TheMercySeat

funny. Most people I interact with on a daily basis -especially those who went to my university- don't act like that where I'm from... Perhaps it's normalized in your community. Edit: at least we can mutually down vote differing opinions here, yeah?

THIS. I don't want to go where people act like this :(

Why is this wonderful university that accepted me so damn conservative?! I really fear being a social pariah if I accept the offer

rising_star, as a professor who actively advises students, could you kindly share some pointers for strengthening ones' candidacy into a psychology PhD program? Perhaps such a direction will make this conversation more fruitful. I, for one, feel like many would benefit from whatever advice you have in terms of neuroimaging software and which types of statistical programs students should be proficient in upon entry into a PhD program. I'd love some advice on which software is best for learning SEM.

I'd imagine fellowships are a step in the right direction!

You might be okay if you're not in psych and law! Hard to tell. did all of the current PhD students you meet come from CUNY? If so, look at the silver lining: I doubt institutions recruit the best and the brightest if they refuse to look beyond their current UG pool, so you may have dodged a bullet. Call me old fashioned, but I think applicants from ivies might give CUNY UGs a run for their money, especially considering that CUNY was historically open enrollment

I think you nailed the first step in asking, and in being honest with yourself on it being difficult! Granted I'm in social sciences, so I don't know how generalizable my response is, but buckle up tight! If your field is anything like mine, you're competing with my colleagues from UCLA and Princeton who have been (unsuccessfully) trying to get a professorship for the past year or two. I'm no professor, but the new professors that I met who recently graduated were also recently rewarded grants-- as in, they are traveling to their new university as a PI on a grant. On that note, being able to effectively write grants might be a step in the right direction because you're essentially bringing money into the program.

If you do decide to take the plunge for a MA, I strongly encourage you to seek out funded programs. They're few and far between, but they're out there.

Ha! Nebraska has a killer quant/educational psych program! I believe it has a rep for being the strongest in the nation, which speaks volumes given the scope of that field.

LOLOL!!! I didn't know that going into it, and then I got the interview. The current PhD students kept parroting "they only take the most qualified!!!" Then they stated that they got into the PhD program before they even earned a bachelor's degree. Yeah, no. I was not impressed. Their psych and law program might be hot shit in the world where their only competition is Nebraska, but I am interested in doing work that is of national importance... Not in upstaging the only other American university with a psych and law department. A professor @CUNY also bad mouthed a professor @Nebraska during the interview. How trashy

In my experience, CUNY only takes their current undergrads.

I met a bunch of kids who got in without even a BA-- they were still finishing it up. With a master's, rejections become more insulting.

Wanting to crawl in a hole and die. I've been accepted to move to the worst state* I've ever visited in this country. Awful climate and environment aside, I don't blend in well in a conservative Christian monoculture, so I might just reject and not attend grad school this year. *coming from somebody who, prior to the campus visit, has sincerely liked every state I've ever visited and applied there with the assumption that it can't be that bad.

Anyone...? Living out here can't be that terrible, can it?

Not yet. I have two offers and I'm waiting until I visit the one university before I make my decision. I'm also waiting to hear back from the other places I was interviewed for. While rejection is presumed, I'm still hopeful because the one university that offered admission is in an extremely undesirable location, while the one I'm waiting to visit might not have as much to offer.

Phew! The biggest reason why I went the non-clinical route was because my GRE Q was garbage and I thought it would lock me out of all clinical programs.

PhD?! That's pretty epic!

This is frustrating. I have follow up questions about programs that I've interviewed for two weeks+ ago, but I don't know if it is gracefully worth asking at this point. I havent heard back from them, so I imagine I was rejected.

I had two interviews @NCSU for psych and haven't heard anything back since

I feel like I can chime in a little more... I had a terrible GRE Q (48%) I got interviews with more than half of the programs that I applied to, including 5 R1s. I preface this with a few caveats: (1) I have a MA. (2) I have 2.5 years of full time, paid RA experience in psychometrics (ironic) (3) I did not apply to programs that boasted having an average GRE Q above the 70th percentile. In retrospect, I think I low-balled a little bit. (4) One program -ironically NOT a R1 and, in fact, a program that waited until the interview to tell me that they cannot afford to take on a student- took issue with my GRE Q and brought it up during the interview. The R1s and more prestigious departments didn't care about my GRE Q. (5) My other GREs (V, AW, and subject) were in the 80th and 90th percentiles, respectively. (6) I did not apply to clinical programs. I got invited to interview at social programs with an acceptance rate as low as 2%, though. If you're willing to work like a dog to compensate for a weak GRE Q with a strong research CV, you'll stand a chance, and you will not necessarily be restricted to R2s (PS- I maintain that there is nothing wrong with R2s). Don't lose hope!

Did it/or do you think it helped your chances of getting into a PhD program? It absolutely helped me get the interviews! Profs saw that I have several publications and presentations. ...then they realize that my experience is applied, and not experimental, and so after the interview, they select students who are still working on their BA over me in some programs. In my experience, the options around where I live are either: (1) if you're independently wealthy, you can volunteer in an experimental lab. (2) if you want a paid position, you will have to do applied work that is either (a) clinical, ( b ) marketing-related, © related to assessment development/psychometrics. These positions are typically grant funded on point a, and sometimes for point c. (3) My lab experience was enough to override my garbage GRE Q! How close was the lab you worked in to your actual research interests? Not in the least bit! But it gave me spectacular quant/psychometrics training, which also captured the attention of many programs. About how many positions did you apply for? Oh jeez... like 20 a week. This was during the depths of the recession, mind you. Some programs told me that I was 'overqualified' because I had a MA. What are interviews for these like (if they are done)? If you can handle PhD psych interviews, then they are generally a cakewalk! For academic positions at a university and government positions, I generally met with the professor and a research assistant. I met with the entire research staff on a 6 hour long Odyssey for a nonprofit research job, which was the exception to the norm. What is your advice for someone applying to these positions? (1) Ivy league schools were trashy! They would call me in two or three times for RA interviews, and I would never hear from them again. At least PhD programs have the decency to send a minimum of impersonal stock mail/email rejections! (2) The non-ivy private universities and state universities were classy! They notified me when I was not accepted post-interview, and they were kind enough to ring me with constructive feedback ("overqualified"... blah!) (3) Also note that you can have all of the publications and presentations in the world, but that will not 100% guarantee a spot in every program. Some admissions committees were glaringly political in my experience, and it was clear from site visits who knew the right people and who did not. People who do not even have a BA/BS still have a shot at beating you out, even if you annihilate them in publications and presentations. POIs will still introduce applicants as 'blah's student,' and if you are not 'blah's student,' then you will probably be at a disadvantage. (4) Tying into an earlier point, not all professors respect all forms of research. For example, despite studying the same phenomenon, some experimental programs were condescending towards the fact that my experience was applied, and not 'pure' lab work. My work was on multimillion dollar grant in collaboration with government scientists and six professors at top tier psych departments throughout the country as part of an innovative training program for people who decide whether or not we should nuke other countries... you'd think that they would give me some credit, given that such a project is a tad bit more complex than a single PhD-level researcher working on a low stakes 100k NSF grant.

Thanks for making me feel not petty! I have some hard decisions ahead of me

Anybody else have this dilemma? Discuss. I know it shouldn't be about location, but I fear my productivity suffering if I'm in an unpleasant state with a horrible climate :x