MarineBluePsy

An A- is so exciting! Academically I ended up doing just fine overall which is a relief. I second the talks! I went to several talks throughout the year that were really informative, so I plan to incorporate more. I also stumbled upon several online, so keep your eyes peeled for those as well. Going forward I've decided to focus more on the few aspects of my program I can change (even if only slightly) to meet my needs and have the future (as in what I'll do when this is all over) in mind. I'm grateful to have others in my network that ended up in programs they weren't happy with so they've had some helpful tips for sticking it out since that is often the better option. Otherwise, like you, I'll be incorporating more wellness tools to keep me balanced and healthy.

I think your notetaking strategy is going to depend on what you want or need the notes to do. Do you want the notes to function as a summary so that if you only read them then you'd understand the article? Are you required to turn in detailed summaries as a homework assignment? Either purpose will lead to notes taking longer to write. I found this style of note taking really helpful in undergrad because often professors tested on contents of the readings, key terms, etc. In grad school I have stopped using this style of note taking (unless I have the rare professor that requires summaries be turned in) because I don't find it helpful and its time consuming. Most of my grad classes haven't incorporated tests so the readings are strictly used for discussion purposes or as references for a paper I'm doing. So when I read an article for a class discussion I tend to just underline key points within the abstract, methods, and results because there is no sense in rewriting something that was already written. Then in the margins I write questions or comments that may contribute to the discussion or expand my own learning. For example, if a key term is not defined and I've never heard it then in the margin I'll write what does *insert key term* mean? Another example, if I disagree with the methods used in a study then in the margin I'll jot a brief note about why I disagree and what I would have done differently. If the article is going to be used for a paper then I still skip writing my own detailed summary because the key points I underline can be paraphrased when I am actually writing a draft. In addition to writing questions or comments I have in the margins I will make a note of where in the paper that tidbit might go. For example, if I find national statistics I want to use then in the margin I'll make a note to put that in the literature review or if I find a table/graph/chart to use I'll make a note that it would go in the appendix.

Since I'm not an expert on adcoms I can't say if your stats are good enough to get in or not. I will say that it is smart to have a backup plan regardless because Clinical Psych is competitive for everyone. I'm not familiar with ABA schools, but applying to a few Master's programs is a very good idea because if that ends up being your best or only option then you can improve your gpa and gain more research experience. The biggest challenge with going the Master's route is that many programs are unfunded so you'll have to strongly consider your finances and future projections before making that move.

This is true, we did make it. How are things going for you? Anything you'll do differently for 2nd year?

I'm wondering if maybe you mean a doctoral fellowship instead of a post-doctoral fellowship? A doctoral fellowship would be funding to get your doctorate now while a post-doctoral fellowship would be funding you get to do research or some type of project in your field after you've finished your doctorate. If you have not earned your doctorate and will not earn it for a few years it would be very strange to be awarded a post-doctoral fellowship. Assuming there is a circumstance that allows you to earn post-doc funding before you have earned your doctorate I don't understand why they would care if your doctorate would take a year longer because you spent a gap year studying abroad? It seems that would make you more valuable in your field and either way they aren't currently paying you anything so they lose nothing.

So the school that you'll be getting your PhD in is the same school you did your MA in? If so, then would it be an option for you to take a sabbatical for that year before your PhD program in order to go abroad? If this is even an option you'd have to clarify what happens with your current funding and health benefits.

I think you'll get several different responses because most likely every psych student does something different. Some of my classmates preferred to share the reading by dividing up the articles and then trading notes. That doesn't work for me so I generally just didn't read the whole article to save time. I read the abstract, methods, and results and took a few notes in the margins. If the week was exceptionally busy and it became clear that I couldn't read 5+ articles times 3-4 classes then I picked 3 per class to read using the above method and just read the abstracts of the others.

I can't believe that soon we'll all be 2nd years.

I was just thinking this! 9 out of the 10 emails I get are not even helpful or informative so I've gotten much choosier about who gets a response.

Ugh why can't I sleep these days? I woke up at 3:30am this morning for no reason! The night before I couldn't get to sleep until 1am so I was already dragging. Today I was like a walking zombie. I wish I could say its just stress, but I don't think so. I don't feel overwhelmed and I am much more on top of things then I'm giving myself credit for. I'm exercising, eating, drinking water, maintaining a work-life balance...all that good stuff, yet no sleeping. My plan was to clean the house, but I'm tired and just want to eat guacamole.

And now my inner shopping addict has discovered this!

Omg I have been sleeping so much better since I bought one of these flip alarm clocks. Good lord where has this been all my life?! Its way cheaper on amazon, fyi.

