Fall 2021 Developmental Psychology

[khnhle2]

Hello y'all 

I haven't seen a topic for this so decided to make one. It must be frustrating getting ready to apply with COVID and everything going on, thought we all need a space to get resources, advices and technically just rant so here we go. 

Personally, I'm aiming to apply for a Ph.D. program in Developmental Psychology, especially those with focus on education. My school list so far includes Stanford GSE, Teachers College (Columbia), Penn State, Boston University, McGill, UConn and UPittsburgh. Anyone applying to these schools as well? I would love to exchange stats and just chat about the application process. ?

[Alligator97]

Hi!

I am a lab manager planning on applying to dev psych programs this fall as well. Here is my list:

Brown, UTAustin, UMich, Boston College, UMinnesota, Duke, Harvard, Yale, NYU, UC Berkeley. 

I have not taken the GRE yet, which is super annoying. I was studying really hard and had planned on taking it on April 13th. Then everything went to shit...my study plan got majorly derailed. I lost motivation honestly. I started wondering if programs would even be accepting grad students this fall (and honestly I still am). I also was faced with possibly losing my job, and went into a major existential crisis. 

Things are better now and I've calmed down a bit. I am working remotely and living with my parents far away from the university I was employed at, which certainly isn't how I envisioned 2020, but at least I'm saving money. 

I do still feel pretty overwhelmed though. Work has been really busy, I'm currently developing three different studies. I feel like there's so many grad school related things I should be doing. 

Have you reached out to advisors yet? I haven't...my PI advised me that profs are dealing with a ton of stress and uncertainty right now, so it might not be the best idea. I haven't started working on my personal statement(s) either yet, which is giving me major anxiety. I also want to submit the NSF GRFP...so much to do and so little time!

Feel free to message me...happy to freak out together, or maybe we can calm each other down a bit. 

 

[goldenxpenguins]

Hi! I just applied for dev psych programs this past application cycle, so don't hesitate to use me as a resource ?. 

[mmmmcoffee]

Hi! I also applied for dev psych and human development and family studies last cycle and would be more than happy to help if I can!

[khnhle2]

On 6/11/2020 at 3:18 AM, Alligator97 said:

Have you reached out to advisors yet? I haven't...my PI advised me that profs are dealing with a ton of stress and uncertainty right now, so it might not be the best idea. I haven't started working on my personal statement(s) either yet, which is giving me major anxiety. I also want to submit the NSF GRFP...so much to do and so little time!

 

Hi there! We are in for a tumultuous admission cycle for sure! I've heard rumors that a couple schools aren't accepting incoming PhD students for the school year 2021-2022. But fingers crossed that we come out of it victorious! 

I haven't taken my GRE either. I have pushed it back like 4 times since March ? honestly just wanna get it over with. As for the statement, if you want we can exchange ideas or rant just to get things moving. I have a rough draft but it's nowhere near finish. 

I haven't reached out to advisors either. I've heard from previous applicants that we should email them early since the summer but I feel like so many professors aren't sure what's gonna happen in the next month, let alone next year. So maybe it's a bit better to wait for things to settle down first. 

It's so cool that you're applying to such competitive schools! Hopefully we'll all get into our top program despite this unprecedented chaos lol

[fake187]

Just a heads up some schools might not be accepting new grad students for Fall 2021--where I am going next year just announced they will not be. 

[khnhle2]

3 hours ago, fake187 said:

Just a heads up some schools might not be accepting new grad students for Fall 2021--where I am going next year just announced they will not be. 

Hi! May I ask which school is this?

[PhDApplicant3356]

On 6/11/2020 at 3:18 AM, Alligator97 said:

Hi!

I am a lab manager planning on applying to dev psych programs this fall as well. Here is my list:

Brown, UTAustin, UMich, Boston College, UMinnesota, Duke, Harvard, Yale, NYU, UC Berkeley. 

I have not taken the GRE yet, which is super annoying. I was studying really hard and had planned on taking it on April 13th. Then everything went to shit...my study plan got majorly derailed. I lost motivation honestly. I started wondering if programs would even be accepting grad students this fall (and honestly I still am). I also was faced with possibly losing my job, and went into a major existential crisis. 

Things are better now and I've calmed down a bit. I am working remotely and living with my parents far away from the university I was employed at, which certainly isn't how I envisioned 2020, but at least I'm saving money. 

I do still feel pretty overwhelmed though. Work has been really busy, I'm currently developing three different studies. I feel like there's so many grad school related things I should be doing. 

Have you reached out to advisors yet? I haven't...my PI advised me that profs are dealing with a ton of stress and uncertainty right now, so it might not be the best idea. I haven't started working on my personal statement(s) either yet, which is giving me major anxiety. I also want to submit the NSF GRFP...so much to do and so little time!

Feel free to message me...happy to freak out together, or maybe we can calm each other down a bit. 

 

You really should throw in some less prestigious schools to apply to. 

