LJK

I know I have posted about this before, but I think that getting an MA/MS can be beneficial even if you have good grades/experience. My situation is a bit unique as my BA is not in Psych but in another social science. I had very good grades (>3.8), enough to get me a scholarship for the first year's tuition and am lucky enough to have gotten funded for the second year by TAships. What the MS has done for me is allow me to figure out what I want to study. I am still interested in stuff that I have been interested in since my sophomore year and did empirical research on for my senior thesis. While I changed disciplines, I am really interested in cognitive science which transverses many disciplinary lines so it wasn't as big a change as it might seem. At the end of undergrad, I probably would have had one of the POIs that I applied to this year on my list - and she is my second choice at the particular university now. Jumping right in, finding what you are interested in as you do it can work for some people, but I feel like I am much more in control of my destiny (well, except for the pesky adcomms that could derail the whole thing) by taking the time to figure out what I want to specialized in before signing up for the program and advisor that will help me launch my career. If I am able to publish my MS research, people who follow my current advisor will probably think that it is a bit offbeat for her. I have had a lot of autonomy in exploring my interests as an MS student, and even if the infamous advise that the MS will count against applicants proves true, I don't think I would do anything differently because it has brought me to a good place for me. More specifically to your incurring debt question, I don't know if I would have finished the MS is I wasn't given funding for the second year. The experience and direction I got out of the first year (tuition free- living expenses me/my parents) was enough to set me on the right path and get me 'thinking like a graduate student' which is very different from thinking like an undergraduate. If you would have to pay for the MA/MS I would think about applying for non-student research assistant positions or some other related work experience to make money and stay involved. As a developmental psych applicant, another option could be to get experience working with the age group you want to work with - via day care, after school programs, substitute teaching, etc. You could try to augment that with volunteer work in a lab if the schedule worked. The main thing would be to do *something* that would augment your application for the next application round. One question I have for you though is are most of the MA/MS degrees at a different university than the PhD will be for these current grad students? Many schools require the MA/MS along the way to the PhD or it can be pretty easy to get via otherwise required aspects of getting the PhD mostly just needing some extra paperwork. I would be surprise to learn that my path of getting the MS as school 1 before moving to school 2 for the PhD is becoming the norm.

There aren't many benefits of having a common name (First Name = Top 25, Last Name = Top 75 according to namestatistics.com) but being un-google-able without another keyword is one of them. You can google my name + [uG University] and get lovely academic honors and leadership results but just my name leads to a collection of doctors, politicians, attorneys, small business owners, etc. that are clearly not me. It takes to page 8 for the first reference to me to come up and its an academically oriented page.

Here's mine!

Why would negative references not be allowed? There is a blog, Female Science Professor, that has discussed LoRs including whether to write a negative letter if asked for a letter by someone that the professor is not interested in recommending. The responsibility seems to be to let the recommendee know that the don't feel comfortable writing the letter or that they won't be able to write a strong letter but if asked anyway it is totally at their discretion what to write. I think I remember a story about a student asking, being told that the potential recommender didn't want to, then the student insisting and receiving a less than letter. I haven't read many LoRs myself, but my guess would be that most are fair and balanced mentioning the good and less than good qualities with an overall positive spin. I feel like a balanced letter would hold more weight than a letter that gushed about a student with no caveats-it would read as fiction.

My LoR prof asked me if I had gotten in anywhere yet - the one who has been serially late with my LoRs! I laughed at him and he didn't understand what was funny.

Is it possible to submit both? You should probably have the professor as your third but having the grad student as your fourth won't hurt and if he is as well respected in the program as you say, it will probably help.

Why do you say most schools want a narrative? The vast majority of advice on this forum and on other grad app websites seems to say: forget the narrative, show you are a professional-in-training. See the pinned SOP mistakes thread under the SOP forum:

I join the ranks of people who don't like coffee, but I also don't like soda, beer, and champagne. I don't like carbonation. What I find really funny is people who know I don't like one of these and know that it is about the carbonation somehow don't put it together that I wouldn't like the others. It is so awkward to not want any celebratory champagne... hopefully my future department won't mind celebrating my *knock on wood* successful defense with some other type of wine... or maybe I will request tequila shots On a completely separate note, I am one of a self selected group of people who have watched *all* of Star Trek, all of the TV shows, all of the movies. Even the extremely horrible cartoon with the original cast. And I did it during a period of 6 months. Actually I started right around this time last year as finals ended. I replaced my Star Trek obsession with applications (well after watching all of The X-files too). I wonder where my somewhat obsessive personality will lead me next? Maybe I will do nothing but research?? Wouldn't that be useful.