@hippyscientist I think a vague answer like "meat" annoys me because I know they don't literally mean they eat plain meat. What kind of meat, how's it cooked, how's it seasoned, etc are all things that are unique to places. @Need Coffee in an IV Seems like a good sign if the cat has been hanging around so far. Unless of course he tells all his homeless cat buddies and they all start hanging around.

But every American could explain that, so we do know what our cuisine is. All of us could talk about differences seen on the West Coast, in the South, the Midwest, or the East Coast. And also when it comes major holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, etc) there tend to be key staples everyone understands regardless of region. So while yes there isn't a one sized fits all answer, we could certainly provide helpful information to a curious outsider.

Yes what is Australian food is precisely my point. We'd all know if that stupid restaurant would serve it! I always ask this when I meet people who have traveled to Australia and they're always like "ummm meat" which is seriously no answer and annoys me further. The only thing that would make it worse is if I met an authentic Australian that couldn't tell me about their own food. I mean honestly. How are you natively from a part of the world, live there for a huge chunk of your life, and literally not know what the cuisine is?! I've run into this with far to many people. I am a huge fan of Greek and Mediterranean food and I personally find it a safe bet regardless of where I am in the US because it is really hard to screw up. It's basically lean meat, veggies, yogurt, and spices/herbs. I've never found either to be expensive or swimming in grease which is nice.

The really funny part is Outback Steakhouse doesn't serve any Australian cuisine. That bugs me so much. This could be a cultural opportunity and no one is using it. Well what kind of preparation were you given? And what are the next steps since you didn't pass either half?

I have done several juice fasts while in grad school and the trick is preparation. I always aim for a 3 day weekend and juice no more than 2 days. Anything more I think is excessive and I find 1-2 days is more than enough to curb sugar and carb cravings.

I really hope so. Things with my advisor are fine and I still haven't formally met the Chair. I'm hoping to stall on that eventual meeting so that this isn't so fresh in their mind and I can have close to a fresh start. I also just found a way around having additional classes with that professor. Basically the classes I will need with that professor are offered in our department in the Fall and in another department with a different professor in the Spring. The classes are identical in content and expected competencies so we are allowed to take either, its just preferred that we stay in our own department. Well after this whole mess I no longer care what is preferred lol. Plus even others have picked up on the tension between my advisor and that professor so I think its better to do what I can to not make that worse.

And the verdict is in! My class grade is considered passing which means I am in good standing and my funding is secure. My department has been unfairly penalizing students and now has to make changes going forward. I'm not sure if anything will or can be done for prior students, but it would be nice if they were at least informed of the situation and upcoming changes. Now I can actually start focusing on the current semester and will hopefully not have any crazy situations going forward.

In my experience POIs and departments offered this information before anyone had a chance to ask. They know we have multiple options and need as much information as possible to make decisions so there is no point in being secretive. If you don't experience this information being volunteered there is nothing wrong with asking your POI what the next steps are.

So I'm going to carefully look into the University policies on this and see what I find out. Even if it turns out to be allowed here I still want to be sure I learn everything I'm supposed to, so I may have to look into supplementing my learning as well.

Absolutely not. I provide them with free labor and that is all the gift they need.

Oh so if a man is driving its ok? Great then I'd tell him to get off his ass and drive you himself. Hehehe, but I'm kinda bitchy so my dad wouldn't be surprised to hear me say that.

Well @Need Coffee in an IV your dad isn't totally offbase about Arkansas. There is a lot of racial tension there and you will see confederate flags proudly displayed. But there are also plenty of people there that are welcoming of everyone and it sounds like your friends family is confident you will be perfectly safe in their home and neighborhood if they invited you. And driving 9 hours is excessive? He does realize that your life would be similarly threatened if you traveled via bus, train, or plane right? I couldn't stand to listen to this kind of worry/control so I just don't tell my parents anything lol.

Ok so its nice to know I'm not crazy in thinking this is odd. I'm at a large public university and my program is APA accredited and well funded. I asked my advisor about this and was told that though the students will be teaching both courses entirely they will not be listed as the instructor of record, but the assigned faculty member will be. Ok, but if students ahead of me have made it very clear that the assigned faculty member is extremely hands off, even if there are issues, then something is amiss right? To my knowledge none of the students being considered for this already have Master's degrees either, though that wouldn't make me feel any better. I hate to sound ungrateful for the opportunity to earn a PhD, but I find it alarming and maybe even insulting that any part of my education is being left to students who know little more than I do and have little to no field experience. My expectation was that I would be learning from well educated professionals with years of experience and the ability to guide me toward a successful and stable career. I also don't see how complaining about this would do anything more than get me labeled a complainer, especially since my adviser was so nonchalant about it.