[time it takes to come up with a 4th year project hypothesis?]

14 hours ago, Psygeek said:

well, depends on whether you have already a sort of theme or topic. I had classes/times I came up with an amazing idea the day of the deadline (and got rid of my previous one) and pulled it off, and tehre were times I needed more time - also to read into the literature.

Do you have a topic you are interested in and that would fit to this professor?
Are you familiar with the literature on this topic to identify some gap (or are familiar of a new method that would allow you to research something novel too)?
Do you have any specific method you want to familiarize yourself with that may push you in the direction of a question? (e.g., if you want to learn about hormonal research or something)

Also it may be nice to ask what that prof is interested in and what they are currently looking into. Talking with him/her may also push you in a certain direction. Wouldn't be the first time that a prof is hinting in a certain direction or openly saying I wonder how ... 

 Well the research question MUST be relevant to cognition+ gender, so right now, I'm pressed for time, due to so many final exams, etc.

I'm wondering if two weeks is enough to come up with an idea, or should I delay it until the summer, so that I have 6 months to think about it?

The only downside to this is by the time summer is here, the prof might not be interested in working with me anymore

[time it takes to come up with a 4th year project hypothesis?]

14 hours ago, cindyboop said:

Can you provide a bit more background? I'm not entirely sure what you mean. Does your research question have to pertain to the research that is being done in the lab that you are in? If so, what is the research that is being done? If possible, I think you should come up with your research question within the next two weeks because then you will have more time to actually complete the research before you graduate. Depending on the circumstances it shouldn't be too hard.

yes, so the prof's lab area of interest is cognitivei psychology and gender, yes my research question should pertain to gender+ cognition, but it doesn't necessarily have to be pertinent that is being done in the lab right now, it could be something COMPLETELY BRAND NEW AND NOVEL AND UNIQUE, but it still has to be about gender+ cognition, prof has given me a lot of flexibility, and i think it's better to be relatively creative, that being said it would be wise to be familiar with the literature out there in cognition + gender

I'm thinking of delaying it until the summer, so I have more time to think of a research question

the downside to this is that by the time the summer is here, the prof could entirely lose interest in me, and no longer want me to do a project with him anymore

[time it takes to come up with a 4th year project hypothesis?]

is 2 weeks enough for me to come up with a hypothesis or research QUESTION for a 4th year psychology project?

or is it better that I delay my project until the summer and spend a lot more time thinking about a research question BEFORE I start a 4th year research project?

I'm sort of panicking right now, because the full-year proposals are due in 2 weeks, and I don't know if 2 weeks is sufficient to come up with a brilliant idea

it's not as big of a deal as  master's thesis project, but it is a 4th year undergrad research project, so...
any ideas? 

Should I decide to do the project for this upcoming Fall-Winter school year or delay it until the summer so I can spend more time brainstorming ideas?

I'm afraid if I delay it by the summer, the supervisor won't want me to be part of the lab anymore

[job prospects of social psychology?]

if I can't get into clinical, then my back-up is social psychology

but seriously what kind of good jobs can social psychologists get? 

I have a feeling that the job prospects are kinda bleak if I end up doing a PHD in social psychology?

is it better to make industrial/organizational psychology my back-up plan rather than social psych?

[Clinical Or I/O Psychology?]

7 hours ago, eveline said:

Getting into IO, at least at the PhD level, is not necessarily easier than clinical.  I applied to both types of PhD programs and got into clinical; was not even accepted into the IO MA program in lieu of the doctoral program. Though to add context: my most recent experience and posters/pubs were directly related to the clinical programs I got into. I did have significant experience in HR in the past, but that's a few years ago now. The IO admissions committee was probably confused about my flip flop (HR, clinical, HR again, what is she thinking?), but I wanted to try anyway! 

To answer your Q #2, real-life work experience is the best way to get an idea of what you want to do.  Have you not done any internships or worked in labs by now?  If not, why not try to find a full-time corporate HR/IO role, while simultaneously volunteering in a lab or clinic?  Also try to reach out to each of these types of psychologists and ask them about their day-to-day.  

