kaister

What about POI's who don't respond to "are you accepting grad students this year?" And there is no information listed on the websites. Do you think it's worth risking and applying? I just really don't want to waste $100 bucks when it turns out they're not accepting students. I also don't feel like pestering them with multiple emails, but it's coming down to the crunch time, so I need to make some decisions and cuts to my school list.

Hm that's a tough one. I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket and not apply just for one POI. I would still apply this year and see what happens, if you get in somewhere, you'd be able to talk to the faculty, perhaps visit on an interview and you'd have a better idea if you really like the place. You might end up really loving it. My view is that since it's so competitive, you should really just try as often as you can rather than wait it out for one POI. Then if you don't get in anywhere or the offers you got just didn't sit well with you, you could try again next year and have no regrets that way. Note that this POI may not be accepting this year but other POIs on your list may not accept next year if you wait, as well, since they may fill up their lab during this year's application season.

I agree with all of the above. I'm not contacting a few because all the info I want is listed on their websites. However, there are those cases where they don't have a complete website or they list their research interests but not current projects. I have found sometimes that's valuable to ask (if it's not deducible from their most current publications) because they may have a project they're just starting on that can be a perfect match for you or goes in a different direction that you were hoping for.

Ask about what research they're currently working on. Ask for copies of their publications. Anything research related would be appropriate.

I got a similar score. I've heard from some that this is enough for a cutoff for some programs and that stellar SOPs, LORs, etc would make up for it. I've also heard many recommending you reach at least a 75% percentile to be competitive. It's completely up to you. As for me, I decided to retake it, despite the time and agony it will cause me lol.

I don't think it's too late. I mean some schools haven't even started (those on quarter schedules) so I would say you're safe. Plus, as psychdork said, I usually only ask if they are taking students, that kind of email doesn't really have a deadline. That is, unless you're hoping to initate a further conversation about research. It's still early in the game!

Hm I wouldn't put GRE scores, because you're going to be sending those in anyways. I've never gotten advice telling me to include it. I would put research experience first, and that's how I see many other CVs organized as well. Awards are tricky, if they are tied into your education you can sneak it in up with your education section. I usually put "Publications/Presentations" after "Research Experience".

Thanks! I will definitely approach it that way. I will talk to her soon. The thing is I am passionate about the work she does, which is perfect. I just happen to have a completely separate interest that I'm also really passionate about lol.

Hey everyone! I took a year off after graduating (not by choice, I just didn't get in anywhere lol!) Anyways, I'm back home and working part time and volunteering in a lab at a nearby university. I just recently found a second passion and area of interest (which gives me more options when applying this season). Kind of perfect, that I found a lab that does that exact work (the one I'm volunteering in). I haven't yet told this POI that I plan to apply with her lab (she is a new professor and has no grad students yet, but will be accepting applications this season). Should I tell her asap that I want to apply to this university or should I wait a little bit and let her get to know me first? I've been working for about 1.5 months so far and I'm going to meet with her soon to talk about starting an independent project (which she is awesome and willing to supervise). Also, I wanted to ask her advice about other universities to apply to and professors that have this same interest, which I'm sure she'll have great advice for. Thing is, I still want to apply to schools with research in my OTHER main interest (which is not related to her work at all, cognitive), but I plan to ask her for LORs in my applications for grad school because she will be my most recent research experience. Would it be awkward to ask her for letters for applications to professors/schools with her similar interest? OBVIOUSLY, she's not gonna write a LOR for my application to her own university/lab LOL! But, should I just keep it separate, where, with the schools I'm applying with her specialty focus (social) that I just choose a different letter writer and just ask her to write the letters for my applications to the Cognitive programs? I'm just worried the applications I send to the Social programs, they'll be like "Why isn't there a LOR from her most recent research experience?!" I just realized how confusing this all sounds. Anyways, main point, would it be awkward to ask her to write LORs for me when I'm also going to be applying to work with her? Is that a conflict of interest? Thanks for the advice!

Prepare a list of your schools including the program youre applying, how theyre to send in their letter, due date, some info on the program and your POI. Also give them your cv and perhaps a writing sample to remind them of your work. Professors are used to writing many letters for one student. An organized packet full of all this info is the best way to go in my opinion. You could also write up the addresses on the envelopes for their letters if it needs to be sent by mail.

Ah...yeah I meant supervise. >_< Thanks I will take a look.

I'll be graduating in a week and moving back home for my gap year. A prof of mine is willing to sponsor an individual research project. Does anyone know of any resarch grants that arent specified for undergrads or graduate students? Its not necessary for my research to take off but it would be awesome to even get a little bit. My topic is on self-identity and multiracial/multiethnic individuals. Thanks!

Thanks for the advice. Im not really worried about grad school because then I'll be focused on one area. My grades for my major are all A's maybe 2 B's...and those were before i really figured out thats what i was into. I only get really frustrated with topics that are out of my area. Thats why i want to go to grad school in my field, because there i feel comfortable and energized about learning, not stressed and flustered lol. Same with GREs...hard to really get into studying something so generalized and standardized. I guess i cant help much about my GPA now and just try to improve my GRE scores.

Maybe your true passion is not in psychology specifically? Personally i found my passion in psych research through other fields and psych was the perfect way to pursue my research interests. Psychology is applicable to so many things, which is why i think so many people get into it. Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of psych that get you fired up? Maybe being flexible and exploring areas that are not so psych specific will help you discover an area you're really passionate about. If you ever have a chance to attend a psychology conference...going to talks can really help hearing about certain areas of research. I wouldnt recommend going onto a masters program if you have no idea what you'd like to study, narrow it down a little first.

