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Everything posted by Chubberubber
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Good point, but I still think there are fewer of those people compared to the ones who would ask questions about being rejected (not to mention that often answers to "status" questions are shorter then answers to "improving chance for next year" ones). In addition, merely sending rejection e-mails at this point in time can take up a lot of valuable staff hours even without having to deal with the ricochets...
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Help and info regarding interviews
Chubberubber replied to Felixjuggler's topic in Interviews and Visits
One more thing- be prepared with question to ask them regarding the research being done at the department (the more you can ask about each professor indivfidual research- the better), and with questions about the program (things like- how much of a "free hand" do grad students get when it comes to indipendent research, what is each professor preferred mentoring style, what is expected from you in terms of research etc.) Good luck! -
Couldn't get slots for Interview on Skype
Chubberubber replied to sreyb's topic in Interviews and Visits
In that case don't worry- I'm sure they'll send you new time slots. Skype interviews are as important as on-site interviews, provided that they are the only interviews that particular program is holding. In some cases Skype interviews precede on-site interviews, in which case they either serve as another round of "weeding" (and hence are very important) or they serve as almost a formality before the actual interview... Since you're an international paalicant, I assume that in your case the Skype interview serves to replace a possible on-site interview (that was the case for me) -
I think what their FAQ answer means is that they don't organize visits prior to application, not for the whole department nor for specific professors. That does not mean, however, that they don't hold interviews on site. From the entries here and on the results page, it seems like they have an interview weekend on February 20-21st for all those who made the shortlist. Not sure whether invites were sent from individual POIs or from the department, but they all invited prospective students for the same weekened, so I doubt it could be by chance... Hope that answers your question.
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Couldn't get slots for Interview on Skype
Chubberubber replied to sreyb's topic in Interviews and Visits
Is it that all of their interview sots filled up, or just the ones that were convinient to you? If they sent out more invites than time slots, then it really is their mess-up, and they can't have it affecting admission offers... So I'm a little thrown by the rolling admission part. However- if there is a time slot available that's just not comfortable for you I'd try and take it and make the necessary adjustments (missing 1 class or a couple of hours from work is a small price to pay for an interview). Best of luck! -
You're welcome! As someone who's stressed about every comma I put in an e-mail to a POI, I know exactly what you mean. Glad it worked out well!
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Invited but not accepted, good or bad?
Chubberubber replied to jjm10j's topic in Decisions, Decisions
Don't use your friends as an example because different schools, and even different programs/ departments within the same school work in different ways. It seems to me like the programs you mentioned invited you for an interview weekend in which matches between prospective students and professors are to be made. They probably tell all their invited students the same thing, so I don't think that puts you in any hightened risk. Did you indicate any POI in your application? Did you contact that professor ahead of time to ask if she/ he are taking students? -
Anybody else apply to just a couple (or a few) schools?
Chubberubber replied to busybeinganxious's topic in Waiting it Out
I'm in your boat busybeinganxious! I applied to only 2 programs for geographical and research interests reasons as well. I knew well ahead of time that I would only apply to those two, so I could make sure each application is the best it could be for that particular program. Maybe it's just me, but I would never go to a school I'm not 100% happy with and therefore won't apply to such school. In addition, I think it might actually look better on our applications that we only applied to 2 programs- it shows that we're focisee and serious about the programs we applied to. In my case, when it came up in an interview, I think the POI liked the fact that I only applied to two programs because it showed my dedication to that particular (very particular in fact) field of research. -
My advice- put in the extra info in the thank you e-mail. Don't make it the focus of the e-mail (just a scentence or two), and try to weave it in a way that doesn't come across as too scared. Though, I wouldn't worry about the professor thinking you lack confidence- especially if that POI was nice. I think they know we're very nervous during these interviews and couldn't possibly be the best versions of ourselves under these circumstances. If you think your first answer doesn't reflect you and/ or your knowledge and opinions- then don't let the POI stay with that incorrect impression of you. If I were a professor (and I'm far from it...) I would rather take a student that doesn't stop thinking and can be relfective of herself/ himself over a dogged one.
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Fall 2015 Applicants - What Programs Did You Apply For?
Chubberubber replied to JoePianist's topic in Psychology Forum
I think it's quite common for universities to reimburse for travel expenses if they hold onsite interview days. Otherwise it's a little unfair. I don't know how common it is to reimburse for travel in any other circumstance (i.e- admitted students weekend/ visiting day...) -
That's super nice! Wish more universities would do things like that, if not to "woo" us, then to at least just recognize our existance (or have an automated e-mail service recognize our existance) past the application fee payment.
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What are your areas of research? Finding like-minded people...
Chubberubber replied to L83Ste's topic in Psychology Forum
Thanks! It's still a relitively small field, but one that is actually growing quite fast and will likely get even more funding in the future, so I highly encourage anyone to become more familiar with it! Good luck to you too! -
TakeruK's idea is very good. However, it's not always an option... In my case, the school was willing to pay for domestic travel but not for international flights. Also, it seems like they were booking the flights for applicants (l know it's quite common) so pulling together resources from several universities wouldn't have been an option... In fact, I was encouraged by my POI to not come to the interview weekend if it means paying anything out of pocket and I was assured it would not effect my chances. Instead, we had a nice Skype interview. In some ways, being interviewed via Skype was possibly even better for me because I was more relaxed (doing the interview in my own living-room), could prepare better, and didn't have jet lag to deal with!
