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I wouldn't worry about your GRE. I interviewed at some of the schools you listed and they are definitely more interested in your research fit and experience. If this cycle doesn't work out, it sounds like you have great experience for a full-time research position so I would keep an eye out for job postings in the winter/spring as a back-up. Also, reach out and make connections with potential PIs (if your current PI knows them, have them put in a good word) through email or even better, attend a conference and meet them! SRCD and CDS are next year, so that will be too late for this cycle, but definitely take advantage of it if you end up applying next fall!

The Cognitive Development Society listserv (https://cogdevsoc.org/listserv/) often posts full-time paid positions. There are probably other similar ones for other areas of psych too. Most fall positions will already be full by now, but if you're looking for something later, they all tend to pop up during the winter/spring. Ask people (professors, grad students, lab staff, etc.) who are in your area of psych. These positions really depend on how much funding is available to the PI so it's good to have insider info about current staff leaving a position or if a grant is coming through to fund a new person. You can also look on lab websites and try to find out how long current lab managers/research staff have been there. I think most lab managers stay for about 2 years before heading off to grad school so you can get a sense if they might be leaving. Also, incoming junior faculty often get start-up money for a lab manager so it's great to make connections with post-docs or people on the job market! People love hiring someone they already know will do a good job, so the best way to get a full-time job is to volunteer in the lab you want to work in first. My lab always considers the current unpaid RAs before someone totally new. You need to go above and beyond what you're required to do (e.g. data entry, coding, running subjects) in order to prove yourself though. Anticipate what the grad students and post-docs need and make their lives easier because PIs will often consult them before hiring. It can be financially difficult to volunteer without the guarantee of a job, but if you do some research into the lab first about potential funding, you'll have a better shot. I didn't know about my PI's funding situation before I started, but I mention to our RAs that we try to hire from within and when there will most likely be paid opportunities. I had been out of school for several years with no research experience and asked to volunteer twice a week, while I waitressed on the other days. After a few weeks, they offered a part-time lab manager gig and once a big grant came through, I asked to become full-time. The person who eventually took over my job was an undergrad RA in the lab for a year. He knew I was planning to go to school soon and made it pretty clear that he was interested in taking over. Hope that helps!

There's a Target in Harlem, but it's on the east side!

Hi! Human development PhD here.

I applied last year when I was 27 and didn’t get in. I’m 28 now and will be starting grad school at 29!

I'm waitlisted at what I thought was my top choice. The more time goes on, the more I convince myself that I don't even want to go there. I'm not sure how much of that is based in reality or if it's just a defense mechanism. My second choice is quickly climbing up to first choice because the PI and students there have been so great and supportive during this process. At the same time, I'm so stressed out about the decision process that I'm finding it really difficult to respond to the PI's emails because I just don't know how to convey how grateful I am, but at the same time I can't make a decision yet. Also, I currently work in a lab and just cannot get anything done these days.

It sounds like you'd be settling for this program, which isn't a good way to start graduate school. 5 years is a commitment and if you're not going to be happy there, you shouldn't go! I don't know too much about CUNY, but I visited last year and decided not to apply because I didn't have a great sense of it for what I wanted to do. Also, it seems like funding in general (not just the stipend) is limited, which could hold up your research. My main concern was that the job placement didn't seem very good for academic positions after graduation. Prestige and ranking count for something, but it seems like who you're working with matters most. Does your PI have a good record with their students? On the other hand, yes, the commute to Staten Island is annoying, but depending on where you live it might not be quite 2 hours. Brooklyn might be a good option in between the two campuses, depending on which train you're off of. I also know people who drive into Staten Island for work, which is faster but tolls are a bit expensive. I took several years off to lab manage and this really helped gain the research experience I needed for grad school. A lot of PIs also look for students who have taken more time to immerse themselves in research. It's hard to do this fully as an undergrad because of classes and even if you do an independent project, you see so much more of the process working in a lab out of school. I started off volunteering (because I had no research experience) and working a side job to support myself. It's not ideal, but this eventually turned into a full-time position. Also, if you end up volunteering/working at a place you're interested in going to grad school at and you prove yourself to be a good researcher, your chances of being accepted there are much higher because it's less of a risk for the faculty if they know how you work. On another note, what kind of research are you interested in? I know an incoming professor who is looking for a lab manager...

