pnguyen540

A little late response, but still better than none :) I learned about com psych in 2015 when I interned at a research lab. My interest lies on intimate partner violence in specific, and gender based violence in general. Glad to hear from you!

I am still waiting for the first choice to contact regarding the decision, and this is killing me slowly. I tried to reach out to the POI with whom I have been contacted, and it was so weird that he was not as responsive to my email as before. This terrifies me even more than the wait. I am distracting myself with positive thoughts that second and third have already accepted me, but they are putting pressure on me to decide before the first choice's notification deadline. All the schools I applied to are behind there schedules for this year. Just...why...this year... I need the second half of that graph...

Hi Laura, I actually asked my second choice (not third tho), but they politely said no. I got in touch with the first choice, and they responsed that I should here from them soon, with no clear answer on the date.

I did some interview with graduate schools and finally got a couple of offers. My top choice (called A), however, has not made any final decision yet. But they informed on their website that all decision will be out by April 15. The majority of my offers only allows me two to three weeks to either accept or decline the offer (with deadline ranged from April 9 - 13). Should I go ahead and email the program at A to ask about their decision, or should I be patient until a week before deadline? If I should email school A, who should I send my email to: the POI or the program coordinator? Thank you so much in advance!

From my point of view, the campus visit would probably include the formal interview. If you have not received the schedule of the visit day, kindly wait for a couple days more. Or you can email the person who sent you the initial email about the travel info. Prep yourself as you are possibly attending the formal interview. Could they reject you after the visit? Yes, they can. Not only the visit day is the time for you to express your best and impress them, but also the time for them to actually meet and evaluate the good fit to their program. But still, your chance of getting a step closer is higher to those who are not invited.

I was in the same situation where my top choice is also the first school that rejected me. I know beforehand that the program is highly competitive and it is a dream of every one in the field to get into that program. But I did try my best. Just know that there are people who are more competitive than you. And since you are doing your best, move on to the second choice on the list. There is always next year to re-apply. Don’t think it as a failure, but rather an experience to advance yourself and your next application. Good luck!

I got questions about my research background (from the beginning - how I started, to my career goals) since I applied for research programs. Also about how much I know about their program and how it is different from other programs. Don’t freak out about how you would do your dissertation. Kindly ask them, in their opinion, which courses the school offers would help you tremendously with your dissertation (or if there is any additional aid/support from others during your dissertation years). Ask about their analytic specialty and see if you can learn more from them.

I made sure that I emailed the professor ahead of time to get to know him/her briefly. Then I contact his/her graduate students. By doing so, I avoid going the shortcut - which is a huge no no. It is really a hit or miss, since some will be cautious and seek for their professor’s advice before responding to you.

It would be totally fine to request for another day with reasonable excuse. However, reinforce that you will do your best to arrange your schedule for it. If they cannot accommodate, and if they are one of your top choices, consider to change your personal agenda for it.

Sounds like Biochem is causing a lot of trouble for you and your application. I do not know if you are doing semester or quarter, my best suggestion is to withdraw from the class to avoid an F or a D. Having a W is still a better choice, which you can explain to the graduate committee (either through your statement or in-person interview, if applicable). Talk to your professor(s) who graduated in the field and seek for their advice regarding your situation.

Update: My raw scores for V was 145 and Q was 154. Not so great at this moment. Plan to retake it next month.

I have noticed that there was not many threads or discussions about community psychology (not to confuse with clinical-community psychology). So, I would like to meet people who share the same interest, and perhaps, we can learn a thing or two about each other. Program of interest: Community Psychology Research interest: domestic violence and sexual assault Schools: Michigan State U, Georgia State U, Portland State U, CSUF and CSULB Number one worry about applying: My GRE verbal prep is below average although I have been prepping for two years, trying to squeeze every bit of words into my head. I am going to take it today and will edit the post to reflect the most current scores. Not worried about: Research experience, LOR, SOP; basically, everything else but the GRE Verbal) If you share the same research interest, maybe we could consider doing a joint study someday.