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Quader

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Posts posted by Quader

    Stipends...a touchy subject?

    in Biology

    Posted

    Thanks a lot. When you put it that way, it makes more sense.

    Yeah the current student I talked to is in his 5th year so I guess I should be lucky to be getting this amount, cause he probably started off way lower than I did.

    I'm pretty sure every student got this signing bonus. In years past, I heard that it was a $1000 gift credit for the bookstore, but now it's just cash.

    Ya, nothing to worry about. Offers change from year to year depending upon the program's financial situation.

    Stipends...a touchy subject?

    in Biology

    Posted

    Thanks Eigen. Basically, all I'm wondering is - is everybody's offer letter/stipend the same (for a particular year)? Is that how it works in a graduate program? Because if it is, then there's no problemo.

    But if, say, they pay us differently based on how they ranked us when they decided to accept us into the program, then that seems a little unfair. And the reason i don't know how it works is because they never told us what the stipend was at the interview, so I didn't know what I was going to get until I received the offer letter. If they had told us at the interview I could assume that everybody gets the same amount.

    This other person may have received an additional fellowship in addition to the standard offer. If a program is accepting four students, they won't rank you and then give 20k to their top choice, 19k to their next choice, etc etc

    Stipends...a touchy subject?

    in Biology

    Posted

    Discussing stipends, regardless of the situation, feels generally uncomfortable. You said a 'current' student in your 'new' program...so I assume you are going into your first year, and you are speaking of a student who is in their 2nd year or greater?

    It is not uncommon to be making less than the more senior students as a first year. It is also possible that another first year could be making more than you depending upon whether or not they receive additional fellowships for example. The program could perhaps say you are receiving a 'signing bonus' as some sort of incentive to have you accept their offer, but this could be offered to all incoming students.

    The program wouldn't shaft you so to speak. They wouldn't just single you out and give you $1000 less than every other student.

    pre departure freak out

    in Officially Grads

    Posted

    It will be ok. I moved to the US from the Asia-Pacific region for grad school too and I think a lot of it is the anticipation of going to a new country where the customs and living arrangements are really different. I will be truthful and tell you that I cried a lot for the first while.

    My advice is to try and befriend some locals (don't just stick with those from your home country). They will help you negotiate the differences. Be ready to laugh at your mistakes. Like when I told someone I would give them a "tinkle", meaning a phone call. It means something different over here, LOL. I've also asked to borrow a "rubber". Not great either.

    So embrace the new culture and immerse yourself. You'll be far happier than if you create an island of ex-pats.

    That made me laugh :)

    New Laptop? Ipad?

    in Officially Grads

    Posted

    Hey everyone,

    Much like many of you, I begin my program in the fall. I have been reading through all of the recent 'Should I get a new laptop?' threads but decided to make my own rather than hijacking anyone else's. I currently own a regular Macbook (unibody) which is about 1.5 years old. I have strongly considered purchasing a non-mac in order to more suit my needs.

    I will be doing normal Microsoft Office tasks, email, and mostly using SPSS and SAS. I know they have made SPSS available for Mac's for a bit of time now, but I have still heard that it just doesn't run as well. I am aware that I can run Windows on my Mac, but that is not something I am entirely interested in. For that reason, I have been looking at some of the Lenovo Thinkpads, specifically the T430.

    Part of me thinks it is a good idea to have a new laptop that I use for business/school purposes only(Cost: $1000 - $1500). With that being said, would I be better off just running SPSS on my current Mac and buying an Ipad on the side to use for my personal surfing, entertainment, etc. (Cost: $500)?

    I have been wavering on this issue for quite some time and it has caused me some unwarranted stress. I would love to hear all of your opinions, thanks!

    I/O Psychology - How many programs should I apply to?

    in Psychology Forum

    Posted

    Personally, I underestimated the process, not understanding how difficult (and annoying) it would be. Depending on how many programs you decide to apply to, the process is pretty time consuming. One piece of advice that I received prior to the process was that you should only apply to programs where you could absolutely see yourself. I found this advice pretty obvious and unnecessary, but I ended up applying to a couple of schools that I really had to 'stretch the fit' just so I could apply to more programs. In the end, I received an offer from one of these programs an thankfully had other options.

