Anybody else applying to a PhD straight out of undergrad?

[ResilientDreams]

Hello I am bumping my thread again.

How is everybody? I'm finding that I'm getting nervous because of a lot of small details about moving and living on my own, and less so about the program itself.

[sgaw10]

On 5/8/2019 at 9:05 PM, ResilientDreams said:

Hello I am bumping my thread again.

How is everybody? I'm finding that I'm getting nervous because of a lot of small details about moving and living on my own, and less so about the program itself.

I feel the same. Hoping to make the move all by myself.

[Troyyy]

Hey heyy,

I’m actually new to the site, so I feel bad coming into this thread, but I just graduated from my college yesterday with a Psychology B.S, and I’m going into one of my top choices for my PhD in the Fall. If I found this thread last semester, then I would definitely have spoken about the stress of the application process. There has been many times where I wanted to give up and had a lot of self-doubt, but my professors and friends supported me throughout the entire process and I’m glad I was able to complete it! 

As far as my feelings in the program, I am not exactly nervous at all. I’m actually very excited and ready to take on the course load. I feel prepared! I hope to see people continue this thread when the Fall begins so we can share our experiences in our transition!

[ResilientDreams]

42 minutes ago, Troyyy said:

Hey heyy,

I’m actually new to the site, so I feel bad coming into this thread, but I just graduated from my college yesterday with a Psychology B.S, and I’m going into one of my top choices for my PhD in the Fall. If I found this thread last semester, then I would definitely have spoken about the stress of the application process. There has been many times where I wanted to give up and had a lot of self-doubt, but my professors and friends supported me throughout the entire process and I’m glad I was able to complete it! 

As far as my feelings in the program, I am not exactly nervous at all. I’m actually very excited and ready to take on the course load. I feel prepared! I hope to see people continue this thread when the Fall begins so we can share our experiences in our transition!

Hey you sound like me! I just got my Psychology BS a week ago! Where are you headed?

[Troyyy]

34 minutes ago, ResilientDreams said:

Hey you sound like me! I just got my Psychology BS a week ago! Where are you headed?

Haha, it feels kind of weird not having to be in school anymore. I'm attending Howard University in the Fall. Congratulations on getting into Cornell!

[NebulaWanderer]

I wonder how that works in other countries, because where I live you can't officially be a PhD student without earning a Master's degree first. Even if you came back from abroad with such a PhD without a Master's you would potentially have problems in the workplace such as pay banafits to only those with a Master's degree. It doesn't really make sense, but standing out from the crowd can work against you.

[N0rd]

On 5/28/2019 at 10:14 AM, NebulaWanderer said:

I wonder how that works in other countries, because where I live you can't officially be a PhD student without earning a Master's degree first.

In the United States you can become a PhD student without first getting a Master's degree although that's definitely the less common route. My brother graduated with a BA then took a year off then applied directly to a PhD program. He did a little extra coursework to "catch up" but did not have to pursue a Master's degree as an intermediate step.

I, on the other hand, am attending a combined MA/PhD program in which I'll spend two years working for a MA, then petition for continuance in the PhD program. I know there are a lot of other schools that offer both and MA and a PhD where students finishes the MA and then must apply for admittance to the PhD program.

Edited May 29, 2019 by N0rd

[Beaudreau]

On 5/29/2019 at 9:15 AM, N0rd said:

In the United States you can become a PhD student without first getting a Master's degree although that's definitely the less common route. My brother graduated with a BA then took a year off then applied directly to a PhD program. He did a little extra coursework to "catch up" but did not have to pursue a Master's degree as an intermediate step.

I, on the other hand, am attending a combined MA/PhD program in which I'll spend two years working for a MA, then petition for continuance in the PhD program. I know there are a lot of other schools that offer both and MA and a PhD where students finishes the MA and then must apply for admittance to the PhD program.

In most engineering programs, direct admissions to the PhD track is the norm.  Requiring a Master's degree first is rare. I haven't looked at other STEM fields, but my impression is that direct PhD admissions are quite common.

[N0rd]

21 hours ago, Beaudreau said:

In most engineering programs, direct admissions to the PhD track is the norm.  Requiring a Master's degree first is rare. I haven't looked at other STEM fields, but my impression is that direct PhD admissions are quite common.

It must vary a lot by field then. I'm in the humanities and it's quite difficult to get direct admissions to a PhD program.

[AP]

On 9/9/2018 at 11:28 PM, ResilientDreams said:

Hi everybody!

I'm currently a senior in undergrad and I'm applying to PhD programs in developmental psychology and some in linguistics. I just wanted to reach out and see if there's anyone else here who is also applying straight out of undergrad...I feel like a lot of people here already have a master's or have been working for a few years and I would love to talk to someone who's in the same situation as me.  

I have, but my situation was different because I did my undergrad abroad, where they tend to be longer. 

Many in my cohort and other years did so, and they did just fine. I would give you a piece of unsolicited advice, if that's ok. I've noticed that many grad students coming straight from undergrad expected to be told what to do: take these classes, take these exams, go to these conference, without realizing that in grad school you have more freedom to tailor your degree to what you want. I would encourage you to think about the type of professional you want to become and take advantage of the program you land. Do not expect people to tell you what to do, but take the initiative to pursue your intellectual interests. 

I know this sounds rather obvious, but I know people who would like to go back to 1st or 2nd year and attend more workshops or use time to write publishable papers. YMMV.