sjc86

The best advice I've gotten is to dress like a high school teacher. So a suit isn't necessary, but men should wear nice slacks (i hate that word, makes me sound like my grandmother...) with a button up and either a tie or sweater (or both). Women can wear dress pants and a blouse, skirt and a blouse, or a dress. The other important part of the "school teacher" advice concerns your shoes: you'll be in them all day going from office to office, possibly building to building. Make sure they're comfortable!

Yeah, it also took my POI at Boulder 3 months to respond to my initial e-mail. However, she was incredibly nice once she did respond!

What schools did you apply to? It seems that developmental programs are not taking a lot of interviews this year... I've only heard back from 1 school, but looking in the Cognitive or Social threads, its seems a lot of those applicants are getting over 3 interviews. Maybe its just a difference in program area?

I applied to Cognitive at UC Boulder. Haven't heard anything yet.

I'm in the same position. Funding for my job ends in February (I'm a stimulus package employee), and I dont really want to apply to real jobs because i'll just feel awful leaving them after a month. Also, ticklemepink is totally right, the hiring process takes forever now (I still have applications under review that I submitted at the end of November!). Best options? Because its only a few months before I know for certain, I've decided apply for retail/bartending/coffeeshop gigs as well as some ACT tutoring just to pay the bills. I'm pretty used to being broke (yet another way I'm prepared for grad school!) so as long as I can keep the heat on and have some food in my stomach, I'll be fine in the interim. Also, a friend recommended to me that I talk to some temp agencies and explain my situation. She was in the same situation and there was a temp agency that hired her in-house for the summer. And if i dont get in to grad school AND can't find a job I like here, I'm moving to Japan to teach english... or something.

It does vary, but they're probably down to just a handful of students for slightly less than a handful of spots (like musical chairs!). I'd recommend searching the results section of the sight and see how many others have been asked to interview-if any. Of course, not everyone applying is on this site, and not everyone on this site posts results. It may help though... Good luck!

Totally forgot how to read, sorry! (how do i plan to get into grad school?)

It looks like grad cafe may eventually reveal stats, but does not yet do so. Is it possible to post results to this database anonymously?

I completed my undergrad at a large public school and am now working at one of those incredibly prestigious universities. The differences lie mostly with the undergraduates, and less-so with the graduate students. But that really makes sense, no? Its the "restriction of range" issue. Only a subset of undergrads go on to graduate school which really levels the playing field. There is no reason not to go to the interview and meet with other grad students. See if you click with them, and if you dont, oh well, it was just a lost weekend. Also, gifted individuals often report that "imposture" feeling. If they accept you, it is because you have demonstrated that you are capable of working at their level. Dont over analyze it, just accept it for what it is. Beyond that, there's no point in writing them off before you even get there.

I just PM'd you. Only 2 developmental results have been posted from UCLA, i wouldn't be too worried yet.

No word from Oregon yet. It does seem to be cutting it close to Feb. 4th. BTW, just curious- who is/are your POI(s)? Mine were Fisher and Pfeifer.

Due to meager funding over the past few years, I think a lot of schools are interviewing less applicants, even if they have the same amount of spots open. That is, they have 3 spots open, invite 4 to interview (the ones they would have accepted immediately) as confirmation that they aren't total messes in person. In the meantime, everyone else has to wait for those 4 show up drunk and smelly, or decide to go elsewhere. Plus, it's still really early and POIs have varying levels urgency when it comes to sending out invites.

Does nail biting count as a hobby? I spent all weekend deep cleaning and reorganizing my apartment. Gotta keep busy!

I'm applying to psychology programs focused on cognitive development, and I am normally a very patient, mellow person, but i swear if anyone else makes a "oh, so you can read my mind" joke..... blerg.

I'm in the same boat. From what i've been able to gather, the GRE is generally used as a screening tool, and any applicant over 1200 will guarantee at least a brief-but-full review.

I am currently working with a PhD student who switched programs 2 years ago. She is in a top-tier program and is very happy now. Granted, it wasn't a different field, rather she a conflict with an adviser and wanted to change schools. The fact is, you aren't excelling in your program and you are not happy. To stick with a graduate program despite the fact that it is not a good match is both a waste of your time and your program's time. This is especially true considering you know where you'd rather be. If i were you, I'd just breifly mention in your SOP that while you had pursued a career in public health, you soon realized that your heart was in psychology and that this experience has only strengthened your commitment and desire to continue your studies in psychology.

I am working on creating my CV to send to LOR writers. I don't have any publications, but I have extensive relevant work and research experience. My resume is set up so that I can explain, in detail, the projects I was working on. I only call it a resume because.... well, I've used it to apply to jobs, and its 1 page. Are there any precise rules that differentiate between a CV and a resume? Without publications or teaching experience, what would the differences be? thanks in advance!

I worked 15-30 hours per week at a coffee shop during college. While it won't really help me for graduate school, it showed my ability to balance school/life for employers after i graduated. I was able to get a really awesome job as a paid research assistant after graduating because i had work experience. If you are planning on going straight to grad school, then it probably isn't helpful. However if not working means you'll be stuck with tons of debt, maybe you should consider taking an extra year before applying. If you can't find paid work as a research assistant, you'll probably still be able to get research experience by volunteering in lab, and continue to work to pay bills. Then you can apply to grad school and say "look how awesome and responsible I am, I can go to school, work, and have research experience!" Just some food for thought.

It depends on what you want to do. You want to open a private practice or work for someone else's practice? Sure, go for it. However, if you want to conduct research or work in academia, thats not the place for you. One of my former co-workers graduated from there with an MA (she also lectured there part-time). The people are wonderful and the courses sound really interesting, but it is a professional school, not a research school. Also, like all other professional schools (law, medical, etc), prepare to take out plenty of loans. No stipends at professional schools. Hope that helps.

I'm interested in developmental neuroscience, so i guess i sorta fit here. I've been postponing applying to grad school for 2 years now, but this time, I mean it! I've been working to make up for less-than-idea grades. Basically I am a great researcher but i wasnt so into the whole going to class thing as an early undergraduate. I think I'm making this sound worse than it is, but my overall was 3.37 with a 3.3 in psych. On the other hand, I was an RA for 2 years and completed an honor's thesis (yes, even YOU can graduate with distinction!). My father died early in my junior year and i basically gave up until i really got to work on my thesis and i realized "oh crap, I actually want to go to grad school." So I started working as a researcher at a clinical nonprofit working with kids with dev disabilities (namely FAS) as well as with kids in the fostercare system. I evaluated therapy programs and training programs, and i was asked to co-author a few grant proposals (BRAG WARNING: one of which was funded by NCTSN for $400,000!!!). Then i bailed because (a) state buget cuts led us to lay off 20% of staff and i didnt know how far it would go, and ( I was offered a lab manager position at UChicago. So now i'm working as a lab manager/lead RA studying the effects of aging on memory in older adults and Alzheimers/ MCI patients. I took the GRE last may. 590 verbal, 690 quant. Maybe i should have retaken it, but... well... i didnt and I'm not starting over again now. I am interested in studying the effects of early, chronic childhood traumatic stress on self regulation and inhibition, as well as the role of resiliency as a moderating factor on long-term outcomes. I'm still compiling my list of schools, but 3 definites are UCBoulder, UCLA and WashU. Hopefully we can help console each other throughout the process. I even convinced my BF to apply for an MFA so he's stuck in the process with me (it didnt take much convincing). About studying for the GRE, just remember, if what you studied is even on the test, you wont remember it. Goodluck!!!