SocialConstruction

I wish this were available while we were applying! But I'm glad this information will be available for next year's applicants. It's such a good idea!

I met with a professor from University of Toronto at SPSP, and he said that interview weekend for their Social/Personality/Abnormal program is the last weekend of February (this weekend). I don't know if that helps, but it's at least some information.

I honestly don't think it'll matter. I also had a situation where the first semester on my transcripts was marred by a set of withdrawals, followed by a complete 180 of "doing really well." And I remember feeling completely paranoid that I would look like a "risky" candidate to admissions committees. Yet throughout my interviews, I was never once asked about it. As long as you're currently succeeding and passionate about what you're studying, you'll be golden.

I MADE IT TO THE OTHER SIDE! Finally admitted, and I can finally breathe easy. Best of luck to all other applicants!

I received it too, sadly. But I think this year really was a challenging year for admission at UMich. Multiple people in the results section had quant and verbal scores above 160 -- so perhaps it's less about what we lack, and more about how INSANE the competition was. Best of luck to everyone throughout the rest of this grueling process!

I'm also going to ask about Washington University's Social area -- has anyone received an invite/contact from someone in their department?

Congratulations!!!

I wish I had better foresight. POI at University of Toronto emailed me saying that they want me to come up for an in-person interview, but I can't because I don't have a passport. Instead we're going to have an informal chat at SPSP, but I feel like I really shot myself in the foot by not taking care of this sooner.

Northwestern, Feb 7-8 IU Bloomington, Feb. 7-8 WUSTL, Feb 12-14 U Mich, Feb 21-22 Rutgers, Feb 28 University of Washington, Feb 21-22

But you were basically right. Turns out I won't need a passport to enter Canada for an interview (license and birth certificate are fine), but I'll need one to get BACK to the US. *sigh, This is so complicated -- but on the bright side I'm finally becoming an adult and am investing in a passport, regardless.

Are there any other American students who feel concerned about not having a passport? It just occurred to me that if I'm invited to an interview, I may not be able to attend without a passport...

I would also recommend getting some research experience while you prepare for the GRE. I think you might have an excellent shot at getting in to an MA/MS program if you really demonstrate that you're enthusiastic about continuing with psychology. Is there any way for you to contact a professor from your undergrad / a local university or college and join their lab while you prepare for the GRE? Also, as far as Masters programs go, two very good (and fully funded) ones are at the College of William & Mary, and at Wake Forest University. So be sure to browse those programs, among others.

If I were in your circumstances, I think my gut, email response would be" Hi _____________, Yes, of course! Did the original letter not go through properly?" Although, I think I would only send that kind of email if you knew for sure that all of your letters were originally submitted on time. But yeah, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask. No one on this forum can offer a better explanation than the prof who emailed you.

I'm wondering the same thing? I figured most social programs -- Canadian or otherwise -- would avoid SPSP weekend... Strange. But on second thought, maybe it's their way of weeding their applicants down the TRULY COMMITTED, eh?

Northwestern's interview weekend is Feb. 6-8. I applied for social, but as far as I can tell this is the departmental interview weekend.

Sending you a Personal Message now.

This is such a relief to know! Thanks for sharing.

Has anyone ever heard of social applicants being offered admission without a preliminary interview? I just noticed on the results page that someone got accepted to a developmental program (presumably without a formal interview), and I'm wondering if the same ever happens in social programs?

Thank you all for the advice! This is very reassuring.

Denim makes a good point. There are many ways to become involved in research, and a thesis is only one of them. I was just advising you to keep it in mind as you navigate programs because having a thesis might make it easier to acquire the experience you'll need for application season.

My only advice would be to choose a master's program carefully. My undergraduate school has a highly ranked Ph.D. I/O program, as well as a terminal master's (non-thesis) I/O program. Multiple times throughout undergrad, my professors have reiterated that if you complete a master's program that does not require you to complete a thesis, getting into a Ph.D. program subsequently is really hard. Hopefully this helps! I think it's worth keeping in mind as you browse potential programs.

I live in the US, and one of my advisers actually suggested that studying psychology in Canada might limit my career options. Can anyone currently in a Canadian psychology program speak to this? Specifically, is it true that going to school in Canada can make it difficult to get an academic job in the US?