peterrr

Stanford micro-OB doesnt interview

I'll answer this, having applied to both I/O and OB programs last cycle. 1. If you're looking for a job in academia, ask yourself whether you want to teach MBA students or Psych students. These are completely different types of audience, with the former being less interested in research and generally more interested in learning practical things that they can apply in the business setting. If you want to teach in the business school, go for OB. I've been told by a well-respected I/O professor from a top I/O school that all of her placements have been in the business school, simply because the academic job market for I/O right now isn't that great. Also, there is quite a big pay disparity between psych professors and business professors. 2. If you want to have the flexibility of pursuing an industry career afterwards, you're much better off with an I/O degree as opposed to OB. Almost half of the graduates in I/O end up in the industry afterwards (I'm quoting this from a study; I can PM you the source if you're interested in further reading). If you're interested with a career in management consulting, human resources, or organizational development, definitely go for I/O than OB. I don't think OB greatly emphasizes training in traditional I-topics such as recruitment, selection and validation, performance appraisals, training, etc. You will get a lot of 'applied' skills in I/O. Also, my understanding is that in some OB programs, the discipline is geared more toward theoretical (basic) research, whereas the tradition in I/O is a scientist-practitioner model. I applied to both, but ended up choosing OB simply because after earning my masters, I realized that I wasn't very much interested in the I-side, and really did not want to go back to corporate. However, if you are undecided between academia and industry, I would go to a top I/O program that has a record of placing their graduates in top business schools and top consulting firms (e.g. Maryland, Penn State, Michigan State, Bowling Green, etc.) Good luck! PM me if you have any more questions.

I gave up my spot in Maryland. Last weekend was their welcome/visit day.

Yeah, I decided to accept an offer from an OB program instead. It was such a difficult decision to decline the offer from Maryland -- the students and the faculty were very nice, warm, and accommodating throughout the entire process. Still on the fence about SIOP...are you going?

I'm not sure what your program is, but I would look at these factors: 1. Research Fit 2. Graduate Placements 3. Quality of Life Obviously, both are top schools, so whatever you choose will get you a good placement after graduate school. I heard Ithaca is a very beautiful place, and I once thought of applying there myself, but I didn't think it was wise for me to do so, knowing that I love the sun too much and wouldn't be able to stand 7 or so months of constant grayness. I would suggest doing a campus visit and meeting the faculty so you get a vibe as to which feels right for you. Good luck!

I decided to decline my offer at Maryland; hopefully they'll offer my spot to someone else!

It says on their website that they only give partial tuition remission to accepted PhD applicants. I have heard from other people that funding is definitely an issue.

Very cool. Thanks for this information! Are you guys also controlling for the number of people currently in the program? I imagine that if there are more people (faculty and students) in the program, then that program has more of an advantage. Just a thought =)

Thanks for this information! Which years are included in your study, and are you only counting poster presentations made at SIOP? In the business field, I know that UT Dallas has been keeping track of business research productivity by looking at how many professors from each business school have been published in top-tier management journals. It would be interesting to see a listing of all the top-tier journals in I/O, and then track how many psychology professors are publishing in those outlets every year. Similarly, it would be interesting to see if we can make a distinction between the I-side and the O-side, and see what the productivity indices are per school.

Saw someone was also accepted at Maryland I/O. Yay! Is he or she around here?

Thanks everyone! Jillybean, I'll send you a PM.

I got an email from my POI at Maryland. Not an official offer yet, but she essentially said I was in the short list. I literally woke up the entire house when I read the email at 6 in the morning.

i heard the teacher's college of columbia university has a social-organizational program with an applied focus, so you may want to check that out. and yes, if you plan on going to consulting rather than academia, you may want to check out MBA Programs (with a focus on OB), or a master's degree in I/O, Human Resources, Organizational Development, or Industrial Relations.

anyone heard from Maryland yet? someone from social psychology posted that they received a university fellowship nomination. isn't the social psychology and the i/o program the same in Maryland?

Congratulations, fuddy! GMU was one of my top choices for I/O, but decided to withdraw at the last minute. Who are you aiming to work for at GMU? They always have a strong presence at SIOP...fun group.