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SocDevMum

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  • Birthday September 28

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  • Pronouns
    she/her
  • Interests
    sexual violence, feminist theory, gender conformity/traditional gender roles
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  • Program
    Social/Developmental Psychology

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  1. does it have to be? Not all of it, and not necessarily. Public health could be pretty close, and more easy to explain how it overlaps with your interests. However, you are wanting to get into clinical psych, which is obscenely competitive. if you don't do psych research post-bacc, you are going to have to work extra hard to articulate how this experience connects to your research interests (and research fit!) to potential PIs. I don't think a public health post-bacc would be a deal breaker; I do think it would be more beneficial if you were aiming towards a different field, like Health or Developmental Psych. I don't know what your primary research interests are, but wherever you go for post-bacc, try to find ways that you can very clearly connect the dots between that position and your research interests, so whatever pubs or posters you get could at least be considered adjacent to your area of interest.
  2. You're paying for a post-bacc? I was going to tell you that several people at my program did a post-bacc in between, instead of a Masters, but they were paid for their positions, they didn't pay them! I understand wanting to retake classes that you weren't as successful in the first time, and many times those can be found for a lower cost at a local community college, or you could take them from the uni where you are employed as a post-bacc - but why pay for a post-bacc spot? You would be better off taking a position as a post-bacc research assistant or lab manager, where you would get the hands on experience, opportunities for posters and pubs, and some networking while also getting a paycheck.
  3. Those are three very different programs, so I would suggest really narrowing down what your long term goals and research interests are. If your heart is set on getting a license and being able to work with clients/patients, than the Developmental program won't be what you need. However, if you are strictly interested in research and academia, than the Developmental program may work. So really consider what it is you want to do, in the long term. For a Developmental program, you may already be a good match experience-wise, as long as your LORs and personal statements are strong and convincing. Clinical programs on the other hand are notoriously competitive, and in many programs first-years are coming in with multiple pubs and presentations after spending post-bacc time in a lab or clinic. To make yourself a top-quality candidate, you are going to need to write personal statements for each app that can clearly state why you are an excellent research fit to the prospective PI/lab, what your long term goals are, and how your experiences have prepared you. This is going to look different for each one, so I would suggest practice-writing those statements now. It may help you clarify for yourself what your research interests and goals are, and then you will better know where to apply.
  4. What might be helpful, if you can do it, is to go to work as an RA or Lab Manager in a lab that does the kind of work that interests you. This would give you the experience you are currently missing for a future Masters or Phd/PsyD application, and allow you to explore what the options are specific to your field. You could network with clinicians and researchers and see what they have degree-wise, and get their input on where the field is going. Best way to find out what it takes is to get inside
  5. THIS. Ivy League doesn't necessarily mean better, there are several really outstanding Psych programs on the East Coast that are not Ivy League. Also, not to be a downer, but much of the PhD process is as much about WHO you know as what you have done. I agree with the multiple posters above - what kind of work do you want to do, that you think you need a Psych PhD rather than a JD to do? Also, why not Sociology? As you mentioned, you already have extensive relevant experience in sociology, and the topic you want to study is extremely relevant to sociology as well. You look like an excellent candidate for top tier sociology programs right now, but for psychology there is quite a bit of "catch up" you will likely have to do to become a viable candidate, especially for Clinical. Lastly - you don't need a Clinical degree to do that kind of research, either, should you decide that Psych is really it for you. You could easily cover that topic in a Community or Developmental Psych program. I strongly suggest reading up on who is currently doing the work you are interested in across the psychology journals, and see if it's a good fit for you
  6. Yes, thankfully tuition is waived for PhD students - they make their money off the Masters students, as @Clinapp2017 noted above. When I was getting ready to enter the application process, my advisors made sure to emphasize NOT going anywhere that wouldn't waive tuition. I'd love to see a union at my uni, I know several other graduate schools have them and have had some moderate success with improving the lives of their grad students through them. Such is Academia.... adjuncts and grad students carry the grunt work and get peanuts for it. Only way to push for change is from the inside, though.
