[Fall 2018 I/O Psy]

Can someone who was accepted to George Mason's MA program message me?

[Fall 2018 I/O Psy]

7 hours ago, StudentGuy said:

Thanks for the insight. To answer some of your questions, the reason my GPA is low is getting C's in organic chemistry and nutrition classes. Other than that I'm a solid A student with B's sprinkled in.  I have taken a calculus class and a statistics class, but I got B's in both. So that's definitely not going to a strong suit of my application, but I have vastly improved my statistics skills through research. Do you have a suggestion on how to make this point within the application process?

Like the person above said, talk about your experience with stats in your research setting and what you did/learned. If you've learned a lot about a specific program (R, SPSS, etc) put that in too. C's in inorganic chemistry is going to matter less and like the person above said you should emphasize that you changed your career path and pursued I/O once you found out about it (and highlight your grades and research there). Chemistry doesn't apply to I/O so don't worry *too* much since your other grades are good. Don't make excuses in your personal statement but it's okay to say that you realized biohealth wasn't for you and I/O was more your forte, or something like that. Make sure to look at the stats of the programs you want to apply to so you know how you compare and which make sense. 

[Fall 2018 I/O Psy]

7 hours ago, StudentGuy said:

Hey, everyone! Congrats on all of your acceptances for the 2018 year.  I stumbled upon this forum when searching for I/O Psych programs and was wondering if someone could give me their honest opinion on my chances of being accepted by any program, given that you have seen the process firsthand.

Program of interest: Industrial-Organizational Psychology

 

Research interests: Emotional regulation, work-life balance, productivity, how diversity influences job application processes, social undermining and social support, CWBs

I haven't taken the GRE's yet but I test pretty well and plan on studying all summer using various tools to get ready.

Undergrad. GPA: 3.44

 

Education:

I'm graduating in May with a B.S. in Biobehavioral Health from Penn State and I've taken 15 credits of psychology courses (including I/O Psychology) and the combined GPA from those courses is a 3.8

Research Experience:

7 months of data entry in Alicia Grandey's Emotional Labor Lab at Penn State

6 months as a research assistant in a Diversity Lab at Penn State

I plan on continuing the research assistant job into the summer and fall before I apply in December.

 

 

Could someone please weigh in on my chances at being accepted to a Ph.D. program given my background and grades? I decided a year ago that I wanted to do IO psych and it was too late to change my major.  Biobehavioral Health is very related to psychology and sociology.  I have asked my advisors and professors about my chances and they all say to keep going for it, but I'm not sure if they just don't have the heart to give me the hard facts.  

 

Just someone who doesn't want to keep barking up the wrong tree,

 

Thanks!

I think your GRE will matter more for your chances than others because of your average GPA. That being said, if you've taken more science/natural science courses and that's why your GPA is under a 3.5 then that might look better for you than if you were a psych major with a 3.4. You have a good GPA for your psych classes so you're good there. Have you taken statistics? Did you get A's in those classes? 

You have fine research experience (and length) so you'll want to get glowing LORs from those professors and emphasize the skills that you learned in those labs. Can they speak to your capabilities and initiative in a research setting and vouch for your success in a PhD program which is heavily research? That will matter a lot for you. 

If you can bring your GPA up to at least a 3.5 before you apply that would be best since some schools will expect that for a PhD program (depends on the program though) and since your competition is going to be that much higher due to fewer applicants being admitted to doctoral programs you're going to want to get your numbers as competitive as possible. So right now I would definitely try to do very well on your GRE so you have that to fall back on. 

Definitely go for it, nothing you can lose and you can have a fair shot, but make sure to apply broadly. Good luck  

[Fall 2018 I/O Psy]

7 hours ago, AGL42 said:

same here! I applied for masters not phd though. Has anyone heard from Clemson for the ms program? Or SDSU's ms program? 

 

 

I heard from SDSU today for a phone interview request.

[Fall 2018 I/O Psy]

Has anyone heard from SDSU's masters program yet?

[Fall 2018 I/O Psy]

Anyone know if George Mason does a visitation day for masters applicants once those acceptances are in after the PhD round?

[Fall 2018 I/O Psy]

5 hours ago, PsychYouOut said:

Did anyone apply to any Masters programs? If so, have you heard back at all? I'm particularly interested if SDSU has sent out anything because their application deadline was December 15.

I applied to only masters and have so far only heard back from University of Tulsa (accepted mid Jan). I'm also waiting on SDSU and have no idea when they begin to reach out. Do you know if they do interviews?