thirdfromthesun

Thanks for the advice, all. Talked with the PI today, who did not help in allaying my fears . Guess I won't be going to grad school after all.

I have a question for you all, which I hope does not come off as elitist or ungrateful. This is my third application cycle, and I have only received one offer from a very small program. The research fit is solid, but the program itself does not even place in NRC rankings (and is in an undesirable location, to top it off). During my interview, faculty members struggled to tell me if past graduates had been successful in pursuing their desired careers, and the current students, by and large, seemed miserable. I have turned down PhD offers in past years for similar reasons, but know that I cannot just keep doing the same and wasting years of my life. I can't imagine not being in the field (I have dedicated the last 6 years of my life completely to social psychology), but, at the same time, know that this program has a poor track record in successfully placing graduates. So, the overarching question: Is a good research fit enough to overcome a weak program? (Will also reiterate that I am grateful to have received this offer, but am questioning how this will affect my life in the long run...)

No. Word on the street is that they didn't have much funding this year.

That is wonderful news-- congratulations on your success! Wish the department at my alma mater could be as flexible.

I am not an international student, but have applied to over 30 PhD programs over the past 3 years. Anecdotally, it seems as though more international students are being offered admission to programs than domestic students. I attended an on-campus interview earlier this month where the ENTIRE social program consisted of international students-- I was also the only domestic student being interviewed. In other words, I think you have a fine chance of gaining entrance into U.S. doctoral programs-- your status might even be an advantage.

They have already extended offers.

You can probably just send him an email back and ask for clarification-- sounds like things could go either way. Hoping for the best for you!

I am a few years out of undergrad (R1 institution) and have since worked in labs at three other universities. Even with those external experiences, my undergrad adviser told me that it would be a waste of time and money to apply to my undergrad institution, as they strictly do not take graduates (I am devastated, because they hired someone new this year with whom my research matches perfectly). I applied in spite of that advice, and was not invited to recruitment day, as expected. So, to answer your question, I think there exists a home field DISadvantage. I hope schools are able to move beyond this myopic policy in the future-- one of course does not want to become a replicate of their undergraduate mentor, but disinviting all alumni from an entire program seems misguided.

You are NOT a total failure! We are all qualified and worthy of graduate degrees; a lot of it just comes down to fit. Hugs!

Any intel out there re: Loyola University of Chicago?

That was me who had posted about the joint program, haha. Thank you so much for that news! I asked my mentor (who's a social psych prof at UConn) if UConn has sent out invitations yet-- she didn't respond, which leads me to believe they have not.

I saw that a handful of people have received rejections from UMich. Might anyone tell me if these were standard-issue rejections (i.e., mass email from the program director), or if they came from personal correspondence with individual PIs? I emailed my PI a few days ago with no response-- the silence is maddening!

I wish the same! However-- they may still be compiling a waitlist, and I'm not sure that the school is a great match for me research-wise. Maybe when we all start getting more info, we can begin the process of swapping spots

Hi-- Clark sent out recruitment weekend invites a few weeks ago (I had a phone interview with my PI in the first week of January).

I think any research experience would only enhance your CV! Your senior honors thesis demonstrates that you are capable of formulating and implementing your own study ideas-- a requisite quality of those interested in pursuing a social psych PhD . Sounds like an awesome research experience... and I also hope that we all hear good news today!