dherres

Luckily, I don't have to worry about a SO ( ?); I threw that in there for those who might.

Is anyone else getting pressured by parents/significant others/etc to go to a certain school? "When do you want to visit that school?" "We can use our sky miles and pay for your car and hotel." "Tell us as soon as possible because there's not much time left." "We can celebrate your sister's birthday another time if you should go this weekend." AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! YES I realize that this school has offered me funding! YES I realize that it's the smarter option financially! YES I realize that there's less risk involved! YES I realize that it's what I "should" do! BUT I want to go to that school instead....... I'm doing the best I can so leave me the eff-ing eff alone! I'm imagining myself as a nonspecific species of feline, backed against a corner, desperately looking around for an escape and trying to hold back clawing out the eyes of his trappers in a frenzy of frantic howls.

That is absolutely fantastic!! I've been worried for you since things haven't gone so well, and you're so well qualified, and certainly deserve this with everything you've put in. Congratulations!!

From what I've learned (or think I've learned, at least) from people on here, what carries the most weight in research is the quality of your own work. Even though Temple's program as a whole is known for its research, would TC make it easier to "stand out?" What I would consider is whether I would produce stellar research because it's on topics that I want to study and have a greater investment in, versus so-so research because I'm not as intrigued or excited by what I'm doing. As other people have pointed out, even graduates of Ivy League schools are having difficulty finding employment. I'd be curious to see their C.V.'s and compare them to those of some of the more well-known individuals in the field. Would the location affect your ability to network and make more/better contacts in the field? How easily do graduates of each program find work immediately upon graduation? And given the state of the economy, would the security of knowing I'd have a job (and a job that makes a difference in an area where change is greatly needed, if the philanthropy is important to you as well) outweigh other factors? (Aside: I'm considering TC as well -- do you know if all of their programs have that agreement with the NYC DOE?) Good luck.... I hate having to make these decisions between what my brain tells me I "should" do and what my heart pulls me towards doing.

I'm trying to evaluate that myself. I don't trust US New's "rankings," as the specialty rankings don't correlate with those for psychology programs. I'm meeting with several of my recommenders next week though, both in the psychology field, one in I/O specifically, and the quality and reputation of TC's psych program is one of the things I plan on discussing. I'll be sure to PM you with what I find out!

I'm really not looking forward to making my decision about which to go to. Yes, A is a straight-to-PhD with mandatory completion of MA along the way, while for B I'd have to reapply to the PhD, but.... I'm far more interested in the curriculum at B, and I've already expended so much energy over it, went up and visited, looked online for where I might want to live, which classes to take, etc. etc..... I'm incredibly grateful that I'm even able to make a choice, but in some ways, having more than one option only makes things harder. 19 days doesn't seem like enough time to decide on the next 5 years of my life.

Oh my god.... this is beyond wonderful..... Who did "Wolves of the Sea" first? Alestorm, or Pirates of the Sea (for Eurovision 2008)? I simply adore the latter's cover, it's so..... gay. I can't help but feel gleeful when I listen to it.

That's really great, congratulations! Following your postings throughout this time, I know that it really has been a struggle for you, especially since you have so much invested.... I'm really happy that things finally worked out!

I have an acceptance. This is quite unexpected. And I'm considering it, which is even more unexpected. Question for all: how did you determine the rankings of the various programs to which you applied? The I/O speciality ranking offered by US News is only for the top 10, and doesn't correlate with their rankings for general psychology programs (Akron's I/O is 8-ish, while the department as a whole didn't even make the other list).

I say give it a little bit more time. Two days doesn't offer one much time to do everything one might need to for a situation like this, when you're a full-time faculty member during graduate student admissions season. Additionally, she may not have reviewed your material until the day after your last correspondence, and then may have taken another day/night to "sleep on it." And she might still have other applicants to speak with and provide a recommendation for, and may be limited in the number of recommendations she can offer given the number of slots they have (I know I like to see what all of my options are when making a weighty decision at least). If the recommendation is positive and you're in, then the graduate school would give you your "next steps" in their acceptance letter in terms of saying yes to the offer, tuition deposits, possibly finding financial aid, etc. etc. And if not, then... well, there aren't really any steps that need to be taken, eh? Bear in mind that this is coming from person having no similar experience; it's simply his personal assessment of the situation as an outsider.

