EileanDonan

Yup! I'm part time at the moment, but it feels rather limiting, both in terms of pay and opportunities. I have a hard time imagining that I'll have made any meaningful progress with it by the end of the year (and yes, I know that's still a ways off), so I'd really like to be settled into something new by fall. I hope a new position will let me go remote for a while, now is not a fun time to be moving. ? Can't be too picky these days, though. Yeah, I'm still just trying to decide if I even have the energy to email the 25-30 PIs still on my list. ? Even with a spreadsheet, it's just so much to be keeping track of.

I can relate, especially as it feels too early to be making any substantial efforts on apps (although job-hunting is a pretty good distraction), but it seems like there should be something I ought to be working on? Honestly I feel like I've been fighting for my future since I graduated. ? I think I'm going to wake up in September in frozen horror.

This is exciting! I haven't heard of this possibility before, but I hope they announce more info soon! Some of the PIs actually look interesting...

This year has been so crazy and I just need to vent for a minute. I went from having no interviews since April to three in about a week! All at good schools, too! I feel like things might finally be starting to head in the right direction for me (knock on wood...). Has anyone else been hearing back more from RA jobs recently?

Hi there! I'd generally agree with the assessment that this is a pretty close call either way - you would definitely benefit from another year of experience (who wouldn't?), but you might have a chance with less competitive schools. You would have to really nail research fit and presentation of your skills/experiences. Shout out for the psychopathy interests by the way, that's my area of interest, too! I've done loads of research on programs, and I can say that the popular programs with explicit forensic specialties (Fordham, John Jay, Nebraska-Lincoln, etc) can afford to be picky about who they accept. Researching your programs of interest and looking at the backgrounds of current students is an excellent way of gauging if you're up to snuff. In terms of your current position, I would definitely initiate a conversation with your PI (if you're comfortable enough) about taking on greater responsibilities. Authorship is worth a great deal, even just having a manuscript in preparation by application time is better than nothing.

I sympathize with you on the family front. My spouse and I aren't trying to have a child at the moment, but the future possibility of it is something that impacts our conversations now regarding career/academic moves. And did I mention that my spouse wants a PhD in a highly specific field as well? To say things have become convoluted is an understatement. I think you should be proud of yourself for getting that MA though! At this rate I'm planning on applying to a few myself, although so few of them are funded. You're not crazy, all we can do is our do our best with what life gives us! Out of the blue, I have my first RA interview in three months tomorrow; hopefully it's a harbinger of better things to come.

Has anyone else been using their extra pandemic-induced free time to work on expanding their skillset? I've been learning Python and have started to dip my toes into machine learning. The last few months have been quite the learning curve, but I've started developing a portfolio. Still waiting for a return on investment, but hoping it will pay off in the end, whether it be a job or grad school!

Now I can spend less money on my inevitably-rejected application. ?

I relate to this so deeply. At this rate, I don't know if I'll ever make it into a program at all, much less definitely by the time I'm 30. Age-related pressure is so real for some people, it feels impossible not to compare yourself to your peers who are well settled into their careers or doctoral programs. No one wants to be the "unsuccessful one".

I haven't heard of the writing section being particularly valued (as compared to the other sections), at least as a general rule. More so if you've already completed some kind of primary authorship. Perhaps some PI's appreciate it more than others? Certainly willing to hear evidence to the contrary, however, especially since that section was by far my best. ? Would be more than happy to see a revamping of the quant section, I never liked feeling I needed to learn "GRE math" as opposed to just, you know, actual math.

Honestly, I have to wonder what would happen if we all (non-psych included) collectively refused to take and/or send in our scores to programs. Would that be enough of a final push against the GRE, or would schools just shrug and not accept students for a year? Sigh.

This occurred to me as well. 10-15 schools at 27$ a pop = 270-405$ saved! I can use that to apply to even more schools (and subsequently receive more rejections...)

As much as I would rejoice to see the general GRE go by the wayside (with perhaps the exception of those with a poor GPA taking it), I'm afraid that, for those schools that make it "optional", there will still be a negative bias for those applicants that did not include it. If the ad comms are deciding between two otherwise equal candidates , but one took the test and the other didn't, what's stopping them from selecting the person who did submit test scores, simply because that's the only filter left to them? I don't see how keeping submissions optional as opposed to completely unrequested and unaccepted will encourage fair consideration for all applicants.

What are everyone's thoughts on reaching out to PI's whose labs you had previously applied for, either as a grad student or a RA, but were ultimately rejected (not for any discernibly terrible reason)? Come fall it will be anywhere from .5 - 1.5 years since I had any contact with them/their lab. Kind of awkward, but I'd hate to remove some otherwise great fits from my list, and I'd like to start dropping some email feelers in a few months...any good ways to rebuild a connection? Or have I just inadvertently shot myself in the foot? ?

I definitely am, I imagine some changes in the process will be inevitable this year. Likewise, I also think some schools will be having a harder time than others. If anything, I believe this situation really underscores the importance of considering a fair number of programs and applying to as many as is reasonably possible. I have about 30 schools that I'll be whittling down over the coming months.