[quote name=hello! ' timestamp='1292650358' post='171391] @LJK: Sorry to go off tangent and if this is me being too nosey-- I noticed that you're applying to a lot of great programs, but why UC Merced? You're in a master's program and you have a full page CV already. AFAIK, UC Merced is not really known for their research.

For me I have the following sections: Basic Info (not labeled that but has my name, contact information and stats such as undergrad gpa, grad gpa and gre scores) Education - For each degree/school attended - degree type, dates of attendance, location, major, graduated w/ honors (if applicable) Honors and Awards - including scholarships, research awards, honor programs, etc. Research Experience - date, type of experience (thesis or RA work, etc.), supervisor, then a brief description of the research and what technical skills were gained Service - anything that I have done field related that wasn't course work or for my research Teaching experience - I have TAed as an MS student, but tutoring could go here if you have ever done that Professional Memberships - I recently joined an association to submit a paper proposal for their annual conference I also used to have a research interests section with some quick key words to remind my reader but I wanted to stay to one page and that was the first to go. Basically, an academic CV is putting together everything that is academically relevant - you shouldn't include working in retail during your summer vacations or anything of that ilk which would go on a resume. Edit: Also, if you are looking for examples, I would look and see if you can find grad student CVs. They will have more to put on than a potential grad student but will be closer to what you want than the CVs of professors who are summing up 20 years of experience.

As a current MS student, I have a CV that is 1 pg long. Its a little crammed as a CV - more resume style I guess. It will probably soon make the transition to being a 2 pg document, but I wanted to keep it tight for my grad applications. Just because I call it a CV and put things like research experience on and leave off experience as a sales floor clerk doesn't mean it has to go on forever. I think the key difference is that CVs are academically centered and with only 5.5 years of higher education at this point, there isn't going to be that much academic experience to list. And as the OP is indicating, usually for anyone regardless of age applying to grad school there won't be that much relevant academic experience to list. And if you have a legitimate 3 or 4 page worth, why not share it? If anything I think that writing curriculum vitae at the top shows that you are at least aware that academia uses a different standard. I don't think its a huge difference but those are my 2 cents.

If a school does not specifically say that they don't accept them, I think it is more than acceptable to send a CV. If they are not interested, they don't have to look at it. If they are trying to decide between you and someone else, having more information that might tip them in your direction is in your best interest. I highly doubt that a school will be angry with you for giving them a fuller picture of you.

Schools would prefer them to be in, but they generally realize that recommendations are beyond your control. A little late is usually fine, but if it seems like any are going to be very late (more that a week would be my time limit), send an email to the department secretary of the department you are applying to and explain the situation.

I have one professor who has not sent a single recommendation in on time. He probably won't do the ones that are due tomorrow until Friday or even later. His philosophy is that hard deadlines are for students and professors are given more lee-way. And he's right even if it is incredibly frustrating. Why do you think they wouldn't do it after the due date? My experience is that generally they will write the letters if they have agreed to, they just won't necessarily do it on your time table. If they say they will do it soon, I would believe them. Now if they haven't done it and a week has passed from the deadline, then I would go knock on doors.

I think it depends on the field you are applying to, if you would be most happy working with one of them or are truly content with any of the three to be your main advisor. If you are in a field where you have multiple advisors and/or don't have to choose prior to starting (do rotations if science or start with classes and choose your advisor within the first two years) then emailing all of them is probably a very good idea, any one of them might pull for you. If you are truly interested in working with any of them, emailing them all shouldn't be that much of an issue. But ultimately, I don't really know, I'm not a professor and I have never dealt with the politics of acquiring grad students. Unless their ego is humongous, I don't think it would be a big negative for you to be interested in multiple professors and have them looking out for your application. Edit: for your second point - I would email now because you don't know when they start reviewing, they could do an initial sweep before break.

