VulpesZerda

This program on my list!! Thanks for reaching out :-) Hope your first year is going well!

I'm applying to Social programs!! Thanks for starting the thread. I'll be applying to social psych PhD programs that have some emphasis on applications to health behavior. My research interests basically lie in the areas where social psychology overlaps with public health. I have 8 programs picked out right now for social/health psych, and 2 public health PhDs. My top choice is UConn. GRE is October 11. So fun to study for that while dealing with coursework!

Yeah, I just looked it up to know for sure. 4 out of 8 say not required and 4 say "recommended/encouraged". So, I just ignore the recommendations? Haha

The Psych GRE is in less than two weeks... is anyone else taking it? I'm starting to question why I am even taking it. I don't think any of my programs require it. I assumed I would do well on it, but in the past few weeks of studying I have been having doubts. Plus, I waited way too long to start studying and I'm behind. I might cancel my registration!

Reminds me of Hogwarts :-)

Are you really going to retake it even with a near perfect score in the other sections? Well, that's your choice, but here's my advice on the writing. I just finished a GRE prep course (no, I don't have the $$ for that! It was free as a part of an undergrad fellowship). It would really help to pair up with a friend or two and practice. Read the prompt, work silently for 30 minutes, then review the pro/con lists you each made, or the list of assumptions made, or whatever your outlining strategy might be. This was helpful for me because I was able to get fresh perspectives and see what I missed. It helped me think more broadly, and it helped my friends think more specifically. Good for everyone. It probably helped that I had some philosophy folks in there, so if you know any friends in that major, that wouldn't hurt! As far as the writing itself, I've been told there is a "safe" formula to follow to get you a decent score on the analyze an argument. It's basically the five paragraph essay we learned in like middle school. Intro, point 1, point 2, point 3, conclusion. I've also been told to do six paragraphs, where I list three points, and one counterpoint. But spread them out so it goes intro, point 1, point 3, counterpoint, point 2 (rebuttal to the counterpoint), conclusion. With the analyze an issue, it's not about whether or not you agree. It's pulling apart the assumptions made in the argument. The more you practice the more obvious the assumptions will be. They're usually really bad, for example drawing conclusions from data that doesn't represent the issue. Spend at most 5 minutes brainstorming and outlining. Longer essays are correlated with higher scores so give yourself enough time to write all your thoughts. And spend the last minute or so proofreading for obvious errors. All the practice essays are on the GRE website. You will not see one on the test that isn't on that website. So practice them from there. Also, although it's obvious, make sure to closely follow the instructions. Apparently the newer GRE has varying instructions from question to question. Some specifically ask you to bring up counterpoints, some ask you to consider what evidence is needed, etc. They vary so just do exactly what it says.

I drove the same in high school and a little beyond (4 yrs total)! I didn't mind it, really. Everyone thought it was kinda charming and fun, and yes, it was pretty useful!

I'm not planning to go into either of the fields you are interested in, but my first psych mentor was a clinical neuropsychologist. She was working in a state hospital with mental health patients, so she had the license to practice, but her training was neuro-heavy. Check out Division 40 of the APA - Clinical Neuropsychology. They will have resources such as a list of programs. Good luck!

So like I said before (assuming this is all true), information like this is making it even easier to connect you to your GC profile. Things like naming specific departments you have been in contact with, your stats, and the (unique) way that you write are all enough to make it easy for an admissions person to connect the dots between a self proclaimed cheater and your application. I won't even comment on the rest of what's going on in the thread. But kudos to you for making GC very interesting lately!

Before announcing here that you think cheating can be acceptable, remember that this is a public forum where anyone can read any post, and that anonymity isn't 100% guaranteed. Just sayin'

I think it's definitely tricky. I've heard, "have some heart, don't be dull" but I also recognize that it's not supposed to be too "personal", despite the name. I think we all have had experiences in our lives that shape our research interests. I tried to deny this for a while because I didn't want to come off like I was attempting to "fix" the issue in my life that led me to become interested in research (my family). Btw, I'm NOT trying to fix my family, but their behavior led me to ask a lot of questions in high school/early college that I found an entire body of research on - bam. Now I want to do research that applies to the entire population, but mainly adolescents. I guess it's best to convey that our personal experiences were more of a starting point that led into a strong interest in the field. In my SOP drafts, there is no mention of my family whatsoever. It's not appropriate...so I say that my interests started when I did my first internship. Which is somewhat true because this was the time I realized I could make a career out of research.

