watson

Regarding the suits: Social psych interviews are less formal than clinical ones. If you're worried, just ask a grad student at the program (or the POI who invited you) what you're expected to wear. At NU, we tell you not to come in a suit/tie...I'd suggest slacks and a button-down shirt, nice but not super formal. The few people who come in ties/jackets usually feel awkwardly overdressed and take them off but then are carrying them around all day.

Most paid research positions are attained in one of a few ways. Ask a professor--they are probably aware of their colleagues at other schools and if they need RAs/lab managers, and get listserv postings. Join listservs--look up smaller societies that fit your specific interest (e.g., Social & Affective Neuroscience Society) and join their listservs, I get at least 5 emails a week with announcements that somebody is looking to a hire an RA/lab manager, they almost always list that they want someone who is interested in going to grad school later (these are generally 2 year positions). Look at websites for professors whose research you like--many will post on their lab's website that they are looking for someone. Cold call--send emails out to people you're interested in working with and ask if they are looking to hire an RA/lab manager (I'd use this option last). Don't worry if it isn't a social psych lab--adcoms are interested in seeing psych (or closely related) research experience, not necessarily research experience on the topic you want to study in grad school. For the NIH, check their website--they post both employment opportunities and paid internships and have a pretty structured system for hiring. Look beyond NIMH, other institutes like NIAD and some others present equally great opportunities even though they are farther removed from social. I actually had no social psych research experience (all clinical/neuro) before grad school but its the experience moreso than the area of research that matters. You can also try places like the National Naval Medical Center/USUHS...I did a summer internship there and another student here worked there for 2 years (he incidentally had much worse GRE/GPA than you but had such incredible research experience and so many pubs from his time at NNMC that he got in here).

No. And those that do are a more informal interview than with Clinical (i.e., you don't need to wear a suit, but this is still an interview so be on good behavior--you wouldn't believe some of the things I've seen!). I know several (excellent) programs accept without interview (ex. OSU), but only take from the people invited to the visiting weekend, others accept more people after the weekend if they get a lot of declines...they will usually happen in March and generally happen with an informal phone interview and/or an email/call saying you're on a waitlist.

I agree that in some cases the masters can help--but OP's numbers don't suggest that being the best use of his/her time. Of all the programs I have spoken with (Northwestern, Yale, Harvard, OSU, Stanford, etc), none will accept a thesis from another program or make the program shorter...you can probably get out of some stats classes though. I suppose I'm saying that I would not enter a master's program thinking that a benefit would be a shorter PhD program, because, at least among the most highly ranked programs, it is unlikely. I'm glad that your masters program has worked out so well for you, but I can honestly say from my experience that the networking you get from taking a lab/manager job is more likely to get you into a PhD program than a masters. I do agree that a fully-funded masters is a considerably better idea than a partial/non-funded one.

I'm a social psych PhD student at Northwestern. I am on our recruitment committee for underrepresented students and so I'm pretty filled in on all details application/acceptance. Those scores are enough to get you past the first review, meaning your letters and SOP will be seriously read over. So far so good. I'd talk about how your GPA improved in your SOP and have letter writers say it as well. Maybe also list your major-GPA. For social psych, I always advise NOT to get a masters (unless you were not a psych major). You will have to repeat it at any PhD program unless you manage to stay at the same school for MA/PhD and that is highly unlikely--so you'll waste 2 years and probably a ton of money, and with your scores it really won't make you a more competitive applicant. You won't finish the PhD any sooner either since you'll have to repeat the masters. The best thing for your situation is adding to your research experience. Apply to PhD programs, and if you don't get in then look for jobs as a lab manager or as a full-time research assistant, or try to get a lab job at NIH. Those pretty much guarantee getting into a PhD program after 2 years--the same time it'd take to get a masters and you'll get paid.

Some schools do accept without an interview (OSU comes to mind from when I was accepted a few years back), however you'd have been notified by now in that case. Many will waitlist without an interview and wait to contact until they start getting declines from accepted students--this is how I got into 2 additional schools (Tufts & UVa) after I'd already picked a grad program--however, in both cases I was called and told that I was on the waitlist and asked around late February if I would like to be on the waitlist of if I had already chosen a program. Many programs however will only accept people who either interviewed or were invited to the visiting weekend (non-interview acceptance like at OSU but will only pick from the group that visits). I'm at Northwestern--we only accept people who interview, and even if they all decline we don't extend any other invites...we sent invites to interview several weeks ago.

