psych_applicant123

For what it's worth, I'm currently in a sociology PhD program (switching to social psych), and I learned this week that the applicant pool for our sociology program is noticeably *smaller* this year. Different discipline, of course, but shows it's possible that the increase in apps is concentrated at certain schools/certain subfields. The reasons for this, though, I have no idea.

Good points. I agree. Thanks for the input!

For programs not accepting GREs, do you all think that if I slip my scores into my SOP (in a footnote), the response will be an eye-roll? I ask because my scores would give me an advantage. Also, the test was not cheap, so it's a bit frustrating not to at least be given the option to submit! Thanks!

Thank you for the advice and perspective! Much appreciated!

Thanks for the feedback! My BA is in economics; I’ve been playing social science musical chairs lol. Would be great to hear what others think!

Sorry if I wasn’t clear—I’m in UCI’s sociology PhD program right now. UCI’s psychology department is what I’ll be applying to; they have told me that I need to formally apply in order to join their department, rather than simply switching in. .

Hey everyone, it would be hugely appreciated if I could get any feedback on my profile, as I’m not quite sure how I stack up. I’ll be applying for Social-Personality Psych. Thanks so much in advance! I don’t have a formal psych background. I studied economics in undergrad, and am now in UC Irvine’s sociology PhD program (will exit early with an M.A.). My independent M.A. research project was social psychological and statistical (and I will submit paper for review soon), but my undergrad research experience, while interesting (e.g., prison ethnography), will need to be cleverly framed as social psych related. Through this M.A. process I’ve discovered that I’m absolutely fascinated by positive psych, social psych, and personality psych, and can’t imagine doing anything else. I feel confident that I have the necessary requisite psych knowledge (via lots of informal self-educating, one graduate course in the psychology of motivation (received an A+), as well as T.A.ing for social psych and intro to psych). But now that the Psych GRE subject test is cancelled, I have no way to “prove” this. Any idea on how schools would interpret my profile? And any tips on what I can do to assess/improve my chances? I am optimistic that my recs will be strong (two from sociology and one from psych dept.). My grad GPA is 3.93 and GRE is 169 V / 158 Q / 4.5 AWA, which I’m quite happy with, but I worry that without a strong Psych GRE subject test score to lean on, schools will see me as unprepared for a Psych PhD. Aside from UCI, I’m only applying to schools that are a great research fit (UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, UVA, Penn, U of British Col.), but I worry that I’m shooting too high.

Hey everyone, first time posting! Would anyone be willing to give their perspective on my applicant profile? I apologize if this is an annoying ask, but I’m truly uncertain about my chances, and any feedback would be a huge help. Thank you so much in advance. I don’t have a formal psych background. I studied economics in undergrad, and am now in UC Irvine’s sociology PhD program (will exit with a terminal M.A.). My independent M.A. research project was social psychological and statistical (and I will submit for review soon), but my undergrad research experience, while interesting (e.g., prison ethnography), will need to be cleverly framed as social psych related. Through this M.A. process I’ve discovered that I’m absolutely fascinated by positive psych, social psych, and personality psych, and can’t imagine doing anything else. I feel confident that I have the necessary requisite psych knowledge (via lots of informal self-educating, one graduate course in the psychology of motivation (received an A+), as well as T.A.ing for social psych and intro to psych). But now that the Psych GRE subject test is cancelled, I have no way to “prove” this. Any idea on how schools would interpret my profile? And any tips on what I can do to assess/improve my chances? I am optimistic that my recs will be strong (two from sociology and one from psych dept.). My grad GPA is 3.93 and GRE is 169 V / 158 Q / 4.5 AWA, which I’m quite happy with, but I worry that without a strong Psych GRE subject test score to lean on, schools will see me as unprepared for a Psych PhD. Aside from UCI, I’m only applying to schools that are a great research fit (UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, UVA, Penn, U of British Col.), but I worry that I’m shooting too high.