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eternallyephemeral

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Everything posted by eternallyephemeral

  1. The prestige of the school as a whole is very different than the prestige of the program within that school. This is most different for IO psych as opposed to many of the other subfields of psychology. I would think about the fit and the type of research you're doing at Roosevelt. If it fits everything you want other than the prestige, then I think you know your answer. It also depends on what you want to do later, because prestige definitely helps with faculty applications, but the opportunity for internships may be more helpful for industry.
  2. Hi! I'm in an IO psych PhD program right now, and I came from a purely psych background that wasn't even IO or social/personality. The research skills, experiment design, stats, and other classes you take in psych are much more important than learning the business concepts, which don't feature very prominently in IO (more in OB, but you can still get into those business PhD programs with just psych sometimes), and which you can learn on your own quite quickly. I would suggest getting work experience in your summers on top of research experience, because I believe understanding the world of work by having been in it is much more important than learning business in a classroom if you are to go into IO later on. Only one of our 20+ students has a business background, from what I know about them. But if you can do research across both departments, that could be helpful. I would start in psych though, either way. Best of luck!
  3. I'm very lucky to share my office with one other person, and we have a large window and a mini-fridge. My side is extremely messy and cluttered, but my office mate keeps hers very clean and almost empty. I like to remind myself of the "cluttered desk is a cluttered mind" quote and feel superior, because my mind is always cluttered with ideas which is why I have scraps of paper all over the place.
  4. Hi OP, I think more than the academic and non-academic distinction, finding someone who is really secure in themselves, so that if you are doing more school than them, if you make more than them (in the future), or if you are smarter than them, they will encourage it instead of feeling emasculated or threatened by it. I felt the same way before, and I thought it was me that was the problem, but it's really about the narrow slice of people that you're looking for. If you didn't have high standards (not that you should change them!), then it wouldn't take so long. If you know where people that you would like tend to go, then you could focus on those places! I can't really help because I met my boyfriend in my lab, but if you want someone athletic, you have to go out there and meet people through ultimate frisbee or cycling. Perhaps online dating isn't reaching out to the right people. tl;dr don't blame yourself and go where the people you want are likely to go!
  5. I spent about 1,000 on eight schools, including the GRE once, and the conversion rate from Canadian to USD for the four US schools was one of the biggest killers. It would make each application 30% more expensive right off the bat.
  6. Well you obviously know better! I would definitely advocate for exploring more options, rather than fewer.
  7. Rotman, Schulich, and Ivey all call themselves the #1 program (of course). Nearly everyone from Ivey gets employed in Toronto and then moves there anyways. People from the MBA program mostly network in Toronto, and they spend a lot of their time in Toronto. So I wouldn't worry about the distance. I personally work in Toronto and go to school at Western. It's not a problem at all for me!
  8. I was just talking to someone about pharmaceuticals today. They recommended applying for a smaller company, as those don't require years of work experience on top of your PhD. These smaller places are reportedly more likely to take a chance on graduating PhD students. Has this person thought of coaching in a different context than the clinical or counselling type? I've seen many executive or life coaches that come from a clinical background, but they don't often deal with people with mental illness. It's not a traditional path, even though it can be similar to counselling in theory, in practice it can be pretty different. It depends on the person's skill set.
  9. The number one issue is whether you finish with something to show for the time you've spent. If you go to a top ten and you drop out because the fit isn't as good and the supervisor isn't supportive (which can happen at top ten schools, potentially more due to pressure and competition than at other schools), then you can't get any of those industry jobs. As well, if you are less motivated because you aren't studying what you're interested in, then you will also suffer in your productivity for that reason. So those are two reasons to go by fit and supervisor as opposed to the school. Provided you can do all of that, you need to look at where people go from each school. If their alumni are not going to any better places from the top ten than the top thirty, it means that it makes no difference. If they are going to better places, then you can factor that into your decision, but as I said above, it might not be the only reason.
  10. I went into my PhD knowing, and telling everyone in my program, that I was going into industry when I finish. It helps that in my area, 50% of people go into industry. And the opportunity cost is lower, because we get internships which helps with the promotions (you start at a higher level), the actual opportunity cost in salary (because we often make a lot more than just our stipend), and the saving/retirement/life goals that often escape people in grad school. On top of this, people who go into industry from my program frequently start their own companies or private practices, something extremely difficult to do without a PhD in my field. As well, I'm employed at a company that I would be very happy to continue working for when I'm done, that hires only PhDs from my field. Most people are likely not in this spot, but this exists and it suggests that my PhD is not at all a waste of time, because I need the degree and I know exactly what I'm doing afterwards. On top of these career-related concerns, the PhD should be changing the kind of work you do, not just the salary and the title. If you're doing the same work as a bachelors or masters, then obviously it's not adding anything. But I would argue that you aren't complementing the PhD with the necessary soft skills and networking/resume creating ability if that is the case. Of course, economics and labour markets can get in the way of this, but you have to get as close as you can with the resources you have available. For me, a PhD is an investment in myself, my career, and my overall development as a thinker and a producer of knowledge. I don't mean this in an ivory tower way or a classist way. It is about completing my personal goals, and currently the opportunity cost is nothing, as I am getting a degree while working multiple jobs on the side that add up to a full-time salary out of undergrad. To say it is a waste is to ignore the opportunities provided with a PhD program, as long as you choose a good one and you are able to finish it.
