crazygirl2012

Like someone else mentioned, I spend about 50/60 hours a week (on average) working on school-related things, and I try to spend the rest of my time on personal/social things. I'm single, so fortunately I don't have to worry about making time for a wife/girlfriend or family. Unlike everyone else who has posted here, I have zero (ZERO!) desire to ever have kids (and no, I will NOT change my mind)! The family thing is not for me, so I have no problem putting in the extra hours and making the sacrifices to try to make it in academia. I may or may not get married someday, but I'm definitely planning to wait until I'm done with grad school, which probably won't be for another seven years at least.

As far as I'm aware (and this could be true only of social psych or of my program only), they take the entire pile of applications and divide it up based on POIs listed. I don't think there is a secret algorithm in the formal sense, but each faculty member basically gets to divide up their pile how they see fit. Some put more weight on GPA, others on years of research experience, etc, but I do believe that they essentially make a few piles outright: (1) scores are high so look at the file closely and positively, (2) scores are middle-range so if they have a great research background move them to the first pile, and (3) scores are too low so barely look and only spend more than a minute if something amazing jumps out of the essay. Truth is, dealing with the anybody who doesn't make it into pile #1 after a review is a very low priority and why it takes SO long to hear from some places. POIs are busy and they choose to spend the energy wooing the top candidates rather than easing the misery of the rest of the applicants. Hell, NU makes their admission decisions and posts them online but doesn't bother to send an email out saying they are up--that is how sad the process gets and precisely why it is so frustrating to an applicant.

I used the back of one of my physical rejection letters to write down a tart recipe. It got covered with flour and grease during the baking process, and the tarts were delicious. Very cathartic!

House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski

I am not saying my advice is worth anymore than anybody else's. However, I can answer this question from two different perspectives. I've taken the GRE twice in the past three years, and I regularly tutor students in the GRE. The first time I used Princeton, it was ok. Then I spent the next year tutoring students with the Kaplan book. I used it to prepare myself for the test the next time around and improved my math score by 120 points.

Two reasons why I endorse Kaplan- one, their 100 math concepts section in the back of the workbook is the GRE math bible; and two, they do not try to teach you gimmicky puzzles to de-code (I just cannot conceptualize the 'cracking the GRE' methods).

PS- I do not work for Kaplan. I am an independent tutor and one of my first student's gave me his Kaplan workbook after he took the test. It helped me as a tutor and as a GRE student a lot (Wow, was I dreadfully unprepared when I first started tutoring- looking back on it, I had no business charging those first few clients money...I've gotten a lot better...).

My #1 peice of advice- if you are only going to give math a half-hearted effort, don't bother. That extra time would be better spent securing your 160+ in verbal. My #2 peice of advice- master the math concepts (1-100) BEFORE you try practice questions... My #3 peice of advice- when doing the practice questions, the 'gold in the hills' comes from the practice questions' answers, not the practice questions themselves...

...others may disagree, and they may know better, but my clients and I have had success doing it my way...

Goog luck

I definitely love the assumption that just because I'm applying I will A) get in and must be brilliant at everything.

But my #1 favorite so far was " biological research, why would you do that? Is there even money in that anymore?"

That was from my doctor at my last check up

I was talking to my aunt and my mom about how nervous and anxious I was to get my decisions back. I was also telling my aunt about my first choice program (at a state school), but how I was worried that I probably wouldn't get in because it is pretty competitive.
Aunt: Well I'm sure you will get in, everybody gets into state schools.
Me: Yea some state schools are pretty easy to get into for undergrad, but its different for grad school. This program has higher admission standards than a lot of the other places I applied.
Aunt: No, it's a state school, you pretty much just have to apply.


hahaha, if only it were that simple.

Mentioning the acceptance shouldn't hurt your chances unless you say that you're definitely going to that other school. I wouldn't lead with that topic but if it comes up during the interview, I don't think you need to worry about saying where else you applied and how your decisions are turning out. If you're a strong candidate, schools know that you'll probably have options and they can also guess their competition. Letting them know you're doing well (but emphasizing that you are excited about possibly attending the school that you are interviewing at!) only makes you look more serious.

Home Goods is awesome. I suppose my mother's world is now complete: she can boast that her daughter was accepted into a competitive graduate program AND that she saved 60% on her throw pillows. Life is good.