[t_ruth]

On 6/5/2020 at 4:18 AM, khnhle2 said:

Personally, I'm aiming to apply for a Ph.D. program in Developmental Psychology, especially those with focus on education. My school list so far includes Stanford GSE, Teachers College (Columbia), Penn State, Boston University, McGill, UConn and UPittsburgh. Anyone applying to these schools as well? I would love to exchange stats and just chat about the application process. ?

So great to see Dev Psych PhDs talking about a focus on Education

You may find some Learning Sciences/Ed Psych programs that fit as well if you are looking to broaden your list.

[morningstars]

Hi! I'm also working on applications for Developmental Psychology for Fall 2021. I initially applied in 2018 for Genetic Counseling programs but didn't end up getting any acceptances, and since then have been working for a mental health/wellness company in the SF Bay Area. I've gravitated more toward psychology and have sort of vague ideas of wanting to work with/research children and adolescents with developmental disablities. Right now I'm looking  at programs at Berkeley, Stanford, and UC Santa Cruz, as well as a Masters in Dev Psych at SFSU. 

Sort of nervous about applying as a more "non-traditional" student, I'm two years out of school, don't have any lab experience outside of a small capstone project I did my senior year of undergrad. 

[khnhle2]

On 8/20/2020 at 5:38 AM, morningstars said:

Hi! I'm also working on applications for Developmental Psychology for Fall 2021. I initially applied in 2018 for Genetic Counseling programs but didn't end up getting any acceptances, and since then have been working for a mental health/wellness company in the SF Bay Area. I've gravitated more toward psychology and have sort of vague ideas of wanting to work with/research children and adolescents with developmental disablities. Right now I'm looking  at programs at Berkeley, Stanford, and UC Santa Cruz, as well as a Masters in Dev Psych at SFSU. 

Sort of nervous about applying as a more "non-traditional" student, I'm two years out of school, don't have any lab experience outside of a small capstone project I did my senior year of undergrad. 

Best of luck! I think any experience at all is valuable. While I do have research experience, I am still fuzzy about what I should pick as research topic. 

[t_ruth]

16 hours ago, khnhle2 said:

Best of luck! I think any experience at all is valuable. While I do have research experience, I am still fuzzy about what I should pick as research topic. 

Happy to offer advice if you want to PM...

[Alligator97]

Hey guya! Question, would you send in your scores if you were me? The vast majority of schools I am applying to have made it optional. I got a 167V and a 152Q. I don't know my essay score yet. I really just panicked during the quant section and had a rough time. I have As in all my statistics classes, which I don't want to be undermined by my shitty quant score. Thoughts? I have really good stats aside from this and am worried about being screened out...

[goldenxpenguins]

5 hours ago, Alligator97 said:

Hey guya! Question, would you send in your scores if you were me? The vast majority of schools I am applying to have made it optional. I got a 167V and a 152Q. I don't know my essay score yet. I really just panicked during the quant section and had a rough time. I have As in all my statistics classes, which I don't want to be undermined by my shitty quant score. Thoughts? I have really good stats aside from this and am worried about being screened out...

Hi! Looking at your school list from a few posts ago, I noticed that you have the University of Michigan on it. I got accepted into their Dev Psych program earlier this year with much lower GRE scores than yours so I definitely don't think you'll be screened out (at least not at that program). However, I'm not sure if you should retake for the rest of the programs you want to apply to. If you haven't done so already, maybe check to see if the program websites have the GRE averages of admitted students to gauge whether you should send in your scores.

[Alligator97]

2 hours ago, goldenxpenguins said:

Hi! Looking at your school list from a few posts ago, I noticed that you have the University of Michigan on it. I got accepted into their Dev Psych program earlier this year with much lower GRE scores than yours so I definitely don't think you'll be screened out (at least not at that program). However, I'm not sure if you should retake for the rest of the programs you want to apply to. If you haven't done so already, maybe check to see if the program websites have the GRE averages of admitted students to gauge whether you should send in your scores.

Awww thank you! This reply made me so happy because UMich is the only school that hasn't made the GRE optional! I am not going to retake it, will just hope that the strength of the rest of my application is enough to compensate!

[goldenxpenguins]

Just now, Alligator97 said:

Awww thank you! This reply made me so happy because UMich is the only school that hasn't made the GRE optional! I am not going to retake it, will just hope that the strength of the rest of my application is enough to compensate!

I'm sure you will be fine! Let me know if you have any questions about U-M's application process

[khnhle2]

On 8/25/2020 at 6:20 AM, Alligator97 said:

Awww thank you! This reply made me so happy because UMich is the only school that hasn't made the GRE optional! I am not going to retake it, will just hope that the strength of the rest of my application is enough to compensate!

Since your verbal score is so high I think you'll be fine. UMich is the only school on my list that isn't GRE optional as well. What other schools do you have in mind?

[reillym84]

Hello everyone,

 

I just submitted my applications to several developmental psychology PhD programs (Uconn, Boston University, Florida Atlantic University, UMass Boston) and I am a nervous wreck ? how are you all doing now that most application deadlines have passed?

[pizzarollgotbusted]

13 hours ago, reillym84 said:

Hello everyone,

 

I just submitted my applications to several developmental psychology PhD programs (Uconn, Boston University, Florida Atlantic University, UMass Boston) and I am a nervous wreck ? how are you all doing now that most application deadlines have passed?