  11. Hi! I work in industry now (during my PhD) and my company employs only people with PhDs (that were, as almost all PhDs are, in very narrow areas). None of them is doing exactly what they studied, which can be considered good or bad. Sometimes, we end up on a project (it's a consulting firm) that is somehow relevant to their expertise. But in general, no one is pigeonholed; they are all generalists who know about their entire area and who are learning the business fundamentals and soft skills as they go. This is obviously one example, but all across consulting as an industry I know it is similar. No one is pigeonholed, but they rarely end up doing what they studied. I, personally am okay with that, because I see extremely wide-ranging applications for my interests and because I have been in various subfields already.
  12. Here are some things on my five year plan, 6 months in: - various financial goals around saving and investing; anyone can ask if they're interested - get more involved with spreading info about science, specifically through the events people email me regarding science days at middle schools, judging undergrad research competitions, etc - create and implement lasting change as the grad advisor to our undergrad journal - start studying for comps early to spread out the work - increase responsibility at work by coming into the office more, which means rearranging my schedule and being really good at time management - finish writing my masters thesis early; I'm already ahead with the proposal, so writing the thesis may just involve modifying the proposal - how much is the bigger question - finish outlining some PhD project ideas this year to bring a formative proposal to my advisor - follow up on some potential collaborations with another faculty - get involved with our school's management consulting group to prepare for industry applications - wrap up undergrad-related work and get it off my plate - stay healthy, which has been easy to do with food (relatively) but much harder with a more sedentary lifestyle and with living too far to walk to school This was super helpful for me, just writing all these things down. I'd recommend everyone else consider doing this as well!
  13. First of all, I don't think anyone, even the person who you're referring to, OP, actually thinks those scores are mathematically average. However, when you're applying to insanely competitive places, like my SO and I did, then it's not about average as in 50th percentile, it's about the average of admitted applicants, which has been around about 80th percentile for the schools I applied to last year. The highest cutoff for schools I had was 85th percentile. It's not about comparing to just anyone, and I wouldn't get annoyed about it - for me, the admitted average is the only thing I cared about, so I was comparing to that. I would never look down on someone who had a worse GRE, of course not. My SO did terribly on the GRE - like, really really really terrible on the math the first time. I didn't think any differently of him, and I have always thought he's brilliant and hardworking. He just had anxiety and struggled with the math portion. My GRE scores definitely didn't help me, given that I only got into 2/8 schools, and they were pretty much in line with the rest of my application (the GPA, LORs, SOP, research experience, publication, etc). However, it's possible that my SO's GPA and GRE did not get him past the cutoff, given that both of them were below the recommended numbers. So in that way, they can work against you. I would agree with what your prof said, and of course their opinion is more important. I tell everyone that GRE shouldn't be a value judgement about you as a person; many people get worked up about their GRE just like people who have jobs get worked up about how much they make compared to other people. Don't compare yourself to anyone, do your best, but realize that a higher score, if you can get it without extra turmoil and stress, is obviously better than a lower one. But so are better letters, more research experience, a better statement, etc. I just believe in doing your absolute best for grad school, but that could be a function of where I applied/was trying to get into.
  14. I had to wait about 2 weeks between each stage for multiple different school when I was applying. Two weeks between notifying and getting an interview, two weeks between getting an interview and hearing back (in one case an acceptance and in another, a waitlist), and then two weeks between the waitlist and the final decision. Just stay calm. I know everyone here is always freaking out, but there's more to your life than just this (I would hope). Put it out of your mind.
