GradApplicant201420
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Posts posted by GradApplicant201420
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I love Barron's online prep. I took the free diagnostic test and did some of the personalized prep sections before deciding that I liked it enough to pay $100 for the 4 practice tests. It's a lot cheaper than (the ridiculously expensive) Kaplan courses, and I feel like the online practice has helped me a lot. I'm taking the GRE this weekend, so I'll let you know how my scores compare to what Barron's has predicted for me.
Update us. I am interested in the Barron online prep as well.
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Waitlisted at two programs...one of which I REALLY like.
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Your question depends on many factors. First, how well do you know yourself? Do you truly enjoy learning about psychology? Can you envision yourself being in the field many years from now? Is there really nothing else that you would prefer to do?
If so, your qualifications--and not your interests--are your only barrier. To address this:
If you can score in the 70th+ percentiles on the GRE, then you have a good shot at getting into a PhD program. Explain your grades succinctly and use the GRE as a counterargument.
If you perform average - below average (think 55 percentile and lower) then I would suggest you look into obtaining a master's degree first.
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eats my food until there's a morsel left and doesn't throw away the container, never buys his own food yet eats mine if I buy it, had to ask him to do his share of the chores (including washing his own dishes and occasionally taking out the trash), stays home allll the time so I have no privacy--ever, we have nothing in common, makes thoughtless comments that could be offensive, blows his nose every 5 minutes, every day--and uses up all TP, never cleans the place, makes me feel awkward when I bring food home, made a comment about me "hiding" things in my room--and quickly corrected himself because he knew he was wrong....hmm, what else? I'm just generally very annoyed with my living situation. I was randomly assigned this person, and I can't wait to move out on my own. No more roommates.
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I'll share in the rejection woes, as well. Just a reminder to everyone (and maybe even to myself): academe isn't as lucrative as it once was, especially for the humanities and social sciences. There are other paths (dare I say better?) if you don't get in. Don't give up hope!
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Haha was this a typo or were you really not interested? If so, then maybe you dodged a bullet not having that POI...?
No, all three POIs who I listed on my SoP interviewed me (at the same time). My third POI was more of someone who does research in the area that I am interested in, but not particularly a topic that I am interested in. I conveyed that inappropriately in the interview. I could tell they didn't like that.
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...you phrase something along the lines of "although I'm not fascinated by your line of research..." thereby effectively isolating and offending your third POI. Yes, this happened to me. It probably affected my admissions chance, too, because they were quite interested in me before that point. Live and learn, right?
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I got my first rejection today.
*pats your back* I got a rejection today too, if that is comforting at all haha
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"Will I get accepted into any programs this cycle with full funding?
Outlook not so good
"Will I get accepted into any programs this cycle with partial funding?"
Doubtful
"Will I get accepted into any programs AT ALL this cycle?"
Signs point to yes.
lol
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@person who got an interview at CSU for Counseling Psy, please PM me your POI. Thank you, sir/ma'am!
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I think from these stats, I find you competitive. You have good experience and a very strong GPA in a challenging major. Just study hard for the GRE,, get good LORs from those who you've worked with and know that they like you, and I think you're going to be part of the uppercrust of applicants, so to speak.
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Anyone heard anything from the Arizona State Univ. Counseling Psy PhD program?
This one and Colorado State University's Counseling Psy Phd program?
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Long story short:
I made a dumb mistake. A program admitted me and I bought plane tickets to visit. Later, I realized that I don't actually want to go to that grad school, and another grad program has a visitation weekend at the same time. How bad would it be if I apologetically withdrew? It would save them time and money, and save me time (while costing me a few hundred in a non-refundable ticket!).
A professor I work for says I should just visit the second school at another time, but I would like alternative opinions, since he seemed to be focusing on program rank (he's not in my field) instead of how much the research interested me. (I'm ehhh about the school I'm committed to - I COULD make it work but I'm not excited by it)
Longer story, in which I can make justifications:
I used to be genuinely interested in this school, so when they admitted me and said they would give me X amount of money for transportation, I immediately looked up the cost of plane tickets. They were nearing the maximum amount, so I quickly bought them. It was a busy week and I wasn't thinking. A few days later, I took another look at the program, talked to one POI, and realized that their research won't really help me do what I want to do. I guess my focus shifted a bit since I actually applied.
