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psychgurl

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Posts posted by psychgurl

  1. I love this thread. Unfortunately, it's feeding my habit of buying books, setting them on my bookshelf, and not getting around to reading them. :mellow:

    Anyone else have this problem?

    I have a whole bookshelf full of this problem....hahaha. At least now I can say that I am reading one of those books that's been on my shelf for over a year!

    As an aside, has anyone here read Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger? What a strange and disturbing book...just finished it over the weekend, and I was left feeling like I wanted to talk to people about it.

  2. You also have to consider the likelihood of finding a tenure-track position in the area he is working even if you do stay together during your PhD. This is what worries me down the road... such a big unknown about where I'll end up...

    As others have mentioned, I also had a bit of a queasy feeling about your SO not being fully supportive of your goal to get a PhD. If the tables were turned, how would you act? If there is a discrepancy there, maybe consider that. I just know that I would feel absolutely awful if I was the reason my boyfriend didn't go to get his PhD. It makes me sick just thinking about holding him back at my expense...I would do everything in my power to come up with a compromise and ensure that both of us were able to pursue our dreams.

    Anyway, I really feel for you. This cannot be easy...I am often driven by my emotions/relationships even though I am a high achiever...I think you'll have to act based on a gut feeling rather than a clear pro/con decision. Best of luck.

  3. @psychgurl What experience do you have either in the field of history or as a graduate student when it comes to communicating with established professionals? Are you aware of the role private written correspondence has played in the growth of the profession?

    Wow, I wasn't aware I was only allowed to respond to Psychology threads. Has anyone else noticed that GradCafe has gotten really confrontational lately?

  4. There are a few POIs with whom I had (brief) email exchanges during the application process. My lengthiest exchange took place with the POI from the program that admitted me. I'd like to keep in touch with the others and am wondering about protocol. I realize that faculty are contacted by numerous prospective students and I'm sure that they don't expect to hear from every student who contacted them early in the application season. Still, I feel strange having discussed research interests and their program and then not following up to tell them my status. Is it a good idea to send a brief email thanking them (again) for taking the time to correspond with me, telling them where I am going in the Fall, and that I hope to continue our dialogue sometime in the future? Hopefully our paths will cross at conferences or other similar opportunities. Is seems like an easy yes, but for some reason I am hesitant. Thanks!

    I'm not sure...I mean, if every student who exchanged emails with POIs sent them thank you cards, they would be totally swamped. I only said "thank you for the consideration" if I interviewed with the POI. In fact, I feel like I had good email exchanges with some POIs and then got rejected without even an interview. I definitely wouldn't send those profs thank you cards (they probably don't even remember who I am). I think networking at conferences would be a better way to keep in touch with these profs. Just my opinion, though.

  5. GRE's do matter, but only to a certain extent. I am aiming for 85th+ percentile in both quant and verbal. That should ensure that an application is looked at thoroughly and doesn't raise any red flags.

    Wisconsin-Madison suggests that above 75th percentile is "good," but I want a little buffer to protect myself!

    Source: http://ssc.wisc.edu/..._faq.php#scores

    I think that if you're above a threshold, they don't care too much about GRE. Keep in mind that 85th percentile + is higher than a 1350. This would be a very good score to have! I think that people who have in the 1200s may be on the low end of the threshold...I think most good programs have absolute cutoffs at 1200, but averages well into the 1300s.

  6. You sound like a competitive applicant! As much as we'd like to believe the opposite, the GREs do matter. In psych, I think that 1350+ (sorry, don't know the new scoring) is very competitive. I would take that test seriously and apply broadly (10+ programs). I think this maximizes your chances for getting accepted somewhere...as the previous poster mentioned, a lot of this process is luck & fit above and beyond amazing stats and experiences. Good luck! :)

  7. Thanks for starting this thread! I just accepted an offer and am very excited...but when I think about the start of school my heart starts pounding. I think I've been so focused on getting into a program that the whole "do well in grad school" thing has been out of my mind. Anyway, the comments definitely help...thanks!

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