PsychGirl1

I think that most of the time, if people don't answer "research" to this question, they will be quite depressed after a few years. :-) For me, it's because I love research and that's what I want to do with my career.

I'm a good standardized test taker, but I feel like I'd have to put a lot of time in studying the basics again in order to get a great score (I took PSY 101 in 2004, if that gives you any indication). I've TA'd PSY101 since, but it's still a lot of stuff I'm not as familiar with now that my research has been more focused. So yeah, it's mostly just me figuring out if it's worth the time and cost, when I could be focusing on things such as getting publications and posters. I did make a list of all the potential schools I'm interested in, and only a small percentage requires the GRE psych. I guess I'll see if any of those end up on my short list :-). Thanks!

Hey everyone- I am currently enrolled in an M.S. program, and I'm planning to apply to PhD programs this fall. How important do you think the GRE psychology is? I've heard from a few other students that if you already have a master's degree in psychology, the GRE psychology recommendation/requirement is waived. I'll have to take it in October for this round of applications, which isn't ideal, but I'll do it if I have to :-). I know I could email schools to ask, but I haven't finalized (frankly, I haven't even started) my list of schools to apply to, and was wondering how much time to devote this summer to studying for the GRE subject test. I think there has been past threads on this, but if anyone wants to throw in any suggestions to me for studying or taking the test, that would be fabulous too! Thanks! - Lisa

Thanks!

I think that he just feels the timeline and scope are too tight for a master's student- I will have about a year to write my proposal, get IRB approval, get funding if needed, run the study and analyze it. I think it's doable, but I think he just feels that for a master's thesis, it isn't necessary. I haven't looked at any sort of national datasets- where would you find something like this? He does have older datasets, but they are kinda spread throughout the lab with various people having worked on them. I think that's what he wants me to focus on, and a lot of them do have tons of data and over a long time span. I guess it's just locating all the data, finding the variables, figuring out what hasn't been looked at, and then scoping some ideas out of things that are left?

I'm actually in a 2-year M.S. program, and as part of the requirements, we write a thesis. I have to basically pick a topic in the next 1-2 weeks, or at least have a very good idea of the topic. I'm at a loss (and I think I'm overthinking it as well). Since I'm only in a 2-year program, my adviser suggested that I poke around and ask all the other grad students what sort of data sets we have laying around and if I can look at them, and then use them for my thesis. I understand why he is saying that- he thinks I can get a much more comprehensive and thorough thesis if I use a large dataset versus trying to design and execute my own mini study (like a survey or something like that). But I've run into a few issues: (1) How do you go around asking people about datasets they, in a sense, "own"? I don't want to step on any other grad student's toes, or be presumptuous at all. I'm assuming that I'd have to look at whatever they don't want to look at, and only after they're done analyzing what they're analyzing. Our lab is fairly large and a bit separated by studies/professors/students- it's not like we have datasets that are just sitting around waiting to be accessed, these are things I have to track down and ask people about. (2) Is this the right way to pick a topic? I always pictured doing it top-down, the way I write papers: find an overall topic, read about it, pick an interesting sub-topic, read about it, and design a study that furthers or clarifies issues in that sub-topic. I'm a bit concerned because my goal is to get into a top tier PhD program when this program is done, and I want to make sure I maximized my chances at every step of the way- and I know my thesis will play a large role in that. How did you guys pick your thesis topics? Any suggestions for me? Thanks! :-)

I'm in a M.S. program (I applied to only master's programs) and about 75% of my class are people who applied to PhD programs, got rejected, and were offered a place in the M.S. program at my school instead of the PhD program. As far as I know, they are all happy, even though this wasn't their first choice (obvi they'd prefer a PhD program, but I think they are happy with the caliber of the program and the prep work it lays to help them get into competitive PhD programs in 2 years). Don't ever reject an opportunity without exploring it first- the master's program might be a total waste of time but it also might be a great fit. Good luck!

Jin, Put this in the Philadelphia city thread.

It's the ABCT (Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies) conference in Toronto.

Thanks!

Concur... it's probably ideal to find a rising star instead (although I guess it's a lot harder to figure out who will become famous eventually).

Haha thanks Lewin00. I wouldn't feel comfortable going casual- I don't even wear jeans to lab! (That's what happens when you work for a few years before going onto graduate school). But I'm glad that people aren't walking around in power suits. :-) I'll go business casual for my wardrobe. I actually worked in Dan Ariely's lab for a year in college, but he was on a continued "temporary sabbatical" that ended up turning into a permanent one. We communicated via email and his grad students signed for him on all my forms. If I ran into him, I probably wouldn't recognize him. And I have no idea what he wore day-to-day!

