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!

It is incredibly unfortunate that some schools view the GRE as a make-or-break metric. It has been demonstrated time and time again that the GRE has limited forecasting ability in the realm of grad school success-- in fact, a recent study found that the GRE was not associated with student productivity (http://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2017/01/student-performance-measures-don-t-perform). I'm so sorry to hear that Albany would decline a qualified applicant on the basis of just one (somewhat dubious) measure .

Hi! If memory serves, there were maybe 10-12 other potential applicants back when I interviewed. I believe that all interviewees, if not accepted into the program, were entered into a waitlist. BASP is huge (~20 faculty members), so they probably took at least 4 or 5 people (although I'm not exactly sure of that number). As a general note, the interview experience there was lovely... to this day, I still keep in contact with one of the other students I met at the interview! Feel free to PM if you have other questions-- but just to qualify my post, things may have changed in the past few years. Best wishes to all who applied... I hope we all hear back soon!

If the OP was talking about the Basic and Applied social program at CUNY GC, I have not heard anything either. I interviewed there a few years ago, and they had a pretty large crowd of interviewees-- so if the program has already sent out invites, it seems unlikely that nobody has indicated anything here (or perhaps that's just wishful thinking ). Maybe some programs are holding out until SPSP ends?

I saw that some people had indicated interviews/acceptances for social/personality psych PhDs, but joint-degree applicants might be considered on a different timeline (as it's a different track). Thanks anyway!

Hi all! I'm wondering if anyone has heard anything from either Penn State or UMich's joint programs in social psych/women's studies. Is it gauche to call the departments and ask for a timeline? (Working with limited travel funds and trying to weigh interview offers!)

Hi there! I did my undergrad at Penn State, and can vouch for the fact that it's exceedingly LGBTQIA friendly. There's a gay bar right downtown (Chumley's), and the LGBT center on campus is highly active. There are also a few LGBTQ-centered support groups around town, which can potentially be venues in which to meet people. I never really felt any sort of discrimination or alienation during my time there... it's really a great place to live. Feel free to PM if you have any specific questions or want more info!

To the poster indicating that they have an interview at SUNY Albany... can you possibly tell me who your PI is? (Through a PM, of course) Still waiting to hear back... I know it's early, but it seems as though interview invitations were already sent out.

This is a great idea! It would've been really helpful this year to see other applicant profiles and get a bit of a sense of how I stacked up. For reference, I applied to PhD programs in social psychology (and one master's program in general psych, which is where I'm ending up going). Undergrad Institution: Top public research institution (Top 30 for social psychology) Major(s): BA Psychology Minor(s): GPA in Major: 3.94 Overall GPA: 3.80 Position in Class: Top 10% Type of Student: Domestic/Female/Minority GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 151 V: 159 W: 5.0 Research Experience: 3 years research experience in social psychology at two top-30 public research institutions. Will have 2 publications by the end of this year. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Member of Psi Chi and Phi Beta Kappa; graduated with distinction from college. Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Undergrad tutor for Intro to Neuroscience; exam proctor for my school's psych department. Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Graduated early from college and took a semester-long research apprenticeship. Special Bonus Points: Female with minority status, family and friends in field, one *famous* recommender (lol) Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: N/A Applying to Where: I applied to 13 PhD programs in social psychology and 1 master's program in general psychology. I was accepted to 1 top-60 PhD program and the master's program in general psych, waitlisted at 1 top-40 PhD program and 1 top-100 PhD program, and rejected (without interview) from the last 10 schools. Prospective applicants, take note-- the social psych PhD programs are cutthroat! Make sure to apply to a range of programs

@coffeeaddict29 - You do NOT suck! This area is crazy competitive, and the criteria for acceptance can be so ambiguous. Feel free to PM if you want someone to commiserate with, haha

Hi all! I currently work in Storrs and was a student at UConn for a brief period (I ended up transferring out). I'm from CT, and while the state is liberal-leaning and gay-friendly, UConn isn't exactly a gay Mecca. Their "Rainbow Center" is small and kind of clique-y, from what I recall during my time there. Maybe it's different as a grad student, though. Just thought I'd throw in my two cents since the OP mentioned Storrs