I keep getting variations of this one: "So what else is happening in your life other than grad school stuff?" *awkward silence* "Oh... i guess that is your life."

Yes. Yes it is.

For my most recent visit, I sent a quick thank you note to the POI I interviewed with, and the grad secretary (who was also really helpful during the application process). The e-mails were only a couple sentences, "thank you for having me...the weekend was really fun/informative/helpful/enjoyable/etc...I look forward to keeping in touch". I was aiming for appreciative, but not brown-nosing.

I read a handful of my POI's most recent papers before the visit, just to get an idea of the direction he was headed. But I also skimmed papers of potential faculty during the application process. Don't ask questions about them just to impress the prof, but if there's something you're genuinely curious about then go ahead!

Like coonskee said, everything else should be common sense. Please/thank you, chew with your mouth closed, and if there's alcohol present at an event you're attending with the "adults" keep it to one or two drinks. If the grads take you out you can have a little more fun, but don't get sloppy

I keep getting variations of this one: "So what else is happening in your life other than grad school stuff?" *awkward silence* "Oh... i guess that is your life."

Yes. Yes it is.

I keep getting variations of this one: "So what else is happening in your life other than grad school stuff?" *awkward silence* "Oh... i guess that is your life."

Yes. Yes it is.

I keep getting variations of this one: "So what else is happening in your life other than grad school stuff?" *awkward silence* "Oh... i guess that is your life."

Yes. Yes it is.

I keep getting variations of this one: "So what else is happening in your life other than grad school stuff?" *awkward silence* "Oh... i guess that is your life."

Yes. Yes it is.

People talk to me about going into debt. Then, I have to explain to them that PhD programs pay you to go. And they just don't get the concept...

I would move to Seattle, work at a lesbian bar, rekindle my love for creative writing, drink entirely too much coffee, and wear pretty dresses in the rain.

I have officially declared war.

A big problem in social psych is that researchers have a tendency to publish their results in journals and leave it at that, so that the only people who consume the research are other researchers. There are a lot of findings in social psych that could have applications in policy and education, they just never get there. Part of the reason I want to go in to social psych is to try to change this.

I hate to admit it, but I am reading the Twilight series on plane rides to and from interviews. If you want a non-TV distraction from all the grad school application madness, I highly recommend it. I had a nice conversation with a sixth grader about it on a plane last week.

Make sure there is nothing medically wrong with you. Especially since you mention a different-from-normal kind of tired, there are medical conditions that can cause that - not only vitamins and iron deficiencies. Feeling tired can be a symptom of serious illness or depression but also of e.g. certain hormone deficiencies or problems with the actual process of sleep. If you've been tested, like others have said burnout is a probable cause of the exhaustion you're feeling. The best thing you can do for that is simply take some time off to rest and recover. I won't repeat what others have said except to say I agree with the advice, especially taking a break and also resting during the day. I'd also suggest for you to keep a work/sleep log. It can become very difficult to keep track of your sleep and work schedules over time. Having that information can help you discover patterns in your productivity and level of tiredness that could help you adjust your schedule. It's not only about how many hours you sleep, it's also about when, and in addition how much you work. You might discover that less work but at better chosen times is more productive than spending whole days being frustrated in the office but too tired to really work. This is a serious concern and you shouldn't be afraid to decide that you need to stop completely for a week or two, or if that's not possible then do the bare minimum and spend the rest of the time recovering. In the long run, it'll be worth it.

You can ask about the stipend, what your potential advisor's mentoring style is, what they like/dislike about the program or the city, what kinds of jobs graduates get, what they'll expect your role in their lab will be, etc. Think about what your everyday life in this person's lab might be and ask questions that will pertain to that (because that's what will matter: everyday life).

Another weekend-hater here. Hang in there, everybody-- it's almost Monday!

I posted elsewhere on this but I'll post again. US citizens looking at Canadian universities need to make sure they will be able to cross the border in time. Things like medical conditions, lack of funding, criminal records, passports/province certificates etc., may make you ineligible to cross the border when the time comes. Canada is pretty strict..make sure you have all your ducks in a row.

talk about them, not you. and have at least 100 questions ready to ask. most people, being self-centered, will gladly answer questions about themselves and forget to ask you about yourself.

focus on external realities and ideas, not intrapersonal sociability