I’m in a very similar situation and I’ve decided to stay put and drown myself in ice cream. I don’t think it’s wise to reach out unless you are under a time pressure to make a decision. A week past is not very long in the grand scheme of things and sometimes there is a lag between the PI and the department in terms of communicating decisions. I’m preparing myself for alternative options and if my program comes through, it’ll be a nice surprise!

I had a Skype interview, but was later contacted by the POI and told that they wouldn’t be moving forward with an in-person interview. I know people who have been accepted after interviewing so sadly, I think you can assume that you’re not being considered any longer. It was a top choice for me so I was pretty sad too!

I would recommend emailing your second choice POI and discuss what kind of studies you actually want to do. Maybe she doesn’t do that now, but would be open to it? Also, are there any other faculty in the dept that you would want to collaborate with or may have that expertise? If so, and your POI leaves, you might have the option to follow her or stay in that program depending on how far along you are at that point. You could even bring it up the possibility of what would happen if she changed locations. It’s a very reasonable concern.

This is all true and don't lose hope! Last year, I applied to 8 PhD programs and didn't hear a word from anyone. Half of them didn't even answer my inquiry emails before applications were due. I applied to 10 schools this year and had in-person or Skype interviews with 7 schools (1 I also applied to last year and heard nothing). You never know what's going on behind the scenes (e.g., you may be competing with someone the POI already works with/has connections to, lack of funding, etc.).

I've been bringing a notebook to all of my interviews. I have notes on questions to ask and and outline of things I want to mention. However, I've found that I mainly check this on breaks and I haven't needed it too much. I think it could look bad if you're constantly referencing notes, but I've had my notebook out at most meetings so I can write down ideas or details that the faculty mention. I quickly glance at my notes on talking points sometimes, but I make sure not to be obvious about reading from them directly. My current advisor said this would be okay, and I've received several offers so far so it can't have hurt me too much!

Which programs?

My mentors have been incredibly helpful in this process! They wrote me great recommendation letters, gave me feedback on my application materials, suggested faculty to apply to and gave me insider knowledge on what those people might be looking for in applicants, and generally have been cheering me on the whole way. My main advisor encouraged and funded me to attend a conference before the application season so that I could network with potential PIs. They also have been helping me prep for interviews. It's really made me realize how important it is to have a good mentor with your best interests at heart!

One thing to try to keep in mind is that PIs are not trying to quiz you on their research. Obviously, you should be familiar with the kinds of questions they're interested in and perhaps theories they reference, but mainly so you can articulate how you might extend their work. I get ideas for this by looking for the open questions in the discussion section of their articles and I try to incorporate things I'm more familiar with into how I might address those questions. It's also helpful to look at the kinds of methods they use and try to find out what kind of resources they have so that you can propose something that it's actually feasible in their lab. If something about their work comes up in the interview that you aren't familiar with, you can always ask, show interest, and if possible, think critically about it! I've heard that in some rare cases, faculty can purposely try to throw you off by asking your opinion on some random theory. If you're familiar, that's great, but if not, they're also just seeing how you respond to the challenge. In my experience so far, most faculty just ask what kinds of questions I want to investigate with them. Sometimes they ask what specific IVs and DVs I think would be most interesting to look at but they don't expect you to have a full-fledged study perfectly planned out. One thing I keep hearing from my current advisors is that they really want someone who is great at articulating the research they've already been involved on. They understand that this is something that comes with training and they know you haven't been trained on their research...yet!