psychgurl

I'm just a little confused...did you receive official documentation of your admission? I looked up their info online and it seems vague at best: The department typically supports a portion of the graduate students as Teaching or Research Assistants The amount of support available for entering students varies from year to year, in accordance with the university budget and contractural commitments with the Temple University Graduate Students' Association (TUGSA) To be honest, I think it may have been naive to expect guaranteed funding, given this description. You could just say that you can't go without funding and see what happens...

My test center was in a big cube farm full of many test takers taking various tests. The door opening and closing wasn't too bad though. I may have just taken my test during a slow season (1 in feb and 1 in july). The proctors were considerate. I didn't hear anything during my test because I was so in the zone. If you're easily distracted you should bring your own ear plugs.

My program's financial aid office didn't contact me at all. I had to fill out a FAFSA (just google it for the website), which asked about my tax returns last year and basic info. It was forwarded to my school. I received a financial aid award letter from my school telling me how much I was offered. After that, you just follow the directions for filling out the Promissory Notes and completing the FAFSA loan tutorial workshop. I think financial aid is generally the student's responsibility, and the financial aid office at your program probably won't prompt you to apply for aid.

A word of caution about Kaplan classes (GRE at least): They move at an aggressive pace and assume that you have all of your basic math skills down. The instructor's advice for problem areas was just doing the overwhelming amount of practice problems in the back of the book and self-teaching. I found the class really helpful because I learned strategies for attacking problems quickly. If you can't solve the problems at any pace, though, I would consider Kaplan tutoring. I know you had a bad tutoring experience...but was that a private tutor? I just imagine that one-on-one attention for your problem areas would be more helpful than learning general strategies for people who are already proficient in math.

I would retake the GRE. Although 1200 is usually the official cutoff, I think that you're up against many applicants with 1300+. I've heard 1350+ is competitive. I think it's fairly normal to only be accepted to 1 or 2 programs out of 10 even with a strong application, so make sure you apply to a broad range of schools to optimize your chances of admission. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if you went out of a limb and emailed profs in your area of interest, they'd give you a volunteer opportunity of some sort. Especially during summers...the work may be pretty basic, but at least you can get back into research that way. Also- for next year, some schools (e.g., University of Chicago) allow you to apply to the PhD program, and if you don't get in, they will consider you for a master's program. This could be a way to incorporate fall-backs into next year's list of programs. It's not ideal, but at least it's an option.

i did one- dress up like an in-person interview, make sure the background space is clean and professional b/c they'll see this on camera, and make sure you test your skype beforehand with a friend to make sure it works. you can set the view so you can see yourself- i liked this so I made sure i didn't look like a dope good luck!

No, I think it's totally reasonable to ask, especially if you phrase it in terms of purchasing plane tickets. People normally like to buy their plane tickets months in advance. I work at a university, and my managers are super flexible for this kind of thing. Even if the official policy is 1 day/month, maybe you could not take a vacation day til December and use them all then.

I think that you're deflecting a good point by alluding to the one post of yours that didn't insinuate that you were smarter than everyone else. Yeah...the first post was only you being hypocritical, by telling us it's so pathetic to stick around these forums after getting into a program. By the way, congrats on getting into a program! Maybe now it's time to make your exit!

push through it! you can do it!

so wait....why are you still on the forum if you think it's so pointless? And even if you've only had 11 posts, they're mostly just pointing out how pathetic everyone is or making fun of what people say. It seems pathetic that you'd waste your time here if you think the advice is so bad.

ha, GRAPEFRUITS: I can always count on you to start sh*t on the forums. Actually, just seeing your username cues me in that drama will soon follow! well done!

Some things that I had to provide for my LOR writers (feel free to adapt for your students): 1. copy of unofficial transcript/cv/resume 2. a list of courses taken with this prof and the grades earned in each of those courses 3. if you worked in this prof's lab, the specific projects/tasks you worked on and which quarters you worked in the lab 4. list of each program you're applying to, including due date for the letter, any special formatting required, and a brief description of the program 5. any info you're hoping to be conveyed in the letter, because for some reason it isn't easy to communicate via other components of the application 6. if you worked during college, info about how many hours a week and what type of work 7. a copy of your personal statement (doesn't need to be the final version) 8. info about the specific mentors you're applying to work with (if applicable) 9. info about what you like about each program (specific line of research, emphasis of that program) 10. info about the degree you're seeking/what you hope to do with it. I felt like this list was so thorough that my LOR writers had a lot to work with. Hope this helps.