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Which school should i go to ?
Chubberubber replied to theremustbeaway's topic in Decisions, Decisions
Decline only if you have a good job offer outside academia, and/ or if you're concidering going abroad for graduate school after all. In any other case- why would you decline? As for your question- It all comes down to whether you want to have a career in academia or not. Sounds like you like school "A" a lot better, and unless you want an academic career (for which you must have a PhD) then I can't think of a reason to choose school "B". -
If I were in your shoes, given that you don't want to go to the U.S (were most top universities are, whether we internationals like it or not)- go with the institution you're already familiar with and have a good relationship with the Professor. "Slightly better" isn't worth a year's wait in my mind...
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applying for psychology as internatinal student
Chubberubber replied to shahravan's topic in Psychology Forum
Just realized I didn't mention it in my previous post- I'm an international applicant as well. So everything I said is based on my personal (though admittedly limited) experience. To answer your questions: 1) I'm sure a good score on the GRE subject could help, but I don't think it's mandatory. If you have limited resources (I know I did) I would advise you to invest in getting a good score on the general GRE and not take the subject GRE. I'm not sure, but it's possible that a sub-par subject score could hurt your application... 2) Having an article published is very good (for Ph.D applications and generally in academic life! ), but again- not mandatory. If you can sumbit a translated version of your published article as a writing sample (as part of the gard school application) that could be great! 3) U.S universities do provide funding, but it is often only for U.S citizens or legal residents (green card holders). I believe it is so because a lot of the money that universities use to fund PhD students comes from the federal government. It's quite possible that at least some departments have independent resources that they can use to fund international students, but you should contact individual departments and ask in advance (do that before you apply so you don't end up spending money on an application for a school you won't be able to attend). Every school is different when it comes to funding so there's no one single answer. -
applying for psychology as internatinal student
Chubberubber replied to shahravan's topic in Psychology Forum
Hi Shahravan, Here's what I learned- U.S psych programs require almost exclusively TOEFL (or at least 2 semesters of academic studies in English) AND for you to take the general GRE like everyone else. I advise you to contact departments you are interested in applying to ahead of time to ask if they could give you a general idea of what scores they're looking for on both the TOEFL and the GRE. While the TOEFL score is usually a mere pre-requisite (meaning- you need to get above a certain score, often 100, to be eligible for the program), your GRE score is what determines your level of competitiveness. In short- it doesn't really matter how good your TOEFL score is (as long as it's good enough), but the quality of your GRE score matters a lot. GRE subject test in psychology, as far as I know, is not required for most programs and definitely does not replace the general GRE. I haven't taken the subject test and still got invited to interview. However, it is usually recommended and can serve to better your chances. Same goes for publishing- not required but if you have published it would make you more competitive (again- I haven't published yet, but have given presentations in my field). A big problem for international applicants is funding. If you can secure outside funding for your education (or, conversely, if you have a way of obtaining a green card) than you absolutely should do it. Look at TakeruK's last reply to this thread: Hope that helps. Will be happy to answer any more questions as best as I can! -
What are your areas of research? Finding like-minded people...
Chubberubber replied to L83Ste's topic in Psychology Forum
Anyone else out there interested in the emotional well-being of older adults and the effect of aging on their affective experience? -
Should I change one of my recommenders
Chubberubber replied to AmandaLeigh's topic in Letters of Recommendation
I think it depends a lot on how much need this professor's specific recommendation. Are you certain his recommendation will be very strong (stronger than another, more available professor's)? Is this professor someone who you "must have" as a recommender (i.e- he was your thesis advisor)? Is this professor really well known and respected in your field? If the answer to either one of these questions is yes, I would advise you to try and get a hold of him in every possible way. Maybe your current school could give you his work number at the abroad university his at? A carrier pidgeon? If the answer to all of the above questions is no, then move on to the next possible recommender... Assuming, ofcourse that the programs you're applying to told you they really need those LORs ASAP (surprisingly, some programs are pretty lax about when LORs arrive...) Hope that helps! -
Psych Results Page Questions/Clarifications
Chubberubber replied to FinallyAccepted's topic in Psychology Forum
I can't think of a single rational reasin for why it won't work. However, wer're all into psych so we know rationality counts for almost nothing... The main reason I feel reluctant about sharing this information out in public is that I feel it might be something my POI might oppose, like it's their own private buissness when they send out invites. In a way, it does have something to do with a POI's reputation... Another irrational reason is that since usually POIs admit just one new student a year, the second you list "accepted" or even "interview" you kindda expose yourself at least in terms of GRE scores if you choose to post them... As I said- irrational! -
I think they're admitting about 3-4 new students to each of the 5 areas per year. I read somewhere that they invite about 30 students to the interview weekend, and maybe half of those are admitted? I honestly don't know... Didn't feel comfortable enough to ask anyone I talked to from the department about chances...
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' Couldn't agree more. One thing though- don't take this as a reason to not do any reading prior to to your interview with a certain faculty. You should read at least one or two of their latest publications and be able to articulate one or two intelligent thoughts/ questions about their work (no need to go into methods or data analysis- just the broad strokes). Don't try to show them that you know the subject as well as they do (you and they know that you don't), but show them that you understand it enough to be able to think in an interesting way about it.
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Stanford anyone?
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As someone who did post "interview via e-mail": in my case it meant that I was notified, and asked to schedule an interview via e-mail. The interview itself is face to face either on campus or through Skype.