ResilientDreams

Whenever I read this thread I feel like I'm so behind. I finally have three recommenders who have agreed to write letters for me. I think that's pretty good lol.

GradCafe is definitely not a representative sample.

The professor I asked about writing a rec sounded really enthusiastic about it.

My honors thesis is a mess.

Thanks everyone! This thread is making me feel a lot better. I have a high undergraduate GPA and a pretty well refined research interest, so hopefully it's enough to make me stand out from the competition!

I personally think that score is fine and that your other qualifications more than make up for it. Your time is better spent with your Peace Corps work.

Omg. Seven months. Something similar happened to me with a paper I was a co-author on. Then it of course got rejected. Now it will probably be another seven months until they read through the revised version...by that time I will have graduated. I don't understand how anyone gets anything published in undergrad.

Hurricane Florence has put me behind in getting my applications organized. ?

Timed practice tests. The timing was one of the things that really got me. Also, they only ever test you on certain (annoying) types of math, so just figure out what they're going to ask you and just drill, drill, drill. That's the approach I took and I got 90+ percentile in verbal and writing and 50+ percentile in quant (which was good enough for me because I'm horrible at timed math). I also took my test relatively early (May after junior year ended), so I think that's a smart move.

Undergrad with no publications stubbornly applying to PhD programs here! Publications aren't a requirement for admission. I've known plenty of people who have gotten in without them.

I avoided it. I think you could probably do it if you sent all your emails at once, but I sent mine one at a time and it felt weird emailing a second person if I had already talked to someone else, especially if I was very specific about being interested in their particular research.

Oh wow, I didn't even think of looking at that.

Oh good, so it doesn't seem to be completely overwhelming so far?

Yay!! Glad to know there are others. I'm a little intimidated by some of the people on this site because I feel like they have a lot of publications and experience, and my biggest contribution was that I co-authored a rejected manuscript.

Thank you so much! I sent you a PM.

Okay! I just wanted to know so that I can tailor my advice. I don't have experience transferring programs, so the best I can offer are some questions to ask yourself so you can determine whether you are making the best decision (you obviously don't have to tell me the answers). --What makes you think that transferring will save your relationship? Are you prepared for the possibility of going through the whole process of transferring (disrupting your grad career, moving, etc.), and realizing your relationship still can't be salvaged? You need to consider that as a very real possibility. --Is this something that you truly want? If you leave this program, are you going to regret it? Is this program something that you want to stay in but that your significant other is pressuring you to leave? (if so--I would implore you to stay. You should never chase someone who is not supportive of your goals.) --An extension/restatement of the above--if they are asking you to leave (which I guess maybe it's clear that they are)--what are their reasons? If you make this huge compromise for them, will they be willing to meet you halfway and still support you in and respect your academic ambitions? --Have you talked to them about how you're thinking about transferring? What was their reaction? --Conversely, if you stay in this program, will you become embittered that it "ruined" your relationship and become unable to put your best self forward for the rest of your time there? This is a cost/benefit analysis that I can't perform for you, but I hope my post was somewhat helpful. Best of luck.

I feel that...my younger brother just started undergrad and he's already in a great relationship and I've had nothing but rotten luck. I mean, I'm happy for him but it's still hard.

Hmm. Are you asking for advice about whether you should do it or how to do it?

Hi everybody! I'm currently a senior in undergrad and I'm applying to PhD programs in developmental psychology and some in linguistics. I just wanted to reach out and see if there's anyone else here who is also applying straight out of undergrad...I feel like a lot of people here already have a master's or have been working for a few years and I would love to talk to someone who's in the same situation as me.

Are you in undergrad? What year are you? This sort of thing happens. The PI probably just wants to get to know you better and as that happens you can start to ask for more independence. Also, don't panic if posters/publications don't actually happen. Sometimes you can be a super independent researcher, be contributing to a project, and then have the project turn out null or have it be rejected by the journal (that's been my experience). These things take time and undergrad is short and grad schools understand that. They just want to see that you've put yourself out there as much as possible.

Windfall

Interview went pretty well! Not sure if the lab will be the best fit for me, but he's doing some interesting work and I feel like we had a good conversation.

I think it really depends on how your relationship with your parents is. Set reasonable boundaries but still treat them with respect and I think you'll be fine.

I have an informal Skype interview with a potential grad advisor tomorrow...wish me luck everyone.

Sorry to be completely obnoxious, but people in Iran speak Farsi, not Arabic. I'm part Iranian myself.