grimmiae

I think it is pointless to mention it now that I have mulled it over considerably. Either way I feel as though I am tokenizing myself in a way that feels silly. It has in a slight way guided me towards my research interests, but I don't think that is highly important to an adcomm.

I am happy to answer your questions. I don't mean for these answers to come off as harsh, but back a few years ago I seriously considered going into clinical psych., and after doing a lot of research I decided it was a very bad idea. Perhaps you will not change your mind as I did, but clinical psych is RIDICULOUSLY competitive. I am not saying that the competition should scare you away, but unless you are prepared for what becoming a clinical psychologist entails, I would advise that you take some time to really examine why you want your Phd or PsyD in clinical psych. if working with clients is what you want to do. 1. I'm not sure whether I want to get my MA and then PsyD or PhD. Is it true that I would have to start all over when I start my PhD/PsyD after getting my masters? I have found that asking this question will get you plenty of mixed reviews. Getting a masters, for some programs, can either hurt you, do nothing for you, or help you in a very slight way. Chances are that no matter how you utilize a masters program, you would have to start over completely once you got accepted into a Phd program. I am not really sure about how the PsyD programs work with this, but you can easily find out my sending an e-mail to the grad services coordinator for that department. Chances are yes. That is the short version. Masters programs are dwindling down to exceedingly small numbers. 2. Even though I don't want to be a counselor, I been thinking on getting MA in counseling and then PhD/PsyD in clinical psychology. Is this possible? Would I have to "start over" when I begin my PhD/PsyD? You could. Anything is possible, but more than anything, Phd programs want students with research experience, and lots of it. I've heard that many clinical programs could care less about your experience with "helping" people. In fact, I have heard that saying you want to help people is a BIG no no in your SOP. I would not advise going into a Phd program if you do not love doing research, if you don't love research getting your Phd is not for you. PsyDs tend to be ridiculously expensive. Keep in mind to that Clinical psychologists actually don't make much money at all. Unless you work in LA, have your own private practice, and work a lot to keep up with living expenses. 3. Can you help me with helpful websites/books that my have helped you as you applied to grad school? Anything would help! 4. Should I consider going into a general MA psychology program? This all depends, if you want to use the MA to get a lot of experience with research, it could be beneficial. But, if you do not know what you want to research, you could end up working with an issue that you don't enjoy. 5. What the best way to start a SOP? (From someone who got accepted into a graduate program, preferably) I can't answer this question too well, I am working on my own. Check the board where it says "writing an SOP" the link is something like that. 6. What about getting licensed as a psychologist. Should I get a PhD/PsyD program in a state where I "see" myself practicing. I wouldn't worry about this too much. I would suggest that maybe you should get a job where you directly help people. I think that this puts the job into perspective because if you work in a psychiatric hospital, you realize that a lot of people with mental illnesses don't really "get better". I am not saying that you can't, but it is very difficult, and it is often a process that can take years. Plus, you would get to see the inner workings of how a hospital works, and how the mental health care system works. Also, if you have a professor who also works as a clinical psychologist I highly recommend talking to them about your questions. But, I bet there is someone on the board who can better elaborate on these questions. I also think that looking into a book, just amazon it, would be helpful. Just make sure that is a book that is about the hoops you have to jump through to get a psyD or to get a Phd to become a practicing clinical psychologist. Good luck.

Wow. I like the lengthy responses to this. Math and writing for different disciplines matter in different ways. There are idiots in great programs, and there are geniuses in lower rung schools that could have easily been top students in ivy league schools, BUT, not everything is based on actual achievement. A big portion of education is unfortunately about where you are from, who your parents are, how financially stable you are, and who you know. We like to believe that we get everything based on merit, but in my opinion (a plethora of evidence also supports this), this is not the case. I think my biggest frustration in all of this is that I feel like the most valuable thing I have learned from studying for GRE is that it only measures how well you can take the GRE. (Yes, this is only my opinion). Sure, there is a lot of evidence to suggest the opposite, but really I do not feel as if learning a bunch of esoteric words will help me secure grants for research, or whether or not I know geometry will allow me to write a kick ass dissertation someday. (Least for my goals) Some days this whole grad school thing feels so arbitrary, you feel me? *sigh*

Yeah, for once the kaplan math review book came in handy, and I think I got the gist of it. I have roughly three weeks before the test, and I think I will be okay. Just panicking here....but if I review everyday for a good two hours, hopefully the GRE will fear me- or something silly like that...really hoping I get an experimental verbal section rather than an experimental quantitative section. Because that could induce sweaty palms and shallow breathing.

bleh....I will trust you on that. ETS confuses me when I read it for some reason, perhaps I will check my other books to see if they explain it in a way that I understand it better. Thanks.

