alexis

One of my professors published quite a bit before getting married and changing her name, at least 10+ journal articles I would say. She did what others have suggested and her maiden name is now her middle name, so instead of "Suzie Q. Jones" now it's "Suzie Jones Doe." She has found it a little bit frustrating to not have her works linked as easily, but really, it's not a big deal, career-wise. Her CV still has those publications listed, when she goes up for tenure they will be a part of that, etc...it shouldn't have much of a bearing on your career. Anyone who makes a decent effort to search for you would come across your webpage (if you have one), listing all your publications, so it's not like those publications get disassociated with you when you change your name. So no, I don't think it will be difficult or confusing to publish under a new name. I'm not sure how easy it is to publish under a different name than your legal one. One thing to think about, though, is how your name will be associated with future job applications, faculty positions, etc...for example, your bio/application would have your legal name, then your list of publications, including current ones, would all be under a different name. That seems more confusing to me than just changing your name now and putting your new name on everything. For my personal experience, I was married before having any publications. But I changed my last name to my husband's because I hated my (long, hyphenated) maiden name. My husband's was much prettier. Seriously, that's the main reason I changed it. I know, pretty superficial... I would do what YOU want to do. I really don't think the change is going to affect your career or publishing record in any negative way though. Here is a good thread on the topic from seasoned academics that might help you: http://chronicle.com...ic,33201.0.html and: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,28480.0.html

Well, 3 of the 5 PhD programs I applied to were a complete waste of time. I realize that now; at the time, I wasn't 100% sure what I wanted to study--I was pretty open to similar areas of study, which had some overlap--but realized that with my background, I was limited to one field, and should have stuck with that. But since I was only applying to one geographic area, I was pretty terrified of not getting in anywhere, and I thought "why not?" It worked out though, since I was accepted into 1 of those 2 awesome programs in my field, but looking back I would have just applied to those 2 programs. (Yes, ideally it's best not to be geographically limited, but such is life sometimes.) I also learned how much work it is to research a PhD program. Finding out about their areas of research, all the intricacies of the application--it takes a lot of time. You'd be surprised, too, how many "hidden" webpages exist that aren't linked to the main pages. I learned through a random google search that one of my programs I was applying to was "going in a different direction" the next year--and not in my research direction. This way, of course, after I submitted my application (it was one of those 3 programs that were a waste of time and money). This page was not at all linked to any of the PhD application pages. I would say, though, that if you put the work and effort in--and start early--that makes a big difference.

I can't answer all of your questions, but hopefully can hit on some of them. My current professors (in my master's program) have PhDs in I/O Psych. They have worked for consulting firms before becoming professors, and generally, the pay is pretty good (though you lack the flexibility etc. of an academic). The consulting firms they worked for hired only PhDs as consultants, so I don't know if that's the norm, but it certainly would give you an edge if that's what you want to do. I'm not sure how much you can get into the field (especially with the good $$) with just a master's. If you want to do consulting, I think you're more marketable with an I/O PhD degree (or OB Business PhD) than with an MBA with a concentration in OB. But that's just based on my limited perceptions and experiences that have been shared with me by my professors. I'm starting a PhD program in OB (in a business school) in the fall. I feel like the difference between I/O and OB isn't really a huge one, but OB focuses more on the organizational/business side, and I/O is more on the psych side, and tends to emphasize areas such as testing, etc more than OB does. The I/O folks on here can probably offer more insight than I can though. As my professor put it, after she met some profs at SIOP who had a PhD in OB and taught at a business school (versus her, who teaches at a College of Arts & Sciences): "basically, we do the same thing, but they make $30K a year more than me." Work experience is definitely going to work in your favor. But what is going to help you even more is research experience; even if it's not exactly in the I/O or OB field, it will be impressive to admissions committees if you can articulate the research you've done (publications especially) and the research you'd like to do in I/O or OB. So based on what you've described about your research experience, I think you sound like a very competitive applicant. One last thing, you *might* want not to mention that your dream is to do consulting in your SOPs. I'm not sure about I/O psych, but for business schools, they are looking to produce academics/future researchers. I'm not saying lie about your goals, maybe just leave open the possibility that you might pursue academia if that's something you're open to. I say go for applying to the OB programs in your area. Good luck!!