Personally, I'm a polar bear (that's what my dad calls my mom when they argue about the heat being at 64 degrees in the house). I survived a semester living near the equator while studying abroad so I know I can do it (I took to taking siestas in a non-siesta-ing country though...), but I am much more comfortable with the air cold, bundled up in blankets and sweats. I only applied to one hot place - UT-Austin (well Nashville is probably pretty warm too). I think weather will play a slight role along the lines of what qualifiers are in the different departments. I won't turn down a huge list of positives just because the qualifier experience is relatively useless at a particular school (some schools have you do useful things like write a publishable quality review paper or start working on background work for your dissertation while others have you read 200 papers that may not have anything to do with your work and then timed test you.) I won't turn down a huge list of positives because a school is in a warmer location. But it will be on the list of things to weigh should I be lucky enough to have options.

First of all, just about everyone goes through this sort of self-doubt at some point in grad school. Parts of what you are describing fit into impostor syndrome where you are waiting for people to figure out that you don't belong in the program, that they made a mistake, which has been discussed on this site many times and is frequently felt in the first year. Being without a support network is hard especially if you have never been in the position of building one from scratch before. Is there a church of your denomination in the area? Or one that is multi-denominational on campus? That may be one of the quickest ways to gain support as isn't that what church is about to some degree - being a community? If your school has grad student events, go. Meet some people who may be going through similar situations. Only having friends at home will keep your focus constantly there. Sometimes the best way to relax is to play video games, watch movies, go out to eat or drink, whatever you like to do, with a group of people. Next, if 8 hours a day is all that is required of you and/or all that you can reasonably do and keep your sanity, that is fine. I know many upper level grad students who average 9-5 during the week and try not to work on weekends. Its about your style and your goals. If right now you are getting caught up with courses and your professors are happy with you that is great, and what you need to be doing. People who barely have time to breathe, a) have a program that demands it of them, b ) demand it of themselves out of a desire to be the best (and get publications, academic job, etc.), c) have an advisor that demands it of them, d) take an absurdly long time to do things that others can accomplish in a fraction of the time. In my program, all the first-years work long hours because they have a demanding course-load, but part of that is most of them want weekends free. There is one particular student who lives at his desk because that is what his image of a good graduate student is. You don't have to live up to other student's standards. If you are concerned you might not be doing enough, have a conversation with your advisor and make sure you know what needs to get done and when. As for getting a MS committing you to academia, that is not the case. Spend some time wandering job postings for meteorology jobs that you might want to apply for in a couple of years. Wander around the internet to see if you can figure out optimal qualifications (do they want to see experience with certain software? Being familiar with certain phenomena that may require a special class?). If you can't find info, email the people posting jobs, they likely won't mind helping out a student with a few minutes of their time. Work towards developing the skills you need to make the most of your degree. Going back to not holding yourself to other student's standards - if they are thinking academia and you are not, you shouldn't be working towards the same goals - for them it is publish, publish publish, for you it may be learn skills a, b, c, and d to a high level of proficiency.

I don't know percentages but at the program where I am getting my masters (not very highly ranked as it is a growing program rather than an established one), more than half of the incoming class (4 of 6) came straight from undergrad and the other two took a few years off. At least one of the straight from undergrad students chose between multiple offers.

I don't know think it is sticky, they aren't a Dr. until they defend and are awarded a doctorate. It's pretty cut and dry. Until then they are Ms./Mrs. or Mr. or Professor (if they have that job).

Does the position conflict with the program? Is the position for the spring semester and the PhD program starts in the Fall? Or is the position more long term? Or starts in the Fall also? If there is a conflict, would the RA position be your last choice? Or would you possibly choose it over one of the PhD programs you are applying to? (Pay off debt, better shot at the other programs in the future, etc.) I think you need to think about these factors. If the RA position might be a better option for you than one of the programs you are applying to, I would definitely apply. The timeline of the hiring also matters. Would you hear back from them before the schools? Would you be willing to commit to the RA position without knowing about the PhD application results?

It really depends on the type of person the professor is. I have a sort of similar situation. My senior thesis advisor is one of my LOR writers and he is cognitive anthropology but I decided to go cognitive psychology. He always makes comments about my being seduced by cushy labs over getting dirty and about what cognitive anthropologists are at the schools I am applying to. But he told me he could write me a strong LOR even if he thinks that I should be applying to anthro programs or at least to work with psychologists who have been known to consort with anthropologists. And I am confident he has. If your professor is as invested in you and proud to have had you as her student, I hope that she is similarly able to overcome her own biases.

