avidman

@psych face - I can totally see some "truth" from what you said, in that there are a number of subjective factors that go into this process, so with that I agree. I do feel bad that you have to come to the conclusion that we are all stupid and bias though (I assumed you were a guy because of your avatar, because you know, an assumption by the very nature of its definition is something derived from no proof). P = There is a white guy in your avatar (X). Q = People gravitate to similarity. A = Maybe you are a white guy. X turns out not to be a white guy. ^These assumptions that we make (i.e. heuristics) are how people think (All people minus some seldom exceptions). No matter how hard we try to delve into a logic based mindset, we will forever be heuristic-based creatures. That said, I feel bad that you have to conclude to that. I won't counter with a "You are just a mean jerk," because I know that your words were catalyzed by some negativity, and I don't want to add to that. So I wish you the best of luck and a virtual hug. @Everyone else - does anyone know if U Denver is done with their Social Program invitations?

This^

Thanks!

Okay, time out. I after watching this forum for a while and after seeing two pages of messages added over the course of today, I need to interject. Regarding everyone who is upset about not getting in / thinking that they are incapable / not good enough / etc., I have a story to tell. I graduated from a decent university, had a decent GPA (<3.6, though I had two majors), and a meh GRE score (at the time, 153V, 158Q, 3.0V; retook, 151V, 154Q, 4.5W). I had worked in a lab for about a year and a half while in school before I applied for the first time for graduate school. After meeting a professor at a conference, I made a good impression, applied to their program, got an interview, and was not admitted (I repeat not). Although I did get accepted into a master's program, I declined the offer because I didn't want to pay, and after months of despairing, I redirected my motivation and attention into getting a job during research. After working for over a year at the lab, I applied to graduate school again in conjuction with taking the GREs again. I did much better (V155, 161Q, 4.5W) and managed to get an interview and an acceptance from two schools. When it comes to applying to graduate school, this is what I think matters: 1 - Credentials (Decent GPA, Decent GRE - if not decent, a damn good explaination as to why) 2 - Research Experience (which really should be #1 in my book, because graduate schools like that kind of stuff) 3 - Networking (Trust me, I don't like the game, as I sometimes find it superficial, but at the end of the day, it is a skill that will only help you). 4 - Best of fit (making damn sure that you actually fit in the program). 5 - Luck. Plan and simple. So the point of this by no means is to gloat or anything like that, but rather to illustrate that if you didn't get in the school that you wanted, then try again, only the next time, become better at any aspect that can be improved. In my case, I increased my research experience, gained many technical skills, and slightly improved my GRE score. And if you think money is an issue, I'll be frank (Super Frank): I have been poor all of my life. After I got a job, I was able to pay off for things like grad apps, retaking the GRE, etc. *exhale* I hope this helps. Oh, and regarding pubs, I don't have any. I did present a handful of poster presentations all over the country.

Oregon was a top pick of mine as well.

It was a message from the POI. Sadly, I am going to stay hush-hush about it as well (bad juju).

Ohio State was pretty ninja about admissions, such that interviews were sent like a week or two in December. Also (to my understanding), the social program doesn't do interviews for Ohio State. I heard from them like... 9 days ago. Edit: Though, the fact that so many haven't heard from social is nice (eerily nice, but I'll have hope).

Hello, so I read your post and wanted to see if I could help. 1. Some people have heard back and some people haven't. If you applied to the same schools as your coworkers and you are the only one that hasn't heard back, that COULD be a bad sign, but it also could be nothing. 2. You said that your coworkers have heard back for the most part from Clinical programs. In general Clincial Programs decide sooner than most programs (not sure why, but based on what I have see from the results page on the grad cafe site, that is the trend). 3. I do hope that you get some interviews (assuming you deserve it =) ), but in the event that you don't, try not to blame yourself. Personally, I think best-of-fit matters more than anything in this application process. If you have great credentials, that is great! But if the school isn't looking for someone like you, that isn't your fault by any means. Anyway, there is plenty of time left. I have heard back from 2 schools (U Rochester and Ohio State). I still haven't heard back from 6 others (maybe I got rejected from the others, don't know). At the end of the day, a little hope goes a long way. Best of luck! Note: If you want to have an idea of which schools are sending invites and such, then -> http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=psychology But please use it at your own risk. This site can be quite despairing.

@ss_chen When did you hear back from Denver? And who is your POI (if you don't mind I ask).

Thanks a ton everyone! I feel a lot better and I realize what I have to do in order to succeed. Much love!

The GRE scores are based off of my SAT scores. My advisor said they correlate highly, so that was my best guess. However, I have been studying and I am well aware of my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the GREs. If I study hard enough, I believe I can break 700 for the quantitative section. As for the verbal, I am naturally terrible at this section. If I study hard enough, I may be able to break the 600 mark, which would be great in my book.

bump

I want to start off by saying this might be the wrong place in making this thread, so with that being said, don't stone me. Hello everyone. So, this is my first time ever posting, and boy, do I need help. I want to go to graduate school and I want to get into a Ph.D program. Personally, I think I just need reassurance/some other synonymous word to would hopefully make me feel better. For starters, I don't think I am ready, nor qualified to even get into graduate school, but I don't really know much about it. I am the first in my family to ever go to college, so I have a lot riding on my shoulders. Here are my specs: BS. Undergraduate - University of Connecticut Major(s) - Psychology, Cognitive Science GPA: Psych- 3.813, CogSci- 3.825, Overall- 3.553 <<all gpa subject to change. GREs: Haven't taken, but I predict V:400-500, Q-630ish, and AW:4-5? 3 Semesters of Undergraduate Research NSF Summer Internship in Compassion As for my GPA, I didn't try my first year simply because I was homeless and had a pretty crappy life all around. I am a minority, and a dirt poor one at that. I am alive today because I made the right decisions and got lucky when it came to not dying. Personally, I want to go into a Ph.D program in the neuroscience of morality/emotion/intuition/affective neuroscience. The schools I am considering are the following: Stanford Harvard University Yale Columbia Cornell University of Chicago UC-Boulder Brown UMass Boston College I know I am aiming high, but hey -- a boy gotta dream, right? Anyways, I really hope someone could give me the low-down and/or some advice and/or words of encouragement and/or a hug.