cupidcello

I got an invite to visit the FIU campus.  Wow!  I'm labeling this as a formal interview invite as the informal interview is now over (it was this morning), I'll get to meet my POI once more, and I'll also get a chance to check-out how I "vibe," per se, with the campus.  In my honest opinion, my overall "fit" with my potential mentor is a good one, so I feel nice about this invite.  Hopefully, all goes well with the visit, and I enjoy being on the campus.  That would all be helpful!

Treat yourself to something nice that you know you enjoy.  You've come a long way to say that you're a grad school applicant--that's for sure--, and that alone should be celebrated.  Take time to appreciate how far you've come, and then buy yourself a special small something (favorite snack, extra toppings on pizza or ice cream, etc.!).  Treating myself to something small during a not-as-awesome moment helps me a bit & is a nice pick-me-up so I can continue to move forward.

When one of your POIs finally knows you exist and emails you to ask if you can send them a writing sample! It's nice to hear back from someone at one of my schools because while most applicants have been getting emails or phone calls for interviews, I've been here twiddling my thumbs lol. 

Hey everyone, last round an applicant started a general thread to talk about stress levels, what we were doing to stay sane, how email notifications were the bane of our existence, etc. 
Thought it might be nice to start it up again as I know I am having a hard time staying focused and patient during the waiting period! Even though I haven't seen any results or interview invites for the programs I've applied to, and I logically know I won't hear for a few weeks based on previous cycle data, it hasn't stopped me from freaking out every day and wasting a ton of time refreshing grad cafe and SDN just to see if anyone has heard from my programs ?
How are you doing? Anything positive to look forward to this holiday season? 

> Be professional and prepared. Don't make inappropriate jokes, don't discuss things like politics (particularly if you are very conservative, psych is a liberal stronghold...), don't act sexist (the last two I've seen happen). Dress the part, but don't worry about it too much, you will not be judged on your outfit unless it is very misplaced.
> Be prepared to talk about the topics you are interested in, maybe a recent paper that came out, your work style, your strengths, etc.  
>Obviously read some things about the PIs research, but also see what his/her grad students are doing. You will probably spend quite some time with grad students and they can also make or break you (if they really dislike you) - and may be your future collaborators. It doesn't mean you have to be super extrovert, but do take time for people during lunch break etc. 
> Although you want to let the school know you are interested in them, no need to be tooooooo enchanted
> Do not talk bad about other people/schools, this is unprofessional. 
 
Also make sure you have questions to ask; what do you want to know about the school? PI (work style etc.)? It is also a way for you to show that you understand what graduate school is about. It is as much an opportunity for you to interview  them as it is for them to interview you
 

Hi all, 
 
Making this general thread to talk about some of the challenges of finding a POI/Adviser, looking for programs where we "fit", and the general stress of feeling like we've got so much to prove. I hope to go into clinical psychology to study resilience in racial minorities and immigrants as well as the use my degree as a platform for social justice advocacy and systems change. Finding an adviser in this space has been hard enough and I have been encouraged to pursue something "easier" many times. But the heart wants what it wants!  
I hope we can make a safe space for all minority applicants out there as our stress is a little more than the majority applicant. 

Congratulations! Definitely good news!! 

Hi!  I got a request for an informal interview (scheduled for next week)!  (I do assume that this is a good thing--I hope it is.)  Woo-hoo!  Please send a direct message for any further information--if interested.  I'm just...wow!! Yay! 

Hi!  I got a request for an informal interview (scheduled for next week)!  (I do assume that this is a good thing--I hope it is.)  Woo-hoo!  Please send a direct message for any further information--if interested.  I'm just...wow!! Yay! 

Got my first informal skype interview invite! Ahhh!

Congratulations!!

I finally submitted my first application! 

The two LOR writers who were not answering my emails finally responded! One of them said that she will send them out and my other writer said that she saw my email and made a mental note of it. I'm still waiting for the person who is helping me get application fee waivers to respond, but my anxiety is slightly lower now...somewhat! 

Yes. I can't think of a single school which requires letter of recommendations to be in before you could submit your application.

Hey everyone!  Just wanted to give a good cheer and a little encouragement to everyone applying right now.  I hope everyone's hanging in there alright!  You can do it!!

Hey everyone!  Just wanted to give a good cheer and a little encouragement to everyone applying right now.  I hope everyone's hanging in there alright!  You can do it!!

Happy to see activity on this thread!
These past couple of months have been a whirlwind. Particularly, the last 6 weeks have been nuts, where I've been studying for the GRE and preparing that beastly NSF fellowship application. @goldenxpenguins I completely empathize, I felt like I was consistently revising my statements up until the deadline.... I am so relieved it's sent. Now, the occasional pestering of my LOR writers to be sure to upload their letters. Extremely excited to get this wrapped up this week.
I wanted to get advice from people in this thread around the GRE. I just took the GRE today after prepping for 2 months, and I scored a total of 312: 153 (V) & 159 (Q). Only one school (UW-Madison, which is also my top choice) on my list gave minimum requirements for the GRE, which was a combined score of 310, so I am extremely happy about that. The other programs on my list did not list minimum requirements, but did share their admitted cohort GRE averages (ranges from 314 to 317). Is it worth it to prepare to take the test one more time in an attempt to improve my scores for a couple of points? I think the saving grace about my current scores is that both the verbal and quant are above the 50th percentile (thank goodness). Honestly... I am so fed up with this wretched test, and I am not sure if it's worth it to crazily study for another 3 weeks to increase my scores for a couple of points... Thoughts?

@cupidcello
Yay, another developmental person!! Your research interests overlap a lot with mine. I may end up applying to the linguistics department at the University of Maryland as well (my list is very all over the place currently.)

Welp, hi.  I guess it's time to post something here!  I'm finally applying for a (hopefully...) Fall 2019 start in a PhD program.  The only thing holding me back, as far as I'm concerned, are my GRE scores.  I took the GRE without studying years ago, and I did poorly.  I've been utilizing Magoosh, and I have some nifty vocabulary flash cards.  I also have a prep book I should probably crack open soon.  Here's hoping for a better score.  I plan to retake it in mid-September.
I'm interested in Developmental Psychology, with a focus on language acquisition and comprehension (Perhaps developmental psycholinguistics is OK to say?).  I only have my B.A. from a smaller university (earned in 2017), but I have 3 years of research experience and two summer internship experiences. I took a gap year, worked outside the field, and continued with research a little bit during this time.  Currently, I'm a lab manager for a much bigger university, and I just started this position.  
My current schools of interest are (in order [thus far]): UPitt, U. Alberta and U. Maryland (for Linguistics, actually), UConn, and possibly UDel (unsure)
I was hoping to apply to U. Mass-Amherst, but the advisor I was interested in will not take students for the 2019-20 AY.
I'm still looking at other locations, but currently UPitt is ideal for what I'm hoping to study.