a good fit with your lab.  Here's what I study......here's what I've done so far.....do you think there might be a good fit for your lab?  Thanks, me."
    Obviously much more formal, but that's the gist.
  18. Like
    Piagetsky reacted to metalpsychperson in Alliant university?   
    Alliant is not reputable. Do not waste an application there and do NOT waste your money going there. In fact, it's advisable to avoid professional schools altogether. You do not need to attend a program that focuses entirely on LGBTQ mental health to study/practice in that area. Look for universities with a faculty member who does research in that area, and apply to those faculty members' labs. There are TONS of programs with faculty that specialize in LGBTQ mental health.
  19. Like
    Piagetsky reacted to fuzzylogician in Discussing Thesis in your SOP   
    Well first off, you can get rid of half of the words in your sentence without loss of content. "After graduating with my BA from XYZ, I enrolled in a Masters? program at the University of ABC. <Sentence about what you learned; "further my development in research and statistics" is incredibly vague; be specific!>. My (currently in progress) thesis proposes to study <question>. By <doing things>, I plan to <find out stuff>. This will teach us <interesting things that are important, and here's why>. <Something about methodology, advising, timeline, etc. Be specific, give details where you can>. This background has prepared me to pursue a graduate education concentrating on <relevant things> at <your institution>, etc etc" 
  20. Like
    Piagetsky got a reaction from Hellie in Fall 2018 Canadian Application Prep   
    Yes, they do.  
     
    http://www.ryerson.ca/psychology/programs/graduate/how-to-apply/
    http://www.ryerson.ca/psychology/programs/graduate/how-to-apply/gre-scores/
  21. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to Quantitative_Psychology in PhD Fall 2018 Applicants   
    Hey everyone! I'm super glad I found this forum early. This is my second time applying to Ph.D. programs (although the first time I applied I was going Clinical Psychology and now I am going Quantitative Psychology). That was almost two years ago. I am currently a second-year Psychological Research Masters student. I'm hoping I'll have better luck this go around.
    Program of interest: Quantitative Psychology
    Research interest: Structural Equation Modeling and Network Analysis limitations and applications
    Schools: A wide variety including UNC Chapel Hill, Ohio State University, UCLA, UVA, Arizona State, UC Merced, etc.
    Number one worry about applying: I feel like I'm still haunted by a less than stellar undergrad GPA. I graduated with a 3.3. During my sophomore year, I took a bunch of Bio and Chemistry classes in addition to Calculus and it wrecked my GPA. It was quite a climb to get to the 3.3. The reality is that was 4 years ago. I'm a different person now. I hope they don't hold it over my head.
    Not worried about: Master's GPA (4.0), GRE (V157, Q161), Research Experience (2.5 years in 4 labs), Publications (1 submitted, 2 in prep [potentially submitted before application deadline, fingers crossed]), and LoR (3 pretty stellar ones from the labs I've worked in for the past year)
     
    On a side note (speaking to anyone who has potentially been rejected and is super down), getting rejected 2 years was a good thing. It was a complete ego blow, and I was devastated. However, I decided to go to a Masters program to try, and improve my chances and from that experience, I realized that Clinical was not a good fit for me. I'd never even heard of Quantitative Psychology in my undergraduate. Plus even if I still wanted to go clinical, I gained 1.5 years of research experience and posters/publications that would greatly improve my chances. Just want to throw it out there that rejection can be helpful, and 1 year can make a dramatic difference in your application!
  22. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to fuzzylogician in Feeling a lot of guilt today   
    If they weren't offering enough money for you to sustain yourself, were they really that welcoming? Well intentioned, maybe, but you should remember that they were willing for you to take on serious debt in order to be there. Taking the offer with funding was and is the smarter decision! It's okay to be unsure, but once the dust has settled, you should start finding ways to get excited about your new school -- sometimes it can take some time, especially when the process is emotionally difficult, but at the end of the day you made the right decision, and you should be proud of that. 
  23. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to cowgirlsdontcry in PhD Fall 2018 Applicants   
    It's also inexpensive compared to Princeton, etc.
  24. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to metalpsychperson in PhD Fall 2018 Applicants   
    You can only use a simple on-screen calculator. And if you're decent at mental math (I'm not) you're probably better off limiting calculator use as it really eats up time.
    Second your recommendation of Magoosh. It's by far the best GRE study aid out there.
  25. Upvote
    Piagetsky reacted to yash13177 in PhD Fall 2018 Applicants   
    Hi! Fellow applicant for Fall 2018! 
     
    I'm just starting my search into programs but I do have some worries!
    I'm considering re-taking the GRE to better my score (I've only taken it once and in a panic because I thought my institution where I'm at now for my Master's degree required it). I'm also worried that my current research project won't be as successful as my undergraduate research experience! I hope that does not reflect badly on my part...
     
    I'm looking forward to braving this application cycle with you all!
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