cogneuroforfun

I don't know about your particular programs, but I don't think it is a good idea to plan to transfer graduate programs. It might be a little different since hopefully the CSUs and UCs work together, but most graduate programs (in general) don't take much, if any, coursework from another program. If you want to get a degree from a more prestigious program, you should figure out what you can do to get into that program.

It is perfectly normal to have to give your letter writers your CV, list of research experience, and other things, but they need to be writing the letter themselves. I'm hoping you just misunderstood the extent to which they were going to use what you wrote. The core of her letter could be based on your accomplishments, but it should not simply be what you wrote pasted in.

While its the exact opposite of northeastern, University of Arizona has Jeff Greenberg for terror management theory. That's all I can help about social psych, though I could tell you more about U of A psychology!

I had no publications last year when I applied, only an unpublished, unpresented undergraduate honors thesis that was half way done (plus lots of research experience that had not led to publications). Honestly, I don't think it matters one bit whether you have published or not, just that you have been involved in major ways in projects. Rather than focusing on your new authorships, how much more overall research experience do you have now than when you applied before?

Your stats look good, 4.5 AW doesn't matter. Depending on exactly what you want to study, cognitive might be a better area to apply to just because social likely gets more applicants for fewer spots (though that might be different for a specific program). You seem to be in good shape.

I have to get the equivalent of two A's out of seven classes and have to keep a 3.0 average or might get a talking to by the program and maybe some sort of probation or something.

Different field, but yes, absolutely you should consider placement rates. That being said, as long as the placement rates are at least similar between programs you're considering, you shouldn't worry about it. Looking at the schools on your list, I can't imagine anyone of them have poor graduate placement. Its more important that you attend a program where you can pursue research that you enjoy.

2900 miles, from the west coast to the east coast. Despite the distance, I couldn't imagine renting a place without seeing it and the neighborhood, and I didn't know anyone out here who could take a look at places for me. I ended up flying out a month before the move and spent five days finding somewhere to live. However, it only ended up taking two days to find the place I rented; I don't know if I was just lucky or what, but it really wasn't that hard, especially given that I have a dog. Craigslist is all I used. If you really can't visit before moving, I think you could find listings on Craigslist and street view the area, but even then its much different to see pictures of buildings and then actually drive/walk through that same area.

A lot of decision making research in business schools looks at charitable giving and similar "socially minded" pursuits. Saying that business faculty are serving evil corporations is like saying economists are only interested in making money. Business research is about business, not for business. Business research can focus on employers, employees, producers, consumers, work places, whatever. It has to do with learning about these things, not promoting the interests of businesses. It seems as though you think business faculty are lobbyists, which they certainly are not As far as whether you want to be in a psychology department or business school, ask the professors you see doing the work you admire. If there's a social psychology professor in a business school, ask them if they recommend that path, and vice versa.

Can't the OP keep deferring the loans while they're still in school, even if its for an unfunded MA program? I don't know how much tuition and everything will cost for the MA, but if you can keep working on the side and keep paying down your loans without borrowing too much more, it might be worth it. I think it would have to be a pretty strange situation, like a $5,000 a year MA and a job making $30,000 or so, but it could be worth it. It might be a good way to get some of the loan paid down before the interest kicks in. Of course, if the MA is any kind of significant money, you'll just be digging a deeper hole. I think this might be a good time to speak with a real personal finances expert, rather than a message board full of grad students.

The GRE is probably the least important part of your application. Its also one of the easiest to find info about. Almost every school and department I looked at had GRE and GPA of their accepted and matriculating students, at the least, and often scores for all applicants, too. Its things like letters and research experience that are hard to find info about and are much more important. Then ago, I know its hard not to worry about every little part of your application

I might have posted this in this exact thread already, but I contacted in mid/late June and applied in the last week in November. It was definitely not too early, as it helped me select schools and gave me up to date info on each lab's work.

I actually performed a little better on the actual GRE. On the two (or three, I can't remember) practice tests, I had 620 to 660 on verbal, and ended up with a 680. For quant, I went from around 750 (consistently in the practices, I think) to a 780. I think the verbal is much more likely to be different between testings, practice or real, simply because the specific words you get on one test matter much more than the specific math problems you get.

I'm all moved in and really loving the area. Whitney is a great street to live on. Edgerton Park is a few blocks away and quite nice, and so is East Rock Park. Luckily, it hasn't been too tough to find parking in downtown and the campus area, although I'm sure it will get worse when school starts back up. For big stores (like Target, Home Depot, Best Buy, etc), its just a quick drive on the 91 north for a couple miles. I definitely suggest trying to find a place in the East Rock area if you haven't looked yet!