I'm undecided as to when I'll move.... it will most likely be to NYC (coming from Atlanta), and given the insane real estate prices up there I'd like to put it off as long as possible. My lease for my current apartment is up at the end of May and I'll be moving back in with my parents then, so it'll be easy working and saving up money! On the flip side, though, I don't want to wait too long: it was suggested to me by a current student to move up during the summer, giving yourself enough time to find an apartment and job before the semester commences at an apparently breakneck pace (coinciding with the start of September). All in all, right now I'm looking at maybe mid-/late July. It's my first time moving cities as an adult (excepting a year-long study abroad program to Ireland during my undergrad), so I'm a bundle of mixed emotions right now.

I'd be coming from Atlanta. Not quite as far as FL, but pretty close! When does everyone plan on moving up? New student orientation is on August 28th; I was told by a current student there to move up sometime during the summer as you hit the ground running once the semester starts, but I'd prefer to put it off as long as possible to save some money! Is everyone planning on working full/part-time while in school? Living solely off of student loans doesn't really sound like a good idea to me, but I'm afraid it's going to be inevitable to some degree.....

They have these questions answered on their website: http://www.tc.columbia.edu/o&l/OrgPsych ... chology%3F

I'll second that! For the past year, I feel like I've been unable to allow myself to really enjoy anything I do; all of my coping mechanisms involve emotionally escaping/avoiding. For a while, my only comfort was Zelda: Twilight Princess. Mmm..... lots and lots of Zelda.....

I should probably do the same.... really, I shouldn't have applied to Akron because it's really not a good fit for my interests, but a good friend of mine lives close to there and pressured me to apply, lol. What's the other school you're considering besides Penn State? Did you talk with other visiting students while at PSU about their thoughts/reactions to the school upon seeing it? (Sorry for the question, but I'm getting VERY anxious because I haven't heard any updates one way or the other about my status..... Ahhh!!)

A somewhat unrelated question....... but if the waitlist is ranked, will a faculty member tell you you're at the top regardless of whether you really are, kind of as a way to console you?

As did I.... I didn't call her back so she emailed a few hours later as well, lol. Siiiiiiigh.

These are Eff-ing awesome.

ANOTHER waitlist: Flattering, but not enough. Kill my hope now, please. Haikus help console My soul which mourns my future In academics. Back-up plan: teaching English overseas. Is it Just me escaping? All my PhD Rejections simply mean "Not Never, just not now." (Or so I myself to help me get through the nights.)

You know, portraying such an image never even occurred to me! I guess I just am one of those hippie/transient prospective students, maybe? I agree with another poster, though: desperate financial times call for "creative" measures (although it wasn't explicitly stated as such). Also, would the topic of your housing situation really come up in conversation with a student or faculty? And as long as you have facilities that allow you to clean yourself up appropriately, no one has to be the wiser.... if you don't mind a little dishonesty for the sake of maintaining your reputation, just say that your original plans fell through -- the hotel lost your confirmation number or somesuch -- and you had to find a place last-minute. (Although I probably shouldn't be condoning such behaviour.....)

It sounds like a wonderful place.... I've been in regular contact with Dr. Jacobs, and I've gotten a VERY good impression of the program just from speaking with him, as well as with a couple of grad students last fall. I'm glad you like it so much, but.... I'm still waitlisted so . Haven't heard from Akron yet. I'm surprised; I had expected to hear something this week at the latest.

What did you think of Penn State when you visited? I'm waitlisted there as well, but it's at the top of my preferences (well, tied for first).

I'm graduating with far more debt that I should be, too (somewhere around $60k, I'm a little scared to stop and actually count). And if I go to this MA program which so far is my only acceptance, in all likelihood that'll raise it to anywhere between $100k and $150k. And then there's the attempt for PhD acceptance following that...... My therapist said, though, that if it's something that you truly want to be doing, the pricetag will take a back seat.

I'm greatly enjoying reading this thread. I'm wondering, though, if all incoming students should have a required one-credit course on basic defenses against ninjas and pirates. Useful lifelong skills to have that undergraduate curriculums seem to be forgetting these days!

Side note: for those going to Columbia (TC or otherwise), they do offer services for students to assist in finding housing off-campus. Got to be better than going at it solo. Someone else on another thread elsewhere had mentioned something about learning to avoid certain trains/subways, and that New Yorkers would know what that meant. I'm not a New Yorker, so could someone please tell me what that meant?? Thanks!