social_treehugger

Yes, I am aware of this. At first I thought it was a great thing because it would get me into the working world faster, but now I'm thinking it may be a disadvantage because I'm just not ready to enter a PhD program directly.

Thanks psychgurl. I am doing a thesis, and it involves original data collection using 2 very different samples (more complex than it had to be, but I'm hoping it'll yield a publication). I also got an RA volunteer position for this year. Like you said, I'm hoping my passion and compatibility with POIs will carry me through. I'm a nervous person which is why I'm questioning my competitiveness, I suppose.

I remember looking at his profile and finding his topics interesting, but ultimately his methods weren't a great fit for me. Best of luck!

Thanks for the response Bren The progression varies a bit, but in Canada students usually go from Honors BA, to MA, then PhD. However, lots of programs fast track students after a year in the MA program and many explicitly state that students uninterested in obtaining their PhD need not apply. Also, Waterloo admits straight from undergrad into a PhD program. So basically they really value research experience. Luckily I have an interview for an RA position this Friday, so hopefully I'll get into a lab and start some work asap. You're also right about research interests; I'm hoping my mutual interests will help out quite a bit because lots of profs up here seem to study prejudice and gender/queer issues. Ultimately I'll just have to let the chips fall where they may! I'm glad that my scores were comparable to yours, though.

So to clarify, I'm looking for opinions on how competitive my application would be, not whether or not it would technically allow me to gain admission.

Yes, they do. I meet all of the criteria (honors degree and thesis, gpa, GRE)...but those are just the minimum criteria. The programs are competitive and - sadly but understandably - many qualified applicants are not accepted.

159 for quantitative isn't too low. The percentiles are based on all applicants, but if you look at the psych percentiles, 159 is respectable. I think that math majors etc bring up the percentiles. Check this out: http://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide_table4.pdf

I'm giving some serious props to you, obviousbicycle. 5-10 hrs/day for 20 days is amazing, at least in my eyes.

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to tell myself...I tend to over think things. My POI at U of T is Alison Chasteen. Who's yours?

Your responses actually makes me feel a lot better. I WAS feeling confident before I found this website, but everyone's resumes on here seem so amazing. I guess some people are well into their MA already, so I should remember that. SocialConstruction, thanks for the tip. I'd love to look at those stats but unfortunately I don't have the money to drop on the book (I'm a member of the CPA but not the APA, so I don't even qualify for the discount). I know it's just $30 but after buying my textbooks and writing a cheque for tuition, I'm expecting a lot of ramen noodles this September!

I'm glad you started this thread. I've contacted all the POI's that I'm interested in, and most have replied. 5 said they aren't accepting students, 2 blandly encouraged me to apply, and 4 enthusiastically encouraged me to apply (attached articles they authored related to my interests, wrote long paragraphs, etc.) My top POI before I started this process was conveniently the most receptive. This is likely because she shares ALL of my research interests (feminist and critical psychology, discourse deconstruction, sexualities, prejudice, etc). She asked for my transcript, CV, 2 writing samples, and my cell number. We spoke for a half hour the other day and I think it went well, except when she asked who I was reading I totally blanked. The only articles I read this summer were assigned by my boss (a social psych prof whose area is unrelated) and I just didn't have the energy to do leisure journal reading after a day at the office. I explained that to her and while she sounded unimpressed, I think my point was reasonable. Since then, she has sent me 13 articles to read (lol). She also sent me her grad students' contact information. At this point I am very invested in her lab (already my first choice before any contact with the prof) and would kill to get accepted. Edit: I should note that I'm applying to Canadian MA programs, which is likely why profs actually with detailed emails

I would say they're not that bad, but if they bother you a lot just retake. My scores all jumped a few points the second time I took my test (except analytical stayed the same). You could also straight up ask your POIs. I had one POI tell me she really didn't care about GRE scores.

Hey everyone - after months of lurking, today I got an account and am making my first post! Hopefully I'll get some responses. I'm wondering if anyone can offer an opinion in terms of my admission chances. I'm applying to a diverse collection of Canadian social psych MA programs (Ryerson, Waterloo, U of T, U of M, SFU, UNB). Grades: My university only does percentages (90.1% - probably 3.9x GPA) GRE: 165 V, 160 Q, 5.0 A Research experience: 1 paid research internship this summer (my official title was lab manager but I was basically a super active RA). I also hope to RA in a lab this school year No real publications, just 1 in an undergraduate journal Volunteer editor for 2 undergraduate journals (psychology and women's studies) Other random things sort of related to my research interests: volunteer at suicide hotline, rep for uni women's studies student council I feel super average; thoughts? If my interests align really well with my POI (they do), would my application be competitive?