See if you can find some online courses to study with, like MIT's open courses. Honestly, I think it would be pretty tough to absorb all the assorted information you'll need for a good score just by self-study. Abnormal, social, sensation/perception, biological, cognitive, methods, stats, I/O - there is a ton of information that is only loosely related. I took one or two classes in each of those topics (and more in cognitive psych) and I still had to go back and study my notes from 6-7 classes for about a month before the test. That's not to say you can't be successful. But I think you need a lot more structure and testing than self-studying can provide. At the very least, get a textbook for each of the subjects that the psych GRE covers. Go through the psych practice books, but also go more in depth using the textbooks to give yourself study questions and tests. Something else that might help a ton is taking an intro to psych course at a CC or local university to give yourself a basic overview of each of the areas. The psych GRE isn't really that hard, as the questions are not super obscure, but it covers a huge body of information. Knowing that, do whatever you can to really learn some of that info!

You should schedule your GRE a bit sooner if you can. You need to give yourself time to get the scores back, both so you can include them easily in your applications and so you know if you scored well enough for the schools you are applying to. They aren't the most important part of your application, but if you bomb them, your application might get outright rejected at the top schools in your field. Edit: You know what, I take that back. If you're doing the computerized general GRE, you'll get your scores right afterwards. The only reason to push the date sooner is if you want to give yourself time to retake them if you don't do very well (although I do not know if there is a minimum time limit between takings or something). If you're doing the subject test for your field, that first paragraph applies!

I contacted 12 faculty members, so I can give the other side of it As long as you're polite and brief, asking if a faculty member is taking students is easy and can help a ton. At the very least it will get your name out there, and is a way to get some info about your potential advisors (did they respond quickly, were they enthusiastic, etc.). If they aren't taking students and they're your only good match at that school, you're wasting $50-$120 to apply. At the best, the faculty might email you back and ask about your research experience and other things, giving you an easy head start. At the very best, many professors (that I have asked, anyway) save the names of prospective grad students who email them and make a good impression so that they can be sure to ask for their application, even if it doesn't make it past the initial GPA/GRE cutoffs or something. Its an easy thing to do that can be a huge boost to your admission chances.

I emailed during the summer before I applied (late June - early July) and had good results. As long as you do it a month or more before you turn in your applications, I think it would be fine. Ideally, contacting professors should help you whittle down your list of schools, as you'll find out if they have room, if they seem like a good research fit, etc. But you don't want to cut it too close to the deadline, because you don't want to spend the time on an application if no one there is taking students and you definitely want to give the profs a good long amount of time to get back to you.

I was a little too brief; this is actually perfect. Just make sure not to gush about how amazing their paper was. Mention that you are interested in doing the type of research they did in paper x or something, and that won't come off as annoying or pushy or anything. Also, try to relax and not worry too much. These are professors who love what they do (research, mentoring, and teaching) and they love talking about their work/lab/program. I got responses from 11 out of 12 faculty I emailed and all were overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. Of all the things you can do to improve your chances at being accepted, contacting professors with a brief, polite email is probably the easiest thing you could do and will make it much more likely that you'll get your application seriously looked at.

I'm going with 15.4" for a couple reasons. I need a powerful laptop to run Matlab and other things, so no netbook. I originally wanted a 14" or smaller for portability, but realized I'll need enough screen space and resolution to fit multiple windows fairly constantly. I definitely don't want to go over 15.4" though, because portability is still nice to have!

Email saying you're interested in their broad area, you're applying for fall 2009 (or whatever), and will they be accepting students into their lab/group, assuming poli sci faculty have labs/groups. Don't suck up to them and it won't sound like sucking up.

Honestly, I'm pretty sure that letter from a parent is going to count for absolutely nothing. If you're applying for a PhD, then the admissions people care that you can do good research and are a good student. Only professors (and to a very small extent, depending on your field, employers) can comment on your potential for a graduate program. You really, really, really need to get a third letter from someone in academia, or at the very least an employer or manager at some relevant job, i.e. a place where you helped do research. That letter from a parent is not going to cut it. Besides that, you look like you're in good shape. I think your amount of research is good, you just need to get solid letters from faculty!

I forgot to mention: we used Craigslist exclusively and were surprised how easy and nice it was. We saw a total of 5 properties before finding the perfect one for us, all found through Craigslist. We also had another two showings set up that we canceled. Besides people who owned houses privately and were renting, Craigslist also had realtor postings on it, too. We saw some from both, but none of them were terrible/rundown/horribly overpriced/etc. As for price, in the little East Rock square, we found one and two bedrooms from about 900 to 1400, depending on the size and street. Our criteria were one off-street parking space, close to the shuttle, a little bit of yard, and a safe-feeling street.

My fiancee and I just visited and found a nice apartment in a house, right in East Rock on the shuttle line. We couldn't be happier For anyone who can't visit before signing a lease: the rectangle between Whitney and State on the east/west and East Rock Park and Trumbull on the north/south is a fantastic area. Some places (and streets) are better than others, but nowhere in there was unlivable (that we saw). Just make sure you're close to a suitable Yale shuttle stop, make sure you see pictures, and Google maps streetview it! For the most part, though, you should be pretty good there as far as living conditions, price, and convenience are concerned.

You really need some research experience, I don't think there is much way around it :cry: You can always apply to master's programs. Doing well in an MA or MS will boost your chances of getting accepted immensely, especially in your situation I think: it will give you a chance to get involved in some research and show you can handle the coursework of a graduate program.