To answer Q #4, IO is definitely the financially more secure and potentially lucrative route to go.  That is actually why I decided to apply to an IO program along with clinical... I missed my salary!  I quit my HR job years ago to pursue my old dream of getting into clinical, but after one year of no pay as a clinical research intern, and then two years of meager wages as a research assistant.. I realized how fiscally absurd this path is.  I feel like I'm managing a circus as an RA, for free.  So, yes, I'm still going into a clinical PhD program because I worked hard for it, gave up many things, and already got in.  But if I had researched more, talked to more people, I would've thought twice about giving up IO for clinical! 

what kind of jobs can i get with Industrial psychology? is it easy to find jobs with I/O psych?

what about social psych?

[which language to learn?]

Hello

I'm almost done my bachelor's degree in psychology + biology, yes i'm only an undergrad, but you graduate students in the field of languages would definitely have more insight into this than I do!

I can speak Chinese, English, and French fluently. 
I'm already using Duolingo right now to learn Spanish, and I'm picking up the language insanely fast.

But i just feel like if I put Spanish on my resume, it won't be as impressive as German would be on my resume?
because people will just say "well obviously you're gonna learn Spanish really quickly, cuz you already know French!"

any way what's your thoughts? I was thinking of learning German as my next language, but I don't have enough brain space to memorize the gender of all German nouns...
(neutral, masculine, and feminine), and I'm planning on living in North America for the rest of my life, and barely anyone speaks German here, so I feel like there wouldn't be much point.

I was thinking of continuing my self-studies in Spanish? I mean it's a super practical language in North America, but again, I just hesitate to be proud of knowing Spanish because people will assume I will obviously pick up Spanish quickly if my French is good (Romance languages are very similar to one another)? so I feel like putting Spanish on my resume won't be a huge addition to my resume, because people will know I can easily pick it up since I ALREADY know French fluently

like obviously it would be very impressive if I could learn Arabic by myself (but it would take me at least 5 years to master it, and 5 years deducted off my life is not worth it).
Arabic also never really interested me in the first place, and I'm not interested in travelling to most of the countries that speak Arabic (no offence to anyone)

so what language should I learn next? I want to learn something that will be relatively useful and would still look good on my resume? 
i might consider a side-career in translation in the future or make languages my ultimate hobby (I know... i'm a nerd) 
I want to pursue graduate studies in psychology ( I know some of you are probably going to bring up German, because a lot of Germans have historically been psychologists... lol), but i mean I could always read psychological literature in English, since English is practically the universal language nowadays

[Questions about job prospects, clinical psychology, and GRE's.]

On 18/06/2017 at 4:36 PM, Dr. Stuck said:

Something else I am wondering about is the GRE's. With a lot of hard work and studying, is this a test that one can improve a fair amount on? I have some learning disabilities that make standardized testing somewhat difficult for me (but certainly not impossible), so perhaps I could even qualify for certain accommodations on the test if need be/ if they are offered? 

 

Anyways, this post of sort of all over the place  But if anyone has any answers they could offer, I would greatly appreciate it  

 

The GRE math isn't tough at all, it's easier than the SAT

Also, you seem to be using a completely different username although ur the same person who has been messaging me...

[High Functioning Sociopath]

2 hours ago, sherlock holmes said:

