Psyhopeful

A lot of places are just having interviews now, so my guess is that we’ll be hearing in a bit.

I’m also waiting on Penn and Michigan! My focus is media psychology and media effects, especially on kids.

My first schedule was 4 solo with faculty, 4 solo with a grad student, a social with just grad students, and a social with all students and faculty.

I have a last minute application and one of my letter writers is currently on sabbatical. They did not upload their letter in time and I can’t reach them. I’ve been offered the chance to have another person write me a letter, but I’m at a loss. Is it appropriate to have my undergraduate advisor write me a letter? Or is that not an acceptable person?

If anyone was still curious about CU Boulder, I emailed to ask about invitations and rejection status and was told that if you didn’t receive an invite, you might be waitlisted and that you can contact your POIs to find out. Otherwise, rejections won’t go out until late March early April.

I would definitely contact them and ask them what this means about the following years. Is the first year conditional to the rest? Or are they expecting funding to become available after students graduate next year, or are they unsure about ever having funding for you. I think it’s fair to respond with questions, the letter is vague. Also, congratulations!

I applied to the biomedical anthropology master’s program (I am mostly focused on psychology programs but I have an anthropology degree too.) In the past I see they tend to notify much later around the end of February, but it’d be great to hear soon.

Congratulations! What program did you apply to at Binghamton? I applied there too, but haven’t heard anything.

I’m interested in media effects on children, media literacy, and media use so I applied to developmental psychology and communication PhD programs and the Childhood Studies PhD at Rutgers which is interdisciplinary. I applied to all with the same research focus and tried to highlight my background as an asset. I also have a background in film which I hoped would help. It’s so interesting how every school has a different take on things.

Interesting. I had never heard of discipline hopping. I have degrees in psychology and anthropology and my interest is in media psychology. So far I’ve been invited to UCSB’s open house and encouraged to apply to another comm program after consulting a professor in it. I would think a master’s in another area would be a benefit if it ties into your research topic.

You have to remember that not everyone who applies uses this forum or reports their results, so it’s hard to tell how many are admitted just from looking at the results section.

I was told in a class my anthropology department does for students about to graduate that when it comes to hiring anthropology professors, the overall hiring is down for everyone except for those at a few elite schools where those people tend to get hired most often. I guess someone measured this and made a chart or something? So take that for what you will. I’m also in psychology, and in that field I think it matters most what work (and how much) you do, not where you do it. I think for anthropology, if your research focus is one that could also work teaching in other departments, like East Asian studies, that might make a difference more than the school,but I don’t know. I think others can probably speak on this better, but I wanted to share what I was told.

So after all the drama of my sickness and the 8 interview schedule, I don’t even get to go to the interview weekend because of the polar vortex! I am instead going on Monday to meet my POI and their grad student and maybe a couple other professors along with another student who couldn’t make the weekend. I have to say I’m relieved at least to be able to get some more rest before I go, even if I am missing a midterm!

Well. No interview weekend for me! My flight was canceled, rebooked, and canceled again. Fortunately there is another applicant who couldn’t come for the weekend and so I’m able to come meet my POI and a couple other people on Monday, (and miss a midterm!) but I won’t get to have the whole experience. Thanks polar vortex!

I am interviewing at UCLA on Friday (weather permitting!), sorry.

I am also older and unconventional (so unconventional that I am also straight out of undergrad) and one of my POIs picked me basically for that reason. I really think that being older is a bonus in terms of feeling more confident around professionals and life experience. Good luck with your interview!

I received a mass rejection email from a program like two weeks ago and my application still says "submitted" so I don't think that they all update their portals.

Hi, which school is this? Wisconsin or UCSB? My open house invite from UCSB said that decisions would be made shortly after the open house, so I didn’t think they would admit anyone before then.

I just got my interview schedule and I’m meeting with 3 professors who are not my POI and a couple are also not people I listed as alternates. I’m planning to read some of their most recent work. I’m also meeting with 4 grad students, some of other professors I’m not meeting with, so I’m going to read a bit about their labs too.

For my other interview, I was told in the invite that I would be staying in a hotel room with two other applicants. I think that’s probably normal when it comes to putting applicants up.

Yeah, my grad student host told me it’s not as stressful as it seems, that it’s mostly about seeing if I’m a good fit, but that was before she sent me the schedule! I have an exam the following Monday, and with the weather, I’m looking at 12 hour travel days on each side. I’m trying to get my vitamins, meds, and sleep in, but stressing about this is making it worse. Thank you for all of your responses. I’m trying to remember that I was invited because they want me to be the right fit, no one is hoping I’ll fail!

Holy crap you guys, I just got my schedule for my interview weekend this weekend and I have 8 interviews! Is this normal? I’m meeting with 4 grad students and 3 professors separately for 30 minutes each and my POI for an hour. All in one day! And did I mention I’m sick? ?

My interview is this weekend. I leave Thursday if the polar vortex lets me, and I’m sick! Serious head cold. I’m panicking. Not sure how I’m going to make it through and seem like an ideal candidate!

Oh sorry, Virginia. I saw you already had gotten info for Brown and my brain just skipped a step!

Not sure what department you’re interested in, but I know that social and I believe developmental have gone out.