rabbit2013

I also agree that you SHOULD contact POIs in advance. In the sciences, at many universities your acceptance may depend on your POI having grant money to take you. Getting in touch before submitting an application not only gives the POI another chance to get to know you, but it enables you (the applicant) to decide whether to even apply. If I knew that, say, none of the three professors I was interested in working with at a given institution could take students, I might rethink putting my time into preparing an application for that university, not to mention spending money on the application fee and sending my GRE scores.

There are TONS of factors at play when it comes to graduate admissions in psychology. There are many idiosyncrasies, and therefore what "worked" for one person will not necessarily work for another person. With that being said, here are some observations I have after my year applying (I applied to top-tier Social Psych PhD programs for starting in Fall 2014): 1) There is no substitute for quality research experience. Period. Applicants who made it to the interview stage were, for the most part, in their second year out of college (i.e., graduated in 2012 and were applying to start in 2014) and had been doing research full-time since graduating. I also fell into this category. Like me, most applicants who got interviews at top (social psych) programs had also conducted a two-year honors thesis project or at least some project that clearly demonstrated individual thought and contribution during undergrad. I had about four years of solid research experience total at the time I applied, and for most other (successful) applicants this was the rule rather than the exception. While I did meet some applicants who were still in college at the time of interviews, they were truly outstanding students and were in the minority. Programs need to know that you truly understand what doing research is all about, and having a proven track record of doing research speaks for itself. 2) Letters of recommendation matter a lot. A key way to stand out is to select recommenders who are research experts and who can and will write letters that clearly illustrate your proven research prowess and potential. I would personally caution against getting more than one letter of recommendation from professors who only know you in a classroom setting (i.e., through coursework and not through research). Several professors I applied to work with later remarked that my "superlative" letters of recommendation really helped my application stand out. Similar to the point above, programs want to know that you know what research involves. If you cannot come up with at least two recommenders who know you in a research capacity and can vouch for you in that regard, that might be an indication that you should get some more research experience before applying. This may not be the case for everyone, but it's just my observation; this might also be different for clinical versus experimental psych, and Masters versus PhD programs. 3) Reach out to your contacts and perhaps even contacts-of-contacts. Get as much information and feedback as you can from people who were once in your shoes. About six or seven months before applications were due, I began contacting every grad student in my field that I knew and asked for advice and tips on the process. They were all incredibly generous with their time and expertise. Many were even kind of enough to share the Statements of Purpose that they had used in their applications and give me feedback on my drafts a few months later. Don't be shy about reaching out. The worst someone can say is no. And in science especially, a huge part of the discipline involves mentoring more junior researchers and reviewing other people's work; it's just part of being in the field, and grad students should know this (just make sure that you are gracious and reasonable with your requests). If you know a grad student in a program you're interested in, definitely talk to him or her and find out what's happening in the department (e.g., which professors are currently collaborating); these tips might really help you craft a very program-specific Statement of Purpose. 4) It's almost a cliche, but start writing your Statement of Purpose early and do tailor each application to each program. At several interviews, the professors interviewing me had annotated copies of my statement in their hands and would mention something I had written about from time to time. The statement should be clear, succinct, and compelling. Give yourself plenty of time for editing and getting feedback. 5) Applying to grad school can be pretty expensive. Not including the time spent doing research (which may often start or even remain an unpaid endeavor), studying for the GRE, writing applications, etc., paying for application fees (about $100 each) and sending GRE scores ($25 per school) adds up. You may also incur interview-related expenses (e.g., buying interview attire, paying for travel if the program doesn't cover that) or have to pay for conference attendance to help build your CV. It's just my two cents, but make sure you really know what you're getting into before shelling out that kind of money and time. If you are applying to a program that wants to see GRE scores in the 80th percentile or better, for instance, ask around and see how seriously they take that cutoff, and then perhaps retake the GRE if your score is not competitive. If you think you might not have enough research experience to be a competitive applicant, ask around and see if you should consider waiting a year or two. There is so much more to say on this topic (e.g., what to do to stand out at the interview stage), but I hope this helps with the main components of the first few steps. Good luck to the Fall 2015 applicants, and please feel free to PM me if you have specific questions (particularly for social psych PhD programs).

