socialpsych

Nope, Columbia. If you are thinking of Stanford or Haas, I think those will take another week or more (I think Stanford may notify next week). I already posted everything on TM. (:

Mulrich, what programs? Would you mind sharing? I have only heard from one of my OB programs...I think many of them don't interview, and I'm expecting to hear starting next week and into early March.

This fall at my school (medium-sized, private, prestigious) there were at least five articles in the school paper about how all the seniors were thinking of applying to grad school because of the economy. Like IvyHope, I wouldn't assume that anyone who wasn't thinking about it before this fall couldn't be a very competitive candidate. Obviously, there are fewer spots open due to funding cuts. Also, I have gotten a sense that many programs are looking for strong commitment before making offers, because they don't want to over- or under-admit so they can use precisely all their funding but no more. Of course applying to grad school in any year is no walk in the park, but I like to feel especially sorry for myself for having applied during such a tough, competitive year!

Hmm, I'm sure it's only a matter of time... If the results poster is here, could you let us know who your POI was? (or let me know via PM?)

SI, was that you on the results page? If so...sorry to hear ):

Charlotte, I haven't heard from Harvard. Historically it seems like they have notified in early March.

Not a sociologist but crashing this thread anyway... :twisted: I don't think it is at all unrealistic to expect to engage in outside activities. I am an amateur ballroom dancer and I know several grad students who also dance. Sometimes they get busy and start coming to practice a little less often, but they manage to keep it up. I'm sure it is a great stress releaser--it is for me. It's great to have something to work on in a different domain other than school. I certainly intend to keep practicing and competing through as much of grad school as I can.

20-30 is a ton! I applied to 10 and I already have a problem with schools thinking I'm not really interested. 8 sounds like a good number to me.

This morning, I had to write an email to two professors. I had forgotten that addressing such emails is even more difficult than addressing an email to ONE prof! Is it, "Hi Professor X and Professor Y"? "Hi Professors"? or just "Hi"?? I ended up going with "Hi Professors," but it still sounds awkward to me! :roll:

I'm not in lit, but I think this is a topic that's relevant to all fields (certainly other humanities & social science fields). For me personally, looking for insight into my "mental block" has not been very productive. Here are a few things that do help: - Practicing in front of other people. For me personally, practicing on my own actually doesn't help all that much. Of course, your friend or significant other may not want to sit through an entire presentation, but even just giving people a short summary of what you will be talking about can help clarify. For me, the anxiety-provoking thing is not knowing what the audience is thinking. If I feel like I know that what I'm saying makes sense, and I even know what points I have to push on a little harder in order to get them across, that can help a lot. Plus, sometimes friends and colleagues have restated things I've said in ways I really like ("I see. So your point is that XYZ?" "Yes, exactly!") and then I can incorporate those formulations into my talk. - Going to other people's talks and noticing things. There are very different styles of presenting that can all be very effective. Some presenters are soft-spoken but really clear. I appreciate presenters who are aggressive about answering questions, but also people who are more thoughtful and willing to accept criticism without seeming nervous. I like watching speakers take their time explaining something, pause a moment to take a drink or collect their thoughts before answering a question--I always feel weird about taking time when I am speaking and tend to rush, but it is good to be reminded that it's perfectly fine to take time. Also, it's good to notice the audience. People do not always make eye contact with the speaker. Sometimes they look bored or distracted or confused. Sometimes they ask critical questions or need clarification. That doesn't mean the talk isn't going well. I am able to realize that when it's someone else talking, but when it's me, and someone asks that critical question, my head starts going "OH NO OH NO THIS IS TERRIBLE." Realizing that it's not necessarily terrible, by remembering other people's presentations, can help. - Realizing that the fact that I struggle with this doesn't make me fatally flawed or unfit to become an academic. I know a postdoc at a top program in his field who deals with public speaking anxiety. He deals with it well--I have seen him present and he does a fine job. But it's good to know that this is something a lot of people deal with and that it need not slow me down in my career. Good luck!

I would avoid putting yourself in a position to have your grad school letters say "very, very good but not brilliant." LORs are really dumb in that (AFAIK) they are basically supposed to overflow with praise, and what differentiates fantastic from less-fantastic letters is just how specific and how strong the praise is. I had a similar issue with my main academic advisor and his letter recommending me for the honors program. Do you know any grad students who work with this guy that you can talk to for advice? Knowing a few supportive grad students is really invaluable for the grad school application process in general. I happen to work closely with a grad student, and I resolved my LOR issue by talking to him and taking his advice--and I ended up with an extremely strong letter from my advisor. Also, would it be appropriate to ask the prof himself about the letter? A lot of people advised me to do that in my situation; I just didn't have the nerve. But in my case the prof basically handed me the letter to read, so your case may be different--in your case I am not sure it would be appropriate to let the guy know that you read it. It is great that you are dealing with this so early in the process (I assume you are applying next fall?) so you have plenty of time to remedy the situation before you apply. In response to your question, yes, it will look bad if your grad school LOR specifically points out that you are "not brilliant." The good news is that you found out before the grad school application, and you may be able to fix it in time.

Good to know! Thanks for the info. BTW...apparently we are opposites.

I just (this morning) got officially accepted to a school that emailed me Jan 15th.

If the person invited to interview at UC Davis is out there, could you tell us whether it was a relatively generic email or a personalized one from your POI, etc?? Thanks!

It means you're most likely in. Most applicants who are recommended by the program get through the grad school and are offered admission. Congrats!!

Plisar! You DO know everything!

True, but it's still not a good idea to give the impression that you're definitely going to accept an offer if you won't (or aren't sure). If you're a student, it reflects badly on your school as well as you.

They might ask you anyway though. Which is not to say it's not totally unfair, but it happens. And, not to scare you, some schools (very few) are rumored to have rejected people based on perceived lack of interest/commitment. More likely they will ask you what other schools you have applied to and what your preferences are, and whether you have heard anything back. Feel free to list the other programs. Don't pre-commit if you're not in a position to do so--it will just be a mess later on if you decide not to go, and it's not ethical. Say something honest and diplomatic, perhaps highlighting concrete reasons you are interested in that particular program.

Well first of all, congrats!! Here are some questions you can ask: - What makes this dept/program different from other depts/programs? - What kind of student does best here? - To what extent are students expected to collaborate with other profs vs. just work with their primary advisor? (this might not make sense given your field) - To your advisor: how would you describe your mentoring style? (make sure to ask some current students this, too) - What kinds of jobs/placements do graduates get?

Haha. In my field this is interview season...so if you let them leave a message, it gives you a chance to prepare before you get back to them.

UC Davis social psych invited someone to interview. I didn't think I was going to get one anyway, but... Edited: they invited me too! Yay!

Yeah, private.

Unknown number could be a school. One of my schools called from an unknown number, and I know profs around here register as "unknown number" from their office phones.

I've had two school-related calls leave voicemails. I have actually been advised to avoid picking up the phone when it's an unknown/out-of-area number--so they better leave voicemails!!

Sorry about your panic attack, medianerd. I think some Stanford programs only notify via postal mail. MIT might, too. So it's possible.