That's terrible yet nothing shocks me in the health care system these days.  I had a doctor shut me down cold turkey from a medication once which threw me into a bout of psychosis.. a severe bout at that.  This doctor had his license suspended in the past for some behaviour I won't disclose.   I now have a new doc and he's rather educated (I've tested him on subjects and he passed) I would actually take this guy out for dinner, though I usually despise doctors and view them as a glorified form of cattle. Most don't have interesting and new concepts and simply regurgitate.  I have a particular original I don't mind sharing, as I expect a doctor to eventually write a thesis on it anyway but it's about schizophrenia and a link to narcolepsy.  More specifically, schizophrenics that hear voices should be put through trials of stimulants and monitor if the voices become better or worse as a mild for of narcolepsy would explain a coherent dream like state where voices are heard.  With that being said.. I don't believe in hearing voices, I believe it's a persons idiotic inability to distinguish their own thought process from a so called voice.  I hear random songs all the time, that's normal, I'm not hearing random people singing and so on... anyway, I have him playing the buddy buddy system now though which makes sessions more interesting.  We are constantly busting out google for shits and giggles.  You'd think you'd be on guard with someone who declares themselves to be a sociopath but he shut it down so quickly based on the fact that I would have been caught and jailed.  He didn't even consider the idea that a person can control their actions and I suppose hit closer to the "psychopath" portion of the spectrum.  I could bet money on it that he forgot I even said anything in the past.  I will admit I'm a nice person though, as I'm not out to "get" anyone.  I simply understand that it's easy to toy with certain prey and only if they present themselves in the most accessible of ways.  Otherwise I keep to myself and portray myself as "the nice guy" to the general population that I meet.  You catch more bees with honey and it's not hard work to put on a smile and pretend I'm listening and caring for a few minutes.   I'm very selfish and aware of it but I do spoil my "best friend" since they mananged to earn my respect and I know how to go about being selfish since my honest opinion is that everyone is selfish.  An act of kindness makes someone feel good about themselves.. did they do it to be kind or just to get that self serving "good feeling".. and I'll even hold the door for you but that's because I enjoy etiquette and I'm a fan of chivalry as well.  I'm not violent and don't plan to be, as it doesn't suit my needs and I have no lust for blood.  Do I break the law? Well have you ever jay walked or made a lane change in an intersection? We all break the law.. have I participated in non violent crimes that could have resulted in jail time? enough loop holes would have been in place to stay clean and to test the loyalty of a potential friend.  Do I respect law enforcement? Special forces and detectives.. yes.. your run of the mill uniform officer.. that's another story.  I'm actually "friends" with a few police officers and my current career choice requires a clean record so I have the ability to have complete restraint over myself, well within reason I suppose.  Do I understand accounts can be hacked and my identity revealed and so on, of course but nothing I've done was worthy of investigating.  I do have a secret fantasy though, that an anonymous hacker will take interest in me and one day I'll get a screen saver pop up saying "hello from anonymous" haha;) 

 

Just an example of my mentality.. I would find a female stalker to be more flattering than anything.  I would likely encourage it and play along for the sheer novelty of it all.  Life is beyond boring is all I can say.  

 

Im likely not a sociopath or psychopath.  Simply an internet eccentric babbling about god knows what just to pass the boredom;)

my attention span is too short... sorry i didn't really read your rant

[Salary for military psychologists?]

1 minute ago, mattis said:

In Canada much of this work is contracted out to counselling/clinical psychs.

i'm interested in applying to American schools

[Salary for military psychologists?]

I was highly curious about this OP, do you know which schools in particular offer a military psychology graduate program? I'm a Canadian undergrad in my final year, thanks so much!

[High Functioning Sociopath]

i'm surprised how some people are even qualified to be psychiatrists...

psychiatrists can't even properly diagnose me, i have to diagnose myself before they believe that I truly do possess symptoms of a specific mental disorder (ex. OCD)

moreover, I tried telling my psychiatrist that I suffered from hypochondriasis in the past, and he didn't even know what that was

[Mid-Tier Social Psychology PhD Programs]

On 2017-6-19 at 0:46 PM, Trillian8 said:

Hello Everyone!

I am looking to apply to grad school this fall for fall 2018 admission. My undergraduate GPA is terrible (2.85 overall, 3.1 major) but from a good school (Carnegie Mellon University) and I have a lot of research experience (3.5 years as an RA in undergrad, two independent projects, one with a classmate, two symposium presentations, and 1 year employed as an RA after graduation). I took the GRE and scored 160V/153Q/5W, but I plan to take it again to shoot for higher scores in verbal and especially quantitative so I'll at least have a great GRE score on my side. Since my GPA is so low, I was going to shoot for a master's programs this time around (Villanova, Wake Forest, and William and Mary are on my list currently), but I've had a few people tell me to go for a few PhD programs as well because of my research experience.  Does anyone know of any mid-tier Social Psychology PhD programs that I should look into/might have a shot at? Thanks in advance! (Just fyi, I'm interested in romantic relationships, friendships, social support, and online interactions.)