Yes, I can see where all of the different perspectives are coming from. However I am happy to say that I feel more confident about my application. Resolving to write a killer Sop, and to put the extracuricular activities in an appropriate place, but not emphasizing them as a primary part of my application. They were valuable to me- as in it guided me towards what I am really interested in. And- since I posted this my research interests have become MIORE narrow and defined. I decided to drift away from morality and lean more towards research topics considering why we attempt to justify our prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination. I think that was part of the reason why I was interested in morality in the first place...I was interested in it because of those issues. Secondly, replying to the post above, I realize that my cumulative is a little bit low. Fortunately, it is skewed due to my freshman year, I got two Cs in silly classes, personal defense of everything to to get a C in, and Math 102. In my last two years of school, my cumulative is considerably higer, 3.8. Which, I hope that Adcomm committees will see that I improved greatly after taking a semester off, which was when I really got my "shit" together. It really is an insane process, and I re-wrote this pseudo working resume all over again, and it sounds three times better, however I am not going to bore anyone to tears with that. I realize in this process all you can do is control what you can, and try your best. I am studying like a freak for the gre, and I am reading many articles a day to make sure that I get those two independent projects in the works, by September. It is busy, but I am motivated enough to be an insomniac to get through the application process if this is what it takes. Coffee IV Baby. I think the hardest thing at this point is my SoP everything I write I feel like a cliche. I appreciate all the feebback, and I love this forum to tears. Crazy how much I feel as though I am maturing through this process. Thanks!

I need some help here... I have been using kaplan and princeton to review, and then I decided to look at what ETS decided to throw out for the quatitative review- trying to wrangle a PC to take the power prep still, I have a mac feeling alright about it until I read pages 35-39 of the ETS Math review PDF. Can anyone tell me if they saw coordinate graphs that were as complicated as this? go to http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/quantitative_reasoning scroll down to where it says "The content in these areas includes high school mathematics and statistics at a level that is generally no higher than a second course in algebra; it does not include trigonometry, calculus or other higher-level mathematics. The Math Review (PDF) provides detailed information about the content of the Quantitative Reasoning measure." Then browse through pages 35-39, I when I was attempting to read them, I was like "oh my god, this is way too complex I is this really something that would be on the test?" coordinate equations of circles? uhh what? Not a math major, and this is really challenging (multiple parabolas? REALLY?). You will restore me of my sanity if you can give me an impression of what kind of coordinate questions you may have seen on the revised gre, wasn't expecting this to say the least. Thanks to anyone who answers this.

well, to some degree it does. My research focus is on inter-group relations, stereotyping and prejudice (implicit measures mainly). But, a part of me thinks that maybe it biases me in interpretation? I am not sure if that is "direct" enough. Because it does affect how I see research, but in the social sciences, stressing a neutral/detached viewpoint is obviously quite critical as well. But-then again we all have our biases no matter who we are, or where we are from.

I was just wondering if anyone has any perspective on mentioning that you identify with a minority sexual orientation somewhere in your application /SoP?, obviously sexual orientation is something that is not as clear cut as ethnic background. Not really sure how I feel about mentioning this, but I do feel as though my orientation does give me a different perspective on a number of issues...Any thoughts?

This is so relieving to hear, I wasn't doing too great on the Kaplan practice tests- around 650 give or take a little. Powerprep here I come.

Ball State Offers a decent amount of tuition remission, with an 8,000 stipend and University of Nebraska, Omaha offers tuition remission as well as a stipend.

