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Val006

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Everything posted by Val006

  1. After 2 years of assertively applying for grants, I finally was awarded and now next semester don't have to teach and pay my own salary to do my dissertation research. Its very cool!
  2. Anyone apply for the DFSA? Only one week left of waiting after all of these months! Fingers crossed and best of luck to all of you.
  3. Regardless kudos to you, it sounds like you have your eye on the prize and you nothing is going to stop you! Consultative work would be pretty great, if you could somehow pick something like that up. Don't forget to, you can always apply for grants, I just got my first one awarded this year and now for my last year I wont have to work for the university and can focus 100% on my research. It might not be in the immediate future but at least something to think about. Where there is a will there is a way and there are always options!
  4. Hi there, I am sorry about your conundrum. i couldn't imagine, I am in my mid 30s but single and no kids and in my 3rd year of my PhD... I couldnt imagine doing this with a family let alone a full time job. My take is you get what you put it in and it sounds like you are pulled in a million different directions. My concern is that if you are working you wont be able to invest as much into publications and grants and also miss out on research and teaching experience. I don't know if this is a horrible idea but have you considered taking out student loans, taking the stippend and devoting yourself full time to your PhD? Just a thought! Regardless it soudnds like you have amaing focus and are very ambitous, all the best!
  5. I am in my 3rd year PhD in a Social Work Program at a top 10 R1 institute. I applied for 5 psychology PhD programs and 2 Social Work programs, I got into none of the PhD programs (however i have an undergrad and master's degree in social work). I think a big critique depending on the program you apply for is having a minimum of two years in the field prior to application. I had low GRE scores however because I had 5 years of experience and varied experience in the field, I think it helped round out my application. I would suggest really making a strong argument about why you do not need 2 years (for example you have a strong focus and know you want to pursue research etc.) As I mentioned our school wont even look at applications unless they have 2 years post MSW experience so i would encourage you to check out the schools you are interested in and prepare to have a strong justification. Speaking to our school again, we typically get 35-50 applicants and accept 4-6 so its not overly competitive. It sounds like you are well positioned. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. Good luck!
  6. Were you asking about MSW or PhD? I am Canadian and am in my second year for my doctoral studies, I have 4 years full funded, stipend, benefits etc. I can't speak to all MSW scholarships, I am pretty sure they are limited but most R1 schools for PhD are fully funded.
  7. I applied to the DFSA because I am studying in the US but I believe April 18th is the date CIHR will be making notifications.
  8. I am in social work so my trajectory may not be the same as yours as I appreciate that psychology is quite competitive but I would be curious to hear the discrepancies within our disciplines. My program suggested 4 or 5 in the whole doctoral program (its a four year program) however my adviser and I think this is far from being competitive and I am aiming for 4 a year so hopefully will come out with around 16... so far I am on target. How does this compare with your experience?
  9. Sorry for the delayed response... I check this blog a lot less these days! I am living off the stipend, although things are definitely tight. I lucked out and found a pretty cheap housing situation and sold my car before I left so don't have to pay for transportation which also helps but after working in the field for 5 years and making a relatively decent salary it has been a hard adjustment, living pay check to pay check. In the summer we can work an additional 20 hours a week and I have been offered a clinical position on a research grant doing clinical trials so I am hoping that will also help with some savings. One of my peers in my class took out a federal loan, but she is also living in housing that is much more expensive than mine. So really I think it comes down to your comfort level and what type of lifestyle you are willing to have. Hope that is helpful
  10. Happy Soul, I just wanted to share my experience to perhaps provide you with some optimism and hope. I am an international student from Canada, was involved in the application process last year for a PhD program in psychology and social work. Unfortunately I wrote my GREs at the last minute and did horribly... I decided to still proceed and submit my applications (despite they were top Universities in America). Social Work is more holistic in their perspective and low and behold my strengths and experiences behind my GREs were acknowledged and I am now in my first year in a PhD Program in Social Work at a top 10 ranking school. Don't give up hope... it sounds like you have amazing perseverance and the intelligence to go along, good luck!
  11. There are some schools that will do joint MSW/PhD programs although from what I understand this is a lot more competitive and lots of the Universities are looking for advanced research experience to show that you are doctoral ready. I was speaking with one of the students who is doing a joint program, her biggest critique was that it is very demanding workload wise and she felt that she did not have the time to obtain practice experience leading up to the doctoral work. Depending on your trajectory and overall goals, would probably depict if this would be the best route for you or not. Good luck.
