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khunconan

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  1. If you want to go to a PhD program in counseling or clinical (especially clinical) you should rather go to general or experimental psychology master's program or any program that is research-oriented with a lot of research opportunity. Research experience is VERY important for PhD admission. Some professors are very biased against people with a counseling/clinical master's degree (mainly because the applicants may look way too clinical-oriented).
  2. Do you have any kind of research experience? If not, you seriously need to find some (e.g., go to a research-oriented master's program). I heard that even reputable Psy.D. programs put more and more emphasis on research experience. Don't know about school psychology though. You could take Myers-Briggs test just for fun, but it isn't something you should take seriously. And don't ever mention that test in the statement or interview for Ph.D. programs.
  3. It's average age of first year Ph.D. students. I think it's very common that people take time gaining more research experience after undergrad. Entering out of undergrad is less and less common nowadays.
  4. The average age of graduate students in psychology is 25-26.
  5. If you want to go to academia, a program's prestige is not as important as an opportunity to get published when you are a student. You should look at publications of the students in each program. If the program & professors are very famous but only a few students get publications, then it can be a red flag. If many of them have publications, but none of them is the 1st author, then I would be worried too. I recommend going to any program where students are encouraged/supported to get publications and many of them are the 1st author in the papers published by well-known journals with a good impact factor. That's what makes your profile stands out when you apply for a job in academia. If both programs are the same, then I'd say go with your gut....
  6. I strongly recommend calling instead. If you email the admin, he/she may forward it to your POI. Some professors are offended by the fact that you cannot wait for his/her answer and switch to ask another person instead (it can also imply that you don't think he/she is reliable).
  7. Thank you for the clarification. There is one point that still isn't that clear to me. When you talked about candidates "blatantly tossing out unrelated hobbies (in an attempt to do what?) in front of a panel of conservative academics....," did they just bring those hobbies up without being asked? If so, I agree that it's weird and unprofessional. If they just talked about their hobbies because it's a question asked by interviewers/current students, I believe saying "I usually go to anime conferences every week" is a COMPLETELY appropriate answer. Actually, I can't see why going to anime conferences is a weird hobby. Does it imply that the person is otaku (google it if you don't know the term) and thus is quirk/disgusting? Don't you think categorizing people based on some stereotype is inappropriate, especially for psychologists/researchers in psychology? I also can't understand why being part of a burlesque troupe can suggest that a person is weird or uncommitted. Unless a hobby is illegal or morally wrong, no one should be academically judged based on what they like to do in their free time, especially if they are good enough to be invited to the interview. Also, if possible, can you clarify the term "unrelated hobbies"? I have no idea what hobbies are related or unrelated (and to what? to academia? to your own hobbies and interest?). Is reading a book related (and what kind of book)? What about listening to music (and what kind of music)? EDIT because I just saw your edit: If the professor tossed that applicant out because of his/her love of anime alone, then I would say the applicant was lucky.
  8. I don't know about philosophy, but programs in psychology usually give offers to a very small number of people (5-7) so I can understand if someone is afraid of being identified by saying which program s/he *is going to decline* (especially if the decision is not that final). I don't see any problem with saying which program s/he *has already declined* though.
  9. You definitely need more research experience. Many (if not most) people applying to grad schools have already had at least 2-3 posters at regional/national conferences. To be honest, for some POI, one presentation at the "Psych Undergrad Research Conference" means nothing. You really need to present posters/papers beyond your own school. Moreover, did you list your paper from your school's undergrad journal as "publication" in your CV? If so, it can be a huge red flag to many people. In academia, there is a big difference between peer reviewed pub and non-peer reviewed one. When people list pub in their CV, it generally means peer reviewed publications. If you list your paper under "publication" section, your POI may think that you (1) don't know what publication really means or (2) are trying to create fault impression. For some POI, a paper from an undergrad journal means nothing so it can hurt you a lot if you say you have a pub, which for them is not even close. If you believe that paper can really help (like it's very relevant to your POI's research), you should make it clear by listing the paper under "non-peer reviewed publication" section.
  10. I didn't say GRE scores play little role in the admissions process *in general.* I mean his/her scores should be good enough to pass a cut-off of many schools and thus play little role afterward (not all schools, of course). Usually once your scores reach a certain threshold, POI cares much more about research fit and experience (that's why SoP is very important) than GRE (unless you get perfect scores like 170V 170Q 6AWA). If h/she has time and energy to retake the GRE and get higher scores, I'd say go for it. However, raising 155Q to 160+Q is much harder than, for example, 145Q to 150+Q. It is completely possible but h/she must be willing to invest a lot of time and energy for test preparation with no guarantee of success. Even though h/she can break 160 for both sections, there is still no guarantee of acceptance. All in all, I believe his/her research experience (at least in quantity) is very impressive and right now it's much more important to increase relevant experience/skills, find a perfect fit, and know how to sell him/herself in statements/interviews.
  11. To be honest, it is highly unlikely that someone will sponsor a working visa for an RA position. Paid RA positions are very competitive even among U.S. citizens and most people end up being just a volunteer (which is not an option for a foreigner). The only option I can think of right now is to pursue a master's degree in psychology in the U.S. By doing so you can gain more research experience by working with your advisor and other professors.
  12. You did not do anything wrong. I believe your GRE scores are good enough and plays little role in the admissions process. Sometimes you can be very, very good but there are still someone who is just a better fit. It's about finding the right person at the right time in the right place. Good luck!
  13. I would recommend against working with any professor who can be distracted by a below-the-knee skirt suit.
  14. I should have clarified but, yes, I meant that now ETS allows you to choose any set(s) of scores you want. I thought IOSearching meant you can't choose the test(s) you prefer because ETS will send all of the tests taken within 5 years to the programs (which was true in the past), so I just want to point out that you can choose now. Sorry for the confusion.
  15. Now ETS has a "Score Select Option" that allows you to send only the score(s) you want. Check ETS website.
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