Thanks to you both! Great advice.

Soooo I am going to my first conference next month. I was looking for some advice or general thoughts on conferences. What should I make sure not to miss? What should I skip? What is the general dress code? Any unspoken rules or etiquette I should know about? Is walking around poster presentations useful? Should I try to network with people in my research area (even if I'm just an unpublished student)? etc. Thanks!

In Psych, the M.S. and M.A. programs are generally later, but you won't usually (at least from the ones I applied to) hear about your PhD programs before the Master's apps are due. Honestly, if you're applying to a normal amount of PhD programs (10ish?), it won't make any difference as far as effort to tack on 1-2 Master's programs, esp if one or two of the PhD programs also have master's programs that you can get deferred to.

You could also apply to a few PhD programs with good master's programs and check on your app that you want to be considered for the master's program as well. Sometimes, if they feel like you are a good candidate but just need more experience, they will reject you for hte PhD but interview you for the master's program. I'm currently in a master's program- which I love- and I know at least 1/4 of my class is from PhD applicants who got deferred to the M.S. program and didn't get in anywhere else.

No problem! good luck! :-)

PS SarahMarie, there have been tons of threads about this in the past few months (master's and tuition reimbursement), so search some old threads :-)

Sarahmarie, I know the Villanova master's program gives out a decent number of full tuition + stipend scholarships. I think Boston College does full tuition reimbursement and a stipend as well, but I think they only tend to admit like, 2 people a year or something.

Yeah, I'm a bit confused about the scholarship thing. You can get grants/fellowships/scholarships towards your research from external sources- check the APA's website, for example. But in general, all research-based PhDs will offer free tuition and some form of stipend to support living costs.

Are you talking about PhDs or some other degree?

I just started grad school this fall and I have a long commute- about a 15-20 minute drive to the commuter rail, then a 35-45 minute train into the city, then about 10 min of walking, depending where I'm going. With having to coordinate with train schedules and depending where I'm going in the city, my commute can take anywhere from 1-2 hours. I'm not used to a long commute at all, and I think a train commute is easier in some ways (can relax and study on the train, for example, so it's not lost time), it's also harder in the sense that you have to plan around the train schedule, worry about missing your train, etc. I've never really commuted to college or my jobs (lived in the city and had probably had 15-30 minute commutes to my job, and I lived on campus in undergrad), so this is pretty new to me. Pros: I have a lot more focus in getting my reading, homework, emails, studying, etc. done. I spend a lot less money going out and eating/drinking/socializing/wasting time. I feel more mature and I have less to worry about (where to park my car, moving my car for street cleaning, money, etc.). Cons: I feel like I've been missing out on some socializing and bonding. It makes going to events/parties more difficult, and I have to worry about where to park in the city, how many drinks I can have and safely drive, etc. It also can be tiring- if I have class 9-12 and a meeting at 6, then I know I have to stay on campus literally from 9-7. Add in my commute, suddenly you're talking about 7am-9pm day without going home or anything like that. I feel like it also makes me lazy with going into lab on off-days where I don't have to be downtown for any other reason, and don't have anything special to do in lab that I can't do at home = lose face time with my PI. The commute does tire me out a bit too. Overall, I think you just have to decide what is best for your situation. For me, saving money was heavily heavily heavily weighted in my decision, so most of the cons I just decided to suck up for a year or two. If at this stage in your life, you expect/want long hours in lab, or more of a social life, then commuting probably isn't the best choice.

I don't know much about their PsyD program. My father is a professor at PCOM, but in a different department (not in the PsyD program). I looked at the program closely when I was deciding on graduate programs, but since I mostly want to go into research, it didn't make much sense to me. Plus, the tuition was pretty cost-prohibitive unless it was something I decided I really really really wanted to do. I know a good number of people in their D.O. program- and graduates- who do enjoy it, so I guess there's something to be said about it. The area of Temple and PCOM isn't the best.

I know PCOM quite well... I thought they only had a PsyD program? (No research-based PhD or anything like that). It's also full-tuition. Is that what you are looking for? And depending which field/programs in Psych you're going into, 10-12 apps is pretty standard.

Thanks so much guys! Keep 'em coming :-)