  15. You can PM me with it if you want! I just got in last cycle so I'm not a senior student or anything
  16. I agree with everything @swil92 said. I actually came from a more biological psych/cognitive neuro background (though my degree was in psych) and went into an I/O program because I want to be a consultant as well! Having a research background is a bonus for you; I/O programs are still research-focused, and don't care as much about work experience as you might think. Some schools also understand that people dont always get exposure to I/O in undergrad, so they may be forgiving about your switch (I was in a similar position and people understood/accepted me). As said above, I wouldn't necessarily mention that you want to go into industry until you know what the school's attitudes are towards that. I'm referring more to combined Masters/PhD programs and to direct PhD programs, but you don't want to rule these out if you're interested in consulting, because a Masters in I/O may not be enough to get into consulting, depending on what type you're interested in and how fancy of a firm you're trying to go to. PhDs usually enter a consulting firm at the MBA level, and masters-holding graduates usually enter at the undergrad or entry-level. So there can be a big benefit of doing a PhD, in addition to being funded. However, you should make that decision based on what you want. I also wouldn't advise that you apply to general psych. Those are often cash cow programs that don't really advance your standing as far as research or specific job opportunities are concerned. Have you thought about doing the Psych GRE? Perhaps this way you could demonstrate that you have psych knowledge, not that there will be much I/O in there. You should start looking up some researchers and reading their papers to prepare, which can give you some ideas for your SOP (even if you don't want to do research as a career, any good I/O program will have you doing primarily research and a bit of other things). Best of luck!
  17. I came from a different part of psychology (and never took any social, personality, or I/O in undergrad) and I got into two top programs in my country (Canada). Some people did want to know how I chose this area, because they want to know why I was switching. But if you make a case for that, I don't think it would be a waste. Not many places have IO, so you don't always have exposure to this area before you get to grad school. Also, research experience in general is helpful. Those skills are very transferable. Can you reach out to professors beforehand and ask them some of these questions?
  18. It's actually in Canada, where she is from. It was recognized just as highly as any other school of that caliber, but she did have difficulty given the current job market in Canada (not that great) and the level of education required for the positions she was looking at (frequently PhDs were required or recommended). It's just one person's experience, so take it with a grain of salt!
  19. My friend did the masters at LSE, and she really liked it. She has a super cool job now that she really liked. The program focuses much more on the organizational side than the industrial side, in case you wanted a program that's balanced. I don't know about the rest of them.
  20. This is so sweet! I'm also available to answer anyone's questions (not to highjack your post!), especially about Canadian IO schools, applying to IO and business PhD programs at the same time/deciding between the two, or any other admission/application questions. Best of luck to everyone!
  21. Either way, I'm sure you would move up quickly once you got into a position. You seem to have the knowledge and drive to accomplish a lot once you get that first job. However, it can be extremely difficult to get an entry-level position in those types of industry jobs without a graduate degree. Have you looked into masters programs? Research-based ones? Have you tried applying for any of these jobs? Or reaching out to people in the industry to find out if there are positions as someone with a bachelors? Unfortunately, as you stated, people may not see you as an expert in any of those areas without a graduate degree. I hate to advocate for doing a PhD if you don't want one, but you are obviously committed to research and the PhD is important for your career, so it's not like you should be advised against it just because you want to go into academia. Your situation sounds quite similar to mine (though you have fancy fellowships and I don't). I want to go into industry, but I want to do research, and then move on to a more managerial position. I need a graduate degree to break into the field, even though I felt ready (and had been doing research for three years, with 1 pub and a few more on the way) before I started graduate school. I knew, even if other people didn't agree, that grad school was right for me. Even though I don't want to go into academia. So I'm using a lot of time in grad school to work on internships and things that advance my career goals, instead of just focusing on academic research. However, it is a big time commitment and you do have to be very sure you want it. In conclusion, I would do more research to find out if there is any way to break into this field with what you have now. Get out there and use all the connections you have to find other connections. I spoke to a lot of people in industry, but they were unfortunately not looking at things from the same perspective, and they didn't seem to know what the labour market is like nowadays as far as how much education you need. But they can still be helpful. Best of luck!
  22. Thanks for this information! It's extremely helpful to think about the proposal with this structure. From what I've heard, you still do not need to actually complete the project you wrote about, especially for the masters level scholarship. This is one of the reasons why I believe the specific details about the proposal are less important than the effective communication of your ideas.
  23. If you are applying to multiple schools, there's no way you could specify this information for each school. Also, that is not the most important part of the proposal, even if it did impact your friend's proposal. I have done the CGSM app twice now, and neither time did I put this information down, and no one recommended it either time as well. Just make sure your proposal is clear, well-written, and convincing. Those types of methods-section details are not what you should focus on.
  24. I would ask about anything you need to know! Why would you have to wait to be invited or have completed the application to decide if this is a person you want to work with? Given how important the fit is with your supervisor, these are the only questions that matter in my opinion. Ask them early, often, and to everyone that you can.
  25. Thanks for your explanation! It makes perfect sense that this would be a part of some PhD programs. I had previously heard of exchanges for these kinds of programs in undergrad, but I falsely assumed that you were on your own once you got to graduate school. It seems like a good move to take, having professional experience as opposed to only the armchair academic study of an area (I'm also in an applied field that suffers from being too detached from what we study, so I can understand that). I also made the false assumption that PhD programs are not so concerned with the real world, and with real professional experience. I'm glad that's not the case for these programs!
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