3.1? i think most grad programs require a minimum of 3.7 in the last 2 years, at least that's my experience w/ Canadian applications

[undergrad- which lab to join in 4th year?]

On 2017-6-19 at 5:04 AM, Oshawott said:

@elemosynarical, which college in the Faculty of Arts and Science are you in? As far as I'm aware, all the colleges also have an independent study course. For instance, St. Michael's College has SMC 481Y1 which is a full-year independent study course whose only limitations are that no other types of courses are available (which you can make an easy case for given the restrictions of the PSY405/406 courses) and that either the faculty member or the student is affiliated with the college. If you're not in SMC, there should be something equivalent in the other colleges.

Depending on your clinical interests, you could also do an independent research project within the department with people whose interests align with yours despite not being Clinical Psychologists.

With regards to this concern:

to make things more complicated, there are hundreds and HUNDREDS of psych students at UofT, only 2-3% of them have the chance to do a thesis, because it's restricted to research specialists, only around 15-20 students are in the research specialist program, and I'm not in it

That is an unfortunate situation that a lot of people find themselves in; other equivalently large universities manage to accommodate more thesis students (but have noticed that these students take advantage of independent projects less).

That aside, looking into independent research projects can mitigate this. Depending on who you work with, you may actually do more meaningful work as an independent project student than other professor's thesis students (and thesis students from other schools). At the end of the day, you still graduate with a 4-year Honours Bachelor's degree. If you can talk confidently about your research experience in your LOI's, they won't even notice you didn't do a thesis (I've had a POI ask me to talk about my thesis during an interview when I didn't do one and I had more research experience than some people who did a 4th year thesis in my grad cohort).

And regarding volunteering:

if I were to be part of a clinical lab at a hospital or at another university, it would HAVE to be volunteering, and volunteering
doesn't look as good as a research course or a work-study opportunity

I actually learned more from one of my volunteer RA gigs than my actual independent projects. With that said, volunteering opens doors. These profs aren't going to hire a random undergrad when they've had reliable volunteers nor will they necessarily take on new project students when they have volunteers who want to do one as well. My initial volunteer experience resulted in two different independent projects (one in the same lab, and another in another lab) and helped me secure another RA position (the one that taught me way more things) because faculty and grad students talk to each other. If you're a good student who works hard, other faculty members and grad students you've never worked with will be more willing to work with you if they can go across the hall and ask their colleague "Oh is so and so a good student? Should I hire them? Okay."

EDIT:

So I looked at your post history and I want to address this comment:

What I'm suggesting isn't "kissing ass". I literally just worked hard and (inadvertently) built a reputation for being reliable...so when I asked about an independent project or volunteering with other people, things just snowballed and I was given more responsibilities because I could show that I can do the work.

Hey Oshawott, how good does an "Individual Project" PSY405 look on a resume?
I can't believe it they don't rename the course as being an "Independent Research Project" because that would sound a lot more professional than "Individual Project"

I feel like if I put "Individual Project Student" on my resume, grad school committees won't think much of it, and they would think "oh yeah whatever it's just another one of those lab courses"

How does the Individual Project (Course code is PSY405/406) compare to the honours thesis? 
Does the Individual Project prepare psychology students well for grad school? Will grad school admissions committee look favourably 
upon a student who does an individual project PSY405/406 at UofT?


My second question-> With regards to the PSY405 individual project, I know I have to fill out a proposal form and submit it to the undergrad coordinator. With respect to filling out the project proposal form, am I supposed to come up with my own novel hypothesis and research ideas BEFORE I meet with my potential supervisor? Or is it better if I and my supervisor BOTH go through and write out the proposal form TOGETHER while discussing ideas with each other?

Thank you so much!

[undergrad- which lab to join in 4th year?]

38 minutes ago, hsnl said:

Doing your fourth year project in a social psych lab should be fine. The quality of your experience is much more important than the topic. If possible, try to join a lab where undergrads often get the chance to publish or present at conferences.