Number of words is sort of ambiguous - I have an SOP question that specifies 1000 words or 6000 characters. 6000 characters lasts me to about 900 words (language, perceptual, conceptual and categorization are examples of frequently used words for me). I'm choosing to keep the body of my SOP within the 6000 characters and letting my references take up those last hundred words. If there is a cutoff in their application system, losing part/all of the the references isn't a big deal as my POIs are likely to be familiar with the articles anyway. The majority of my schools don't have a word limit, and my self imposed limit was to keep everything to 2 pgs single spaced. That might mean 1200 words in some cases but I think it is all right. I know that isn't how everyone on here feels but its the opinion of my advisor and some of my fellow grad students who are pursuing a phd where I am getting my masters.

Are you in a field where you contact POI's before applying? If so you could email them - it would serve as a reminder to look for your application in addition to letting them know about the blog. Alternatively, I have seen it on these boards before that departments will sometimes let you substitute out certain materials if the application has not yet gone for review. You could try emailing appropriate person (graduate secretary or coordinator, whoever the main admissions contact seems to be) to see if that is possible for a revised CV.

I'm applying to 10 programs and I have pretty narrow interests. I know what I want to study but there are different approaches to studying it that are being done at different universities. All of my POIs are interrelated - this person did a post-doc with that person and this other person collaborates with them both, etc. The main reason I applied to so many is because I know I could be happy with the research being conducted at each of these schools but I don't know how I will feel about the school/POI/current grad students, etc. all the things that will make me happy/content/frustrated/depressed over the next 5 years. I will get a PhD in any location - that doesn't matter that much to me as I will be again moving on for post-doc/professorship somewhere else - but I won't get a PhD in any department or with any advisor. I need to interview them as they are interviewing me. I am truly excited about each of the schools but I have reservations about each one: The new assistant professor who authors some of the most interesting research out there in my sub-field is perfect, except that he's a new professor and hasn't mentored students before - is the department culture one of each advisor 'owning' their students or is it more collaborative and not strange for me to have multiple mentoring relationships going on, preferably with some profs who have successfully graduated some academics. The professor awesomeness who is one of the basic names in my sub-field who has an active lab with multiple post-docs and multiple grad students is also pretty perfect but does he spend most of his time mentoring post-docs with the post-docs mentoring the grad students? How much face-time/attention will I get with this guy? The team of professors at University X who team advise students sounds pretty cool also, but would I need to stay at the intersection of their work or gravitate toward one or the other when I want to go in direction 3? The interpersonal dynamics are a huge part of getting the education and mentorship I want. Additionally, being offered a fellowship or RA position will sway me - having more time to do research over grading homework will set me up considerably better for the job market (presuming it results in more publications). I will have more of a chance at getting one of these positions by applying diversely. Finally, in my own department I saw the politics of funding being played out last year. They invited 10 students to visit for 5 slots. My advisor fought hard for a student she was particularly interested in but she already has a phd student and a masters student while there were faculty with no students. She didn't get a grant that she had applied for so the awesome, well-fitting applicant was rejected when they may have been accepted in another year. I don't know what kinds of politics will be going on but with the current economy those sorts of issues may be happening at more places than in the past. Anyway, I know that the above poster was careful not to suggest that people with lots of applications are trying to just get in somewhere but I thought I would give a rational for so many programs that involved not just trying to get in somewhere. I was careful while choosing schools to look at each school independently and ask myself "Would you go here if it was the only school you got into?" If the answer was not yes I didn't waste the money. So I'm not embarrassed by the number of programs - I was actually told I was crazy to be applying to so few when I had my list at 6 schools.

I have a recommender who is doing them piece-meal after the deadlines (gggrrrrr! 1-6 days late on every one so far). So it could be that he is not a do-them-all-in-one-sitting kind of recommender. I don't think it would be rude for you to send an email saying something along the lines of "This isn't due yet, you aren't late, but I got notifications that you sent in the letters for X & Y but not for Z. Is this accurate? I have had other recommenders do all of the forms in one sitting in the past and I just wanted to make sure there was not a software issue with the online form. The deadline for this application is ##/##." plus some personal touches to sound less formal If you are local to the recommender you could casually drop by their office to have the same conversation.