MixedMethods

All I know is that I would absolutely love to see at least one person in the December Gang find out that they made the cut. That would absolutely make my day. To feel like we were cut almost immediately (I know I struggle to shake that feeling) and then get surprised with a "You're In!" #DecemberGangGoals

I got to head out soon to do some "essential business" (boo...) but if the Sysplus gods strike while I'm gone, I'll see you all on the other side!

All are welcome to this dumpster fire of neuroses. Might I also propose a Rejection Collection for all who find themselves eventually rejected? Just looking for another reason to party

I don't post much or ever really, but I truly appreciate the comradery of this thread and the December Gang in particular (12/23 here!) It's almost 1:30 pm here on the west coast, but I do believe a beer may be in order...

Thank you all for your thoughts! I just find it very interesting to see how people approach a major life choice such as grad school. It can definitely be a total mental and emotional roller coaster, and sometimes I can't help but wonder what others are feeling/thinking during the entire process.

While I appreciate the advice offered, I was merely asking what others thought about it personally if faced with the decision. I am more so curious as to how others would feel about it, if faced with the same situation.

Hello everyone, So I am going through a bit of a situation and would love to get some general feedback/opinions. Today, I was informed unofficially by my POI that I was accepted to a program (Program A) I just interviewed at last week. The program is top ranked and has pretty great funding. However, the research fit isn't as strong, in my opinion. Adding to this, I also interviewed at another program (Program B ) about 3 weeks ago, where I felt like the fit and lab were great. Program A's research seems to be a little bit of everything, and thus it would be on me to focus on any one area, whereas Program B specializes in said area and is thus probably my top choice (in terms of fit). So, having the contact information from one of the other students that interviewed at Program B, I reached out to them asking if they've heard anything back, as I have not (even though I did email the POI some questions right after the interview) They informed me that they indeed received an offer, however they were unlikely to accept. So, if this POI offers me a spot later on, I find myself with some serious mixed feelings (and bruised pride). I know I am jumping the gun here, but I am curious as to what others might think: Would you accept an offer from an ideal program (such as Program B), knowing that you weren't that POI's first choice? Or would you opt for a program that was overall pretty nice, but only a decent fit?

I wouldn't focus on it. I spent the night before trying to cram on their research, but honestly I feel like it ultimately wasn't necessary. My time with them was so short (30 minutes at most), and I did not list them on my application, so I don't think they expected me to know about their work. One thing I would suggest is if you are going to ask about their work, do not ask them about their work with your POI, unless you know that they collaborate together. Instead, I would ask about any of their work that might in some way tie into your own interests. The reason that I suggest this is that others within my interview group asked things like, "So what are you currently working on with [POI]?" and the faculty were pretty thrown off by this, confused as to why they assumed that they had worked with the POI. It then proceeded to get a bit awkward (at least that is what I heard). Instead, I would ask something like, "So is your lab currently doing any work examining [research domain you are personally interested in]?" For me, this was culture. I found that asking them if they were working on incorporating any cross-cultural comparisons would often lead to an enjoyable conversation.

I just had my first interview this week, and one thing that took me a little off guard was that they had all 4 graduate student hopefuls also interview/chat with various faculty across the psychology department (that is, from cognitive, neuro, and developmental). I will admit, I was not too knowledgeable about most of their work. However, most of the conversations were just general chats about what things I am interested in within my POI's lab. Yet, some of these faculty members wanted me to generate hypotheses on the spot. They also asked me to share my line of reasoning and theoretical orientation. So be sure to have an extremely well developed answer in your back pocket in case someone ask's you, "Oh, I see you're interested in X. Well, what would you expect to see with X if....(blah blah blah) and why? What is driving X?"

For various reasons related to life, I'm limiting my search to here at the moment. But that's good to know... for my next PhD...? haha

I honestly agree as well. I think that fit is always the most important, however a range of schools might be something to consider. Personally, my research interests were broad enough to afford me a range of schools that fit me well (in my opinion, and hopefully the ad com's opinion as well ), so I applied to a ones across a range of competitiveness. But yes, I agree it's important to be excited. I can't imagine investing so many resources and applying to programs I didn't really care for just for the sake of getting in.

I completely get it. Application costs can really add up!

That's the only issue though - I don't know where to go. I have only been advised to arrive by 3:00 pm on a specific day.

I just want to reiterate the point of applying to some schools that are less competitive. This is my second round of applications (the first resulted in me attending MAPSS at UChicago), and one of the biggest things that my MA program emphasized to us in regards to applying to PhD programs was having a good spread of schools. This consists of some very competitive schools, schools within reach, and some "safety" schools. They also encouraged applying to 10 schools total with a fairly even split among the 3 levels of schools (which seems like a lot to me). However, their point is that having a good spread might be viewed more favorably by admissions committees, because by selecting schools with varying levels of competitiveness, you show that you are seriously pursuing a PhD within you field, regardless of school ranking. Just thought I'd share what I've been told.

Thank you both for the advice! I am definitely trying to keep the jitters at bay and have been devoting time in the evenings to prepare. However, the only information I have is to arrive before 3 pm on Sunday (whether that is the airport or the school has not been stated). So hopefully I get some direction as to where I am supposed to meet soon.