  7. My program (and all the ones I ever applied to) funded your stipend through a TA or RA position, so there's no supplementing option. And when I say no outside work is allowed, I mean nothing that will send you a W2 or 1099 (in the USA) at the end of the year. I'm at a public uni, so my contract for my stipend is literally with the state, and if I'm busted working elsewhere I lose my funding. So unless I'm working for cash under the table, side jobs are a no-go... I am lucky enough to be married, and have teenagers that work for their own spending money, but even with that the cost of living here is killing us and I need to take out a certain amount of loans to keep a roof over our heads. Academia cares nought for the basic survival of it's graduate workers.
  8. So many things... How does anyone live on these stipends that are less than the cost of living when we aren't allowed to take outside employment? Balancing personal research and lab research/teaching/etc Preparing for comprehensive exams Surviving the publishing process How do you decide whether or not to stay in academia or go the alt-ac route after graduation? All the things!
  9. For real There are way more "nontraditional" PhD students out there then people must be aware of...
  10. Not to encourage your anxiety or anything, but most schools send out a couple rounds of interview invites, and invitations have been known to go out as late as February or even March - plus waitlisted candidates have to hang in until after the April decision date. It is still way too early in the process to be worrying - I know here at my uni, the profs are only this week getting together to review applicants and make decisions about who will be offered an interview first. Even if someone else has already gotten an interview, it does not mean that all invites have gone out from the program, so please do not base your feelings and decisions on what someone else claims to have received, there is still a long way to go. Until you get a rejection letter, you can consider yourself in the running
  11. This may be field-specific - in psychology, at least at the PhD level (and often also at the Masters level), we are required to list exactly which PI we are applying to work with and how we fit in with that exact lab. It is expected that applicants will have done the footwork in advance and not waste time and $$$ attempting to apply to PIs who are not taking applicants for that year. Also, PhD (and hopefully Masters!) applicants are highly encouraged to actively reach out to current and alumni lab members before submititng an application, to check for exactly those kinds of personality quirks or concerns. Other fields may not want that much specificity
  12. You would want to specifically mention this PI and how their research is a good fit to yours in your personal statement/letter of intent/whatever it's called in your field. Typically this kind of information comes mid way through your statement, explaining what kind of research you see yourself doing, and how the faculty and university are a great fit for that. Note: PI may have agreed you should mention them, but that shouldn't be interpreted as full-throated approval. You don't know who is will apply and how good their fit might be. This is your opportunity to expand on what you have already discussed and make a personal connection though your official personal statement in your application materials
  13. I think the sample I sent over was a short paper from my undergrad thesis, less than 25 pages including references and appendices. If you're GRE writing score is very strong, the optional writing sample is less important - however, if you did not take the GRE, or scored middle to poorly on it, you for sure want to send over something that reflects your ability to write concisely while still getting your message across. Technical is great - too technical can reflect poorly on you, though. Too much jargon and not enough depth will kill you every time. If the program doesn't give you exact guidelines, generally sending over a either a sample of a thesis or a well-prepared research paper is more than sufficient. Quite honestly, many of the PIs won't give your writing sample more than a cursory glance, unless it stands out immediately (in either a good or bad way). I would spend more time and energy on writing a killer personal statement, a diversity statement if the program requires one, and making sure your LORs are going to be stellar.
  14. Was this material related to your thesis or anything? If not, then it looks like you're being given the opportunity for credit of authorship by editing, which is not uncommon for undergrads, masters students, or PhD students without a lot of their own research already out there. That's a gift However, if this is supposed to have been your thesis or dissertation material, I would be concerned. As to what you can contribute - clearly he/she wants you to review and edit the formatting issues outlined, so make sure to be thorough at that. As for content, this is an opportunity for you to go over the fine details of methods and theory, make sure that all the necessary pieces are accounted for, and look for ways to potentially expand upon the already written portions of theory and discussion/limitations. I would definitely not send it back without a thorough review and at least a few additions or suggestions to improve it. This is a great way to show that you are thinking critically about the material, that you are paying attention to small details, and that you are not afraid to find and use your own voice. If they hate your suggestions they will just toss them out - but if you don't do any, it will look like you didn't even try.
  15. I would guess that the majority of quality PhD programs are fully funded, through assistantships, however, you will definitely want to review the rules for international students, at my uni there are different rules and regulations for international students than domestic ones.
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