Also, since you're in Toronto, it might be a good idea to look into joining a more clinically focused lab at one of the major hospitals or one of the other U of T campuses/other universities. The honours thesis is kind of the bare minimum for Canadian schools, and most successful applicants I know were involved in more than one lab.

at a major hospital?

There are no 4th year research courses that UofT students can do with a hospital
It has to be within the UofT campus building itself

same goes with Ryerson or York university, if you're a UofT student, you can't do a 4th year research course with other universities

if I were to be part of a clinical lab at a hospital or at another university, it would HAVE to be volunteering, and volunteering
doesn't look as good as a research course or a work-study opportunity

UofT missisauga I don't believe has any clinical labs, only UofT scarborough has a clinical lab, and I don't think St George students can do 4th year research courses at UofT Scarborough

to make things more complicated, there are hundreds and HUNDREDS of psych students at UofT, only 2-3% of them have the chance to do a thesis, because it's restricted to research specialists, only around 15-20 students are in the research specialist program, and I'm not in it

it's funny how psych students at other Canadian universities can easily obtain the chance to do a thesis, at UofT, it's super restricted to only around 20 students, and the psych department has a couple HUNDRED of students

[undergrad- which lab to join in 4th year?]

Hey yall, so I'm obviously a senior undergrad student at the University of Toronto (in Canada), there's something called a 4th year independent project course for psychology, where you have to secure a supervisor and then you get to conduct a bit of your own research in this 4th year course

I wanna apply to clinical psych for grad school once I've graduated
If I don't get into clinical psych, I want to apply to social psych

4th year projects definitely look good on my resume and are great preparation for grad school (gives undergrad students a sense of what to expect in grad school)
However, in my school, it gets a little complicated:

-->4th year psychology projects can only be done within the department of psychology
--> the clinical psychology labs are technically not part of the department of psychology, they are part of a department called OISE, which is relevant to educational psychology and stuff
--> Consequently, if I wanted to do a 4th year project, it wouldn't be with a clinical psychology lab,
it would have to be with a social, cognitive, developmental, or neuropsychology lab, and i don't think any of these labs conduct research on clinical topics
-> besides clinical psychology, I seem to be mostly only interested in social psychology, so if I were to do a 4th year psych independent project, it would probably have to do with social psychology

Is this a problem? Because I want to apply to clinical psychology, and I know that 4th year independent projects are awesome preparation for grad school

So does that mean I should just do a 4th year project with a social psychology lab? and hope that the clinical psychology graduate program admissions committee will still look favourably upon a 4th year social psychology independent project course, even though it's not related to clinical psych?

[undergrad grunt work?]

4 hours ago, Eigen said:

Just going to add, someone has to do it. 

You say you've put in less than 20 hours. For my undergrads, that's barely enough time to get though ruined training, much less do much actual lab work. Starting on trash and disinfecting surfaces rather than working with reagents that are both dangerous and cost thousands of dollars isn't that uncommon. 

Everyone has to pitch in to do grunt work, and when you're note yet able to contribute in other areas, you're likely going to get a larger level of grunt work. 

I'm faculty and I still do all the things you're complaining about, fwiw. 

If after a few weeks or a month your not getting into anything more interesting, perhaps rethink it?

You might also consider attitude. Your post here comes across like they should be going out of their way to convince you that immunology is more interesting, so you don't switch to psych research. If they detect that, then it's less likely they'll want to invest time training you when you're likely to jump ship. And if after 20 hours (half a week for my students) you're already thinking about leaving, It doesn't come across like you were that committed to it in the first place.

i legitimately find immunology interesting, but the only thing i'm taking part in right now is being trashman
i get it everyone has to pitch in to do the grunt work, but there's another RA who's not doing much grunt work at all, though I only once a week see the other RA, and it comes off as nepotism

[undergrad grunt work?]

