PsychGirl1

Sounds like different fields have different transcript standards, which makes sense. I agree with TheFez though- you might as well just send it.

Do any of them have averages for the subject GRE on their website? Some will include it on their website even if it's not a mandatory submission. It would be helpful for you to get a few data points before you make any decisions. Here is what I had come up for rules with myself: anything below 600, I wouldn't send out unless required. 600-700 I'd probably send out but maybe not to the most competitive programs, who sometimes show averages in 750+. 700+ I'd probably send it out to everyone.

Good advice... harder to implement though! I've always been high-strung and horrendous at waiting. But I guess it will (maybe?) get easier over time!

Agreed it's a myth :-) Residency foms have to be filled out and it's pretty strict who will get in-state versus out-of-state.

Most don't want the transcript if the credit appears on your main transcript, but as Quant_Liz_Lemon said, every school is different. Usually they specify in their application instructions- if not, you can ask them or you can make a judgment call. If it's an irrelevant course to your grad program and appears on your main transcript, I'd probably default to not sending it unless their website states otherwise.

Scores come out tomorrow and I'm nervous! Although to be honest, I'm really not sure what I consider a "good" score versus a "bad" score- so that's making me doubly nervous. I only sent the scores to two schools that required it, but if I guess if I do well I should send it to me? Any thoughts on the cutoffs? (I've already looked at the avg scores of the two schools but they were wildly different since one is sort of my "backup" and one is a "stretch" school). I've been checking the website pretty much every day since I took the test- I suck at waiting!

(I mention public health because I'm actually doing a study looking at risky sexual behavior (actually and stigma!), and a lot of the background research we found on sexual behavior actually came from the public health sphere- we actually had problems finding good measures from the Psychology world to look at sexual behavior and sexual health. Obviously this might change depending what eactly you're interested in specific to sexual health.)

I understand your difficulty with finding someone who does both of your research interests. What I'd suggest is, when it comes time to find profs and ask if they are taking new students, email professors who do stigma work and talking about how you want to do stigma work (overlapping with what they do in their lab) as well as push the research towards sexual health. In my experience, I think as long as the foundation of what you're studying is the same (i.e. stigma), they'd be happy/interested in having you push the research also towards a new topic (i.e. sexual health). Doesn't hurt to ask in your "prospective student" email- in my experience people have written back with very detailed responses (ex. "i do a little of that, but mostly this, but we do have a trial coming up soon looking at that, so i think it could be a good fit"). At the same time, you might want to look at profs who study sexual health and mention your interest with it overlapping with stigma, or you might want to look at schools with strong public health programs who support integrative and cross-departmental research (they do exist!). If you're thinking of a master's program, it can't hurt to apply and then give yourself a few more months to figure things out before you have to make any decision. Some programs (threads have been on this board with lists) don't charge tuition, but some that do can still offer some funding opportunities like teaching, admin work, doing assessments, etc.

I'm only applying to one social psych program but things are going pretty well... like the rest of you, it's mostly my statement of purposes that is putting me in a "holding pattern"- that plus I'm trying to wrap up 2 things to add to my CV before I submit my applications. Fun fun :-)

(NYC as in, most of the schools in the area)

I'm not sure- but I've heard NYC is very psychodynamically focused, so you could definitely start there. Also, I think the Clinical Psych Grad Programs book that everyone has breaks down faculty interest/background by %, and I remember psychodynamic being one of the options (ex. 10% psychodynamic, 80% CBT, etc.). While it might be a more manual process than hearing through the grapevine, it might be worth a few hours to go through and highlight some potential programs.

Here's my opinion: don't rush it. I'm in a master's program and I'm loving it- it really helped me narrow down my research interests (I didn't major in psych, but did have a good number of psych classes and research experience). The department I'm in is quite competitive for PhD spots, and the PhD students tend to be older (like 25-26, some up to 30 when they start), and there tends to be a big maturity, professionalism, and experience gap between the master's students and the PhD students. Taking the time to get work experience, get publications, and figure out your research interests will only help you- both in the short-term and the long-term. There are one or two people almost straight out of school in my cohort, and honestly, you can tell right away. If you're not even positive of your research interests, what is the rush of trying to frantically apply now? You still have to ask for LORs, and none of the profs I know would be very happy about you asking in November for deadlines in a few weeks. You will probably be sloppier with the rest of the application than you would otherwise- personal statement, short answers, CV, etc. And apps are expensive- when all is said and done, probably around $125-250 each, and if you get interviews, that's again flight and hotel costs, up to $500 depending where it is. If you apply to handful of programs, you're suddenly talking thousands of dollars potentially. All of this for a fairly small probability that you will get in, given that you will be (essentially) applying right out of undergrad, and if you do get in, that it's a 5-6 year commitment. I'm not trying to be negative- I'm just saying think this through. I asked tons of people advice when I was figuring it out, and everybody had different advice (usually depending on their own career path). I collected all the advice and ultimately went with my gut and I couldn't be more happy with my decision. And as far as your indecision on master's, here is what I think: a lot of people end up in master's programs because they weren't "good enough" for PhD programs. So yes, some of them will have trouble getting into a PhD program at the end, because their stats, experience, and potential aren't high enough. But master's programs used in the correct way- for example, figuring out your research interests, getting publications, and "trying out" the PhD route- are only a great addition to your resume and your personal statement. No professor is going to look down on you in your application if you tell them that you did the master's program to finalize your research interests and solidify the fact that this is your passion and this is what you want to do for the rest of your life. However, they will look down on you if they sense even a tiny bit that you're not 10000% sure that this is what you are committed to, regardless of what experiences you've had. If I were you (and again, listen to all the advice people give you and then go with your gut- this is just my opinion), I'd take some night classes, find opportunities within your current research to get more posters and publications, try volunteering in a different lab with a health psych focus, study for the GREs thoroughly to get the best score you possibly can, and start making a list of programs for next year. As long as you do productive things within your gap year, and you address those in your personal statement, there's no harm in waiting.

