cheesecafe
-
Posts
23 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by cheesecafe
-
-
Thanks so much for your helpful replies. I especially appreciate the part about making sure your advisor "approves." I hadn't thought to have this conversation with my advisor since it's an activity outside of research. But you're right, it would ultimately impact my time to contribute to other research activities.
-
I am a first grad student and wondering how, if at all, other students manage "extracurricular activities and leadership positions" (I can't think of a better descriptor, but I'm referring to things like getting involved in graduate student union or similar activities that are beyond a service to your program/profession)? I am someone who is several years out of undergrad now and a common thread through my undergraduate years was being involved student government groups; in my years post-grad this has taken the form of community boards. I am struggling because I want to get involved in something that is larger than my program yet I am already finding that I have limited time. For those of you who have been in similar positions, how did you decide to get involved? Do you have any tips for managing these extracurriculars with the other demands of grad school? Besides the personal fulfillment, have you found external motivations for being involved?
-
I use the Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HaPI) database. If your institution has a subscription, it's an easy way to find links to the original instrument and validation paper.
https://www.ebscohost.com/academic/health-and-psychosocial-instruments-hapi
-
On 4/20/2017 at 8:51 AM, angesradieux said:
I'm so glad someone posted this. My emotions are all over the place lately, and I'm getting really tired of the "Are you excited? You must be so excited!" conversations. I'm so glad someone posted this. I'm getting really tired of the "Are you excited? You must be so excited!" conversations. On the one hand, yeah. It is exciting. But the excitement kind of comes and goes in waves. Like yesterday I started looking at home stuff like "I bet these pillows would look great in my new apartment" and just thinking about picking color schemes/decorating/etc. and I was totally cool with it. But other days I'm really nervous and anxious about moving and don't want to think about it, or I start to feel sad and melancholy about leaving home and the people and places I'm familiar with. It's just been an insane emotional roller coaster. But I've started blaring some Christian rock in my car lately, and I've found that's helped calm me down a little. It could be part of the reason I was able to look at home stuff yesterday without experiencing the "Wait what? I'm really moving?" anxiety. I don't know. Sometimes I'm okay, sometimes I'm excited, and sometimes I'm just a train wreck.
I feel this way exactly. I am almost starting to wish some people didn't know I was going to grad school--namely acquaintances at work who bring it up every chance they get. The line between anxiety and excitement feels very thin.
-
Now that interview season is definitely over, did anyone get a sense of why our interviews were so intensive (I'm think of full day clinical interviews vs. friends in other disciplines who had casual skype interviews or who simply received acceptance emails without interviews)? Also, everyone keeps repeating that there were a lot of clinical applicants this year. Any guesses as to why?
-
1 hour ago, mcg678 said:
Thanks for the input! Unfortunately, that's kind of the response I was expecting.
There's only one big university in my area, so I'll keep trolling their website looking for opportunities and asking around!
Another suggestion for research opportunities that I think many people forget about is your local public school system. The one in my area, at least, has a fairly large research, evaluation, and assessment department that is almost always looking for temporary workers.
-
Hi! I don't know about those programs specifically, but I am also torn between two programs at the moment. If you have not already, I would encourage you to reach out to current students and alumni of those programs. I've found that alumni, specifically, have given me really candid advice on the programs since they don't really have anything to lose at this point by being honest. If email addresses aren't available online, you could reach out to program directors or professors and ask them to put you in contact with recent graduates.
-
14 hours ago, Rose1128 said:
$26,000 seems high; super awesome but definitely not something I would expect from most places. Both schools I was offered funding at offered in the $15,000 range. Are we allowed to ask for more? I just accepted since I assumed what was set, was set. I don't know the protocol here lol
Hahah I am not if we are allowed to ask for more. I did meet a grad student during an interview who said he "negotiated" his offer, but who knows exactly what that means.
I appreciate everyone's input! The reminder about the stipend being only for the academic year is also a very good point!
While the higher stipend is tempting the two programs I am considering are fairly equal so I think I have a tough decision ahead of me.
-
Can we talk about average stipends we've been offered? I received an offer from a school in a big city for $17,000 and was content with it until I received an offer from a school in a rural area for $26,000. What are your guys stipends looking like? Have any of you had experience with asking for more money?
-
Bummer to hear your applications are not shaking out as you were hoping. I don't know what type of research you are interested in, and it looks like your second back-up option listed is to pursue a PhD in developmental so you may have already thought of this... One option that a former professor sold me on was pursuing a PhD in developmental psychology so you would be able to teach and conduct research. And then, if you still find that the clinical piece is very important to you, you could go back to school for a clinically-oriented masters program. Depending on your state, this may allow you to see clients.
-
On 1/13/2017 at 4:03 PM, .letmeinplz// said:
They should give you a pdf with all that information soon with: how soon you need to tell them if you are coming, how much they cover (UCSD is covering hotel/food/transportation, I just have to get reimbursed for my flight which is unfortunately more than the maximum allotted since it is cross country so I'll end up paying 150 out of pocket. Worth it), and your agenda of the events while there.