4 hours ago, fuzzylogician said:

Well, you should probably talk about your responsibilities and potential for future professional development with your PI or whoever is in charge of you. However, I think you are reading a whole lot more into this than it is. Grunt work, yes. Degradation and humiliation, most likely not, and certainly not simply because they ask the most junior member of the lab to do the things they don't want to. You've only just started your training, so I'm not terribly surprised that no one has put you in charge of anything too important yet. That said, you should get more out of your experience than just emptying the trash, so just have a conversation with someone about the long-term prospects of your being in the lab. 

i guess i don't wanna be one of those people that always kisses people's asses in order to move up the ranks
doesn't every supervisor know that undergrads wanna actually take part in valuable stuff?
 

[undergrad grunt work?]

so the situation is that I'm in an immunology lab right now, so far I've only contributed around 20 hours, 
I'm a 4th year undergrad doing a double major in biology and psychology
but all that they've had me to do is empty out biozardous trash cans that contain blood samples and potentially sharp objects as well...
it takes me 2 hours to empty out everyone's trash cans and obviously i feel like i'm worth a piece of trash right now

not to mention I've had to wipe down and clean their equipment and inventory

I've never really had research experience in biology before
why all this grunt work though? i know... persistence, persistence... but they should have me start on simple experimental things, no?

this is making me feel that biology is not what I want to pursue in grad school, if volunteering is gonna be like this ALL the time...
not to mention, i'm starting to lean towards psychology, because as a psychology research assistant, I've never had to empty out trash cans

so far, I've had 2 work-study positions for psychology but all I can get for biology is  volunteering role where I'm the trashman

is this normal to be suffering so much? not to mention, I'm extremely misophobic to the point of extreme OCD, so having to dispose of biozardous waste every time I'm in the lab sickens me
I get they are just testing me to see how resilient I am, but it feels like a subtle form of self-degradation and humiliation

[M.Sc. vs M.A.?]

Just curious, but if Psychology is a science, why are the graduate degrees offered by some universities a Master of Arts and not a Master's of science?

Does that mean a master's of Arts in psychology is less scientifically based or the courses in a master's of arts are not as statistically heavy?

Is it better to do a master's of science in psychology? As isn't it better to do a degree where psychology can be more empirically supported?

[revoked degrees hypothetical question? [serious question]]

15 minutes ago, fuzzylogician said:

Just responding to the "the TA might go back and raise this issue ... leading to the end of all my hopes and dreams" part. 

Even in the very VERY unlikely case that the TA goes back and pursues this further, and in the EXTREMELY unlikely case that this is pursued by the university, and in the INCREDIBLY unlikely case that you're found guilty: 

(a) you will have representation and will be able to show that you talked to the TA and they assured you all was well, so this has to be vindictive

(b) you will be able to show that this is unprecedented, one-time, out of character and rare, and also pertains to a case where the fact you discuss is well-known, and one could easily argue that it didn't need to be cited in the first place, or at least it's in the gray area of citations, even if the TA now says that you needed to cite.

(c) let's imagine you're found guilty -- most likely you'll be let off with nothing more than a "don't do it again" type warning, because again this is oh so minor. One step up, we're talking some reduction in grade, but it's not likely to be a zero -- again, this is a tiny tiny issue, not something that puts the validity of the content in question. Anything more than that is frankly an extreme over-reaction. Likely, in the very very(!) unlikely case that anything happens, it'll just be a longish and anxiety inducing process, but you'll emerge perfectly fine on the other side. 

(d) even if there is some finding against you (have I mentioned that this is incredibly unlikely?), that doesn't necessarily entail an official notation in your transcript. Deans tend to have discretion, and this is -- again -- a tiny tiny offense, if it's an offense at all. 

(e) even in the now exponentially unlikely event that everything goes unbelievably wrong and you actually do end up with some note in your transcript, that too will not be the end of your career. You'll have to disclose it and be honest about it if asked, but you'll deal with it by writing a short and mature explanation of what happened, and having a LOR writer intervene and add a short explanation of their own, supporting you and explaining how tiny and out of character this is. 

(f) a GPA slightly below the requirement is also not the kiss of death, necessarily. First, there are lots of schools out there with lots of different requirements. Second, schools are entirely within their rights to ignore cutoffs if they see something special in an application. Third, even if we imagine that it takes you a bit longer to eventually earn a PhD because this means that you'll need to get an MA to work on your GPA and research experience, MAs will be more lenient so you should again be fine. 