At first I considered these to be more personal questions, but my curiosity got the best of me, and I would really love feedback. I realize that this is a very long post, but if any grad students have the time to answer one, a few, or the whole thing, I appreciate it. Sorry for the long post, I tend to be overly verbose, and my mind is always filled with questions about grad school. I hope that this can also launch an interesting discussion for others as well. 1) my first semester of independent research did not go terribly, but my relationship with the professor as well as our research interests did not match in any sense of the matter. I do not regret this experience, in the long run it was beneficial. It gave me a thicker skin to criticism, and it forced me to push myself in ways that I never thought were possible. My relationship with the professor consisted of this: I would go into his office and he would set his watch for five minutes, and then he would get angry with my for asking too many questions and kick me out. He wanted to limit me to this survey data which ended up greatly restricting the kind of research that I wanted to do, and it ended up hurting my internal and external validity, but it wasn't like it was the worst first research project- I got valuable learning experience regarding how approach a research project step by step. Towards the last half of the semester he told me to not ask him anymore questions...at all. It was hell to say the least, and he ended up giving me a B for the independent research course. Due to this experience I switched labs, and fortunately I realized that my previous research experience with one professor is not generalizable in any sense. I am working with a new professor and we get along great and she is extremely supportive with my research ideas. In your opinion, would you "explain" this B on your transcript as a poor research match? (obviously I am not going to mention all of these minor details about how jerky of a guy he was, personally I just think he is burnt out and needs a vacation) I have other professors who will write my LoRs that can speak of my research abilities in a positive light, or should I not even draw attention to the B I got in independent research? I realize this is just an individuals perspective, but that is what I am looking for here. I really hope that this doesn't hurt me too much in the end, because I have more experience now and I feel more knowledgeable regarding pitfalls with crabby professors and confining- almost suffocating research hypotheses. 2) If you could make a list of "what I wish I would've know before I went to grad school" what would you say about your experience? 3) What is your perspective on masters programs? Do you think that masters programs hurt you in the end, since what I really am striving for is my Phd due to my focus on research and going into academia. 4) If there was a way to self reflect on whether or not I am cut out for grad school is there a set of questions that you wish you would have asked yourself before you applied and accepted the offer to your program? I am a very hard working and diligent person, but if there is something that I am naive to I would rather have that be apparent now, rather than later. I am also aware that the job outlook for professors is glum but I have examined all my other options and I do not want to go into a direct helping field like therapy, school psychology, or guidance counseling. I have already been helping individuals with physical and mental illness/disabilities for years. 5) in some of the research reports I am reading now have stats that I am unfamiliar with. They appear to be more advanced than a basic undergrad stats class. Should I be worried about this? If I get accepted do they expect you to just read a highly advanced study and comprehend every minute detail? Should I consider taking an upper level stats class in my senior year? 6) I realize that I do not have many awards or distinctions, some applicants I have noticed have recieved alot of obscure awards that I haven't really heard of, I slowly adjusted and switched my major several times before deciding on psychology. Do professors/ grad committees really like to see awards? 7) In my Sophomore year I took a semester off to really think about what I wanted to do in my life. Do I mention this somewhere in my application? It was a good thing, I realized that being a psych major was what I wanted to do in the end. Personal times of questioning yourself are definitely not a negative things in my eyes, but I was wondering if it is worth explaining this somewhere in my application. 8) and lastly if you could describe what a day in grad school is like as well any other bits of advice that is greatly appreciated. I also am I aware that some of these may overlap, but thanks for reading this long post if you took the time.

What to do in the summer? Haha my summer is non-existant. Working as an RA, and working at my other job as well. In the mean time studying for the GRE and reading articles on implicit measures of prejudice or stereotyping. But hopefully the study I write will turn out beautiful if all of this hard work pays off

Greetings all, As I noted before in a previous post I am a senior undergrad psychology student, and after about a year of deliberation, I have decided that the best route for my career goals is to pursue my Phd. in Social psychology. I think that maybe I have exhausted myself with reading an extensive amount of articles about grad school, and it is possible that I am "psyching" myself out. However, there are some questions/worries that I have about applying, that haven't been answered by....well no one out there. I was wondering if any of you you would be willing to answer some of these questions? If you have time, please send me an e-mail at breedoju@mnstate.edu I would post my questions on this form but they are fairly detailed/personal. I have tried e-mailing some of the grad students in the programs that I like but it appears that grad students like to enjoy their summers haha, imagine that. Thanks for any e-mails, and getting a number of e-mails would not be a bad thing- a more representative response!

