VulpesZerda

I will be starting my PhD program in the fall. I just returned from a three week backpacking trip to Europe and it was so great. (I met a ton of other young travelers and my trip was the shortest of them all, go figure.) My list of places to visit has only grown. Since I won't have a crazy amount of time off like I did in undergrad, I'm wondering if other 2-3 week trips will ever be possible during future summers. I know every program is different, but can anyone tell me what the typical case may be?

I want to register for courses but I still have two holds on my account for my BA transcripts and the health papers. I hope I can clear those soon. I'm also very excited!

Hi Garyon, I wouldn't wait til August myself because it sounds a little risky. Maybe you could have someone from your department check out a place for you? I hope some more August listing pop up soon for you! It might be worthwhile to call some of the June ones too, though. My rent will be $800 with utilities. I have the same stipend of $17,500 but summer funding seems likely for my department so I've been assuming something more like 20k.

I found something this weekend on Craigslist! My lease is all signed and everything. I'd recommend setting up some alerts and making a lot of phone calls. The listing I called for wasn't available but the landlord had other properties to show me.

I'm just looking forward to having all of my work/responsibilities actually relating to my interests and goals. Working in retail is the last thing I need to get rid of. It's simply a way for me to make money, meanwhile my coworkers are lifers who don't understand me. And sure, teaching may not be my favorite, and I'll have research and classes, etc., but at least it will all be for the same final goal of the PhD! Also, taking 12 electives in undergrad nearly killed me. I tried to pick interesting ones but I eventually ran out of choices.. Ps, OneLove21, my schedule has me on campus 9:30am to 10pm two days a week. That's because of my work-study job on weeknights. To say I'm sick of this semester is an understatement!

I'm following this thread and want to thank everyone for their input! It will be helpful come fall. Right now as an undergrad I have to go to my part time job (retail) for 9 hours Saturday and 9 Sunday. It is physically and mentally exhausting, and makes me *hate* the weekends. I dread the days everyone enjoys. I'd do anything to even get one day per week of little/no work!

Yep, I also wanted to start in clinical or counseling, and had that idea in mind since high school or possibly earlier. Once I faced the reality of what it's like to work in that kind of setting (NOT cut out for it) I asked my advisor, what on earth will I do now? I wanted grad school for job security but wasn't sure if a PhD was right for me or if I could even get in. In research methods, when my professor said we could do a project on any topic we wanted, I found my niche in social/health psych. After that I totally went nuts about the topics and became the most motivated student ever. I found some career options that looked appealing to me - public health research in a government setting and teaching being two of them. And now here I am, about to begin! I haven't questioned my career goals much, but sometimes I do wonder if I'm crazy for going for the PhD. We shall see.

This sounds more like me. I always feel ashamed about not being a morning person. My natural waking time this year is about 9:30 and I need about 8-9 hours of sleep. I always imagine eventually becoming that person who does yoga in front of the sunrise and then starts working nice and early. So far that hasn't happened...

Hm, interesting question. I plan to room with an undergraduate student. She seems super mature, has a job, and actually set the whole thing up for me and the other roommates. She has lived there for three years already, and is in a 5-year BA/MA program. So all in all, I didn't really think anything of it. I'm probably 1-2 years older than her at the most.

As a matter of fact, I also want to vent about how much it's costing me to graduate! Cap and gown - $64 (will these be usable at future graduations??) Graduation fee - $125 Plus all the other expensive stuff I'm skipping like senior pictures, class ring, senior week activities. I'M TOO BROKE!

Undergrad Institution: Small, unheard of liberal arts college Major(s): Psych GPA in Major: 3.98 Overall GPA: 3.87 Position in Class: Not sure but probably near the top 15% Type of Student: Domestic, female GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 153 V: 158 W: 5.0 Research Experience: At my school since sophomore year, then at two labs in the city for about 2 years, then a summer REU at a top program. I think I had 6 posters/papers presented when I submitted my apps, and one publication. All in psych, but various subfields including clinical, health, cognitive, and social. Did a senior thesis that was of publishable quality and I emphasized that experience in my apps. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: One regional award, plus Dean's List/scholarships at my school Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Eh, no jobs. Active in national, regional, and local psychology associations - volunteering, reviewing papers for awards, that type of thing. Psi Chi leadership, too. I honestly don't think this mattered much to programs. Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Pretty much summed up above. My REU probably made my application much stronger for many reasons! Special Bonus Points: I'd say my recommender from the REU was famous enough to impact my application. Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Relevant community service experience with a very specific population I want to study Applying to Where: 8 Social or general psych PhD programs, ranging from Top 30 to unranked. Accepted to a top 40 department and one that I believe ranks at about 100. Interviewed and waitlisted at a couple others, but mostly rejections!

Try the above link for the Stony Brook off campus housing site. There is a roommate search and apartment listings. Other than that, Craigslist I guess. So far I've been in contact with a few people as potential roommates but nothing has panned out

Yep, just about.

Chili's is definitely my most hated chain restaurant. My boyfriend likes to get a rise out of me once in a while by suggesting we go.

I ended up listing my name on the off campus housing roommate page, though I still haven't seen it post. Hopefully more people do this! I already found someone that matches up with my preferences so this is a pretty easy way to get going.

I'm seeing a few cottages on Craigslist that would be so affordable, and comfortable, if split with a few roommates. Some of these are right by the water which would be so amazing! I need to meet potential roommates!

I'd agree that you're in good shape! You could look into studying for the GRE now if you want to get that out of the way. I think 'getting in' is partly being qualified and partly strategic, and you need both. So, as far as being qualified, you look good there. Keep doing research and like psychkita said, make your projects relevant to the programs you are applying to. As far as strategy goes, it's usually advisable to apply to 6-10 programs that have at least (preferably two or more) faculty members doing research you are interested in. Contact them in the summer before you apply to make sure they're actually taking students. This could save you a lot of time and money! It stinks to see qualified people just applying to programs that aren't a good fit for their research, so it's very important that you carefully select which schools.

This is a vent because wow I am frustrated. I'm also open to any advice - A program emailed me in early Feb to invite me to interview day. I couldn't attend, and thought that it would be fine since the email emphasized that phone interviews are an acceptable replacement that wouldn't hurt my admissions chances. I emailed the email address they gave me that week to try to set up the phone interview. No reply, so I sent a follow up about 1-2 weeks later. Still nothing, so I called and left a voice mail. Then one week later I left another voice mail with the department, and another with the graduate school. Meanwhile, other people posted acceptances on TGC. And I am starting to get very frustrated and confused about what I could have done differently, if anything. I have another offer and I will probably just accept it since this program clearly doesn't want me. That makes sense at this point, right?

UConn rejection, finally, lol. Only two programs left for me to hear from - neither are social.