If I withdraw, I have to take the plane ticket cost hit... which would be bad, since although I have some money saved, it's gonna be rather diminished by the time I go to grad school. Also, I might offend a few people, which would be bad, since a lot of my POIs at different programs seem to know each other. But I will have saved them money, and saved myself from feeling dishonest and ill-prepared. I'll also get to take a thorough look at the second grad program without using up too many more of my vacation days. And I'd feel better if I didn't visit a ton of grad schools. Maybe I'd open up a spot on the waiting list?
If I go ahead and attend, I'll uh... have a weird sort of stressful vacation where I have to miss work, do a bunch of research beforehand, and wear my limited nice clothes? At least it'd be paid for though...
I'm gonna ask another prof or two, but thought I'd check here too...
Hey Maziana,
Yours is a common problem, I think. The most important thing to do now is to make an informed decision on what school you would like to go to most. If it's the school that you did not already buy a ticket for, then how would you feel about going there anyway? Perhaps for the first school (the school for which you already purchased a ticket) you could apologize, state your reason clearly, and ask whether they would accept a Skype interview.
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Waiting would be a start. Also emailing the respective schools and letting them know that you're still interested every few weeks.
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I wish!
*fingers still crossed* -
I didn't apply anywhere else-- any thoughts on whether it would be a good idea or a bad idea to tell them that?
In my opinion, you don't have to mention this at all unless she asks you specifically.
From your first post, it sounds like she is interested in you as an applicant and she is hinting at the idea that she wants you to let her know whether or not you're serious about the program. If you somehow send the message that you're not 100% devoted to her program, then she may not fully consider you as a prospective student (i.e., she will probably waitlist you). So, I think that it will be important for you to emphasize your fit with the program and your enthusiasm for it. Do some more research on the program too before the interview to back up your claims.
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Hi, I understand how you are feeling in regards to not being able to control the factors that might lead to your acceptance. You have done what you can, and it sounds like you have prepared for this moment. Let your experiences in the past and your inner confidence shine bright. (Sorry, I hate to be cliché but I really do mean it.)
I would look into the Results section of thegradecafe and look up the programs that you applied to. If anything, the academic credentials of past applicants who were accepted can give you a good clue as to what the graduate programs are looking at..
I hope this helps.
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I'm gonna ask a very noob-ish question: does anyone know a grad-student-oriented database for comparing between two cities' living standards/expensiveness or to collect healthy grad-student-friendly recipes and grocery lists?
Not a bad question. Here is a calc to help you compare two cities: http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/
As far as grad-friendly recipes, I would do a little Googling into cheap and inexpensive meals to prepare.
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Hmm, this is a question that plagues most grad students. The very first thing you should do is create a balance sheet in Excel and plan out how much money is going to be incoming (underestimate) and outgoing (overestimate). This will give you a good idea of whether you'll be in the red every month or have a little bit left over.
Regarding food--learn to get by on cheap foods. This includes the notorious ramen, delicious canned tuna and soups, and scrumptious lunch meat sandwiches. All sarcasm aside, you can treat yourself to a nice meal every now and again. Just don't make this a habit. If you know how to cook, great. If you don't, learn how to cook cheap and easy meals like hamburger helper, spaghetti, chicken breasts, etc. Of course, cook for more than one meal. Invest in some tupperware and store leftover food in the fridge. Today's dinner can also be tomorrow's lunch.
Stay on top of your monthly bills. That is, plan well ahead of time--months, even a year, if possible--so you don't find yourself one day asking, "Gee, how am I going to afford this month's X,Y,Z payments?" If you DO encounter this situation, know that there are ways that you can get help. Donate blood plasma, ask your parents (I know), ask your school's financial department (if your school was as helpful as mine, you can count this out), and ask to delay your payments.
I gotta get going, but I will help with more tips when I have more time and when I can think of ones that are helpful.
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Hey gradcafe,
I just did an interview today for one of my phd schools. I was nervous during the interview because it's my very first one this cycle. During one part of the interview, I committed a grievous faux pas by stating that I wasn't completely fascinated with a certain professor's research topic. Immediately when that left my mouth, I realized that it was not how I wanted to say it. I really wanted to say that the professor's line of research is not an area that I originally anticipated studying. Although I did clarify at the end, I feel disappointed that I even said something like that. I think that the rest of the interview went OK, although I could have elaborated more here and there. What do you guys think? Did I just blow my chance?
Thanks,
Grad Applicant
I just got Un-Rejected.
in Waiting it Out
Posted
A testament to keeping the hope alive
Congrats!