georginazhou

Just got accepted from a program. No need to be anxious now, Finally!!  Btw, do you guys think it is a good idea to contact the program which I am waitlisted at for updates? Do I mention that I have an offer and want to hear from them? How do I word this? 

Just got accepted from a program. No need to be anxious now, Finally!!  Btw, do you guys think it is a good idea to contact the program which I am waitlisted at for updates? Do I mention that I have an offer and want to hear from them? How do I word this? 

Just got accepted from a program. No need to be anxious now, Finally!!  Btw, do you guys think it is a good idea to contact the program which I am waitlisted at for updates? Do I mention that I have an offer and want to hear from them? How do I word this? 

Not sure if it is too early to create a waitlist thread right now. 
I've been waitlisted at my top choice program.
Best of luck to all of us in the same situation. 

 

Not sure if it is too early to create a waitlist thread right now. 
I've been waitlisted at my top choice program.
Best of luck to all of us in the same situation. 

 

TOTALLY AGREED!!!! "Also, a huge factor is if you are an international student (with international degree)-then you need to be a REALLY good fit and have really good credentials. " I got waitslisted from the program which i am doing RA at, also one of my LoRs is from the lab i applied. I asked my POI for that school for an update, she literally just told me word by word "it has 100% to do with the difficulty of admitting international student at the dept." and i am on her waitlist. so sad....... i was actually quite confident that i could at least get an interview chance with them......

TOTALLY AGREED!!!! "Also, a huge factor is if you are an international student (with international degree)-then you need to be a REALLY good fit and have really good credentials. " I got waitslisted from the program which i am doing RA at, also one of my LoRs is from the lab i applied. I asked my POI for that school for an update, she literally just told me word by word "it has 100% to do with the difficulty of admitting international student at the dept." and i am on her waitlist. so sad....... i was actually quite confident that i could at least get an interview chance with them......

My undergraduate major was in business administration and I'm applying to social psychology too, in addition to marketing (CB). I took some courses in social psychology as an undergraduate and I've recently finished a research master's in a business school, but followed a behavioral sciences research track (which gave me a good background in social psych research). I am an international applicant from Brazil.
During my application, I felt that some departments are very welcoming of non-psych major applicants, while others are the complete opposite. Did you have this feeling too?
 

I agree with you. Perhaps my point was not very clear in my previous post, I didn't mean that location was more important than the program. In fact, i believe location is a minor (if relevant at all) consideration fo a PhD applicant. The department, and the research being conducted by the faculty, is a far more relevant consideration. People usually overestimate how important location is to their well-being. To me, what matters most is having a group of friends that you can rely on - especially during a PhD, when loneliness is (unfortunately) an issue. You can find that anywhere, be it in a small or big city, west/east coast or midwest, small or big department, etc.
In fact, one of the happiest times in my life was when I was an exchange student in the American midwest. There wasn't much to do in the city, but there was always someone to hang out with. Being connected to people is what really matters!
On top of that, as you said, relying on research fit when applying may maximize the chances of admission. 
 

Hey nerds, just wanted to add a random note of encouragement! I got accepted last year to two of my dream programs, and even though the other students in my area are excited for recruitment weekend because it's two days of free real food (rather than our usual peanut butter sandwiches and apples..) and hanging out with the whole area, I really feel for the interviewees - I remember how horrifically anxiety-inducing the whole thing was. But the grad students are just there trying to get to know potential new members of their family, nothing more.
Anyways, I managed to make up for my 3.1 undergrad GPA with two years of volunteering in labs (post-graduation) followed by two years of being a lab manager for two awesome social psych professors. I thought I had no chance when I started out, but thankfully for social psychology, it's the grittiest people who aren't willing to let go to the dream who win in the end.   So many of the current students applied multiple times (I applied three times total), so just because you maybe weren't the strongest candidate last year doesn't mean anything for this year.

I agree with this as well. I think with my original comment I was not trying to suggest "safety" schools or getting a PhD just for the sake of it, as I think that would be silly/misguided. But I think it's easier to find the top researchers in a certain field who are often at prestigious schools. It's often more difficult to find less renowned faculty at smaller schools but still doing the same or similar topics, but I tend to believe they exist for most interests and that there is a range of competitiveness. I honestly don't believe in safety schools, just that you can sometimes search people you like and their collaborations, and find new or young faculty or something at less prestigious universities with similar/identical interests by, for example, seeing who they mentored/advised or something.

I am sorry if it seemed earlier like I was encouraging just applying to safety schools for the sake of acquiring a PhD. That was not my intent. I agree with everyone's comments/sentiments.

Agreed. I am an international student too. I only applied to the programs which are nice research fits. It is a 5-year commitment, I don't see the point of applying/going to a "safe" school, if it is just for the sake of a PhD degree. 

Power to the internats hehehe! Hope you all make it too! If you ever need any advice/knowledge/info about Europe - hit me up through PM! Glad to help anyone!
 
Did you know in Europe it's even FREE to apply - like no money involved  The only thing I regret is not applying to a number of business schools (other than SMU).

Agreed. I am an international student too. I only applied to the programs which are nice research fits. It is a 5-year commitment, I don't see the point of applying/going to a "safe" school, if it is just for the sake of a PhD degree. 

Agreed. I am an international student too. I only applied to the programs which are nice research fits. It is a 5-year commitment, I don't see the point of applying/going to a "safe" school, if it is just for the sake of a PhD degree. 

Honestly, it's hard to say but to me it sounds like they are not done going through applications yet so there is no news yet for anyone. Which is a good sign!

I emailed the graduate office of UFL, and being told that “The Psychology Area’s began Interviews starting Mid – to Late January.”  
Hope this helps. So I am not sure if there is still a need to wait for that, since it is already mid Jan, and I did not get an invitation.