Rhodo

Thanks for the replies guys, its been a while since i've checked up here, ive been busy. Hey bfat, I feel that. when my application process starts i don't think i will really talk about it for fear of those types of replies. I find that acting nervous/doubtful only encourages the people I talk to about it to treat me like someone who should be worried. The other option is acting confident and cool but I don't even see the point in that case, you'd come across in a better light but it wouldn't really alleviate any anxiety. (plus you'd look foolish if you were rejected) And recently, since I've posted this topic, I've been fortunate to have some really great feedback from professors, and that's what I try to stick to. They're the ones who actually see the quality of your work, not the family/friends who can only assume how you may perform based on what they know of you. So if your profs say you're doing well, thats a good sign in my eyes.

That's true Mal about waiting for everyone around to gradually become accustomed to your success. i feel like thats what it will take to stop these thoughts, or maybe not. perhaps i create them for myself and always will in order to keep me driven (i do enjoy the satisfaction of proving people wrong and surpassing expectations, doesnt everyone?). but thats a rather feeble theory, and the anxiety it causes doesn't feel very helpful. it is motivating to have the chance to prove people wrong, but at the same time theres that sort of added pressure and fear that comes from their doubt (or perceived doubt.) what if they can see something i can't about myself? buuuuut i will keep going. i go through waves of anxiety every day and in the end i manage to get what i need to done, so i can't see myself giving up unless i truly can't do something. wow i sound very ambivalent, maybe thats why people doubt me. who knows and to RedPanda (and good job doing what you want and going to grad school regardless!), i have learned a little about the imposter theory. i definitely feel like sometimes i underestimate or overlook my competence (even though saying that is a bit self-contradictory), but overall i think i have a good sense of what i can and can't do. i feel like my anxiety comes from interpreting other people's reactions (however a fragment of my imagination they are) as a reflection of my own worth. even though it is quite obvious that in reality, even if they truly thought i couldn't do it (and that i was borderline mentally deficient and should live in a group home ), it still doesn't really determine whether or not i could. (i've underestimated the ability of many people, and realize that people's assumptions about others tend to be based on a minimal body of evidence (relative to the person's overall life) so it is obvious that they should be wrong quite often.) unfortunately, anxiety doesnt really depend on the comforting objective truth that we love to tell ourselves, oh well. im sorry im rambling, i dont have a lot of opportunities to share these thoughts. feel free to reply with your own wall of text, i would enjoy reading it.

im curious if other people here have this creeping sense that, essentially, other people doubt they can succeed. at this point, and i realize it is irrational and slightly neurotic, whenever i discuss my plans to go on to grad school with a friend or family member, my mind automatically gets filled with some anxiety that tends to focus around the idea that they are thinking to themselves about how inept i am. any hesitation or pause in their voice is interpreted as a moment of reticence, like they're trying to find a way to say "you can do it" while ignoring the waves of "he'll never make it"-type thoughts in their heads. i understand the root causes of these thoughts are likely rooted in my own self-doubt and personal fears, but unfortunately these types of realizations dont free the mind so easily. obviously, i am rather stricken with a bunch of confidence issues, but i'm not really looking for sympathy or therapeutic tips ("just stop talking to people about it!" right?) in this topic, nor am i looking for people to motivate me to persevere. (I'm at a point in my life where i'm more motivated than i ever have been.) i feel confident, motivated and excited to keep moving forward, so these thoughts are more like an irritating thorn in my side. it would be nice to hear from other people who can relate to anything ive just said. even if you've got a slightly different breed of anxiety (god knows there are many), feel free to vent. its nice to know that there are others who are similar to myself sometimes. (it is obvious that many, many other people suffer from similar problems, but reminders of this fact that are not in the form of epidemiological statements are more pleasant, in my opinion) thanks for listening if you've made it this far!

thanks for the reply. and yea, I think I'm going to talk to the dean and find out what to do with my program. i think it would be more beneficial if i was taking more math or comp sci classes.

That makes sense. I probably don't need to worry about this, thanks.

Hmm I checked out that site and for Canada it seems that they don't have anything. Thanks for the info though.

Ok, thanks for the clarity!

Just to clarify--I can take the GRE and they'll hold my scores indefinitely essentially? And then I can have them sent to schools even a year or two later, whenever I decide to apply.

