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Congrats! I am sure you know what is best for you after visiting both programs, so trust your own process and take any comments (including mine) with a grain of salt. Both are great schools. One of my collegues did their post-doc at Vanderbilt and has shared that she was a bit turned off by the culture that accompanied the competative climate and other things about the culture. My collegue was careful, as a great researcher, to clarify that her impression was her personal experience and asks others before generalizing. That is to say that I'm sure it depends on your own personality, your cohort, who you work with, etc. Columbia is also highly competative, but I haven't heard anything negative about it in relation to the culture. I have a few friends who got their MA's there and felt like they had a rigous but good experience. All in all, I think it depends on who you are. I work with a lot of researchers in education and reputation wise you can't go wrong with either. Think a lot about who you will be working with and the people you've met. Reach out to the current grad students. Their response to questions about the programs strengths and weakness as well as "reading between the lines" when talking to them will really help. The grad students openness to answering emails and questions over the phone now might give you a sense of their support or the culture when you attend school there. The location really matters too, since they are different places (funding matters as well). Best of luck in your decision!

Mine says that too. This is good to know. Thanks!

Can you tell me what you ended up writing for your diversity statement? I am applying to a UCSD PhD program and they have two optional diversity statements. One asks about challenges with adversity that you personally have faced in your academic career and the other asks about how you have/will contribute to diversity and educational equity. They don't indicate a character or word limit and they ask that it be submitted on a separate PDF. I was raised in a middle/upper-class environment, and I am white. I know it can't hurt to submit something, so I plan to, but I am struggling with the first essay on my own challenges. Idea for First Diversity Statement (I am having the hardest time with this one but I did struggle academically in early childhood): I struggled academically when I was younger, and the school considered holding me back in the first grade due to difficulties in reading and mathematics. I ended up pleading with my parents that I could do it and we arranged for my to attend summer school. Although I struggled in my early childhood, I learned that persistence paid off and my summers in remedial summer school classes were eventually replaced with enrichment courses. By the time I graduated from high school, I was taking mostly AP courses, including BC Calculus. (Note: This is just the idea for what I will write not the actual statement. I worry a bit about talking about learning difficulties in an application as I want to make sure they know I am capable, but I have worked very hard eventually joined the Teach for America program, then got full funding for a Masters at the University of Chicago, and I have been a researcher for the past two years). I am comfortable with the second diversity statement as it asks about how you how encouraged diversity in your life and plan to encourage diversity at UCSD, especially since I implemented several reforms at the school I worked at to address stereotypes threat and further integrate my special education students. My research interests are also related to equity and reducing the academic achievement gaps. With that said, I struggle with if I should write for the first essay. Any feedback or insight would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!

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I spoke with a few professor about this. The overall consensus is that it depends upon the school. Although I have been told that it is a natural progression to desire a student to continue to work on a project if they have done excellent work with you as an RA or undergraduate research which helps for PhD & grad school. Most professors I've spoken with say that they hear more cases of PhD programs not wanting to hire faculty that attended their own PhD. It definitely happens, but I have been told it is probably more difficult to get a faculty position directly from where you attended. This is just what I heard from 3 professors at 3 different institutions, but they all didn't want to make definitive statements and said well it happens, and depends on the school, so I am not sure if I am adding anything new or especially insightful. I just heard that it is less important/frowned upon for school to school "incest" than PhD program to faculty tenure track job.

I am really struggling with this too because I got into a PhD fully funded (it is not highly ranks, but not a bad choice since interest align . I am wondering if I am crazy to give that up to work with a professor at the University of Chicago I really love that said she could work with me for the MAPSS and increase my chances at a top 15 school or even just a top 50 school. I just don't want to eliminate my chances to work at a nice University or get a professors job after my PhD because I didn't want to risk waiting a year to get a higher GRE (I took it once with a 580 in Math and 630 in English) and a 1 year MA. I got the 1/3 scholarship, but I would still go in debt. Hmm... What have you decided? (You sound confident about the PhD). Are there anyone's thoughts on my situation or going through the same things and who would like to share with my how you are weighing your decision. I just want to commit if I take the PhD and not have a grass is greener mentality throughout my PhD. I also heard that transferring or reapplying to PhD after a year in another program is not a good idea. I don't want to do the PhD wanting something more, and feel trapped if it doesn't fit me as well as another potential school (that is school rank aside). Thoughts?

I saw you mentioned tuition remission. Doesn't that only apply to public universities? If this is possible then I will reconsider CGU, but I don't know how that would be possible. My residency is in CA, but CGU is private. Let me know if you get this.

I applied to 5 Applied Developmental and 2 Other type of Developmental Programs Depending on Professor interests: Fordham University - Waitlisted (If you are accepted not interested please let them know ... I really love the professors work & flexibility of the program George Mason University - Accepted Yay! I am excited and I am very close to accepting the offer but I really want to wait for Fordham! Claremont Graduate University - Accepted but No Stipend University of Chicago Comparative Human Development - Accepted to MAPSS (I really really want to work with a professor there, so I am tempted to take it...would that be crazy?) WashU - Rejected NYU Steinhardt - no final decisions? (Has anyone heard?)