  12. Hi there, I am in my first year PhD program (Canadian citizen) studying in the United States... I am not eligible to apply for F31, given I am not a permanent resident. I am wondering if there are any comparable grants that I can apply for and which one would be most reputable given my trajectory. Any insight would be most helpful!
  13. In my program which is a fully funded PhD program, we are required to maintain B+ average or potentially will encounter academic probation.
  14. There just seems to be red flags left right and centre. In the past when I am applying for school, I approach every interaction as a glimpse into what my experience will be like, including the quality of education I will be receiving. I think it sounds like it would be worth doing some more investigation work, speaking to previous students, looking at accreditation etc. and match it up against what your expectations are. Good luck!
  15. It definately sounds like a promising response. I think it was a good call that you initiated the interaction and from here either way at least you know that you have done everything you can at this time. I am routing for you!
  16. Keep us posted with how it goes! Feel free to message me if you want any feedback
  17. I can't remember exactly how I phrased it but I knew I needed to let her know that I was still very interested. I defined the school as being my top choice, explained why I thought it was the perfect fit and asked for recommendations of anything I could do to increase my probability of getting in. I think it demonstrated that I was committed and willing to do what it takes. It was honestly well received from the program director which is why I think I was given the opportunity.... sometimes the squeaky wheel does get the oil but I think its about finding a balance of being humble, respectful, assertive and demonstrating your abilities. Go for the gusto!
  18. Hi there, I was in your position about 3 weeks ago when I received an email informing me I was waitlisted and if I had any questions to contact the program director. I emailed the program director reinforcing my desire to attend the school and asked if she had any suggestions which would help to increase the probability of my acceptance. While I have various years of practice my research is limited she asked if I would be willing to take a research course over the summer and I told her.... absolutely! She ran this past the admissions committee and the next thing I knew 2 weeks ago I was attending the formal meet and greet for the accepted students and as of yesterday formally submitted my acceptance letter. Hang in there, anything is still possible at this time and worse case scenario, you still have options. Best of luck to you.
  19. Thanks again everyone for the encouragement, apparently good things do come to those who wait... I am in!
  20. Congratulations! I found out today that I was also accepted with full funding... it seems like the pattern emerging from this theme is hopefully a positive one for those in similar circumstances. Best of luck to everyone.
  21. Thank-you for your insightful comments pippapants, you sound very wise, what are the status of your applications and where did you apply? Do you mind me asking what area you are studying? I truly believe the fit with the school I applied is there and the POI that I have connected with is very excited about my application which hopefully I have going for me although I think it will really come down to what you mention about how at the director level they really do pride themselves on being research based and while they review packages holistically the GRE is the one standardized test that measures applicants across the board certain research qualities (the validity of the tests may be another question!) I think this is particularly important as I am an international applicant (Canadian applying to an American school) but it really will be interesting to see which direction it goes. Good point about the GPA for the MSW, although I was hoping they would look at my stat courses which I achieved high percentages in. Thanks again for your validating comments. ....and NatReed, good luck with the GRE, I can relate with the position you are in as it sounds like we have some similarities. I am just trying to remain calm as at this stage of the game there is not a ton more I can do worse case scenario I may need to spend my whole summer living and breathing GRE until those darn scores go up. I will but my optimism for the first one though, for us all. Good-luck!!
  22. Yes, I recently discovered I am on a waitlist for a phd program and spoke with the program director who informed me for the same reason hyronomus mentioned in that they are worried given its a research intensive program that my quantitative score is too low- I can't even remember but my scores are hideous, I believe like 147 or something along those lines although my gpa is 4.0 and a few other positives in my application (2 international poster presentation, lors, work experience, teaching etc.) they said they will get back to me at the end of next week, I have no idea which way it will go, I am very hopeful to find out!! In speaking to various people it can really go either way and totally depends on personality types, schools etc.
  23. Hi all, I have my BSW and MSW and am currently in the application process for my PhD in Social Work for Fall, 2015. Unfortunately I was limited for time with the application process and did terrible on my GRE, I decided since I put all the effort into applications I would submit regardless. From what I understand, Social Work is one of the professions that has a lower average in terms of its scores although depending on the program and school some are more concerned with the scores and others less concerned. Out of curiosity I was wondering where I fit in with my peers (if you are willing to share your scores?!) and what everyone's experience has been with the GRE and particularly the correlation between their scores and admission offers. What love to hear any stories, insights, or words of wisdom that you might have to offer!
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