My university doesn't have the traditional /4.00 GPA system, and instead gives marks as percents. Has anyone else had to create applications like this? Every university also has different standards for letter grade equivalents of percent grades, so it's difficult to translate my grades into a 4.00 system.

Thank you so much for the helpful reply! I like the idea of using R for my thesis to help me both understand it and create a real QP project. I guess that leads me to looking for a good way to self-teach it. I know there's probably tons of resources between the internet and books. Is there anything you would recommend specifically? And I probably will contact professors elsewhere to discuss potential work, but like I said I still feel like I don't know enough to really contribute or even ask the right questions about their work. It's definitely on my list. And I'm about to enter my fourth semester (Year 2) as a Psychology major, but honestly I would rather be in a more Mathematics- or Computer Science-heavy course-load. I don't know if it's too late to change for me. It's something I'll talk about with an adviser soon. From what you're saying and what I've read, it sounds like successful applications have a lot more to do with Math and programming accomplishments rather than Psychology credits so I feel like I'm wasting a bit of time now. Hopefully by the fall this year I'll have it all straightened out. Thanks again for your information!

I'm not sure how that works. I assumed the GRE has some record of your scores and sends them to you or the university on request, or something like that, and the cost of it didn't even come to my mind. But if I'm understanding you correctly then you're not going to have to pay, but the scores are sent right after you complete them? As you can see I'm not too informed on the score reporting options. I would guess that the universities would hold on to your scores, but I can't really confirm anything. I don't know why they would throw them away, especially if it's only a difference of one year.

I'm definitely going to study. The plan is to study over this summer and get them out of the way soon after. Hopefully I'll do well and not have worry about them when it comes time to apply to grad schools a year or two later when I'll have my Honors thesis and other classes to worry about.

If I'm planning on applying to graduate programs in 2014-15 but took the GRE late this year or early 2013, am I taking any big risks? Does anyone have any experience with this? Thank you!

Hello everyone, I'm interested in pursuing a graduate degree in the field of Quantitative Psychology. Right now I'm still at the undergraduate level, taking a major in Psychology, and about to begin a minor in mathematics. I've done some reading about Quantitative Psychology and what the graduate programs are looking for in applicants. According to the APA (http://www.apa.org/research/tools/qu...ve/index.aspx#) [p. 3], a background in statistics (big surprise) and mathematics is beneficial, along with experience in data-intensive research. As I mentioned, I'm about to begin a minor in mathematics to complement the traditional quantitative classes that are included in a major in Psychology (At my university: Stats, Advanced Stats, Psychometrics, Multivariate Stats, and Research Methods) and I've just gotten a job as a research assistant doing tasks that focus on the data (for now its fairly simple data-management and analysis work in SPSS). I'm planning on completing an Honors degree, which would involve a thesis and presumably lots research focused around a topic that pertains to quantitative methodology in Psychology. Unfortunately, my school is quite small, and there isn't much support available from faculty regarding graduate studies in Quantitative Psychology. My statistics teacher, along with some other Psych professors, seemed to have little knowledge about the field as a graduate program. My Honors thesis is a year or two away, but I'm still feeling a bit nervous about it. I don't really know where to begin in constructing a thesis about quantitative methodology. My knowledge of the field is still quite young, and unlike other Psychology journals I've read, journals that specialize in Quantitative Psychological issues seem to be rather esoteric. I feel like I'm on my own in my pursuit in Quantitative Psych at this point, and some sort of guidance would be greatly appreciated. Also, programs like R, SAS and SPSS aren't taught at my university to my knowledge. Right now I'm planning to get a hold of the basics through reading guidebooks, but I'm not sure how much I am expected to know by the time I apply to graduate school (which would be in about two years.) Thank you for reading, and in case you just skimmed to the end (which I don't blame you), in summary my questions are: 1) What would be an example of a realistic undergraduate Honors thesis one could do pertaining to Quantitative Psychology? 2) How much knowledge of R, SAS, SPSS, etc would be expected of me by potential graduate programs? 3) Is a major in Psychology all that necessary? Provided I take all the necessary Quantitative methodology classes, would it be more beneficial to major in something like Mathematics or Computer Science? Thank you very much for reading all of this, I would appreciate any help/advice/answers you could give!