Fall 2019 Psychology PhD Applicants!

[psychapp18]

On 12/4/2018 at 1:53 PM, psychapplicant500 said:

Skype interview with University of Miami, received an email from POI.

 

What do skype interviews mean? Is this in place of in-person, or is this a preliminary interview to determine whether or not they would like to meet in person?

Congrats! Which program did you apply to?

[rl12345]

Any chance the person who got an interview for Berkeley can indicate which PI they're interviewing with? And was it an email from the PI, or a general email from the department?

[justacigar]

Just got my first "Application in Review" email and almost started crying thinking I was rejected that fast! ?

On a happier note, best of luck to everyone as invites start rolling in!! 

[lawpsych]

On 12/4/2018 at 12:18 PM, olddognewtricks said:

Thought it was time I made an appearance on this board rather than just reading it obsessively! I have only applied to three programs - USC, UCI and UCLA - all long shots for me. I've not received any notices about anything since the applications were submitted several weeks ago. Jumping out of my chair every time my phone rings or an email comes in lol! Anyone else waiting on these schools?

Best of luck everyone!

I am also applying to UCI. Best of luck to us both ?From what I hear, they interview around late January/early February, so invites might start rolling in right before or shortly after the holidays. Although, this is all just based on personal accounts from people who have had no part in the admission committees, so take it with a grain of salt.

[light1996]

Hi Everyone!

I've been following the thread for a while but decided to just make an account. Have any of you applied to neuro programs? I applied to both psych and neuro programs at UCI, UCLA, UCR, UC Davis, UCSD, Berkeley, and Stanford. I applied to 2 different programs at 3 of the schools so that makes 10 in total. I'm super nervous. I just graduated with a BA in psychology at UC Irvine and did research (and I am still doing research) in a neurobio lab. I have a 3.98 GPA and and got GRE scores in the lower 160s. I'm nervous about not having any publications but I hope my research experience makes up a little bit for that. I don't know what else to say. My essays were pretty good. I had my PI read them because he's read a lot for UCI's INP program and he said they were really impressive compared to what he's read. I hope I have a chance and I am anticipating potential interviews.

I have a couple questions. I know schools interview potential candidates. What are the PI interviews then? Do they occur before the grad interviews? Should I be expecting that or should I worry if no one contacts me?

Also, did anyone apply to UCR? Their deadline is Jan 5th but I submitted before the priority deadline because I wanted to get my name in there as early as I could. Do I have a better chance by doing that?

Thanks!

[socneuro]

11 hours ago, light1996 said:

Hi Everyone!

I've been following the thread for a while but decided to just make an account. Have any of you applied to neuro programs? I applied to both psych and neuro programs at UCI, UCLA, UCR, UC Davis, UCSD, Berkeley, and Stanford. I applied to 2 different programs at 3 of the schools so that makes 10 in total. I'm super nervous. I just graduated with a BA in psychology at UC Irvine and did research (and I am still doing research) in a neurobio lab. I have a 3.98 GPA and and got GRE scores in the lower 160s. I'm nervous about not having any publications but I hope my research experience makes up a little bit for that. I don't know what else to say. My essays were pretty good. I had my PI read them because he's read a lot for UCI's INP program and he said they were really impressive compared to what he's read. I hope I have a chance and I am anticipating potential interviews.

I have a couple questions. I know schools interview potential candidates. What are the PI interviews then? Do they occur before the grad interviews? Should I be expecting that or should I worry if no one contacts me?

Hello! I applied to UCLA and Stanford's social neuro program! Also, I have almost the same gpa and gre scores so I think you're good with that! About the publications, from what I heard from most faculty members it's not a requirement or even expectation for admission. However, if you do have publications it looks really good and helps you stand out. I think faculty members will care WAY more about fit than how many publications you have, but I guess it really depends on the PI.

Also from my understanding, PI interviews usually occur during the school interviews as part of the whole process. Some PI's do pre-interviews to help narrow down their selection of people for school interviews. Also, it depends on school funding - some schools may not be able to fly everyone out to the school so some schools may do only skype/phone interviews. It really depends on the school. I wouldn't worry if you don't hear directly from the PI before you get a notification from the school. Also, it's way too early in general to start worrying - I'd probably start worrying late January/early February. 

Hope that helps!

[vmPFC187]

18 hours ago, psychxgeekx said:

This may sound really dumb, and I am just super anxious. I am currently really sick right now, and I have lost my voice. I am awaiting for application responses, and I am worried if I get a skype interview or phone interview I will not be able to talk. Any recommendations?

Just be honest with them. It isn’t something you can control and they will be understanding. They will likely try to set something up after you feel better. 

[psychapplicant500]

18 hours ago, psychapp18 said:

Congrats! Which program did you apply to?

Clinical Psychology (Clinical Health Track)

[DevSci]

39 minutes ago, DevelopingThoughts said:

Just got a Skype interview with a PI from UMass Amherst! 

Oooo, Congrats! I applied here, too. Which program and who is your POI?

[EileanDonan]

Anyone else in the process of figuring out their plan B? I'm inquiring about some labs for next year.

Related question for you kind folks - is there any particular reason I should be cautious about working two projects at once? My current supervisor is super nice, but heckin' busy and my work has been historically feast or famine, and I'm concerned that this project alone won't make much of a difference to my CV in the upcoming year. Thoughts?

