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I/OWA

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    How old were you when you began your PhD in psychology?

    in Psychology Forum

    Posted · Edited by I/OWA

    2 hours ago, Psyche007 said:

    Yes, I am all for that!

    I don't hold a narrow scope of all young PhDs and you can't discredit lived experience.

    I'm not sure how you read "I've been around a few graduate students under 23 who have struggled massively..." as a blanket statement of "I think all young grad students are less prepared and less mature". I do think there are young grad students who are autonomous, challenging, and highly engaged and I think they're the ones that should be in grad school. Perhaps you are one of them.

    I appreciate that you don't think of yourself or other grad students as being sheltered or working on an academic reputation, but how would someone know if they were? If students are taught that certain activities are intrinsically part of grad school, what would they look for to know? You have self-admittedly spent the majority of your life in school. You've been able to earn 2 Bachelor's degrees and spend time volunteering in labs. If you've done that while working full time jobs to support yourself, then indeed, I salute and admire your tenacity and hard work because it is clearly impressive. It also looks as though you spent time developing yourself personally, something I always bang on about. But you are *not* the average grad student, just as I am not.

    I'm not just 7 years older than you. I'm 45. I'm older than most of my professors. I have spent more of my life outside of academia than inside it. I earned my first BS in about 3 years while raising my daughter and working full time and walked away from the idea of grad school for psychology because what I saw and learned demonstrated that academia is largely broken. I earned my second BS in 2 years in order to pursue medicine. But I felt that psychology could be saved, so I decided to go in to try and make changes, which means my perspective has been different from day one.

    I don't hold anyone's background against them. None of us control the circumstances of our birth. There is an attitude that exists, and you see it clearly on display on Grad Cafe, of elitism, snobbery, and disapproval. If you came here knowing nothing about the logistics of academia (like I did) you'd leave thinking the only way to get in is to be early 20s, with several pubs, a high GPA, and tonnes of lab experience.

    I'm generally contemptuous of that position and hang out here to offer a counterpoint. I came here looking for help, as I was in the first in my family to go to college and I am an immigrant. I read thread after thread on this board before applying and felt like there was no way in hell I'd ever be accepted to grad school. I didn't see myself represented, which I understand is an important element of encouraging non-traditional or diverse individuals to participate. Applying to a single programme and getting in first time taught me something, and my time spent as a grad student has taught me even more about the process and reality of it, so I stick around to offer support to those who show up and feel discouraged.

    Oh I certainly agree with many of the points you made. I am a first gen student myself and had no direction/idea about the process of getting into graduate school. I was actually told not to look at this site because it would be an awful comparison game (which it was) because I got into my current program off a wait list, while I saw many others getting accepted to multiple programs.

    I was certainly not trying to discredit your experiences/ academic journey, just trying to speak on behalf of being a younger PhD. And sure, it has been hard but I don't think it was something I wasn't prepared for or had trouble speaking to people about in order to remedy situations. I think a lot of it is just skills I learned through being involved in activities in high school and college.

     

    @SoundofSilence I think studying I/O teaches students right away to set boundaries. I also think my program and advisor specifically allows us the freedom to pick and choose what we are working on, so we again have boundaries through that.

     As an individual who loves both mentoring undergraduate students and working on different challenges everyday, I have exposed myself to the business industry working on applied projects and as an intern for several companies. So whatever path I may take I will be able to utilize all of my knowledge.

    How old were you when you began your PhD in psychology?

    in Psychology Forum

    Posted · Edited by I/OWA

    2 hours ago, Psyche007 said:

    I've been around a few graduate students under 23 who have struggled massively with the workload, responsibility, and maturity required to engage and be successful. I have had to ask myself serious questions as to what made them suitable for acceptance. The more unprepared students allowed into a programme, the more the programme becomes diluted in terms of complexity and intellectual demand and concentrated in terms of quantity of work. I've encountered a fair amount of basic busy work and my classes are largely unrewarding, but perhaps that is demonstrative of my programme, even though friends at other programmes say their experience is very similar.

    I think that students are better prepared for grad school if they've lived and worked in the real world for a while. You get to see how much of grad school is self-important posturing. It's interesting how sheltered individuals are who have spent their lives in academia. It is a rich and fertile ground for nurturing narcissism, encouraging obsession with politics and reputation, taking yourself super seriously, and doing things for the sake of establishing a career instead of contributing to the field, something I see as the essence of any doctoral programme.