The RA positions in my dept are all 40hrs/week (hours are 9-5). They pay a little under 40k/year. There's probably a lot of variability, but my intuition is that if you can get a full-time RA position, that'd pay better than a stipend.

I would be constantly thinking about debt burying me alive if I went to IIT. I would do LA Tech. I'm not sure where you're from geographically, but a plus about LA Tech is warm weather, right? I am from Chicago and will be staying here for grad school, but I applied to many programs in temperate locations in order to escape the terrible winter climate here. It turned out that a Chicago program was my best option...I'm still happy that I can be here with friends and family. BUT, weather is huge! Keep that in mind!

To chime in: I'm 25 y/o with 5 years of psych research experience. I applied to 10 programs and got into 1 phd program and 1 fully funded masters. I applied to Cornell this year, and just from stalking these boards obsessively, it seems like that program in particular likes to keep a very small department. Your best bet is to apply to about 10 schools that aren't all top-tier. I would recommend that you pursue a full-time RA position in an academic environment instead of a master's (after all, a master's doesn't guarantee you admission into phd programs). I have had an RA position for 3 years now, and I'm fairly certain that without this experience I wouldn't have gotten into grad school. Oh, and taking some time off from school helps you recharge the batteries and appreciate learning again when the time comes for grad school.

you all are so savvy! will have to try stir fry with just the noodles.

reachystik: i luv your kitteh buddy icon!

I think that the issue is that your interests are too broad at this point to seriously consider grad programs. You need to have truly focused research interests to be competitive (e.g., social psychology > moral foundations theory > the discrepant roles that implicit and explicit cognition play in guiding moral judgment in political liberals vs. conservatives). While you don't have to necessarily be THIS specific, you get the idea (and this will eliminate the problem you're facing now with narrowing down profs to work with). And you should ideally choose your LOR writers based on similar research interests as you. For me, I joined a psych lab in my UG during my junior year. After spending a full academic year + a summer internship with that prof, I switched labs to be working with a prof closer to my [refined] research interests. Then I worked with that prof for a year. So, right there I had 2 LOR writers lined up (it's also important to keep in contact with them after you stop working with them...just update them on your work and ask how things are going with their work). I got my 3rd LOR from my boss, working in a position that was very related to psychology for 3 years. Just remember, each LOR writer should be able to enthusiastically vouch for you. A lukewarm LOR (from someone who really doesn't know you) could hurt you. I know it's hard to decide at this point, but maybe start thinking "what do I want to do for the long-haul" vs. "what class do I find most interesting now". Good luck!

juice box

Yup, I only filled out a FAFSA because I want a little extra money to supplement my stipend. They don't ask about the stipend at all when you fill out the FAFSA- they only care about your last tax return info.

As other posters have alluded to, I would do some reflection and then dive in head first. You sound like an amazing scholar...but you also don't want to appear like a jack of all trades and master of none. I would try to focus your remaining time and truly get to know the profs you work with (not just a single summer). This would make your LORs stronger when the time comes to apply. And you'll have a greater level of expertise in a specific area too. This will help you have clearly articulated and focused research interests before applications roll around.

totally. this is about trolling behavior, not just random reputation points.

The board doesn't have to rain sunshine and rainbows to foster a respectful environment. I only down vote when people are extremely rude and inappropriate...NOT when I merely dislike an opinion I didn't want to hear. For example, I don't like your posts on this thread, but I didn't down vote them. I don't see what comments above (about the thread being pathetic and the OP needing a therapist) accomplish.

I remember reading this thread a long time ago, habenero, and I remember thinking how some of the responses were needlessly harsh. And I think you have to remember that this isn't a popularity contest, and I think you have to ignore people who are rude to you. I do think that sometimes the posts go beyond sarcasm and bluntness (hey biogirl2012!)...totally unnecessary. No need for bullies here.

After being accepted by the dept I applied to, they told me they lost my transcript. They just had me send in another one, and everything was fine. Oh yeah, and the online application never made me pay back in December. They requested a check after realizing I never paid in the first place (I was confused by not paying...but there was never a paypal thing at the end of my application). That was fine too. I think the only reason the graduate school wouldn't accept you is if you lied about your transcript or something huge like that. I am an example of not having a technically "complete" application, and everything worked out just fine.