I appreciate this, thank you. One thing that I've been trying to focus on recently is developing my (otherwise very strong) research interests beyond the abstract. Would you be willing to offer some advice on ways to better conceptualize interests and translate them into more specific talking points, especially in order to maximize goodness of fit come application time?

I'm glad to hear the first part, it's nice to know that I don't have to entirely rule myself out necessarily. Unfortunately, I've been trying to land a full-time research gig for over a year now - things are just so insanely competitive, even if you did have a good experience in undergrad.

Hi everyone, I'm curious to hear some thoughts as to the most advisable ways of addressing poor circumstances that impact academic performance and opportunity. I've been caught in a rather difficult situation myself. I had a lot happen during my undergrad, including loss of an immediate family member concurrent with effective financial ruin for my parents. Long story short, this resulted in me taking on considerable student debt I was never intended to have. Because of my financial concerns, I wasn't able to take advantage of a lot of some of the same sort of opportunities that a lot of my psych student peers had. Although I actually managed to maintain a high GPA, I wasn't able to do things like completing a senior thesis because I needed to graduate a semester early to save money (staying longer would have incurred significant additional cost). This latter fact especially bothers me now because it seems a given that every clinical psych Ph.D. program (my goal) applicant has completed an undergrad thesis. I'm worried about having to compete against everyone in a way that I can't really compensate for - should I even be bothering to try? It goes without saying I can't afford an MA (including the additional time cost). Unfortunately, there is a 0% chance of a serious independent project on the horizon for me now. I'm afraid of POIs seeing my app and immediately throwing it out because I didn't do a thesis, thinking I was too unmotivated (extremely untrue) or lazy to challenge myself. Honestly, I think a lot of my undergrad experience threw off my ability to compete in the post-BA world. Is there a graceful way of acknowledging this gap and mentioning I couldn't complete a thesis due to unfortunate financial issues beyond my control? Or is there another route I should be considering? Some way of emphasizing other strengths in spite of what I'm lacking? Any helpful suggestions, or thoughts from those who have been through a similar situation, would be really appreciated. I've had a lot working against me, and I'm just trying to find a way forward without giving up my dream. Thanks!

Thanks so much! I appreciate having a more directly relevant perspective. Cheers on the UGeorgia admit by the way, I've been looking at that program myself. Good luck on your program!

That's great, thank you! If you don't mind one last question: I have no concrete programming projects from undergrad or time in the lab, so I was thinking of putting together some data analysis project (cleaning data sets, basic statistical analysis) on Github and linking it to my resume. Would this be a sufficient alternative demonstration of ability for PIs? I'm assuming MOOC course certificates don't mean much realistically.

I can echo this, I see programming ability being mentioned on a fair number of RA/coordinator openings, especially of the neuro or cognitive variety. I've been using some of my extra lockdown time to work on Python via various online resources. Does anyone here have any concrete suggestions as to what specific programming skills are considered desirable within a lab? Not trying to hijack the thread, but I think this sort of advice would benefit everyone in this situation.

Hi! I'm hoping to apply this fall as well, although I don't feel I can definitely say I will between the economic effects of the pandemic and the current status of my CV. I've been splitting my time between volunteering in a lab at my local university, working at a facility for women offenders, and non-relevant remote work. Definitely not ideal, but I've been applying like crazy to full-time research jobs as I find them! I should redo my GRE, but recent developments have really taken the focus off that for the time being. I'm also aiming for clinical programs, particularly with a forensic specialty. I have 12-15 schools of interest, from Texas A&M and Nevada-Reno to Penn and Yale (you can only dream...) I'm hoping at the very least to be able to apply to the non-crazy-competitive schools this year. I graduated from a small college with smaller research output, so it's been something of an uphill battle for me.

I've been starting to wonder this myself. I had considered that perhaps schools might (hopefully) be more lenient about requiring scores this coming cycle, but learning that the Educational Torture Senter ETS is allowing for at-home test-taking, I think schools may very well forge ahead as usual. Especially since we may see an influx of applications this fall , schools will want every means of filtering at their disposal.

I'm in the same boat - I've been volunteering in a lab since around October and have been able to do some basic work remotely, but I feel that I've really been stagnating (and not just because of the lockdown). I've been active in applying to full-time positions for about a month now. I've had a little preliminary interest, but the challenge of securing something will be greater than ever. I am likewise anxious about how this situation will impact funding and competitiveness of programs (at least those worth applying to!) I suspect that impact will vary somewhat between universities, however, for example NYC schools might take more of a hit than state universities in the south or midwest. I have been planning on applying this year, but at the rate I have been going my CV won't be competitive enough, especially considering I'll be up against so many others, and I'm doing clinical! I can't afford to do an unfunded program, and time is really not on my side.

I am likewise concerned about the long-term economic effects - in my case, how will this affect funding for future programs? It's only March, and I'm growing highly concerned about my chances for applying this fall, by which point I'll already be two years out of graduation. Grad school can't be pushed back forever, and my BA alone isn't what most people would describe as particularly useful...