So, even if all the worst-case scenarios possible actually happen, WHICH IS INCREDIBLY UNLIKELY, all is still not lost. All it will mean is a more roundabout way to the goal, but we encounter obstacles all the time. You'll put on your big-boy pants, and you'll work your way back out of the hole. 

Oh thank you fuzzylogician you are so wise! I shall take your wisdom with gratitude!

this my last question i promise:
let's say i do end up FINALLY GETTING MY PHD one day, but then the TA 4 or 5 years later decides to go back to my undergrad essay,
and give me a 0 in the course because the TA is in a bad mood 4 or 5 years later (ex. somehow gets into a car accident or an unfortunate life event happens to the TA and so the TA gets into a really bad mood)
--> in that case, my undergrad GPA would be lowered to let's say a GPA of 3.1 and now, my GPA would no longer meet the minimum admissions requirements for the PHD program EVEN AFTER I'VE BEEN ACCEPTED TO THE PHD program and EVEN AFTER I have already begun my PHD research or EVEN AFTER i have already finished my PHD

and then if the university where I did my PHD finds out that my undergraduate GPA was lowered below their admissions requirements, EVEN AFTER I GOT accepted into the PHD program , would they eventually revoke my PHD or somehow punish me because my undergrad GPA was lowered beneath the PHD admissions requirements EVEN AFTER I GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE PHD program and even AFTER I've already begun my PHD research?

my goodness! my mind always comes up with all these complicated scenarios!

[revoked degrees hypothetical question? [serious question]]

6 hours ago, fuzzylogician said:

None of that is going to happen. There are procedures for dealing with plagiarism and none of them would ever lead to the loss of a degree over one sentence in one paper, let alone three degrees. Not to mention the fact that it's entirely unclear how anyone would ever find this paper and want to pursue anything malicious because of it, and what university official would ever agree to entertain such a low-level complaint long after the degree has been granted. If it helps you, though, cases of very low-level plagiarism I've seen have involved nothing more than a reduction in grade in the relevant class for a first offense. Since you've actually gone to your TA, you also have a very good defense for having tried to rectify the situation in time and in good faith. Again, none of this is ever going to happen! You have done your best to deal with a mistake, and you've been told by the TA not to worry. Take them at their work -- don't worry! I understand that this is causing you anxiety, but you really need to put it behind you. You are causing yourself more harm with all this anxiety than an actual academic honesty procedure would.  

 

Technically any use of a source without proper attribution is plagiarism. That said, discussing commonly known facts is often done without citation and that's perfectly fine. Even if you did leave off a citation you should have had, this is such a tiny offense, and your TA has exercised their discretion and have decided to let it go, since it's a one-time incident and very minor. This decision sounds entirely reasonable to me, I would have done the same. As they told you, just don't do it again. 

Thank you fuzzylogician, hearing such advice from you calms me down very much. The sentence was a commonly known social psychology theory, but the TA told me I should cite such a sentence anyway in the future
I am grateful for your thoroughly responding to my inquiries. 

ur right... they probably wouldn't revoke any degree, let alone THREE DEGREES,
but I will say that I am worried about one other scenario, this my last question i promise:
let's say i do end up getting a PHD one day, but then the TA 4 or 5 years later decides to go back to my undergrad essay,
and give me a 0 in the course because the TA is in a bad mood (ex. somehow gets into a car accident or an unfortunate life event happens to the TA)
--> in that case, my undergrad GPA would be lowered

and then if the university where I did my PHD finds out that my GPA was lowered below their admissions requirements, EVEN AFTER I GOT accepted into the PHD program, they would revoke my PHD or somehow punish me?

P.S. I'm sorry of my anxiety disorder symptoms are manifesting...
I really don't know if I'm sane or not... but I do know that I tend to worry about a lot of things...

[revoked degrees hypothetical question? [serious question]]

8 hours ago, TakeruK said:

You don't have to worry about this incident. The only thing you should keep with you is to remember to ensure your citations are correct in the future. Like others said though, I would consider what you did a mistake, not plagiarism. In addition, every school will treat incidents like this differently. 