Yeah, your name is usually on the application. Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about if that person is on the committee- I think it mostly boils down to your hard stats meeting their cut-off (GPA, GRE, etc.) and the prof who wants you in his lab. I feel lke if you have the stats and a prof wants you, there's not much someone else on the committee can do to block it (maybe I'm wrong, though?).

Most programs have information on their website about whether or not they will give credit for your previous thesis or previous coursework. If you know some programs that you might be interested in, you can check.

lewin00 +1 I was not a psych major, nor did I hold a psych-related FT job. I did volunteer in multiple psych labs (probably 3, some for years), took probably 10 different psych classes (including some at night while I worked full-time, and some in college and two of those were psych lab classes), and read psych-related research, books, and magazines extensively over the past few years. I also had a very strong analytical and research background, and went to a very strong ugrad institution. I decided to go the master's route and I feel that I would have been completely lost had I gone straight into a PhD program. My adviser still occasionally laments about my lack of background knowledge in the field, and the PhD students in my lab are ridiculously amazing. I sometimes feel that they were born with a psych textbook in their hand. I'm applying to PhD programs this year, and despite the amazing experiences I've had over the past 2 years and the amount I've learned, not getting in anywhere is a very real possibility. Taking some time to build up experience and make a decision is probably best for you personally as well as your ability to get into a quality program.

It depends on the PhD program. If the master's program is research-focused with a thesis, where you go likely gives you at least some credit. Some go as far as to waive your master's thesis (after you provide a copy and they approve it) and multiple courses, some don't give you any credit at all. So it really depends. I understand your concern about timing but if you're not sure that PhD is your goal, why look at those two years as wasted and instead look at them as your chance to learn more and make a decision? How much more time would you waste if you entered a PhD program and discovered it wasn't for you? Plus you have a degree in an unrelated field- you might be playing catch-up throughout the master's program, which will allow you to enter a PhD program significantly more prepared than you would have otherwise (and maybe get into a better program than you would have otherwise).

1- get experience doing research to see if you're interested in that (get a FT or PT job as a research asst, research coordinator, volunteer at local universities or hospitals, etc.) 2- take a few night classes at community college or things like that- abnormal psych, intro to counseling, etc.- get a feel of the different areas of psychology 3- if you're still unsure of research interests but want to go back to school, i suggest getting a master's first. it was great for me to finalize my research interests and walk into phd apps feeling prepared, motivated, and put together. along the way, try talking to as many people in as many areas of psychology as possible, with as many different jobs. get a feel of what they do day-to-day and what their career path looked like. in my opinion: don't waste 5+ years on your life (not to mention thousands of dollars applying and traveling for interviews) on something you're not sure about (aka phd program)

Yeah- I skipped about 5-6 questions. It took a lot of self-control, I hate skipping questions. Almost worst than the actual test is waiting for scores!

Hope it went well for everyone! It wasn't as bad as I imagined but there were definitely some things on there I had never seen before- weren't in my review book or in my past psych classes! I'm just glad it's over. Sucks we won't get our scores before the November test, though, since I would consider re-taking it if my score is horrendous.

I was just going to suggest USUHS- watson beat me to it :-)

Agreed with disillusioned. Plus, if you do end up reapplying next year, they'll know you're doubly committed because you were willing to go through the application process twice. And start developing your plan b during the application process so that if you don't get in anywhere, you know what you're going to do :-) I vote for taking some Psychology courses from a reputable online place (ex. Harvard Extension School, Drexel University, more I don't know about), which should be easy-ish to balance with a newborn, and maybe finding a lab to work in part-time. That way, it's not so much a gap on your resume for the year. Good luck!

Do they have an email for the master's program? Wouldn't hurt to shoot them an email and ask them about minimum or average stats. But just looking at your stats (frankly I don't really understand the new GRE system and I sort of don't want to) you seem like you shouldn't have any problem getting into a few master's programs. I'd apply to a few places just in case.

I'd look at the stats of their admitted students and then you should have a better idea.

Yes, apply. It's not mandatory they respond to you- it's not like, a part of the official application process. And in my mind, they are more likely to respond if they aren't taking students. If you honestly want to work with them, apply. Maybe it's their way of weeding out the people who seriously want to work with them versus not. And you never know, even in the small chance they're not taking students, maybe you will catch the eye of someone else at the school. Honestly, if you're borderline about the profs to begin with, don't apply. If you love their research, apply.

Honestly, I'd just apply now and interview pregnant. Your family life is really none of their business (in theory) and if it's brought up (or if you want to address it), make sure you know what you're going to say about future child plans. Ex- "yes, I'm due in XXX. That's why I'm staying around this area, so his grandmother can watch him while I go to school blahblah whatever". I think there will likely be some discrimination based on the fact that you're pregnant (i.e. they think you won't be as committed and full-time as the single 24-year old) but I'd find some ways to spin it positively. You could also address the fact somehow in your personal statement, esp if you're applying to work with children or anything like that.