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@meezy123 I am a current grad student in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS). Your case is a classic case of hard decision making. It happens to a significant number of students in my program as well. You have pointed out that some of our research programs are pretty similar to those in the clinical psych and developmental psych, given that some of the faculty have credentials in clinical psych or developmental psych (also they collaborate heavily with faculty from the Psych department). If your concern is whether going to HDFS will limit your chance for an academic job, you should talk to the department about their placement history. I am sure they have data about this, including the field (whether the majority of them become a professor in the HDFS department as well or there is variability) in which their alumni are currently working. I remember during my visiting weekend, the PI of my program showing this exact chart. At least for my program, the number of graduates who become faculty in other HDFS programs are almost equal to the number of graduates who become faculty in the psychology department. This seems to me that maybe your productivity and fit of research play a more important role in job placement, rather than a field of study. You should also talk to your prospective advisor about the track record of graduate placement in his/her lab. Good luck!

@djpetrie I sent you a PM.

Congrats @Caroline Jiang!!!

Congrats @djpetrie!!! I'll see you on the visit weekend

Animated movie

contingency table

I asked everyone in my cohort about this and I found different timeline regarding the initial response from the program. Some students received acceptance notice as early as the end of December. I received the acceptance notice on January 25 (maybe among the last,haha). For your information, last year the program accepted 15 applicants and 8 applicants accepted the offer. Also, we've been informed that visit weekend for this year is going to be in the middle of February. So, I think the program will send notification until the end of January. I really like the program Everyone in here is so nice and supportive. I am amazed by the diversity of the research programs of the faculties and the students. We have almost 40 full faculties (not including research associate and teaching faculties), I think the highest among HDFS programs in the country. Everyone doing different things and everyone doing cool things. Academic wise, the program has a very structured curriculum, especially in terms of the emphasize on the method courses. Also, our building is quite new and really nice (and really close to the downtown!).

Hi @Caroline Jiang, All the accepted students will be invited to join the visit weekend to know better about the program, faculty members, and their research programs. During the visit weekend, students will talk to several faculty members that might fit with their research interests (somebody from the program will contact prospective students and ask them to provide names that they might want to talk to during the visit). Prospective students who later on accepted the offer then will be asked to provide their top choices of faculty members to be their first-year advisor. New students will join their first-year advisor's lab and work with him/her for their first year in the program. However, it is possible for the students to switch lab/ advisor later on based on the development of their research interests. The great thing about our program is that students are accepted into the program (not to work for specific faculty). Hence, the funding comes from the program, and they offer flexibility in terms of switching faculties to work with. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck

Good luck to everyone applying to HDFS programs

Another incoming grad student at Penn State here. Soooo many orientation events that I have to attend! Anyway, good luck for the new semester, everyone

Hi guys, I am an incoming grad student in Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State. My classmate and I are renting a three-bedroom duplex located at 1117 South Atherton Street. We are looking for the third roommate to rent the third room (should be male). The monthly rent for the house is $450 before utilities (utilities around $50-$70/ month/ person). We'll be spending most of our time doing school works and we are fine in terms of neatness. My friend will bring a 20 pounds friendly female dog, an Italian greyhound. If you would like to bring a pet, you have to pay an additional non-refundable deposit ($250) and monthly pet fee ($20). Please send me a message if you're interested or would like to know more about the place. Thanks....

@econstudent18 I picked wines with the price range between $20-$30, I think those are decent wines. Also, I knew from previous conversations that all my referees like red wine.

@econstudent18 I gave each referee a bottle of wine and a thank you note written in a note with the university name that I am heading to on it. I put both the wine and the note on a bag with a logo of the university that I am heading to on it.

Hi guys, I am an incoming grad student in Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State. My classmate and I are renting a three-bedroom duplex located at 1117 South Atherton Street. We are looking for the third roommate to rent the third room (should be male). The monthly rent for the house is $450 before utilities (utilities around $50-$70/ month/ person). We are somewhat geeky and pretty laid back, we'll be spend most of our time doing school works, and we are fine in terms of neatness. My friend will bring a 20 pounds friendly female dog, an Italian greyhound. If you would like to bring a pet, you have to pay additional non-refundable deposit ($250) and monthly pet fee ($20). Please send me a message if you're interested or would like to know more about the place. Thanks....

@hippyscientist Wow... that's right, we're gonna be in the same college see you then in HHD