good point, all of the schools that I am applying to have a professor that is within the area of moral psychology and/or an additional professor that has a research interest in either prosocial behavior or prejudice. I think my sincere interest will be reflected in these topics since one of my papers will be concerning morality and prejudice, and the second will be considering morality and helping behavior. Looking back on what I have written, it seems as though I have the perfect plan of attack. I certianly hope so, because I really thought about why I want to do this. But at the same time, I am practicing letting go of my expectations...I figure if all else fails I will go into the peace corps or go teach english in China. Haha how is that for a plan B?

Just looking for some honest feedback on this, sometimes I feel really confident and then other times I feel like I don't stand a chance to get into grad school for a PHD in social psychology. Working Resume -End of the spring 2012 I will have my BA in psychology -tutored and assisted with teaching in stats 1 and 2, and tutored for physiological psychology (1 year) -2 and 1/2 years of research experience, one summer as a paid research assistant. My first year of research experience involved finding sources and formatting sources for a professional research paper (not published, name not on it because my professor saw it as grunt work) I also wrote my own study on variables determining relationship satisfaction in second life and real life, in non-BDSM and BDSM defined relationships (not presented or published, just my first go around with research), In my second year of research (way more serious and professionally based) I am currently working with an eye tracker assisting in all aspects of research, testing/recruiting/data analysis. I have several projects in the works (reviewing literature now), one relating to morality and helping behavior, a second research study on prejudice and helping behavior/ or morality. I will be working under the supervision of one professor, also hoping to validate a helping attitudes scale and submit for publication, which my name would be on. Lastly, with these three research projects I plan to present them both at two research conferences (maybe three if they get accepted else where, this is largely unknown). So that is a total of three finished research studies that would be presented at, at least two conferences, one highly likely to be published. (This could easily be a whole page long, trying to condense this) *Psi Chi Honor Society *Vice President of Psych. Club 1 yr *Organized a local psychology conference New Leadership Institute: program encouraging leadership roles in women of diversity, I am somewhat diverse I suppose because I am lesbian/queer (I was wondering if this is a good thing to mention? or not?) *4 years of working with mentally disabled adults *1,000 Scholarship for good grades and financial challenges *Research Focus: Primarily my interest is in moral psychology and how prosocial attitudes/behaviors are related to how we conceive of the concept of "morals", I am also interested in examining how the "intuitive primacy of morals" functions when we encounter two moral intuitions simultaneously or a moral dilemma an example of this would be when we encounter a situation like "Sally lied to her friend Maria to avoid hurting her feelings" Some of us intuitively feel that is more moral to tell the truth verses hurting a friend, however others intuitively feel that avoiding harm is more moral. My question is if reasoning plays a role in this moral dilemma or if one type of intuitive primacy takes precedence over another honesty vs. harm. I am also interested in how prejudice interacts with our moral intuitions, because in the world that we live in today, it is clear that to some individuals certain prejudices appear to be morally justifiable, but to others they are not. I could go on and on about my specific ideas relating to these concepts. *GPA: 3.65 cumulative, GPA psychology: 3.85 I want my Phd in social psychology because I want to do research in an academic setting. I would however like to teach maybe one class that I am exceptionally passionate about- like a seminar or something. But other than that my main focus and interest is just in doing research, publishing/presenting.*Lastly I will be taking the GRE in the fall, I have about 3 months to really prepare so I do not see this as a big issue. I am a fine test taker, and with preparation I do not doubt my skills. Feed back please?! I would be delighted to hear about anyone's experiences in grad school and advice, if you are interested in doing some nerdy psychology conversing please message me and perhaps we could communicate via e-mail or something. Thank you so much for any replies to this post. I guess I just really want this more than anything, research is my passion and I hope that I am doing well enough to stand a chance!