StriatumFire

Anyone else willing to share their experience in ABQ? I’ve lived a lot of places in the US, mostly suburban, currently living in SD. I’m generally very aware of my surroundings and take typical precautions when walking and securing my belongings, but I am somewhat concerned about vehicle and home break-ins. I know I can get insurance for my belongings but it’s still unnerving to hear how prevalent it is. Is the city showing any sort of commitment (including financial/city budget) to improve the root causes of the crime (i.e., housing programs, food security, substance use treatment, community building, etc.)? I know people may disagree about police presence, but these kind of programs can make a difference in safety for everyone, even in the short term. UNM is my top choice of doctoral program and I have an offer but I am concerned that I’ll be living in a city that I feel on edge/unsafe in for 6 years. Any advice would be great! TIA

I 1000% agree with this. It took me 4 years of undergrad, 3 years of post-bac research coordinator work, almost 2 years of a Master's to understand just how exclusive and elitist (not to mention racist) this system really is. I know faculty are in a tough spot, but the nature of academia and grants makes it nearly impossible to get even close to joining the system. And faculty will tell you the competition only gets harder in academia to get funding and tenure, mostly because there are more and more people getting PhDs, i.e., supply is less than demand. I don't know what the solution is to the exclusivity, but it seems like something has to give. And I encourage people who are doctoral students, postdocs, early career psychologists, etc. to push for changes in the system to make it more equitable and accessible to the plethora of brilliant applicants that get left behind, discouraged, and leave the field.

I just heard today that I received an offer. Honestly I’m shocked because they said they can only take 3 students total. I’m still deciding what to do but I promise to release my offer ASAP if I choose not to go. Really excited about this program though. Best of luck to you!