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StatsLove

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  1. I figured I would throw in my two cents on this topic. I was accepted into two quant PhD programs this admissions cycle, so while I can't speak to what would help you excel while in the program just yet, I can offer some answers from the perspective of a recent applicant. 1. What does the profile of a competitive applicant look like? I think a competitive quant applicant looks similar to other branches of competitive psychology applicants. The most important elements of your application are your research fit with your POI and your research background. Schools want to see that you can do research and get them publications, and that your interests align with their faculty since you'll be working with them for the next few years. A broad math background is beneficial, but the scope what is necessary depends on the program (more about this for question 3). Strong GPA, GRE, and LoR are also helpful. 2. What are some hot areas of research to consider? I wouldn't focus on what's exactly "hot," but what programs and professors you're interested in are doing. I've read a good amount of recent papers exploring different ways to use Bayesian models, but my POIs weren't focusing their research on the subject so it wouldn't have been that helpful trying to find training in it. It wouldn't have hurt to have, but I don't think it would have given me a significant advantage over other applicants. You should identify what you would enjoy researching (perhaps based off of your previous experience) and look at professors who do similar work. 3. What level of mathematical ability is recommended to excel in a quant psych program? It depends on the program, but you don't need to have experience with every math subject in the book to be considered. I'm sure as much math experience as you can get will only help your application, but it's not always necessary. You're applying to a quant PhD to get that high level training and doing research with it, so it's not expected that you have all that knowledge already going into the program. For reference, I only have undergraduate statistics and calculus courses under my belt and not a lot of programming experience, but what I have learned/have done research with closely aligns to the research of my future advisor. Again, though, it definitely depends on the program and the professors you're applying to. A lot of the programs you will find are designed to be accessible to students who didn't get a master's (like me), so I'd say you have a leg up in some regards since you have that extra math experience. Hopefully this was helpful for you, I had a lot of the same questions going into this application cycle. If you have any other questions feel free to reach out on this threat or DM me.
  2. I was at an interview last week and I think another applicant mentioned that they have an interview for Vanderbilt either this week or next week
  3. I just recently got back from an interview and asked the current students how long it took to get their official offers after their interviews. They said it took around a month, mainly because the department needed to ensure that they had all their funding ready and in place so they don't accidentally offer admission when they don't have the funding for each new recruit. I've heard of programs getting back a lot sooner than a month, but I would say that you shouldn't worry if you don't hear back immediately! Like you said, it's up to the program as well as the state of their funding at the time.
  4. To those who heard from UC Davis last week, did you get a personal email from your POI or did you get an email from the university?
  5. Wasn't me for UC Davis; they'll probably be sending out invites this week/next week though!
  6. Good to hear someone else is still waiting on UNC! I know they had started sending out invites to Clinical and Social (I think) a while ago so I was starting to get worried...I'm waiting on UC Davis and UVA as well. Congrats on your three acceptances already though, that's quite a feat and a good position to be in!
  7. Thank you! I'll try to answer your questions as best possible... When the PI asked about my math background, they mainly wanted to know the general subjects I had taken, which for me were statistics (in psychology and in the math department at my school) and some calculus courses. I don't believe I was prompted to talk about any specific tests, but I mentioned some of the higher level analyses I have used in my research as well as programs I know how to use just to give more explanation. One course that the PI did specifically ask about was linear algebra. This is a course that I didn't take because I discovered quantitative psychology kind of late in the game, and my school only offers the class periodically (I explained that but expressed interest in learning about it before starting). It seems like that's a common class professors like to see (so I would recommend dipping your toes into it since you have time), but it's obviously not a deal breaker since I was offered admission to the program despite not having linear algebra under my belt. As for their "Why Quant?" question, I don't think they're really looking for anything specific besides an indication that you know what the program is and are passionate about it. Whether that's a concrete event or something you decided over time is based on your experience, so I would just be honest about how you discovered the field and why you think it's a good fit for you.
  8. I guess I technically did do an interview...I was in contact with the PI through email long before applications were due, and eventually we had a Skype conversation to talk about their program before I had submitted. It was very relaxed, and definitely felt more like a conversation than an interview--to the point where I didn't really think of it as an interview until the PI contacted me about acceptance. It lasted about 40 minutes I think? I would say that a good portion of the conversation was the PI discussing their own research and the school's program in general, with them asking me some questions about my research and math background as well as why I wanted to go into quantitative psychology. The way I prepared for our discussion was reading through some of the PI's papers and taking notes so I would have a basic understanding of the types of research they do in quant. This allowed me to be engaged in the conversation about research and to ask for clarification for concepts that I didn't understand/haven't learned about yet (there seems to be a good amount of those for me, but that's why I want to learn!). I would suggest doing the same, so they can tell you've done your homework and are interested in learning more about the subject! Other than that, have a list of questions that you want to ask about the PI and the program. Some of the ones important to me were mentoring style, travel grants/summer funding, job placement of recent alumni, expectations for publishing, and stuff like that. It might help for you to list out your research experience in case you freeze and need a reminder of what you've done. I'm not sure how this would change if you were doing an in-person interview, but certainly can help for a phone or Skype call! Hope this helped!! I'd be happy to answer other questions. Hoping the other programs start reaching out soon...
  9. I got an email from a professor at the University of Missouri about being admitted to the program! It was really surprising, I didn't anticipate getting an acceptance this early on in the process. I haven't heard from any other schools yet though, I think we should expect interview invites around the end of this week or soon after the holiday break. Most schools seem to follow that trend, from what I've found in past threads (though nothing about quant specifically so who knows!)
  10. Same! I know that they are probably going to be sending interview invites before the holidays and whatnot, but it makes me nervous not knowing for sure!! I recently found that thread as well as had hoped I had found it sooner, since there was a lot of good information shared
  11. Thank you for starting this thread! I've been scouring the forum for other quant applicants and was sad that there weren't many pages for us I've submitted 6 applications! I was originally going to do 8 but I found that the last two didn't interest me that much, and I probably wouldn't want to go if they were the only ones I was accepted to. I feel a sense of relief that I've done what I can, but also a lot of nervousness too!!
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