I'm so glad I found this thread! Not sure why I missed it before. I received an email with my acceptance and all the funding details, have visited the department and let them know in person I'm accepting, but still haven't gotten the letter in the mail. (Once I accepted the offer via email to the admissions director, he replied back and said I would get the contract etc. in a few weeks). It's completely and utterly irrational of me, but now I'm feeling slightly uneasy...what if they decide to reject the offer? No one has signed anything yet, so they could, right? (Um, I know. Trying to tell myself I am being loopy doopy.) Still, I check the mail each day, hoping! Coyabean, I love your signature (congrats on Emory btw!)! I think programs really, really underestimate the effect that a) notifying us at a reasonable time of acceptance and b.) being communicative/in contact with us ultimately has on our decision-making process. Like you say, it could be a sign of bigger problems in that department. Also: I will second Temple's crappiness. I was accepted there when I applied to master's programs, and originally had been one of my top choices, but then when I tried contacting them multiple times to visit, and NO ONE would respond to my inquiries, I decided that since they couldn't take the time to try and show an accepted student around and answer my questions, they were definitely not worth my time.

Hey Hampster! I live in South Philly right now (Pennsport) and love it. I can give you some info on the area. I would definitely avoid some of those neighborhoods in north Philly by Temple- the ones that seem sketchy usually are. There are some okay areas in the Loft district, but it's still not my favorite area. You can easily take the bus or subway from south Philly to Temple; it's not far away at all. Subway isn't super extensive--you have to go to Broad st to take it--but it's doable, and there are plenty of buses. Center city is a great option, but yeah, it's expensive. Queen Village (just south of center city) is a beautiful neighborhood and cheaper than center city. It has a lot of young folks and I absolutely adore it. Tree-line streets, well-taken care of historic homes, coffee shops, restaurants, shops, etc. We looked to buy our house there, but the prices were still just a big high, so we went a little bit further south to Pennsport, but are in a really good neighborhood that I'm happy with. But Queen Village would probably be my #1 recommendation to you if you're looking for something close to center city that's at more reasonable prices. If you go south, you want to stay in the east area if you can, east of Broad St. The west part (not referring to west Philly, but the far left part of "east" Philly before that river) gets sketchy about 1/2 mile+ out of center city, especially as you go farther south. It is my unofficial opinion that south of center city, general the further east you are (towards the Delaware river), the nicer the neighborhoods are. As far as price goes, a quick search in Queen Village reveals one bedrooms at around $700. I'm not sure about the best time to lock in a rental--I think 2-3 months out is probably a good time to start seriously searching. If you need any other tips or have questions about neighborhoods, feel free to PM me, I'm more than happy to help!

I grew up in Williamsburg (shout out to folks on here from the burg/went to W&M!), and now when I go home I wish the things that are there now were there when I lived there- New Town is awesome and the number of restaurants and shopping has really increased. It's a pretty good area with a decent amount to do (though can't compare to a proper big city). But in most locations in the Hampton Roads area, you would want a car to get around. My dad lives in Norfolk, and I will say that you do not want to live in Williamsburg and commute to Norfolk/VA Beach or vice versa. The Hampton Roads Bridge tunnel is TERRIBLE. The trip is fine for an evening or weekend night, but not very good when commuting, you will crawl through traffic. So I'd recommend staying generally on whatever side of the water your school is on.

Not sure if it helps, but an awesome book that my I/O faculty uses and I just ordered is Discovering Statistics Using SPSS by Andy Field (3rd ed.) http://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Statistics-Introducing-Statistical-Methods/dp/1847879071/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269460464&sr=8-1

Actually I'm fairly certain that right now, the law is set up so you won't owe income taxes on a short sale if it's your primary residence.

Ha, I love this. So true. Okay so I'm late the party and way off topic from the original post, but this made me think about what my mom always says, how there are different types of intelligence. I have decided that nature gave me a decent amount of book-smart intelligence as well as emotional intelligence, but took away a wee bit of common sense and mechanical intelligence to compensate. It drives me absolutely nuts that people still use "it's" as possessive, when to me it's something we learned in the 3rd grade and is really simple. Yet, I was age 18 when I realized the word "earring" was a compound word- "it's a ring, and it's in your ear! OH!" And I still can't change a flat tire. Completely useless when it comes to cars. And yes, arguing over what is the most useful or least useful PhD to society is very subjective. We probably all feel that our chosen fields have relevance (and they do, or else they wouldn't exist), but it's like arguing about religion...just is never going to go anywhere.

I'm fairly certain, I'm sorry to say, that the US currently doesn't recognize same sex partners, based on what I know about the visa system and my experience with it. While some states recognize same-sex marriage, the federal government (and hence USCIS) still does not. Change *will* come, but unfortunately at the rate it's going, it will be awhile. Here's a link that popped up when I did a quick google search: http://www.immigrationequality.org/template.php?pageid=154

First acceptance: 3 and a half months later (but only a month and a half after the due date) First rejection: 2 months later Last rejection: 3 and a half months later

waytooold, I'm so sorry. This process is maddening and the high number of applicants and low number of spots makes it so difficult for admissions. Have you thought about retaking your GRE and reapplying next year? Or maybe taking the GMAT instead? (That way if you don't like your score, you can still use your GRE, since many programs take both.) If this is really what you want to do, you're never too old.