Thanks for your reply. I did receive info with details on the agenda and lodging, but reimbursement was left out. Should I assume they won't cover my expenses and not bother asking?
-
How long is it acceptable to wait before accepting an interview? I'm in the similar boat as the posters above where I've heard back from everywhere except my top choices, and I know there will be a conflict if I accept an interview for a program I am less excited about.
Also, is it gauche to ask if programs will offer financial assistance for interview costs? One of my interviews is on the other side of the country.
-
Any advice on the application process for future applicants? I've had my eye on this fellowship for a while and am considering applying next year.
-
On 1/3/2017 at 7:12 PM, hsnl said:
Does anyone know where I can get a blazer or something to fit a very small person? I got an interview invite without much notice and I just went in basically every store in my subpar local mall and couldn't find anything that fit. I'm not that short but I am very thin, and professional clothing all seems to be huge on me for some reason.
I have a feeling I'm going to have to buy a bunch of things online with express shipping... This is not going to be fun considering I'm both poor and Canadian.
Try Banana Republic! Their petite section has some really small sizes that fit well on small and thin bodies. They also give you a discount if you're a student (only in stores I think) and they have a massive sale right now. I didn't have to tailor anything.
-
For anyone who applied to UMass-Boston, check your email (if you haven't already been compulsively checking it). Their system somehow lost a bunch of students' phone numbers, which is how they plan to contact students according to the email I received.
-
I am also applying to graduate programs for the first time, so I don't know exactly what you will encounter. However, I did once have an interview for a school psychology research position that was similar to this, where I had a short practical component. It consisted of reading a report--similar to the results section of any academic paper--and answering questions based on the findings. If you took the psych GRE, it felt like some of the questions there (see questions 13-15 here for an example). Because I had specified on my CV that I knew how to use SPSS and Stata, the practical component also included generating basic descriptive analyses in both programs based on a sample dataset.
If multiple people are being interviewed, I can't imagine your stats sample would be anything that would take too long to grade afterwards. Good luck!
-
This is a frustrating situation! Have you tried emailing them a second time as a reminder? I've sent follow-up emails along the lines of "I know you're probably very busy but I would really appreciate knowing whether you will be taking a student since the application is due soon." In general, I've received replies to my second inquiry quickly.
I work with a graduate student who advised me to be wary of professors who are non-responsive over email as it may be a red flag to how they work with their students. I would take that advice with a grain of salt... but I would definitely be hesitant to apply to a program where I never heard back from a professor.
-
General question I'd like to out here since the last posts have been about emailing professors: If a professor's website says that it's too early to know whether they are taking students, and you know the website has not changed since early summer, is it a bad idea to contact them? I'd hate to get on a prof's bad side before I even meet them, but I would really like to know whether I can save myself an application fee and spare my recommenders one less letter.
-
I am also planning on applying to clinical PhD programs this upcoming fall, and potentially to some public health masters programs as back-up options. Do you all think multiple high impact publications (3-5 articles, depending on the review process by application time, and a book chapter ) as well as solid research experience in the field counterbalance an average undergraduate GPA and GRE scores? Clinical programs are competitive and although I am confident in my research abilities, I worry future professors will not recognize that if they only see my numbers on paper. Like many of you, I have taken the GRE multiple times now and am discouraged by how little by scores rise each time--my highest scores were 150Q and 160V. Would love to hear perspectives from either people who have applied in past years or those who are preparing to apply this year.
-
On 3/29/2016 at 11:03 PM, Phiner. Determination said:
Met my future advisor at a conference by stroke of fate 7 months before submitting my application! Continued to run into him at several conferences afterwards. Though he wasn't present at my on campus interview ( very busy man), our previous interactions had given him insight into my career aspirations and program match. Plus he already had my personal contact information ( business card and emails), so it made the process a lot easier. Great Idea!! You Got This!!
Thanks! Your story sounds like the best possible outcome--it's a great reminder that an advisor may not always be someone you anticipate meeting.
-
Thank you all for your helpful replies!
-
Just wondering what you all think about introducing yourself to a POI at an academic conference, several months before program applications actually open. Is this unheard of? Too early? Too desperate?
In my situation, I am applying to doctoral programs in clinical psychology this upcoming fall and noticed that a professor whose I've been following is presenting at a conference I am attending in a couple of weeks. I would love to introduce myself and get on their radar, but I also do not want to cross any boundaries if this is not common practice. Let me know what you all think.
Authorship
in Writing, Presenting and Publishing
Posted
I agree with the post above. In my field (Psychology), I would add my advisor as second author if in addition to editing the IRB proposal and paper, they provided valuable feedback on design or on how to analyze and interpret the data. There are guidelines to authorship in psychology. You could see if your field has similar guidelines or ask other students that work with your advisor what their standard has been in the past.