Hi there, Looking for some advice...I will be starting at PhD in Psychology this fall. During the application process, I was fortunate enough to be admitted to a number of programs. When I wrote to professors to inform them that I would not be attending their university for graduate school, a few replied saying that they were interested in collaborating at some point anyway and to reach out if I had an idea I would like to investigate with them. I would really like to pursue these collaborations, both because of my interest in these professors' research and because of my desire to expand my professional horizons. What is the etiquette for doing this? I obviously do not want to create an awkward situation with my graduate institution and my advisors there. For what it's worth, though, I will be coming into grad school on an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, so at least in theory I am not "tied" to a specific professor's grant or to a specific project. I am also returning to my undergraduate institution for grad school, so I feel that fostering collaborations at other universities would be to my advantage and potentially something that my advisors would understand. What are your thoughts? Has anyone had similar experiences? I was thinking reaching out to the professors elsewhere this summer, before I start my program, might be a good way to go. Thanks in advance!

Hey black7ack, These sublet listings are likely for The Arbor and have some photos: https://ocha.facilities.columbia.edu/property/view/listingid/170148 https://ocha.facilities.columbia.edu/property/view/listingid/135814 Hope that helps. I have some experience with Columbia University Apartment Housing, and I hear that it is best to just accept whatever assignment you get. Once you're "in the system," it is apparently much, much easier to transfer to a different unit/building than if you decline your initial offer and then try to get another assignment.

Hydroflask!!!! (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_sc_0_9?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=hydro%20flask&sprefix=hydroflas%2Caps%2C327&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ahydro%20flask or http://www.hydroflask.com/). Seriously, this is the best water bottle of all time. I have had mine (I own two of the Narrow Mouth bottles) for two years and have never had problems with leakage. The insulation was amazing. I can leave the bottle in the car in the blazing sun for an hour or two, and the water in the bottle will still be cool (assuming it was cool/cold to begin with). If I put ice in my water before bed, the ice is still there in the morning. Works for hot beverages too! I have recommended this bottle to at least five individuals, all of whom I have converted to the Hydroflask.

I found this calculator to be useful: http://www.tax-rates.org/income-tax-calculator/?action=preload Keep in mind that this is for 2013 rates and that I can't speak to its accuracy for all states, but it might give you an idea of what to expect.

Thanks! Very helpful.

Hi all, One of my pre-grad school summer projects is to learn how to use R to analyze data. I have been using SPSS for the last few years and am looking for some good books (or other resources) to help me make the switch. Any recommendations? Thanks!

Thank you!

Freaking out! I was offered the fellowship and accepted it a couple of weeks ago. I have the email from April 1 confirming that I received the fellowship; when I log into Fastlane, the page reads "Welcome Fellows" and shows my fellowship status as "Active." However, I was randomly checking something on the Fastlane Awardee list, (https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/AwardeeList.do?method=loadAwardeeList), and my name is no longer there even though it was there previously! I made my plans for attending graduate school based heavily on receiving NSF and am really concerned that I am not listed anymore. Hence the freak out. Is this happening to anyone else?

The NYU dates on the other thread may not be for Social, especially since the first date (2/14) overlaps with SPSP. I emailed the social psych coordinator at NYU last week, and she said that admissions decisions (including interviews) are made a on "rolling" basis and that interviews typically take place during the first few weekends in March. Hope that helps.

Hi Everyone, I've seen a couple of posts on the Results Search page for interviews at Columbia. If you've heard from Columbia, could you please PM me your POI and/or your area (social, cognitive, etc.)? Thanks!