VulpesZerda

+1 (I'm out of up-votes!)

Can you please stop posting about "reverse discrimination" in the psychology forums? Last time you did this you received nothing but a negative response. If you don't get into grad school, please don't tell us it's because you're a white male.

Yeah, four hours is nothing. Maybe my perception of a "long drive" is warped because of all the road trips I've done. I don't even mind driving eight hours in one day! Not to mention the public transportation between these two particular cities is excellent... I'm lucky I didn't get shut out due to limiting my program selection to a four hour drive radius (9/10).

"What is grad school?" -- my boss "I can be your first patient!!" -- everyone, because sadly no one understands that there are many more subfields in psychology other than clinical or counseling. Argh! My boyfriend's mom reportedly pouted all day the day I got into a program (no 'congratulations' from her either but I saw that coming). She is upset with me because I'll be taking her mid-twenties son 4 hours away from home... Plus, pretty much every other quote in this thread regarding getting married, having kids, finding a job, finances, moving away -- this is not other people's business!

Thank you! I'd prefer to PM that info, but I will say here that it's a top 40 program.

To add my anecdote to the mix... I had a few things going against me. For one, I can almost guarantee that no one here has heard of my undergrad institution. It's that bad. I'm convinced they'll accept anyone - obviously I was a very different type of student when I applied there. Another thing is that my GRE scores are quite average/meh (158V 153Q and 5.0AWA). Last week I was accepted to a program so my theory that an unheard of liberal arts school and GREs would hold me back was incorrect. I can only assume that I was helped by networking with a lot of professors outside of my institution and being in a constant state of doing relevant research. I still think it's a crap shoot, even after getting in. The professor who is interested in me easily could have had a full lab or started a new line of research. For reasons like this, I was mentally prepared for doing this twice. Just my own experience! Each applicant is so unique, it's impossible to pin down how decisions are made about us.

Someone recommended to me the book "Getting What You Came For" by Robert L. Peters. People really rave about it and although I haven't finished I think it's really helpful for the sort of thing you (and I) are looking for!

I got an envelope in the mail with no name but a return address from Washington DC which is where one of my programs is located. Nope, just the APA inviting me to renew my membership (which I don't have interest in doing)

If I could find various research experiences for three years at a liberal arts/teaching college (read: little to no research), I think anyone like yourself looking at state schools will be fine. Once you get wherever you go, find an advisor in psychology and work in his/her lab. My advisor was crucial to my success! Basically, my anecdote is: even though my undergrad institution did not value research and doesn't regularly spit out PhD candidates, I still found a way. You seem driven enough that you will be fine no matter where you go! Enjoy college, by the way, please!!

1. I'm going to finish out my time at my stupid retail job because it pays pretty well for a stupid retail job and I can't commit to anything else for that short amount of time. Money's money! 2. I booked a trip to Europe that is the cheapest thing I've ever managed to throw together-yay! You should definitely travel if you can/like to! 3. I also decided to re-read the Harry Potter series. It's been too long! 4. I'm going to spend a good amount of time on the process of moving out of my parents house and hopefully getting rid of half my stuff.

That's great to hear honestly. I'm from New England as well and that's where we both want to end up living. I'm more interested in industry/government research than TT anyway, so I hope that ups my chances of making this happen. It would hurt him a lot if I made him compromise on grad school and the first job. He loves where we live now, and well, so do I haha.

I know what you mean. An uncertain future is putting a strain on my relationship. We've been together since junior year of high school, and I get the feeling that people assume we will break up because we're so young, but we've always been mature individuals and I just don't see it that way. I hope this works out for you! The east coast and CA are probably the only two places I'd want to live, personally - maybe one of you will have a change of heart! I'm totally biased on that, though...

Darn. I was not invited...

Me, too, please!

I think to some extent the fee is used to make sure only serious applicants apply. If it was cheaper/free, they would be getting a lot of garbage, lol

I know this doesn't really answer your question, but I think you have a good chance of getting in to grad school based on your qualifications! I am in the same boat as you, though, as far as thinking of a back-up plan with just a measly BA in psychology. I'm stumped too, but I think that I would basically apply to as many lab manager positions as I could find. One friend of mine became a mental health counselor at an in-patient clinic for teens, and another friend worked as a mental health counselor for the state hospital, which was a bad enough experience that it made her completely changed careers, lol. Tough degree!

I was able to copy/paste a lot of my SOP and then change a few sentences and/or the opening and ending to make each fit more closely. Definitely not for all ten, but for many this was the case. As for the applications themselves --filling out basic information about myself, transcripts, etc.-- I started my accounts in September and chipped away slowly every weekend. This was KEY for me because since all of that crap was done so early, I was actually able to sit down and double check/submit all ten applications in one weekend. I asked for letters in the summer, and they were uploaded in November for the most part. My CV is a document I constantly updated and polished, and I didn't submit a writing statement. The GRE is what threw off my whole system because I ended up having to retake it. So, I had to pay for an extra test and lose quite a few shifts at work from studying and sitting for the exam twice. It's definitely not easy! Don't feel stupid for the number of programs you applied to. Everyone applies to different numbers for different reasons. Seriously, so expensive. I was building up my savings account for months; I set aside roughly a thousand dollars to apply, deal with ETS, and order transcripts from two colleges.

I'm the same way. I tend to be a highly motivated and productive person but only in random bursts. Oh well, it's gotten me this far...

I agree completely to all of the above!

Welcome! I hope you're right :-)

I hope more people on gradcafe see that link and contribute! None of my programs are in there but maybe one day. Awesome idea regardless!

Cool thread! My research is essentially a social psychological approach to public health issues. I want to specifically study preventing HIV and cancer, focusing on social influence. Truly, I would be happy studying the prevention of just about any disease that has a behavioral component, but I knew I had to narrow it down for grad school.