jakem

Thanks for the clarification! Not sure why they buried that way up in the document. I'd say then that social/clinical programs are roughly comparable in competitiveness.

I'm very interested in the intersection of psychology and religion! I recently got accepted to a social psychology program with a mentor who is currently studying just that. Are you looking for more of a social psychology program, or a clinical/counseling psychology program?

You absolutely need to do a Master's. Your GPA is too low to be taken seriously by any good PhD program, and you'll need to fix it by showing them you can get a 3.8+ in a Master's program. The fact that you already have some research experience is a big plus, but you'll be cut right away without having a great Master's GPA to make up for your bad undergrad GPA. That being said, I might look for another Master's than NYU. I've heard bad things. An optimal program would be one where you could work with faculty and do real research.

the social psychology PhD program. I didn't know there was more than one...

Has anybody heard from University of Minnesota yet? The website just says "Awaiting Program Decision"....

Me neither. I promise the minute I hear anything from them I'll let you know.

That's nice and all... but just saying, social/personality PhD programs are actually more competitive than clinical PhD programs. That's according to the APA 2011 analysis (Table 18). http://www.apa.org/workforce/publications/11-grad-study/applications.pdf

Whoa whoa, NOT okay. Grad school is a game, pure and simple. They define the rules, and we play to win. But do you really think that this has any correlation with what goes on out in the real world? There are great minds that have never gone to grad school and never need to. Charles Darwin never went to grad school and I'm pretty sure he revolutionized the world of modern thought for centuries to come. Albert Einstein never went to grad school and he is considered one of the greatest minds to ever live! I'm really sorry, and I can understand how painful this must be. But it's not that unusual, and you're definitely not alone. There are plenty of people who have to re-tool and try again next year. But you really want this, and you think this is the right path for you, you'll try again.

I feel like you'd need some extenuating factors in your SOP to make up for your grades. That, and some really amazing GRE scores.

Isn't this kind of not applicable for grad school though? I mean, don't cohorts pretty much stick together?

Still waiting as well. Pretty sure they had their Social PhD interview weekend though, so at this point I'm just hoping for a Master's offer.

Really sorry about this... but yeah. The only places that are teaching social psychology are colleges/universities, and the only way to teach there is to be a teacher/researcher hybrid (AKA professor). There are high school teaching general psychology, but usually just a single AP/IB section, so you would have to teach other subjects as well. I'd recommend doing some real soul-searching and really think hard about why you like psychology, why you like teaching, and see if you can explore these interests in a different way.

Yeah, sorry. People over here do the same thing, and they have to essentially "re-do" their Master's as well. Just think of it as time to publish more!

I'm skeptical. "payment of up to 36 units of tuition per year", covers "most fees." UC Irvine is offering me $52k my first year and $30-32k the next 4 years, but since tuition/fees are almost $15,000, it changes the bottom line quite a bit.

Potential UCI student here. Never lived on the west coast before. My big concern is the superficiality and enforced suburban qualities of Irvine. Are there things to do around the campus? Are people horrible and vapid? I'm not being harsh, I'm just worried. Would living in Costa Mesa make a big difference in this regard? I'm also a bit worried about living far away from campus and my cohort in Irvine. I still want to make friends of course! Can anyone tell me of their experiences with this?

But remember to factor in the cost of living! That will make a big difference in how much they offer.

Wow, that's so unprofessional. Academics can be real screw-ups sometimes.

Wow, they must have really liked you! That's an interesting proposition. Would you be his/her first grad student?

Not unusual at all. I've interviewed at 5 schools so far (social psychology PhD) and each time I've been interviewed by multiple other faculty in addition to my POIs. UT Austin even had me interview with every single faculty member.... oy

I recently interviewed at Princeton and stayed with a current social psychology grad student. He told me how he got into both Princeton and Northwestern (both great programs), and got rejected from the University of Georgia (my current school, mediocre program). So it can happen!

I'd say go for it! Tell him/her that you thought up some more ideas. It will show that you're actually research-oriented and aren't just BSing to get accepted. Edit: Never mind, congrats!

Sorry dude. We live in a highly competitive world full of extremely intelligent and qualified individuals. While I agree with you that GPA is largely meaningless, there are many people in academia that think it's an indicator of work ethic.

Unfortunately, no. Right now your GPA (cumulative 3.48) will get you rejected without them even reading your application. I know this sucks, and I really feel for you so so much because you obviously had an understandably bad experience your first two years, and then made a very smart and courageous choice to change into a field you love. Here is my advice to you: find a way to change those C's and F's. This differs by every school, but some schools have a policy where you can re-take a course to try for a better grade. I know what you're thinking - "Oh those courses aren't psychology so they don't matter right?" Wrong. The skills in chemistry and calculus (quantitative problem solving, understanding complicated mechanisms) are exactly the skills that top-10 programs are looking for in applicants nowadays. So you need to find a way to fix those grades. You have some GREAT research experience - that NIH grant definitely will set you apart. And I hate to say this, but being Hispanic will definitely help your chances. But even with that and a perfect GRE, you probably won't get looked at by a top-10 with C's and an F on your transcript. P.S. Whatever you do, do not mention your struggle with depression in your application. Many people try to weave their mental health struggles into a personal statement, or to explain bad grades. That's a great way for you to get rejected instantly. (see http://psychology.unl.edu/psichi/Graduate_School_Application_Kisses_of_Death.pdf)

To the person who posted the Princeton comment today on the results page... I feel ya. Biting my fingernails over here!!!! Email me your POI if you feel like chatting?

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