For those asking if they should try to talk to a POI at SPSP.....if you received an invitation to interview, by all means go ahead and introduce yourselves, it will be quite welcome. If you have not heard about an interview though, most POIs will be pretty uninterested in speaking to you at SPSP. First, they are harder to track down (they don't give posters so unless you corner them post-symposium it's going to be difficult, and if you approach them at a symposium it should be to ask a question about their research and not about applications). Second, they won't know who you are unless they're planning to interview you, so it will be pretty awkward for them. And third, SO many applicants try to do this that it actually irritates many POIs (my advisor actually tells applicants that find her that 'out of fairness to other applicants' she won't talk at length with anyone over email or in person until the interview).

Don't call the POI. Call the secretary in the main psych office, but chances are if you haven't heard by now and interviews are 2 wks away that you are on a waitlist/reject list. POIs (I know that my advisor definitely falls in this category) hate when prospectives/applicants call to inquire...the psych office's secretary will know if invites have been sent out already but neither the secretary nor POI will flat out say you've been rejected this early or if you're still being considered.

NU (Weinberg, Evanston campus) is holding interview weekend for all areas (social/clinical/BBC/cognitive) starting Feb 3. I am fairly sure all the invitations to interview have been extended already, but am positive this is the case for the social area. If you have not been invited to interview I'd consider yourself on the waitlist/reject. Check the website as NU does not send an email to check until around April regardless of status.

It will certainly help, and that is actually why I think it was good that you applied this cycle--other than your quant score you have a pretty good score-set with that amount of research experience. If you had killer letters of rec and a killer statement of purpose then you stand a shot--but as you know there is no good way to predict chances of getting in because so much depends on luck, finances of your POI, and personal fit. From what I can tell by the way my POI looks at applicants, your scores would put you in the "maybe" pile--the one that gets a closer look at letters and essay. Since you have good research experience, if your letters/essay rocked you stand a chance. I will say though that GPA and GRE scores matter less if you take a year or two off and do full-time RA/LM duties, so even if you don't get in this year, your chances improve a lot in the next cycle.

I'm in the social psych PhD program at Northwestern. We have people here who got worse grades than you, but they are the exception to the rule and usually took a year off to work in a lab full time or as a lab manager. You've already applied to at this point just wait and see. However, in the mean time, start planning for the future in case you don't get in (and honestly your research experience has way more pull than the grades once you pass the first cut...your GPA is enough to keep you in the running, its the GRE scores that are a bit low). If you don't get in this year, retake the GRE and study like hell. DO NOT APPLY TO MASTERS PROGRAMS. The sad truth of it is that getting a masters in this field does NOT help you at ALL unless you weren't a psych major in undergrad. All the schools you listed will make you redo the MA/MS anyway as part of the PhD program and it won't get you out of school any faster (plus it is a huge amount of money). If you don't get in, try to find a full-time position in a lab as an RA or lab manager (I happen to know at least one social psych lab at NU is currently looking for applicants for a lab manager position...)

If your goal is to get a PhD in psych, then don't bother doing a terminal masters program. It's expensive and your PhD program will make you repeat your masters anyway (best case scenario you get out of a class or two, but you'll still need to do another thesis and you likely won't graduate the PhD program any faster). The kind of work you're doing now is exactly what grad schools look for in applicants--just make sure in your essay you explain clearly what you did (they want to know that you understood what it meant and what the studies were examining) and what you plan to do in grad school (they want to know you have clear goals, are dedicated to research, and know what you're getting into).

Hi All...I just wanted to post this before the season gets too crazy as I know this is an issue every year on this board. If you're applying to Northwestern there is a website where you can check admission status...however you do not get an email telling you when that status has been updated (a rude shock to many people when they realize it was posted long ago and they were kept in agony waiting on the email telling them to check the site). We interview the first week of February, so if you haven't been contacted about an interview by January you're either waitlisted/rejected but you may want to start checking the website to learn your fate around Jan/Feb even if you don't get an email (this may seem early, but NU has an early application deadline too).

haha, last year they did that a bunch of times during the limbo period, got all the hopes up only to actually be doing scheduled maintenance that had nothing to do with posting results. I hope it's different now but I'm not going to take it seriously until lists pop up.

Actually, I don't think that is accurate. Most schools will actually deduct the $10,500 from what they normally will pay towards your tuition, then they cover whatever is left (which for most private schools is considerable). Your school may have a different policy, but I doubt any school wants to continue funding your tuition if you are being offered money from NSF. In fact, while the stipend goes direct to your pocket, the cost-of-education money is paid to the school directly according to the NSF. In other words, ask your school, but don't count on getting an extra $10,500 for books and laptops.