Zencarrot

I received a 5 the first time, and a 6 the second time I wrote. The first time I followed the Kaplan structure for writing GRE essays (based on the textbook). I remember feeling confident about the essays I had written using this technique. I managed to get them done very quickly this way. The second time I drew elements from what I had remembered from the Kaplan structure but did not stick to it religiously. For example, for the argument essay I included a point for the opposing view in my essay and debunked it with my own argument. To be honest, my second time around I directed 80% of my studying efforts on the verbal section to try and increase my score there (I only received a score at the 65th percentile my first time writing). What may have made the biggest difference in my analytical writing score the second time around was my improved vocabulary. I was able to put many GRE vocabulary word in my essay but they didn't feel forced because I felt like I had a very good understanding of them. I'm not saying the key to getting a 6 on analytical writing is to use as many vocabulary words as possible, but I think that the graders can tell, even through a cursory look through your essay, when "advanced vocab words" are placed haphazardly into a sentence. A second thing that contributed to my higher score the second time around was that I had a greater interest in the essay topics that I chose. They tell you that the topic doesn't matter and that there is not prerequisite knowledge in order to write a great essay, but if you are familiar and passionate about the topic you are writing about, it definitely shows and it makes writing the essays a hell of a lot easier. I realize that I've provided you with some advice that isn't particularly actionable (i.e., I did better because of the topic), but having a good vocabulary will certainly help you with the analytical writing portion. Also, if you come in with a g. ame plan for essay structure that you like, and you feel comfortable applying, use it. The Kaplan method works fine, but it's not the only way to get a high score. Having excess time after you finish your first "draft" is important. The chance to proofread your writing is invaluable. Any opportunity you have to assess the logical flow of your writing or strength of your arguments will help you. HTH and good luck

You suggest including travel grants? Really? I received two travel grants in my Master's for conferences but I didn't think including them would help my case. I feel kind of bad now that I've already verified my application!

Log in to your SSHRC application and click "Instructions". Scroll down to the area that addresses referees. I've copied the instructions from the website verbatim: "If you are currently enrolled in a doctoral degree program and have a supervisor One of the letters of appraisal must be from your doctoral thesis supervisor. If you completed a Master's degree previously, the other letter should be from your Master's supervisor (or equivalent). If you do not yet have a supervisor, obtain letters from faculty members who have had sufficient opportunity to assess your potential, at the bachelor's or Master's level." HTH

Not sure how different it is up here in Canada, but you typically don't have to give much notice. 3 days sounds about right. What it really boils down to is the availability of testing time slots in your area.

Thanks for the feedback, guys. Much appreciated!

I've previously completed a terminal Master's degree and just started my PhD program this year. Of course, the internal deadline for SSHRC for my institution is coming up rapidly. Everything is pretty much ready to go except for my reference letters. I had two referees who had already agreed to write me letters, but I noticed on the SSHRC website that for students in a doctoral program, one of your referees must be your doctoral supervisor. I found this to be an unrealistic expectation considering I have met with my supervisor only two times and he has likely not had sufficient time to personally assess my abilities as a researcher. He of course has agreed to supervise me as a doctoral student which is evidence of his confidence in my abilities, but is it fair to expect him to provide a strong reference so early on in my studies? Furthermore, does anyone know of any exceptions that SSHRC has made to this "rule" they have in place? I know the federal funding bodies typically do not budge on their policies but I was wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences to me. I can't imagine that my situation is all that uncommon. Thanks in advance.

Yeah I think you can, but you need to buy the hardware up front of course. This can run you $400-500 with newer smartphones. Best bet is to get a cheaper smartphone that has been retired from a friend or something.

Awesome news! Glad it has gone so well for you!

You flew to a foreign country with a 12 hour time difference and rode a BICYCLE to the conference venue? lol. I'm going to provide a supplementary recommendation and say that a taxi is a more appropriate option. Especially when there is typhoon-esque weather. On a related note - congratulations on your first presentation. It's a great feeling of relief isn't it? I hope your paper was well-received.

Only one I use. That and PhD Comics, but I suppose that doesn't really count.

This is a pretty cool idea but I am skeptical about how anonymous reviews would actually be. In Canada, for example, professors don't have dozens of doctoral students or RAs at any given time and a detailed review on a professor would most likely be easily identifiable by same. I think it is a very cool concept but I wouldn't personally feel comfortable posting a review of someone I'd had a close working relationship with unless it was overwhelmingly positive.

I don't understand how you can say you "don't understand what students mean when they say they want to work in industry..." and then subsequently explain to us EXACTLY what you think it means. I thought you didn't understand? Did you start this thread because you had a question? Or did you just want to assert your bitter opinions online? My guess is it's the latter. Anyway, I concur with starmaker's post. Industry and academia are just two, clearly separate, ways of describing the general path you wish to take in your career aspirations after you graduate. I find it's quite an effective way of describing what you want to do because most people aren't typically interested in knowing what you want to do in any greater level of detail than that. Furthermore, there is very little degree of overlap between the two fields - at least in my discipline. This creates a clear divide in people's minds about what you want to do when you tell them. However, this divide unfortunate because I believe that both academia and industry can do much to inform each other. It is something I/O Psychologists are actively trying to remedy but are having quite a difficult time at it.