    Even though you come from a clinical background, I'm sure you can find a way to spin it. With that being said, a large number of applicants seem to have never even taken an I/O course before applying, so I wouldn't put too much stock in your lack of an I/O background; you should be just fine there.

    I have still not taken a look at the old to new GRE score conversions, but I think my scores were very comparable to yours, and my GPA was only slightly higher. Throughout my visits I met applicants that had significantly higher stats than me, yet had similar acceptance rates. As cliche' as it sounds, it really does come down to fit, so like I said, make sure you ACTUALLY fit!

    Feel free to shoot me a pm if you want to ask any more detailed questions, I'd be glad to help!

    I/O Psychology - How many programs should I apply to?

    in Psychology Forum

    Posted

    Hey there,

    I am not too familiar with the Canadian I/O Programs, but I went through the whole process just this year. Although it is quite expensive, I recommend applying to a good number of programs. Some applicants that I met along the way applied to only a few schools, and expressed that they wish they had applied to more. I applied to 8, which seemed to be about the average (according to applicants I had spoken with on visits).

    While I was going through the process, I felt like I was blindly throwing tons of money and hoping I would get in. In the end, it was nice to have a choice between a few programs (I was accepted to 3 of 8).

    Best of Luck!

    PhD in I/O Psychology Fall 2012

    in Psychology Forum

    Posted

    For those that were curious about A&M and their status not being updated even though many had a status update to rejected. I emailed them to ask why my status wasn't updated. This is the response that I got. "concerning the status of your application, we currently have 5 offers out, and 12 others on the shortlist. we have also notified those in the "bottom" of the applicant pool that we will not be extending them an offer. you have not heard from us b/c you are on neither of the above lists (i.e., the offer list, the shortlist, and the "bottom" list). we usually do not send out notifications to those in this group until we close out make the admissions process b/c it is impossible to predict how things are going to play out."

    I originally didn't have any 'decision' in my status when everyone else reported rejections. As of yesterday, however, I also have a rejection.

    PhD in I/O Psychology Fall 2012

    in Psychology Forum

    Posted

    I had some questions and thought this might be a good place to post them since I am specifically talking about I/O programs.

    1) Do most of the I/O programs require visits and meetings like other programs? I thought there might be a phone interview or something, but I had not made plans for traveling out of state? Should I be?

    2) I have not heard decisions from any schools? Could that be a good sign that I have not gotten a rejection letter that I might be right there in the mix?

    I probably have too many things going on in my head right now and I don't want to call schools and have them just tell me I didn't get in.

    Thanks for the help and congrats to the people who have got their spot for next year. Must be an awesome feeling.

    Hey Gradguy,

    By no means am I an expert on the process, but perhaps my experiences thus far will answer your questions..

    1) From what I have heard, in-person interviews in I/O are not very common. The only program I have heard about doing in-person interviews is Old Dominion. I also thought phone interviews were relatively uncommon in I/O. Judging from some of the posters in this thread, Clemson is one of a few programs that do in fact do phone interviews. As far as visits go, I do not know that any program actually REQUIRES that you visit either prior to or just after accepting their offer (I could be wrong). If a program does want you to fly out, they will most likely pay for your flight.

    2) Most programs have not sent out decisions at this point. I am still waiting to hear from 5 programs. I too applied to Clemson, and it seems that phone interviews have already gone out to a subset of the applicants. In this case, I am thinking that a rejection from them is imminent, and they have yet to send them out.

    I also applied to VT and Auburn, and still no word if it makes you feel any better!

    PhD in I/O Psychology Fall 2012

    in Psychology Forum

    Posted

    Perhaps it would be beneficial for all of the I/O applicants to list out all of the programs they have applied to, and update everyone else as they receive decisions (similar to past years). Maybe it will bring the I/O applicants out of the woodwork.

    Applied (All PhD):

    •Clemson

    •Auburn

    •Oklahoma

    •Central Michigan (Accepted)

    •Central Florida

    •Virginia Tech

    •Texas A&M

    •Houston

    I have not heard from any other programs at this point.

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