If you were in my class and forgot a citation for a sentence, I would probably make the same decision as your TA and just tell you to remember next time. However, even if I did decide to escalate it for whatever reason, the penalty will be very minor. You might lose a tiny percentage of your grade for that essay for a mistake like that (depending on the length of the essay and how critical that sentence is to your work).

To me, forgetting a single citation is just a mistake, no different than a spelling mistake or a grammar mistake. In a writing class, it could be a big deal, since the purpose of assigning these essays is to practice your citations / spelling / grammar / writing. But in a non-writing class, I would not even grade for spelling/grammar/citation style unless there are so many mistakes that it makes it hard to read. 

Finally, your course essays are not public domain. No one else can read what you wrote in your essays and your school is not allowed to release your work to other people. Unless you have submitted it somewhere for publication, no one will see your course work.

Thank you for your advice! your advice definitely reassured me 
also,
let's hypothetically say I manage to get a PHD one day
if people found out about a single missing citation in one of my undergrad essays, would they revoke all 3 of my degrees- bachelor's, master's, and PHD, or would they only revoke my bachelor's degree but I would get to keep my master's and PHD?

[revoked degrees hypothetical question? [serious question]]

11 hours ago, Eigen said:

Not every missed citation is plagiarism. As you say, frequently things that are "common knowledge" aren't cited. As long as the wording was yours, I wouldn't consider what you describe plagiarism. 

I asked the TA whether that one sentence should have had a citation, and the TA said yes, i should cite sentences like that in the future
Isn't that technically plagiarism but the TA let go of this incident as if it were something very minor?

[revoked degrees hypothetical question? [serious question]]

[serious question] hey everyone, i'm new to this forum! :] so not really sure how this works , btw is this forum completely anonymous?

I'm in Canada by the way- currently in undergrad psychology- i definitely wanna do grad school one day

in one of my undergrad essays, i noticed there was a single sentence in the essay that was missing a citation, perhaps the TA didn't catch it at that time or overlooked it as being a minor issue (was being merciful to me?)
I wrote a very general statement about a social psychology theory that most social psychologists know about, but I didn't cite that sentence: The TA already marked the assignment, the course is over, and I have a final grade already on my transcript. I do not have any academic offence labelled on my transcript.

I didn't use a citation for that sentence, because I thought I didn't have to cite things for basic/fundamental theories known to most social psychologists
just as most physicists wouldn't really cite E= MC2 by Einstein. also at the time i wrote the essay, i was suffering from severe mental health issues, and anxiety, and depression, and lots of things like that, i didn't have the mental resources to fully reflect upon whether or not that one sentence would be considered common knowledge (no citation would be necessary in this case) or would be considered as uncommon knowledge (citation would be necessary in this case)

Because i felt so guilty about this, I contacted the TA and asked the TA about whether i should have cited such a sentence. 
The TA said I was not in trouble, but the TA did tell me that I would have to cite such a sentence in the future so does that i mean I technically did commit plagiarism, but the TA overlooked it as being a minor issue and thus, did not bother to escalate this issue any further to higher authorities and did not bother to convict me of an academic offence?

my dream is to attain my master's and PHD one day,
and let's hypothetically say that i do end up getting my PHD one day

I'm just worried years down the road, they'll look back to what I had submitted for the course, and realize that this sentence did not have a citation
->because of this one missing citation in undergrad, would all 3 of my degrees- bachelor's, master's, and PHD- be revoked?
or would only my bachelor's degree be revoked but i would get to keep my master's and PHD?

I haven't slept in days, and this is seriously eating away at me... some much needed wise advice or comments please?
1) so did i technically commit plagiarism, but the TA overlooked it as being a minor issue and thus did not bother to escalate this issue by reporting it to higher-up authorities (ex. Dean) and did not bother to convict me of a plagiarism offence? what's going on? i don't know what to think of this anymore...
2) if I do get a PHD in the future, would all 3 of my degrees- bacehlor's, master's, and PHD be revoked, because of this one missing citation in my undergrad essay (during my bachelor's)?
Or would only my bachelor's degree be revoked but I would get to keep my master's and PHD?