April12345

No info to share but I've been wondering the same thing. It's technically my last hope for schools (and first choice)...

Thank you for the info! I haven't heard anything so I'm assuming it's a no-go. But good luck to you!!!

@cindyboop If you hear anything and don't mind sharing that info with me, I'd appreciate it.

This is so helpful! I haven't heard from any programs yet, but I feel peace knowing that I was very direct and specific with my research interests. Ultimately, fit is most important and if my POIs don't think my interests jive with theirs, there isn't much I can do. ??‍♀️

Has anyone heard anything from UCSB (Santa Barbara) Psychology? My application status still just says "submitted." ?

I don't have any further information - but I just wanted to say that I applied to the same area and haven't heard anything, other than emailing back and forth with the graduate director in early December due to some transcript issues. I saw that same invite and it seems to line up with last year's invite dates, but I thought it was strange that there has only been one report so far. I'm still holding out hope! Good luck!

I've seen a couple of notifications of phone calls or skype interviews for UCLA and UCSD in the social psych area, but not much else.

@PsyZei Thank you! I looked at the data sheets for my schools that had them but none of them listed interview stats. Just applicants, admits, and accepted. Oh well.

I know this is very general and will vary significantly from program to program, but does anyone have insight into how many people get interviewed for a particular PhD cohort? E.g. If a school has 10 spots, do they generally bring in 20? Or do some schools only interview people they already plan to admit? I'm just curious. Thanks!

I can understand your despair. I haven't heard from any schools yet, either. However, I'm almost positive that only 2 of my 4 schools have started contacting people yet. I really think there will be another slew of application activity come early January. Try to stay positive!

Definitely agree! Email the representative, for sure. They won't be bothered.

Thank you so much! That does help. Good luck to you!

I wondered that, too... IDK. I've seen mostly ones from the cognitive specialty. It's possible the other areas haven't done it yet (hopefully). I applied to the social psych area. Although, I admit that it was a bit of leap research-focus-wise for me. Good luck, though!!!

Congratulations!!! ??

Thank you! I really hope to be posting here soon! The waiting is brutal. I applied to the social psych programs at UCSD, UCSB, UCLA and UCI (Irvine). Good luck to everyone!

Thank you for this!!! Your description is exactly what I was thinking when I mentioned hooks. I read some samples that started out with something like, "I want to be in this program because...," which is fine. It just seemed more my style to use a quote or phrase like you did and then lead into talking about my research interests, etc. @lewin - I think @Clinapp2017 explains the hook angle I was thinking. Thank you for your feedback! And I have that article downloaded Thank you for the reminder to reread it. Thank you, again!

Wow! All three of these responses are incredibly helpful! I really appreciate the time each of you took to respond. You all made a great point about "just telling the truth" and "being true to yourself." I really needed to hear that. Not that I wasn't going to tell the truth, of course It's just that I was overanalyzing about whether my "truth" is good enough. Is it normal to have imposter syndrome before you even get accepted? LOL Thank you, again!

I don't have any particular insight into this process, but I'd just send all of them. To me, taking the exam three times shows that you're incredibly persistent and serious about applying. Plus, then they'd be able to see all of your high scores.

I'm applying to Social Psych PhD programs and starting to work on my statement of purpose. I'm curious - what are your thoughts on general essay structure? Specifically, how *interesting* and/or *captivating* should it be? I was looking at some "samples" online and they were incredibly boring (IMO). Originally, I was thinking it should be somewhat stylized (like something you would read on a great blog, but more academic, of course) but maybe I'm wrong? I keep thinking that I need some sort of "hook" to keep my reader's attention, but maybe that's not necessary in this setting. Hopefully this makes sense. Thank you for your time!

Hey @cindyboop , this might be too late but the Magoosh GMAT flashcard app works well. The subjects seem to be the same covered in the GRE, as far as I can tell.

@mav160 Thank you so much! That's really good advice. Most of my interests focus around the transition into parenthood. I've thought about identity issues facing new parents, how close family dynamics affect perinatal mood disorders, and also the ways new moms seek out group support (in the absence of traditional group therapy). Thinking back to the asthma study -- one of the co-PIs added some psychological metrics to our instrument list, including a depression scale and social support scale. Plus, all of our participants were parents. I think I can make a bridge there somehow. And thank you for the suggestion! I'll definitely check out UC Merced!

Hi everyone! I'm happy to have found this forum. I'm a stay-at-home mom to an almost 2-year-old (and also help out with the fitness business my husband and I own) but would love to get back into research. My undergrad was in Psych and I have a master's degree in Higher Education. My research background is a little untraditional, as most of my experience is from the administration side. I worked in academic research for about 8 years, including being a project manager for an RO1. I was involved in all aspects of the project and was lucky to be listed as co-author on several papers/presentations (some papers just coming out this year). I think all of this is a huge plus for my applications, but I'm a little worried since I wasn't working in a psychology department (I was in a nursing college and the study was on asthma). My recommenders are all research professors in various programs/colleges who I previously worked with. Program of interest: Social Psychology Schools you have looked at: UCSD, UCSB, UC Irvine (UCLA, Stanford, and Berkeley are doable location-wise, but I'm not sure if I'd be overshooting there given the competition) My worries about applying: Long time since being in school; hoping I do at least average on the GRE (taking in September); professional research wasn't in psychology field Looking forward to reading more!