shiningorb

Personally, I break the rules all the time at these conferences, although a bit differently. I.e. I was told only those who are presenting and their PI's/faculty are allowed to come, but I ended up bringing my whole family (I have done this at multiple conferences). Hell my last one, I had my gf (who is not even enrolled in my University), help present with me. I have put names on my posters because my PI wanted the other person to come, even though they had done nothing in regards to contribute to the project (always funny to see them present when this happens). From my experience, conferences and their organizers don't really care, and I've never been called out once (hell I even told the people I was presenting it was my gf and she had no idea what was on the poster). Now, I'm not gonna say you're overreacting or that you should lie, but just telling you how things went for me when I broke the rules at these conferences

@KittyCat_PhD, going forward, you will benefit from establishing boundaries early on. You will need to develop tactics that allow you to walk the delicate balance between what you're being asked to do and what you think is the right thing to do.
IRT your current situation, I recommend that you ask yourself "what's at stake?" On the one hand, your advisor wants you to do something that saves (someone) money and (maybe) advances his personal agenda of tweaking his nose at authority from time to time. On the other hand, you are concerned about managing your risk--what happens if you get found out. Potential diagnostic questions include, how would you feel about his request if there were no risk of the ruse being discovered? (Do you not want to do it because you might get caught, or do you not want to do it because it's wrong or do you not want to do it because there's an expanding pattern of rule bending and you want to get off that train?)  Depending on how you answer the question you could put a dollar amount on the price of compromising. 
"Nothing to worry about." You're being too uptight. To me, those are warning flags that this guy doesn't really give a fuck about you. At all. YMMV.

On one hand I full-heartedly agree that scholars of color should have the right to study whatever they want, but I also understand where the community representatives may be coming from in wanting their group to be studied only by community members. I do not know specifically which community you are studying but many marginalized communities have been taken advantage of by White scholars, as you yourself have mentioned, which may make them feel wary of all “outsiders,” so to speak. This is particularly true of indigenous communities who are often even reluctant to let indigenous scholars conduct research. This is not to say that you have to study  the issue in your own community - distancing yourself in order to protect yourself is real and necessary.  And I agree with the above poster that it is micro aggressive to demand that all scholars of color must study only their own group. I just don’t know how to navigate this issue, unfortunately. Sadly, White scholars do not get questioned like this - mostly because they do not invite in community members to consult with as they develop their research proposals like you did, which is wrong of them. 

On one hand I full-heartedly agree that scholars of color should have the right to study whatever they want, but I also understand where the community representatives may be coming from in wanting their group to be studied only by community members. I do not know specifically which community you are studying but many marginalized communities have been taken advantage of by White scholars, as you yourself have mentioned, which may make them feel wary of all “outsiders,” so to speak. This is particularly true of indigenous communities who are often even reluctant to let indigenous scholars conduct research. This is not to say that you have to study  the issue in your own community - distancing yourself in order to protect yourself is real and necessary.  And I agree with the above poster that it is micro aggressive to demand that all scholars of color must study only their own group. I just don’t know how to navigate this issue, unfortunately. Sadly, White scholars do not get questioned like this - mostly because they do not invite in community members to consult with as they develop their research proposals like you did, which is wrong of them. 

So, I've been thinking on this since I first read your original post. I'm wondering why, if you're so invested in this topic and have gotten grant money for it, you aren't trying to think about ways to address the critiques of your committee to build a stronger, feasible project. If I were you, I would meet with the two representatives of the community (the one who was at the meeting and the one who wasn't) and talk to them about how you can do your project in such a way that it addresses their concerns and (ideally) meets some of their needs as well. That is, what do they think you would need to do to have closer ties with the community? Could you volunteer alongside the workers and incorporate that into your research design in some way, for example? 
Second, you need to speak to your committee rather directly about why they think the only appropriate community for you to study is one you are already a part of. I'm not sure about your field but there is tons of scholarship where people write about communities they aren't a part of. I mean, that's the foundation of anthropology to some degree. There has been a great deal of pushback against that more recently but, that also doesn't mean people have to exclusively study those of the same ethnicity as them. Or, to be more blunt, if that were the case, a whole lot of white academics would have to stop what they're doing immediately and start studying white people instead of all the other things they study. I highly recommend that you read up on this and prepare them a short memo explaining why you chose this community to study and why it is perfectly valid to study a community besides the black one. Be prepared, have references, etc. This goes for the question of why you'd study sexual violence when you haven't experienced it too.
Third, go back to what it is that you got you interested in this topic in the first place. What are the questions that you wanted to know? Is there another way to approach answering these such that you meet your own intellectual curiosity while also addressing the concerns of your committee? 
Good luck!