[HAC]

21 minutes ago, EileanDonan said:

Anyone else in the process of figuring out their plan B? I'm inquiring about some labs for next year.

Related question for you kind folks - is there any particular reason I should be cautious about working two projects at once? My current supervisor is super nice, but heckin' busy and my work has been historically feast or famine, and I'm concerned that this project alone won't make much of a difference to my CV in the upcoming year. Thoughts?

I would say it depends on how well you can juggle multiple projects. I currently work in three different labs. I am running a research project in each lab (3 in total) and also supervise about 10 other students who are working on their own projects. These projects are my primary job (which I supplement with private tutoring to help pay all of my bills). I will say that it is hard to juggle everything and I do find that one of my research projects is suffering because of my need to prioritze other things over it. I would say it also depends on what types of projects you are working on. One of my projects requires psychophysiological data, so it is very time consuming and the other two are cognitive studies which have to be done in the lab, so they also take much more time than a survey. If both of your projects are surveys, I’d say it would be really doable. So it really depends on several factors. I do think that gaining as much experience as you can will ultimately benefit you.

[HAC]

47 minutes ago, DevSci said:

Oooo, Congrats! I applied here, too. Which program and who is your POI?

Which program did you apply to?

Edited December 6, 2018 by HAC

[HAC]

1 hour ago, DevelopingThoughts said:

Just got a Skype interview with a PI from UMass Amherst! 

Wow congrats!! That is my dream school!! Which program did you apply to? Developmental? I applied to Social.

 

 

[sassyyetclassy]

ugh one of my schools sent preliminary skype interviews last year during this week but i haven't received any emails yet...i am hoping to hear something tomorrow otherwise it is probably a rejection

 

[onesteptwo]

2 minutes ago, sassyyetclassy said:

ugh one of my schools sent preliminary skype interviews last year during this week but i haven't received any emails yet...i am hoping to hear something tomorrow otherwise it is probably a rejection

 

I feel ya! I applied to SB, Denver, and UMass as well!

[sassyyetclassy]

3 minutes ago, dwroyce14 said:

I feel ya! I applied to SB, Denver, and UMass as well!

oh nice!! best of luck to you

[HAC]

5 minutes ago, dwroyce14 said:

I feel ya! I applied to SB, Denver, and UMass as well!

Which programs did you apply to? 

[DevSci]

1 hour ago, HAC said:

Which program did you apply to?

I applied to the Developmental Science (Psychology) program.

[EileanDonan]

1 hour ago, HAC said:

I would say it depends on how well you can juggle multiple projects. I currently work in three different labs. I am running a research project in each lab (3 in total) and also supervise about 10 other students who are working on their own projects. These projects are my primary job (which I supplement with private tutoring to help pay all of my bills). I will say that it is hard to juggle everything and I do find that one of my research projects is suffering because of my need to prioritze other things over it. I would say it also depends on what types of projects you are working on. One of my projects requires psychophysiological data, so it is very time consuming and the other two are cognitive studies which have to be done in the lab, so they also take much more time than a survey. If both of your projects are surveys, I’d say it would be really doable. So it really depends on several factors. I do think that gaining as much experience as you can will ultimately benefit you.

Thanks for responding. Sounds like your schedule is insanely busy! I hope you're able to find some time to rest here and there. I'm not sure yet what project I'd be joining, but I don't expect to have issues with time management.

Although, I am somewhat concerned that having research experience that is unrelated to the interests I'll be pursuing might count against me. Has this ever been the case with anyone?

[psychapplicant500]

I attended a conference this week, and won an award for my poster. This was obviously not on my applications because all of my applications were due by Dec. 1. Should I be contacting programs/PIs regarding this award? Is it worth it just for a poster presentation? 

[brainwrangler]

Survived my first phone interview! Think it went pretty well: I had a vague idea of a project to pursue, I remembered my questions, and I only tripped over my words once or twice. I find out next week if I got onto the in-person interview list.

Edit: I'm planning to send a thank-you note. Should I clarify a point I made about my prior research experience where I screwed up my wording and referenced something nonexistent? It was one second in a fairly good interview, but it's eating at me.

Edited December 6, 2018 by brainwrangler

[brainwrangler]

39 minutes ago, EileanDonan said:

I am somewhat concerned that having research experience that is unrelated to the interests I'll be pursuing might count against me. Has this ever been the case with anyone?

I did have to explain how I went from Area 1 to Area 2 in my interview, but profs know you generally don't have unlimited options at your undergrad institution and that interests evolve. If you can tell a coherent story about why you picked your new area and can make a case that you either have applicable skills or can learn them quickly, in my experience they won't hold it against you.

[ResilientDreams]

You people and your interviews...at least no one has talked about getting an interview at one of the schools I'm applying to....

[brainwrangler]

1 minute ago, ResilientDreams said:

You people and your interviews...at least no one has talked about getting an interview at one of the schools I'm applying to....

I'm also applying to Temple. They just opened my transcript today. I think some schools are just moving along a little more slowly...

Edited December 6, 2018 by brainwrangler

[shockwave457]

1 minute ago, ResilientDreams said:

You people and your interviews...at least no one has talked about getting an interview at one of the schools I'm applying to....

Same I’m still waiting on any sort of email for any type of interview and I’m so far not stressed because none of my schools have been mentioned