I also suggest looking into social work, its very hands on and you get to give back in the way it seems you desire. The programs typically look for work/volunteer experience as well so I don't think having the academic degree will matter so much, though it can't hurt to take a psych or mental health class, something to show you understand the field.

I think the main question you have to decide first before you get into specifics is if you want to work with people one-on-one and your ideal is to help people through interactions such as that...OR if you're interested in discovery and research and whether that takes you to applying it clinical practice or research. Everything will come back to research, even if you go into a MFT type of program, there is still research involved there. So it's just a matter of what direction you want to go. If you then figure that out and still don't know what you specifically are interested in...my best advice is to seek out any opportunities to do work. Whether it be volunteering at research labs or shadowing therapists. Even taking more classes might help. I figured out what I liked from my research methods class, and I figured out what I hated from doing a clinical practicum. You will never know for sure until you experience it first.

Thanks for the advice all! Arcadian, that's what I was thinking, that it couldn't hurt to have the extra experience that maybe others in psychology don't always get. I would of course put precedence on research experience I get in the psych department, and if the bio one would hinder that I would not take it on. I'm just trying to find ways to fill my time in my year off and get as much as I can. But of course, I will seek out psych related experiences first, this biology one was just one that was offered to me, so I'll always have that as a backup. I already have psych related research experience, so I'm familiar with that, I would be out of place in the biology lab, but I figure it wouldn't hurt to learn new methodologies (and I do have one year coursework of biology major done, so I have sooome experience). The good friend is a graduate student, and from what I'm gathering, she has a large say in who the PI will let work in the lab, and he's a relaxed type of professor. Would a LoR from a biology professor be valuable? I figured it wouldn't, since I already have two LoRs from psych professors I've done research with and another one from a professor that knows me and my passions a lot better. Because of that I didn't even think to seek out a letter from this potential experience...

I'm just being really paranoid about my GPA, I've never been a person to be obsessed with grades, so I never strove for a 4.0, as long as I understood the material in class, I felt good about it, even if I got a B. I don't test well...I always get flustered by question wording, etc. Anyways, I'm wondering how much a difference a 3.5 and a 3.6 will look on my application. I'm also wondering what is more important: cumulative or last 60 credits (basically my last two years at current institution, I transferred a few times) and which should you list on your CV, or list both? Because my cumulative is 3.58 but my current institution is 3.67, but may go down to a 3.6 after this term. Am I right to be worried or am I being nitpicky? I'm wanting to go into a experimental/cognitive psych PhD program. My psych grades are all good. And if anything is it wise to include a sentence or two in my SoP about a C I got recently in a biology class (it was a upper division class and biology is not my area of interest or expertise, hence the lower grade, but I wanted a challenge) or is it not even worth mentioning since it's not my major? AND if anything, would it be worth it to take more classes post bac (I'm graduating this term) to up my GPA? Though I doubt a few classes will budge it much at this point. I'm not too worried about research experience because I have 1 year now, will be taking this next year to continue volunteering research. I have one publication and 4 presentations under my belt so I feel pretty secure about that (just a matter of continuing to get research experience). I have my LoRs set and may eventually get a new one if I join another lab, so that isn't an issue either. GREs are decent, though I could maybe stand to improve it a little...perhaps improving that would balance out the GPA?? (I can't remember off the top of my head what the scores are...but I know they're decent, not stellar).

While ill be trying to get more psych related research experience in my year off, i have the opportunity to do some volunteer work in a bio lab, stuff like food science and gene amplification (it is a good friends lab and they will overlook the fact im not a bio major, its free help for them). Would this sort of experience be valuable at all even if my research interest is not in biopsych or GxE psych (my interest is cognition, perception) Do you think listing these skills learned would help at all?

Yes! Excited for this program!!

This is a topic that's brought up every once and a while I assume, but I wanted to get people's thoughts on this. Is it better to take a more difficult course (where you'll actually learn something and you feel engaged in class) but risk the lower grade OR take an easy course where you'll cruise by and not gain much from. It's a sad fact of life that grad adcoms will look at your GPA and a lot of times just judge you by these numbers. In my case, it's a class outside of my major, so I would hope that it wouldn't bother adcoms that much, as long as they see my major courses are high. I just feel like it's so stupid that I have to sacrifice my money on boring "easy" classes where I'll learn nothing, just to get a higher GPA. I have to make the most of my undergrad time where I'll have this flexibility. I'm just kind of scared it may bite me in the ass someday. Granted, I'm talking about a C, which is not that bad of a grade, but once you're in the trenches of grad school applications, you start getting a little neurotic about these things. What are your thoughts? What do you think grad adcoms think about this?

Thanks for the advice everyone!

I've sent in some applications for RA positions over a week ago and haven't gotten any email back acknowledging them receiving it. Even emailed some labs to inquire about positions and haven't gotten emails back. Should I be worried and email again? Or is this just how they generally are? I'm scared they may not have received my emails or something. What're your experiences concerning that? I'm using my gmail email account rather than my edu one because I'll be graduating and don't want to keep myself tied to it concerning future prospects, but I know sometimes academia systems sometimes write them off as spam. Maybe I'm just being paranoid...lol.

Thank you for your encouraging words!

Grad school apps are like the most dysfunctional rollercoaster ride of a relationship you can have. I think what really sucks is seeing other people you know get into grad school while you're not. It makes you wonder if you're really that much more stupid than them or less motivated or just picked the wrong thing to get into. I know you can't compare yourself to others like that, but it's hard not to, especially when they're your peers. I think that has really set into me and made me feel that much more of a failure and I'm scared everyone will look at me like I'm stupid or ridiculous in thinking I could ever dream about getting a PhD. Like I said...grad apps can be so destructive to ones self-esteem. Sigh!