Hey, if you'd like, I can look at your psych one. Can I send you mine as well?

If one of your letter writers knows you well and knows about these circumstances, they should be able to mention it in their letter so that you don't have to and you can focus on your research interests within your 1000 words. But yeah 3.5 is definitely impressive considering all of that.

A friend of mine just simply looks at people with no expression on her face and says nothing when she receives unwarranted, rude, or passive-aggressive comments. It makes them even more uncomfortable than they made her. I think it's pretty funny and effective. Me, I'm more likely to brush it off, and then wish I hasn't. It depends on who it is talking to me...if I need them to do something for me, I play nice. However I agree with the above poster that saying something can definitely be worth it.

Haha that's actually the area my faculty advisor is in at my liberal arts college. But I'm interested in health. I really love prevention and promotion, and figure maybe an obesity epidemic should lead to well-funded research...lol I feel like almost everyone has at least one thing they're not happy with in their applications (mine will probably be GRE if I'm being realistic). 3.5 is good IMO. And all of us on here are pretty high-achieving so comparing with others probably doesn't help your worrying. The main reason I always worry is because this is such a crap shoot!

Okay good. I'm kind of having the opposite problem where top universities don't have anyone in my area of interest. I wonder if that means my interest isn't "hot" and yours is. Some anecdotal advice about the top programs...I have a few friends who are graduate students in various fields, who were rejected by all their mid and low tier programs and accepted or waitlisted to all of the top tier/prestigious programs. So, don't worry too much as long as there's a fit!

Thanks for sharing all of that. I'm sorry you're going through it! It makes me pretty sad, because I'm afraid of this happening to me. My SO, as you may remember from other threads, is also very happy in our hometown and in his job there. There will be resentment on one side or another, whether it be from me not going to the program I want, or him having to move away. Eeek. And for the OP I agree with much of what is said here. A refusal to discuss this seems like something you shouldn't have to deal with. I'm sure your SO saw this coming somehow, since you probably discussed your career goals at some point in the past 6 years. Four hours seems very doable to me, see if your SO agrees. It probably wouldn't feel like a long distance relationship if you spent weekends together and took turns driving.

Yeah, that's kind of what crossed my mind when I started to notice a lack of descriptors in most CVs I came across. But I do get confused about the perception of research experience. I learned from day one that it's one of the most important things you need to be considered for grad school, yet most people's experiences are like you described, including mine. I know how the work I did fits into the projects, but I also know that a lot of the time, anyone really could have done the coding or data entry stuff. So why is the experience considered so important?

Don't search by tier of the school. Your primary indicator should be research match. I've heard from enough people to know that you'll get rejected if you don't articulate how your interests fit into a certain professor's line of research.

I was thinking about doing this for my top program, but only after going back and forth in emails with a POI. And I would never request a specific date, especially one that's two days away. I was encouraged by a trusted advisor to try to visit whatever programs I can (I'm in psychology). It also says on the program website that visits with faculty cannot be guaranteed unless set up with an appointment, but department visits are welcomed.

Okay cool, I think it makes sense to leave the descriptors until I'm further in my career. A "research experience" at this stage is so broad, so I will keep it the way it is to be clear. Thanks, everyone, and +1 for TakeruK! (I ran out of up-votes)

I'm an undergraduate polishing my CV to potentially send out to POIs, and then this fall, to programs. My CV has always included a short description of my research experiences instead of just listing the university and PI. (ex: "coded data for three studies on x y and z, assisted with data collection in the field, conducted literature reviews" etc.) Maybe this varies by field, but should I include these descriptions or cut them out? I never really see anyone else doing this, which is why I am wondering. Additionally, if there is anyone (particularly in the social sciences) who would be willing to PM me and briefly look over my CV, that would be beyond appreciated!