Look for professors who have similar research interests as you, regardless of whether they are in a psychology or business department. You can get a job in a business faculty with a degree in IO or OB (it is true that professors in business faculties get paid more / have better funding). More I/O programs adopt the scientist-practitioner model and focus on both practical skills and rigorous scientific research. OB programs are usually focused solely on research and some may have elements of pedagogical training (which is great if you want to be a prof). If you want a job in industry, I/O may be better for this. However, despite what some may tell you, you can still get a job in industry with a PhD in OB. In my experience (in Canada), I've found that students of I/O programs get much stronger methodological training than OB students. This is part of the reason why I chose to pursue I/O even though I was admitted in to both types of programs. Keep in mind that this is only my experience in thoroughly researching about a dozen different programs all within Canada. I cannot comment on the difference between I/O and OB in the United States.

You're not alone. I'm scrambling to get my thesis written for my defense in August and data collection hasn't even finished yet. I "procrastinated" by doing presentations at two conferences and taking an extra class my second year. My CV looks great but this month is going to be hell.

Managed to land a beautiful condo on William Street just west of Adelaide. To be honest, the neighborhood is great and I don't see anything wrong with Adelaide street itself. There are a few rough spots east, but I don't see the ugly picture that most people have painted about that area. Perhaps my opinion will change once I spend a solid 4 years in London.

I only applied to one school for my Master's and got in, but I applied to about 6 different schools for my PhD and got in to four of them. At the time I was applying for my Master's I was a bit rushed and had actually planned on applying a year later so I only squeezed out one application.

Seconded. The benefits of receiving mentoring from someone whose work you admire far outweigh any difference in the recognition you'd receive from having a first vs. second author publication. I think that in grad school, it is key to focus on the long term. This means placing an emphasis on building your research skills so you can start to pump out great publications when you're gunning for tenure later down the road. While you can certainly build your skills heading up a project as sole author, in my experience receiving mentoring from a professor has been a much less frustrating and effective learning experience. If you can find a professor who is willing to work with you on a project as coauthor that is even better. That way you get the mentoring and the glory!

I didn't even notice the date guys. Still a relevant topic - soak up all that wisdom!

Wow I hadn't even realized these threads were ancient history. I saw the new subforums open up and assumed that they had fresh topics in them!

It is common enough - albeit less so than the latter scenario that you mention. If you know you won't have time to juggle both RAships then it's not worth it. They are excellent opportunities, but if you are overworked to the point where your performance suffers in either domain then you will be less likely to reap some of the benefits of the RAship that you would have otherwise. Put differently: would you rather have two rejected or mediocre conference papers, or one excellent conference paper? Anyway, no one knows what you are capable of better than you, so the decision ultimately falls to you. Good luck! Rest assured that there is nothing wrong with taking on two RAships if you know you can handle it.

If you have a first author publication in a peer reviewed journal prior to applying to grad school, you'll look like a mega-prodigy brainchild superstar (at least in my field). All programs expect of you is some research experience. Having a conference presentation looks nice too.

I agree with mims3382. It's all part of the process. If your paper isn't scribbled on in red beyond all recognition then your supervisor just doesn't care enough to read it. Your first draft will never be perfect. I have had experiences where i've had to re-write an ENTIRE paper. It is a crushing feeling but it is better to come up with a new, improved version than to be embarrassed at presenting incomprehensible arguments at a conference in front of dozens of academics, is it not? Take it in stride and remember that your supervisor is doing this to mentor you to become a stronger thinker and writer, not to destroy your self-esteem.

I have been told that as a rule of thumb, the more dressed up you are, the more you will look like a grad student. You'll find that many grad students are dressed in a full suit and tie (regardless of the weather) whereas many professors will be dressed in business casual and some will even be dressed a little too casually (in my opinion). E.g., I saw one conference-goer wearing a dress shirt with cargo shorts and big brown boots with socks pulled almost all the way up to his knees. Very chic.

Tell him. You need to make it clear to your supervisor so that he understands the workload you are dealing with. There is nothing wrong with holding two RAships. I held two long-term RAships throughout the course of my Master's. I was extremely busy and had almost zero social life for a while but it was worth the money and the experience. If you believe you can handle the workload, then your supervisor will have no reason to be upset. If you are worried about him feeling like you have "betrayed" him by taking on an RAship with another professor (I can relate to this feeling because there can be a lot of egos and politics within universities), try not to sweat it. Even if he does feel this way, tell him that you are trying to glean knowledge from everywhere you can and that it is to your benefit to broaden your horizons at school. Need to be looking out for number one (after all, you are the one paying tuition and doing most of the work ) !

Yeah. Emailing first is an easier way to break the ice. There is always a chance that you will reach them at a very bad time with a phone call and you will be dismissed immediately. Aside from that, email seems to be the preferred mode of communication for many academics (at least in my experience). I have had a few awkward phone conversations where I have been forced to carry the conversation entirely on my own.