    It's easier to get along with faculty when you are 'non-traditional'. Many seem pleasantly surprised and refreshed by a student who is autonomous, challenging, and highly engaged. Then there are some who just want you to be quiet and do as you're told. It's clear that they're very accustomed to dealing with children but not other adults.

    But hey, I didn't start undergrad until 30, so my experience has been different the entire journey.

    I started as a fresh 22 year old and I will finish my second year at 23. 

    Just like many findings in psychological research the answer is it depends. I graduated with 2 bachelor's degrees in 3.5 years and worked/volunteered in three different labs. I/O was not a concentration at my undergraduate university so I had to work even harder to be exposed to the industry/field. I worked in everything from being a Certified nursing assistant to a retail associate to an admission assistant. I attended an out of state college and got involved in three different organizations for my entire time (3.5 years) which exposed me to multiple people and life experiences.

    Just because I am at least 7 years younger does not mean I am less prepared and less mature. I had to work just as hard to gain experience in order to be competitive. That might be your experience, but is definitely not a blanket statement for everyone doing PhDs at my age.

    Perhaps my field naturally lends itself to contributing to psychology through applied settings, but I definitely do not think myself, nor the other students I am studying with are sheltered or working towards building our reputation.

    I guess my point is that it is important to consider how you phrase things because even graduate students who are not non-traditional students can be "autonomous, challenging, and highly engaged."  I am not trying to discredit your experiences, just encouraging you to not hold as narrow of a scope of all young PhDs.

    Organisational psychology books for Sport Psychologists?

    in Psychology Forum

    Posted

    Hi I/O grad student here. It really depends on what topic you are looking for. However, generally one known author is Adam Grant he has multiple pop culture books.

     

    Otherwise if you are looking for other topics to read about here is a list of authors you can find articles from:

    - Locke & Latham - goal setting

    - Ed Salas/ Steven Zaccaro - teams

    - Lewicki/ Dirks/ de Jong - trust

    - Amy Edmondson -psychological safety

    Fall 2021 Industrial Organizational Psychology PhD/MS

    in Psychology Forum

    Posted

    56 minutes ago, psycholokri said:

    How many schools did you apply to? Any advice? I am worried during COVID that I should apply to more schools than normal. 

    I applied to 11 I believe.  My advice would be to reach out to professors you are interested in working with to see if you have crossover in what you are interested in studying/researching. I would also ask the schools you are thinking about applying to if they are accepting students in the first place. It doesn't make sense to apply to a school if they are not going to accept students or if the person you really want to work with is not going to accept students. So in sum I guess my advice is to be strategic because applications take time and are expensive. Do not apply to schools without asking the questions above or you are wasting your time and money. 

     

    If there is a school you were interested in that is not accepting new students because of COVID, o ahead and replace it it with another that was on your list.

    Fall 2021 Industrial Organizational Psychology PhD/MS

    in Psychology Forum

    Posted

    On 11/12/2020 at 11:02 AM, Savannah_C said:

    Oh, nice! I thought that was a super cool thing they did, I haven't seen any other programs do that. It really gave me a better idea of each faculty member's research interests. I'm surprised this forum isn't more active, when I applied two years ago there were so many people applying. Either there's not as many applicants (great for us) or people just don't know about GradCafe. Either way, I'm excited to get the process started! 

    I am surprised to see there has not been much of a thread for IO considering it is extremely relevant. I applied last semester and now attending an IO program, so if either of you would like help or advice please let me know.

    Help with decision

    in Psychology Forum

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, 3rdgenpsych said:

    Hello GradCafe psych applicants, 

    I have a difficult decision I'm hoping I can get your opinions on. I am deciding between 2 clinical psychology PhD programs; below are my pros/cons of each school: 

    1. School #1: the research match here is perfect (my POI is doing the exact research I want to be doing in the future) and the students during the interview seemed really happy in the lab and supportive of each other. The building/campus is beautiful and in a really great location and I would be able to live in an area that I've always wanted to live in. The program has a really great reputation for the field I want to go into, has a 100% internship match rate in the last few years, and good relationships with externship sites. I've never heard anything negative about the reputation of this program. The only downside is that the program is not fully funded (I did receive a small scholarship).

    2. School #2: the research match is somewhat what I want to be doing, but not exactly. I got some weird vibes from the POI - he seems to be laid back and the type that I have to reach out to him rather than him being on top of me for meeting deadlines, milestones, etc. The school is in a somewhat ok location, but not as desirable, and the students seemed pretty competitive and intense on interview day. The building is run down and didn't really have a student lounge or area where students could work together. This school, however, is fully funded. 