I still have one due Dec 15th but now I plan to chill out for a bit after submitting 13 apps just a few days ago ? Congrats to everyone who's submitted!

[ap94]

Hi everyone, 

I applied to developmental psych programs this cycle and just received an invitation to speak with one of my potential advisors! They said it's an informal conversation to understand my interests and research experience better and for me to ask them any questions.

I was wondering if people had any recommendations or resources that I could use to prepare for this call? Thanks! 

[amazingbutternutsquash]

8 hours ago, ap94 said:

Hi everyone, 

I applied to developmental psych programs this cycle and just received an invitation to speak with one of my potential advisors! They said it's an informal conversation to understand my interests and research experience better and for me to ask them any questions.

I was wondering if people had any recommendations or resources that I could use to prepare for this call? Thanks! 

My best advice is a) to google the questions they might ask you (why their program, why their lab, what is your research experience, where do you want your research to go, etc.) For this, it's good to have a decent working knowledge of the program and what your goals might be if you go there (if they have a graduate handbook, look through that). Are there any classes you particularly want to take? Certificates you might want to earn? Demonstrate excitement about the program and what you could accomplish there! 

Then, I recommend having an endless list of questions. You're interviewing/assessing them too. Having questions also helps to show how excited/interested in the program you are. (I only applied to programs I was really interested in, as I think most people do, so it was just a matter of showing that). Here are the ones from my list last year, in case you/anyone finds them useful

• What past/present datasets are available? How much has been published from them previously? 
• What about present projects? What measures do they contain? 
• How much input do current students have on lab projects? 
• How is the lab structured? Do you have group meetings with students? 
• How often do you meet with students individually? How do you have students prepare for meetings? 
• How many current students do you have? (I wanted to be part of a lab with 4 students or less, because I felt that professors often get overwhelmed/give less personal attention after that point -- but that's just me). 
• When do students start leading their own projects/papers? 
• What has made students a good fit for your lab in the past? 
• Do the students in your lab collaborate? 
• How is authorship determined in your lab? 
• How would you describe your mentorship style? 
• How do you manage student projects? What level of involvement do you expect to have? 
• How do you react to delays (e.g., if I were learning a new technique)? 
• Where have you seen students go after finishing the program? 
• What excites you about the program/department? 

Good luck! You've got this

edit: typeo

Edited December 7, 2020 by amazingbutternutsquash

[phdhopeful96]

Hi everyone! I applied to a mixture of cognitive and developmental programs! Did anyone else apply to UT Knoxville?

I applied to their Experimental program but all of my potential PI's were members of the Cognitive and Developmental Sciences track. I got invited to the virtual interview day via email from my first choice PI and I'm super excited!! But also nervous?

Can't decide if virtual interview will be less nerve wracking or more....

[Alligator97]

16 hours ago, ap94 said:

Hi everyone, 

I applied to developmental psych programs this cycle and just received an invitation to speak with one of my potential advisors! They said it's an informal conversation to understand my interests and research experience better and for me to ask them any questions.

I was wondering if people had any recommendations or resources that I could use to prepare for this call? Thanks! 

What school? Just curious

[ap94]

10 hours ago, amazingbutternutsquash said:

My best advice is a) to google the questions they might ask you (why their program, why their lab, what is your research experience, where do you want your research to go, etc.) For this, it's good to have a decent working knowledge of the program and what your goals might be if you go there (if they have a graduate handbook, look through that). Are there any classes you particularly want to take? Certificates you might want to earn? Demonstrate excitement about the program and what you could accomplish there! 

Then, I recommend having an endless list of questions. You're interviewing/assessing them too. Having questions also helps to show how excited/interested in the program you are. (I only applied to programs I was really interested in, as I think most people do, so it was just a matter of showing that). Here are the ones from my list last year, in case you/anyone finds them useful

• What past/present datasets are available? How much has been published from them previously? 
• What about present projects? What measures do they contain? 
• How much input do current students have on lab projects? 
• How is the lab structured? Do you have group meetings with students? 
• How often do you meet with students individually? How do you have students prepare for meetings? 
• How many current students do you have? (I wanted to be part of a lab with 4 students or less, because I felt that professors often get overwhelmed/give less personal attention after that point -- but that's just me). 
• When do students start leading their own projects/papers? 
• What has made students a good fit for your lab in the past? 
• Do the students in your lab collaborate? 
• How is authorship determined in your lab? 
• How would you describe your mentorship style? 
• How do you manage student projects? What level of involvement do you expect to have? 
• How do you react to delays (e.g., if I were learning a new technique)? 
• Where have you seen students go after finishing the program? 
• What excites you about the program/department? 

Good luck! You've got this

edit: typeo

Thank you! This is super helpful!

Some have suggested I prep an elevator pitch about myself and my research interests but I'm struggling to see how different that could be from my statements. Should I try to make it different or does that not matter?

[ap94]

2 hours ago, Alligator97 said:

What school? Just curious

NYU!