I still haven't heard from CUNY or NYU Steinhardt. Anyone? I have other good offers, but I really want to hear their final decisions before I commit.

I recently was accepted to their Applied Developmental PhD Program. Yay! I can't get a good flight out for the open house, but I am going to try to visit soon before I make a decisions. I was only offered 25% funding, which is not that appealing considering I have been offered full funding elsewhere. The only problem is that I LOVE what a lot of the professors are doing at CGU. I will visit and see if I can figure out if I would be crazy to give up a fully funded offer from another good program to take out a lot of loans.

Thank you for you advice! I would love to be a professor that is part of a collaboration to influence change (I'll eventually post a few examples). I also could see myself working for organizations outside of academia. I just hear that where you get your PhD follows you, and I worry that I might be giving up opportunities 10 years down the road for money upfront. I hope that makes sense. I have a good sense of the intervention research I would like to do, but I don't want to limit myself from doing that research within the context of an academic institution because I didn't retake the Math GRE (580) or because I did TFA and was too busy to submit my previous research for publication or because I didn't want to wait (the master program is 1 year but I heard it is much more important what you do during that masters year).

First of all thanks for your reply! Now, I probably need to clarify, since by saying top-tier I didn't necessarily mean Harvard & Yale... I didn't apply to either of them. I mean ranking in the psychology fields and research I am interested in, so the "reach" schools I applied to include University of Michigan CPEP, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, NYU Steinhardt, University of Chicago... the other 9 are great schools too. I guess I was surprised I am accepted to the program where I worry if the professors research interest will excite me as much as the other schools (not just on "name brand" but on the research). I am definitely planning on going to the PhD program I was accepted to with full funding, but I just don't want to be in it for a year and be thinking that another place would be a better fit. I want to be respectful of the offer and I don't want to be the person that isn't 100% committed entering. I just hear transferring is not really a good option, and a year from now I don't want to be a grass is greener person. I think that is the trouble with a site like this. I am happy but there is initial doubt about the fit of the program that is fueled but post that talk about jobs after grad school and the importance of prestige for tenure track, which leaves mean uncertain. Thanks again for your reply! Any other suggestions or people going through the same thing. If I am uncertain about the program, is it more respectful to wait and go for a program with a better fit? I have heard transferring or leaving a school is bad, and I don't want to feel trapped after acceptance. The school is good and they deserve people that are very excited about attending.

Hi, I am yet another student seeking advice about which program to enter (Reading the other posted help a bit but I still need support). ABOUT ME: I am very passionate about research in Prevention & Intervention Research/ Applied Developmental Psychology. While prestige is important, I really just want to be in position to fulfill my research interests and eventually influence systemic change. I took the GRE once and got an English-630, Math-580, Writing 4.0, & Psychology 670.B.A. at well ranked liberal arts college (3.5 GPA)Presented my undergraduate research at a international conferenceI did the Teach for America programCompleted my Master in Education while doing TFA (3.8 GPA)I applied to 15 programs several of which were top-tier (so far I've received 10 rejections/waitlists, but I knew I was shooting for the moon in some cases.) DECISION: 1) An average ranked PhD program (like 90th) that is fully-funded (public) with a nice stipend where the professor interests align but they're research is not as super exciting to me. 2) An average ranked PhD program that is partially funded (it's private) with Professors doing very exciting things! Their research aligns to exactly my interests, but I would have to take out a lot of loans. 3) The 1/3 coverage Masters at University of Chicago working with my dream Professor! She is incredible more or less considered a "Big Whig" and has expressed a lot of interested in working with me. She was very honest with me in how competitive the program was this year and how I am an excellent candidate. I know I do lack research experience, and I am wondering if working with her in the Master can help me get to a highly ranked program that really interests me fully-funded, such as U Mich CPEP. I have been advised that going into a PhD program with the intent of transferring is not wise, but I would hate to give up a fully funded PhD offer to accept a year masters. What are people's thoughts on this? Is it fair to go into the PhD program and see if I want to stay there? If not then is it okay to transfer or leave after a year? I might want to get a high score on the Math GRE and network a bit, but I don't know if it would be better to jump into the PhD program with the chance that I might leave. OR is it better and more respectful to decline the offer and lose money in the Masters program with the chance to join a more fitting program. I really don't want to take out loans, but I don't want to enter the PhD program if it is not the "perfect fit." I asked the professors at the school I got accepted to if I could really do the type of research I wanted... they are heavily recruiting me and have assured me my research interests fit, but I still am not sure why I am not really excited. (I just don't want to have a grass is greener syndrome when I have a good offer). I don't need to go to an Ivey League, but there is a stigma that I want to avoid with settling at a program that offers the most money. I would truly appreciate any guidance! Thank you!