    Some notes: I would not need to take out any loans for school #1, although it seems silly to pay for tuition when I was offered a fully funded opportunity somewhere else. But I really do think school #1 is a better match for me. 

    Would really appreciate any feedback to help make this decision. Thank you in advance! 

     

    From reading what you have, it seems like  you already have your decision made to go to the first option. Yes it might be a hurdle that it is not  fully funded but it seems like that is what is going to make you happiest! I had a professor who transferred grad schools because he did not like the PI he was working with. So I think having things that are a better match is really important because ultimately that is your boss and someone who will show you the ropes for what you will/want to be doing in the future.

    So just reading what you have from an outside perspective it seems like choice one is the one you are most comfortable with and see yourself going 

    Coronavirus & Academia 2020

    in Psychology Forum

    Posted

    14 hours ago, AndHereWeAre said:

    Not to add to the panic, but if there are some of you still holding offers and waiting to make a decision, it might be a good idea to make that decision in the immediate future. My university (public RI, typically five years fully-funded) just rescinded funding offers to those who hadn't yet accepted. Additionally, grads were told today that it was very likely they would not receive department funding after this academic year given the economic impact of the pandemic on the university.

    I want to emphasize that this wasn't the program's decision--we're all in shock; these decisions were made at the executive level. 

    Yup, I just experienced this. I was on quite a few waitlist and have just received two emails in the past hour that no additional offers will be made because of freezes on spending which is very heartbreaking.

    I/O Psychology Masters UIUC vs. UChicago

    in Psychology Forum

    Posted

    4 hours ago, cinnabon427 said:

    Hi guys! I recently got admitted into two master's programs and am still waiting on a few more results, but I wanted to see if I could seek some advice regarding where to go! I'm a psychology major with a specific interest in industrial-organizational psychology, and I'd prefer to work after my masters rather than go on to get a PhD. The two programs I got into so far is UIUC's LER program for a Masters in Human Resources and Industrial Relations degree, and the second one is U Chicago's MAPSS program for Psychology, which is the Master of Arts in Social Sciences. U Chicago has been my dream school since undergrad, but logically speaking I feel like the program at UIUC would be better for my goal of working (I'm also an international student). However, I really do not want to give up on U Chicago and I'm very torn? Any advice would be great, especially anyone who knows anything about these two programs!

     

    I was accepted into and I/O masters program too and after visiting I learned that the program is very centered on their graduates mainly going into the workforce. So I think finding out what graduates do after and where they go to work is key. If they both have crossover in the companies and types of jobs obtained after graduating, then I think they both meet your goals! Also just taking the time to research and ask the professors what type of education you will get will help guide you depending on what type of career you want.

    Fall 2020 Industrial Organizational Psychology PhD

    in Psychology Forum

    Posted

    4 hours ago, HopelesslyDevoted said:

    Does anyone have advice on how soon is too soon to start asking about your application status? There are a few programs that I still haven't heard from and even though it's probably safe to assume that they are rejections at this point, others have been rejected and waitlisted by these programs too. Does asking ever help or hinder your chances?

    I just got done emailing the rest of my programs! I think it is important because then you know where you stand! I thought a lot of mine would be rejections, but they are actually waitlists (fingers crossed), but a lot of places don't tell you until later because technically you are still under consideration if their top choices don't accept.

    In the grand scheme, I think it is worth it because it shows you are still interested!

    Fall 2020 Industrial Organizational Psychology PhD

    in Psychology Forum

    Posted

    10 hours ago, iam_sunshine said:

    How did girls dress? And what if it's like -10C? I feel like wearing winter boots but I am afraid it would seem unprofessional. 

    Living in the midwest all my life, you learn to do it "New York Style" bring a large professional bag where you would be able to put in a pair of tennis shoes. When you are in the building slip out of those and into your professional shoes. When it is time to go outside, slip into your tennis shoes! Also it is okay to wear a professional looking sweater or sweater dress. I think a good rule of thumb is that layers are always better!

    In terms of what to ask, you want to ask the hard questions to the students. Ask what the classes are like, if the PI you will work with is accommodating etc! I got done with a visit like this 2 weeks ago and it was really nice because you are able to relax and there is not the pressure to perform well in an interview etc

    Fall 2020 Industrial Organizational Psychology PhD

    in Psychology Forum

    Posted

    18 minutes ago, IOapp2020 said:

    The $200 deposit required within 14 days of admission is interesting...Maybe that's normal of rolling admissions?

    I agree. It makes me wonder how fast they would review the application and if they are just seeking that many people to enroll. But after reading the information it does seem like there is a lot of credibility in the program.

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