neuropsych76

expensive gas

narrow minded

I agree with nhyn. I tried to only apply to schools I could really see myself going but I was offered an interview at one of my safeties recently and I'm not sold I want to go there based on the information I've been hearing so far. I will see what the interview weekend is like and I'll try to obtain as much info as I can then. So, if you think you can still receive quality training from your safety schools, I would go there. Taking some time off does not necessarily mean you'll get in a better school next application cycle. But if you go to an interview at a school and absolutely hate it, I don't think it would be smart to go to grad school there.

If you are really passionate about academia I would not let one standardized test hold you back. You got a phone interview which means the rest of your app is pretty solid including the low GRE score. A lot of people take multiple years off between undergrad and grad school so don't worry about "wasting time." As other posters said, you might need to study for the GRE more than a month. I studied 3000 vocab words for 3 months to get a halfway decent verbal score. It's an awful and boring process but its a hurdle that I think you can get over!

video game

I haven't been in that position but I would first try to throw around some ideas of collaboration since you seem to be interested in both labs for different reasons. However, I think (for me at least) I would really consider how interesting the work is to you in the lab. Since the your life for the next X amount of years will be this type of research, I would make sure you really really enjoy it. Publishing/presenting is also super important so maybe talk to your professor in the one lab and tell her your interests in presenting more? It seems to be a complicated situation, but I'm sure you'll figure out a good solution. You have a good problem of two labs to pick from

two time

the best

I'm sorry! I hope you hear good news soon I'm too scared to call my school

I always do

I was freaking out too before my interview, but it was so much more laid back and non-stressful than I anticipated I read over some of my POI's paper's the night before to help me feel a little more in control and luckily I was able to sleep since I was so tired from traveling all day. Just try to think positively, because often the attitude you go into something affects how you come out of it. Good luck!

I ALWAYS refer to professors as Dr. when I talk to them and I am very reluctant to call anyone by their first names. However, I met with a bunch of various professors at my interview last week and this changed slightly. Every professor introduced themselves as their first name and I sent thank you letters to everyone I met with. The professors (both my POI's) who I had very nice chats with I thanked them using their first name. For the one's that were more professional chats I used the Dr. title in the thank you email. That's just how I went about it. I felt like since I really connected with the professors and they introduced themselves as (first name), I had to call them by their first name in the email and in further correspondence. That's just my story though and it doesn't matter much since you sent the emails already

tap water

Thank you all for the helpful and relieving replies!! So, is it okay if I put two different titles on my CV? Like name of honors thesis is title B but under presentations I have title A for the same work?

magic tricks

I sent a brief thank you note saying I had a good visit and enjoyed meeting them ect. I think a brief thank you note is fine and even courteous.

sunday comic

Do you have other admits? Why did you apply somewhere if you are unsure "whether it worth to study there"?

passion fruit

fifth PhD

I agree with newms. It is unfortunate but even when you have a lot of really good replies from POI's it is still common for them to reject you. I had a really nice 45 minute phone conversation with one POI and I received a prompt rejection from that school. It happens. However, I'd like to think that most positive replies (more than just "I encourage you to apply", but things like "your background is exemplary", "you would be a great fit here", ect) have a positive impact on your application.

personal statement

Did you only apply to two programs? Like everyone said, fit is a big component, and as competitive as grad school is, you need to apply to more programs even if you are a strong applicant.

natural log