It's definitely good to know these things at this stage where you can switch directions/approaches and make corrections much more easily than later on! You're right that this is a normal part of research. I think you are accepting the constructive criticism very well and you're doing the right thing to improve your research project!
When I read your post title, I was thinking your post would go very differently. I am glad to say that it didn't go the way I thought it would. I think every researcher will have an experience like you had in this committee many times during the career, and especially at least once during graduate school. Although it wasn't my committee, I would say that my version of this experience in graduate school was much more harsh! But like you, I was fortunate that my criticizers presented their arguments constructively and that their comments came from a good place (i.e. they want to help and make my research project better). During grad school, one of the things I learned about academics and feedback is that criticism isn't the worst type of feedback. The worst type of feedback is when they don't care at all so they just nod and let you do whatever without regard to your success.
Of course, there will be experiences where we receive criticism that don't come from a good place and that they might use them to hurt us or discourage us rather than help us. That's a different story though and I'm glad to see that it does not seem to be the case for you here  
Still, whether the criticism is well meaning or not, it does suck to hear that you didn't do something right. I know how that feels. I've learned ways to help me deal with rejection and criticism like this. I find that it helps to take some time to be disappointed that you didn't do as well as you've hoped and do something fun. I have a nice dinner, watch some escapist TV/netflix or something and take the rest of the day off (or the next day off if it's the end of the day). Then, I'm recharged and ready to start back it again!

Having worked with my supervisor who we have nicknamed Mr. Spicycoating (OK not in English - this sounds weird in English, but it sorta translates as the opposite of sugarcoating) I know how it feels to get criticism (My first draft of my first proposal in not my first language I got comments like 'This sentence is so hard to digest it gives me reflux.' Thanks man). 
Second - realize there is no 'perfect' experiment - at least not when you're in the social sciences (I assume you are). There are always concessions to make on the sample (including size and who to include), methodology, etc. So I'd say try to let go of devising the perfect study - this has always helped me as I'm a perfectionist. Concessions, especially if you work with multiple people are also gonna happen. I constantly have to negotiate with my supervisor as he's the type to love flashy findings - and I'm the type that rather does solid research. So I'm often trying to convince him to let go of things that could potentially be flashy. You're now negotiating with your committee - that's cool. It will help you and your project.  One of the biggest things you'd have to learn as a scientist is flexibility, negotiation (this is not the same as a compromise though!) and persuasion. It's an excellent opportunity to learn  Your feedback has been very constructive -  so you should feel happy about that! They didn't say it was a bad idea - just there are some things that need extra thinking!
That being said, there are a number of points they want you to address or provide a better rationale for. From what I read, they have some issues with your choice of 'who' you want to study. It seems like this is the biggest problem underlying all things from what you said. Why this group? Could you maybe study the same topic/subjects from a different angle (i.e., story or approach)? Are you very much attached to this specific group? It could also be an opportunity to study something that's maybe more closely related to your PhD goals/topic. This of course depends on your future goals.
Honestly, for me, I love criticism. It makes my topic better, it helps my thinking to mature, it makes me aware of thinks or hurdles I didn't think about yet, etc. It's a good thing. I always focus on what I gain from having had the experience (i.e., what did I learn). It always makes my work better in some way (even if it's just in the eyes of others). I try not to be emotionally attached to my work and am getting better at it (thanks to my supervisor lol - love him though). I always say I take my work very seriously, but not myself. I can let go of things of very fast. Plus criticism is part of academic life (*cough* reviewer 2 *cough*) so we all need to find strategies to deal with this.
Also having had this criticism and questions now and if you address them - you won't face the same questions at the conference. And even if, you'd know how to answer them! August is still far away, and sometimes things move slow, something things move fast. Don't be too hung up on timelines but just try to move as fast as you're able to - that's what I generally try to do. 
If you're worried or need to vent - find me in a PM. This is what I go through on a biweekly base it seems.

maybe, but I only received 2 reviewers yet also I received honorable mention

I’m planning on calling this Monday and asking about how they determine how many reviewers score each application. Will report back! 

