bezoomny bunburyist

UPenn non-clinical please. Thanks!

Congrats for your good interview! It's quite a compliment to be accepted by someone so famous and picky. The new professors I applied to are less established. People will sometimes say "who?" when I tell them, but a lot of people also know of them. They have tons of first-author publications and are no doubt brilliant. The older professors that I purportedly would also be working with are some of the biggest names in my area. That is why I wonder if I will actually be mentored by them.

First question on my Skype interview: What are your research interests? Second question: Do you have any questions for me? Those are the two most common questions I have been asked for any interview, whether it be phone, Skype, or in person.

For 2 schools, I applied to both a new professor and a more established professor. Both of the new profs told me that they would be my primary advisor, but that I would also work with the more established prof. Is that usually the case, for a grad student to work closely with both if the profs work in the same lab or often collaborate? Or is it a tactic for new profs to appear more appealing? Will I actually be mentored by both?

One of my POI told me that the GRE is a way for them to argue to the admissions committee that an applicant is worth admitting. There is apparently an algorithm that some schools use that combines GPA and GRE. The applicants that score above a certain number get put on a list, and faculty will pay most attention to those applicants. From my understanding, once you are on that list, your particular GPA and GRE scores don't matter as much. Also, GRE scores play a role in certain fellowships and grants.

Thanks for the advice! In psychology the PI is often not the last author, unless they did the least work or they are already well established. Too bad, I wish psych students could more often get first authorship!

Social: Northwestern, Feb 7-8 U Mich, Feb 21-22 Rutgers, Feb 28 (NB is on the 28th, Newark is on the 7th) University of Washington, Feb 21-22 IU Bloomington, Feb. 7-8 Princeton, Jan 31-Feb 1 Arizona State Social, 3/28 Florida State, 2/28 Auburn (experimental) Feb 21-22 Western Michigan Feb 14-15 U Chicago 2/15-2/17 Feb 7/8 for Northwestern (for cognitive anyway) Cornell: 2/21-22 UC Merced: 2/28-3/1 (cognitive science department) Rochester (the clinical/social side) is 2/21 Rutgers Feb 28. NYU Feb 14 and Feb 21. Rochester BCS program March 7-8 West Virginia Feb 14-15 Arizona State (behavioral neuroscience) Feb 7-8 UNC - Feb 7 U Iowa - Feb 8-10 UCSB: 2/28 UPenn: 2/21 and 2/28

For one of my top schools, my POI has never had a grad student. I am very interested in their research. Because they work in the same lab, I will also be working with another faculty member, who is well-known and I heard is very good (although I hear is no-nonsense and not warm and encouraging). I will be attending an interview soon. I don't know my POI's advising style and cannot find out because they have never had a grad student. I have heard that a professor who does not have tenure will be very busy and stressed, but also will be very motivated to work on research projects and churn out a lot of publications while not letting you be first author. Some people have joked that faculty usually "ruin" their first grad student. Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

I applied to that program. They sent out a mass email invite.

I think FSU has sent out their invites for social psych, but I could be wrong. They had their meeting over a week ago. Did you apply to social, or a different program?

Same here. What are your research interests, if you don't mind me asking?

I wrote to professors and many of them didn't write back, even when I rewrote to them. It seems as if some don't really want to be bothered. The professor in the lab I was working in actually had her lab manager respond to all her emails. She actually hated when prospective students write to her. I think it depends on the professor. I got an interview invite from a professor who didn't respond to my email, so I don't think it really matters. I mostly just wrote to ask if they were taking new students so that I wouldn't waste my time and money applying if they weren't. I never followed up after submitting my applications, but I still got interviews. Plus, I don't think professors really remember everyone who writes to them anyways. If your application stands out, they wouldn't reject you just because you didn't contact them first.

edg and Socially Awkward: Thanks for your replies! Did you reapply to any of the same schools this time as the first time around? The first time, did you get interviews from any of your top schools? I don't think I can do any better on my GRE, so I probably won't retake them. I have a lot of research experience, but I suppose I can always get more. I have interview invites from 2 of my top schools, so if I get rejected, I feel that it's because of fit or because they accepted someone that they liked better rather than because my application is lacking. I get super nervous in interviews! I am not crazy or socially awkward, but I am kind of shy and not super outgoing. I wonder if I get rejected from my top schools how likely they would be to accept me the second time around. Socially Awkward: I heard that William and Mary has a good Master's program in psychology. Some very famous and productive psychologists have come out of that program. Hope you get into your Ph.D programs though. Good luck!

How many programs did you apply to last year and this year?

BA For those who applied in more than one round, was your decision to apply again because you didn't get accepted into a program you wanted, or because you didn't get accepted the first time? I applied to several schools that I don't really want to go to. If I don't get into my top schools, I'm not sure if I should apply again or just go to a less ideal school. What are your opinions?