I've accepted an offer to a non-brand-name school for my PhD, and I couldn't be happier. This is coming from a person who went to a highly ranked/well-known undergrad, and still feels proud of the name (as silly as that is). I agree with others who say there are more important things to consider than going to a top-ranked program (depending on your field, I know humanities is a bit different in that way). You have to figure out what's going to make you happy for the next 5 years, where you'll have a good fit and do productive research, what kind of faculty connections you can make, what your career goals are, then match that to the programs. Many of these things do not necessarily correlate to top-ranked programs. [P.S. I second what others have said about Harvard. I know a couple people who went there and were absolutely miserable. Not everyone, of course; but I was glad when my cousin turned down an offer from there for undergrad and went to Michigan instead, she knew what she was doing. It's funny how we let a name carry so much value.]

Yes, you should definitely respond as soon as you know for sure you're going to accept. For me, once I decided, the department head told me to respond to the email that the PhD director had sent me with the offer of admission (they're sending the more formal paperwork in the mail). There could be others on the waitlist, or those who haven't heard anything from your program--you responding may mean the department can move on with decisions for other applicants.

That is awesome, CONGRATS!

Good luck, I hope things work out and CUNY sends you an acceptance soon!!

I would definitely disagree with that, though admittedly I'm not familiar with Chicago. I spent a lot of time looking in Philadelphia to rent or buy, and if you're able to get an apartment for $500, you are living in a sketchy part of town or it is really, really crappy. I know what I pay on my mortgage here in the city, what my friends pay in rent, and housing prices in the desirable areas--while it's not ridiculously high like NYC, it is not cheap for a decent place. I think Philadelphia's cost of living (specifically housing) is low because of the diverse types of neighborhoods. If you want to live in the nice parts of center city (the priciest), surrounding areas, or near the campuses (e.g., UPenn), expect to pay higher prices. However, you go out to far west Philly, north Philly, or far south Philly, housing prices (and neighborhood quality in a lot of cases) drop significantly. So you get this average that's not really representative of what it would cost to live here if you want to be in the "good" areas. I would agree with Jacib that the cost of living seems artificially low, and it would for be for that reason, in my opinion. That being said, as a city, Philly really isn't bad; having no taxes on food or clothing makes a big difference, and cost of living is still reasonable.

Absolutely ditto.

On the chronicle forums they use "hu" as a gender-neutral replacement that is also grammatically correct. I personally like that movement, it would be nice if it picked up some steam and could be added to the English language, but most people have clue what it means when you write "hu" and "hu's."

I thought I'd add my two cents, kind of tangential to the question. Going to a well-respected undergrad certainly won't hurt, but if you're someone like me, who went to a good undergrad and at the time had no idea what they wanted to do, you can miss out on the advantages that the school could provide. I didn't make any connections with faculty in my field or get involved in meaningful research. Why, oh why couldn't my 26-year-old self go back to my 19-year-old self and tell her to actually make the most of my UG experience because someday I'd be applying to PhD programs. *Face palm*

While I don't know your details, I don't think you are deluding yourself. What I've realized is that many of these programs have around the same acceptance rate range as Harvard does for undergrad (~9%). Even for the state schools, or schools that are lower ranked, they still boast super low acceptance rates. There are no "safeties" with, say, a 75% acceptance rate that some undergrads have. And rather than competing with your average high school student, you're competing with (mostly) other high-quality candidates, and there are so many random/uncontrollable factors in admissions that it really is a crap shoot. This is what I'm going to tell anyone who asks how my PhD admissions went this year: "Well, it's basically like trying to get into Harvard for undergrad, and next year, I'm just going to have to apply to a bunch more Harvards." While it is extremely discouraging, but I wouldn't give up just yet. A lot of folks (and I may be in this boat myself) have to apply more than one cycle before they get an acceptance.

Maybe....March is it?!

Gotcha. I wonder why they wait to send everyone else rejections then...I'm sure the rest of us will be getting them soon though.

chimerical, how did your interview with Wharton go? (I've been seeing your posts on TM). Do you know if they interviewed everyone on the shortlist, and from there they'll accept a certain percentage?

Knowing people got interview invites to my top choice program definitely sucked. At the same time, I'm glad to know now--it's kind of a two-stage rejection. I know I'm likely rejected because I wasn't on the short list, but I don't know for sure yet, so it's not like the huge punch to the gut I would have gotten if I had received that email with no idea what was coming. Frankly, I'm just jealous of ANYONE right now who has an semblance of a PhD acceptance, or even an interview. I don't care if you are studying magic bananas, I want to be you right about now.