I’m planning on calling this Monday and asking about how they determine how many reviewers score each application. Will report back! 

How did your application process go?

Honestly? If you are 100% sure that the school you've been accepted to is the one you want to go to, I would decline the interview...but if you're even a little bit doubtful and want to explore your options, I would take it.

Same. That's what I think too. I'm trying to accept it to get ready for it. 

You did get a sad "thank you for applying" email? I haven't gotten anything in my inbox yet, so I'm just going slightly insane. 

In New York and haven't received anything yet but as my modules haven't changed I'm assuming I didn't get it 
Congrats to the winners and ONWARD TO NEXT YEAR!!

It should be very doable. You can find a bedroom in a 3 bed apartment for around ~$500 per month in Rogers Park, which is not too long of a commute from Lincoln Park. Also, since you’d be attending a university in the city proper, you’d be able to get a discounted pass for the L train system and CTA (called a U-Pass) that allows for unlimited rides for college students. Groceries wouldn’t be too bad either, I live in one of the most expensive cities in the country right now and can manage on $25 per week in groceries (just groceries - I budget another $30ish for eating out for myself each week) so Chicago should be around the same if not a little bit cheaper. Your money will run you a lot further in Chicago than it would in NYC, in my opinion. 

The other morning when I was dozing on and off, I had 3 subsequent dreams that I was also flat out rejected, followed by 2 dreams in which I was awarded the fellowship ?

I'm stress eating now.  My body can't handle this.  I just ate some Kentucky Fried Chicken, and now I'm craving a sundae from Dairy Queen.  

There goes spring break (waiting anxiously for a notification)! 

I was a 2017 Ford Fellow winner and I checked my portal every day. One of the days I noticed that instead of the application page, that it said FELLOW MODULE but it didn't say anything about me winning. A few hours later I got an e-mail saying I got the fellowship. From I gleaned about freaking out over the change in website is that they set up the site in stages and wait until they sent out the acceptances for you to actually access the portal. I'm wishing all you guys luck!!!

Hey, your story sounds a lot like mine. I was pre-med and a biology major throughout undergrad and decided in the fall of my last year I wanted to go to grad school for psych. I also had a very average GPA - 3.5 - but my Psych GPA was much better - 3.8. So my numbers are pretty similar to yours. I had already had 3 years of research experience in a biology lab (completely irrelevant to my research interests - not even possible to stretch it like biobehavioral health to IO psych) but absolutely ZERO experience in psych research, so I volunteered as an RA in a lab for the last 6 months of undergrad, and then after graduating found a job as a full-time RA in another lab.
I don't think you need to worry about being able to do an independent research project or getting publications or poster presentations out. Of course, everyone knows that those things help, but not having them is not a deal breaker. I did not have any of the above. In my full-time RA job, I was just a paid hand hired to do data collection (didn't even get to do any analyses), and I still was accepted into 5 top-ranked PhD programs in my field(s) of interest.
What got me into amazing grad programs was my passion, and my ability to sell the experiences I did have as something relevant to grad school (both in terms of tangible transferrable skills and in terms of relevance to my research interests). I think everyone is capable of this, proven they have the right mindset. Your undergraduate GPA will in no way disqualify you, given how great your graduate GPA is. Your GRE will only help. Switching fields is possible. You just need to focus on finding a compelling reason for why you want to go to grad school, and on being able to communicate that in writing and in conversation.

This wait is driving me insane!!

I can't speak for cognitive psych, but I got a letter detailing the funding package from the developmental area the day I found out I was admitted. This was in mid-February, and so I think all letters should have gone out for all areas by now if you were admitted.