PsychApplicantFall2019

Just curios as others have said that their last updated date is pretty recent. Mine shows as 11/16. Does this mean I did something wrong in my app to be made it discarded so early? Not really a big deal. Just curious if anyone has any ideas.

VG/G, E/E, E/VG - awarded I feel a little undeserving of the award after reading the feedback of the reviewers.

@notthatkindofpsychology I agree with what @Psyhopeful has said. The PI will update you if there is any information to share. They definitely won't just forget about making offers to potential graduate students. I want to add that the PI is likely also anxious about getting a student to accept their offer. Asking for an update will likely not be helpful for you, and it will also likely be stressful for the PI.

How do other people feel about going to work with a brand new PI? I am deciding between different alternatives.

I keep checking this website as if it will make the next few weeks pass by more quickly...

I feel incredibly fortunate. I have been accepted to a program that I would be happy to attend. I also just submitted a manuscript that I have been working on forever. But, the process is not going to be over for at least a month, and I am dreading everything. I am so ready for this to be over.

@Sophie Su I haven’t seen anything in the results page, but I also got an email saying my GRE had been received. I am not sure what people have meant by mass email. All of the invites I have gotten have been personally addressed. Does it just mean that it isn’t from the PI? My gut says that when the graduate program coordinator emails about travel arrangements that is when all interview invites have been made.

This not actually what’s going on. The US is currently in a partial government shutdown. Over 60% of government employees are not furloughed or working without paychecks. That is because the DOD (by far the largest federal employer) is funded for fiscal year 2019. To to the point, though, the problem with the TSA right now is that the employees are required to work during the shutdown (most government employees are just not currently working). A lot of TSA agents are calling out sick, so it is causing airports to close TSA check points are dramatically increasing the wait time to get through the checkpoints. I also want to point out that the TSA employees are not exactly working without pay. They will get paid retroactively when the government reopens. It can definitely be hard on families who do not have a lot in savings, but they aren’t working for free.

@NeuroNerd101 I didn't apply to UCLA, but there has been some discussion about it in the Developmental Psychology thread. @HAC @Hk328 @InfiniteLoop Thank you for your tips!

How much does everyone plan on reading before the interviews? I kind of feel that the ideal would be to have read every paper/book written within my area of interest. Obviously, that is not the expectation! So, how much is the "good enough" to sound knowledgable about the PI's work and the field?

@junior313 Similar to what @1996kayden has said, I am under the impression (I don't actually know for sure) that different schools handle rejections differently. It seems that a few have sent the rejections around the time that they extended interview invites. My guess is that the ones that don't do this are going to wait until the official admissions offers are made and send the rejections then. My personal opinion is that you should not ask about your application status at any point unless there is a really good reason to do so.

@paraent I am only going to address a small part of your concern, but I would not put to much stock in how you feel the interview went. I understand that it can feel really bad, but the faculty may have a totally different impression than you have.

@wrongpathos I think that is good advice. Although I do wish that I had known way sooner, it is really exciting to see the modeling and computational methods in our field.

@MingjiaPsych It sounds like you have a great rational for applying to the cognitive science department, and I really hope that I get to see you at the interview. It seems that we have related interests. If you wanted to chat more, you are welcome to PM me.

@theremixtocognition I have heard back from Emory, but I didn't apply to Northwestern.