Fall 2021 Industrial Organizational Psychology PhD/MS

[SCIOPsych]

I hadn't seen a thread for I/O Psychology Fall 2021 applicants yet, so I figured I'd start one! I'm two years out of undergrad and this will be my second application cycle. I'm applying to all PhD programs, BGSU, UNC-Charlotte, Clemson, ODU, CMU, GMU, Auburn, IUPUI, and IU Bloomington (PhD in Organizational Behavior through Kelley). It seems like most schools are waiving GRE scores this time around, which is great news because I'm not a great standardized tester. So far I'll only have to submit GRE scores for 3, which saves money on score reports too. My list has changed pretty significantly since last application cycle, mostly because I've had more time to prepare and figure out where I really fit research interest-wise. Where is everyone else applying? 

Edited October 28, 2020 by Savannah_C
Change title to MS versus MA

[psycholokri]

On 10/28/2020 at 3:32 PM, Savannah_C said:

I hadn't seen a thread for I/O Psychology Fall 2021 applicants yet, so I figured I'd start one! I'm two years out of undergrad and this will be my second application cycle. I'm applying to all PhD programs, BGSU, UNC-Charlotte, Clemson, ODU, CMU, GMU, Auburn, IUPUI, and IU Bloomington (PhD in Organizational Behavior through Kelley). It seems like most schools are waiving GRE scores this time around, which is great news because I'm not a great standardized tester. So far I'll only have to submit GRE scores for 3, which saves money on score reports too. My list has changed pretty significantly since last application cycle, mostly because I've had more time to prepare and figure out where I really fit research interest-wise. Where is everyone else applying? 

I think I saw you at the IUPUI open house last night! This is also my second application cycle! I plan on applying to Texas A&M, Rice, University of Houston, Portland State University, DePaul, George Mason University, and FIU among others. 

[SCIOPsych]

On 11/5/2020 at 9:11 AM, psycholokri said:

I think I saw you at the IUPUI open house last night! This is also my second application cycle! I plan on applying to Texas A&M, Rice, University of Houston, Portland State University, DePaul, George Mason University, and FIU among others. 

Oh, nice! I thought that was a super cool thing they did, I haven't seen any other programs do that. It really gave me a better idea of each faculty member's research interests. I'm surprised this forum isn't more active, when I applied two years ago there were so many people applying. Either there's not as many applicants (great for us) or people just don't know about GradCafe. Either way, I'm excited to get the process started! 

[I/OWA]

On 11/12/2020 at 11:02 AM, Savannah_C said:

Oh, nice! I thought that was a super cool thing they did, I haven't seen any other programs do that. It really gave me a better idea of each faculty member's research interests. I'm surprised this forum isn't more active, when I applied two years ago there were so many people applying. Either there's not as many applicants (great for us) or people just don't know about GradCafe. Either way, I'm excited to get the process started! 

I am surprised to see there has not been much of a thread for IO considering it is extremely relevant. I applied last semester and now attending an IO program, so if either of you would like help or advice please let me know.

[psycholokri]

16 hours ago, I/OWA said:

I am surprised to see there has not been much of a thread for IO considering it is extremely relevant. I applied last semester and now attending an IO program, so if either of you would like help or advice please let me know.

How many schools did you apply to? Any advice? I am worried during COVID that I should apply to more schools than normal. 

[I/OWA]

56 minutes ago, psycholokri said:

How many schools did you apply to? Any advice? I am worried during COVID that I should apply to more schools than normal. 

I applied to 11 I believe.  My advice would be to reach out to professors you are interested in working with to see if you have crossover in what you are interested in studying/researching. I would also ask the schools you are thinking about applying to if they are accepting students in the first place. It doesn't make sense to apply to a school if they are not going to accept students or if the person you really want to work with is not going to accept students. So in sum I guess my advice is to be strategic because applications take time and are expensive. Do not apply to schools without asking the questions above or you are wasting your time and money. 

 

If there is a school you were interested in that is not accepting new students because of COVID, o ahead and replace it it with another that was on your list.

[SCIOPsych]

On 11/15/2020 at 6:30 PM, I/OWA said:

I am surprised to see there has not been much of a thread for IO considering it is extremely relevant. I applied last semester and now attending an IO program, so if either of you would like help or advice please let me know.

I'm super surprised that there aren't more individuals on this thread. When I applied for Fall 2019, there were tons of people posting. I guess that probably means there will be less people posting results, as well. That may be a good thing, you can definitely let it drive you crazy ? Well, this time around I can genuinely say I'm just excited to send in applications and get the ball rolling. I'm feeling more prepared this time around. 

[KB io psyched]

This is my first time applying for I/O programs, just submitting before deadline. Finishing up my undergrad with an I/O psych concentration.  Was a research assistant, did my own research, as well as an internship in HR this past summer.  Did an honors thesis, graduating Summa Cum Laude with 3.85 GPA in less than 3 and a half years. Presented research at my university and for the CEO at my internship, but haven't published research or presented at conferences.  Applying to about 20 schools because with less schools taking candidates, and less professors taking graduate candidates, I am very concerned about my chances. Any thoughts from experienced applicants? Oh, and my decent but not phenomenal V158 Q158 GRE.

Good luck to you all, especially those who have been through this grueling process before. 

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by KB io psyched

[KB io psyched]

Will any programs respond by mid January?

Edited November 28, 2020 by KB io psyched

[SCIOPsych]

On 11/28/2020 at 6:44 PM, KB io psyched said:

Will any programs respond by mid January?

I've heard from my POI at IUPUI that they will be notifying or at least reaching out by early/ mid-January. I would think any with deadlines of Dec. 1st may be at least reaching out in January. 

Edited November 30, 2020 by Savannah_C

[psycholokri]

Here we go, y'all! Good luck to everyone and I cannot wait to start seeing some results!

[poserchild]

Hey everyone, I am also applying to 11 I/O PhD programs. Fingers crossed! This is my first time applying.. I feel like it will be a bit more competitive this cycle since the GRE was waived. 

[SpYEsther]

@SCIOPsych Thank you for starting this thread. I was looking around here wondering if someone started a thread for I-O Psychology this year yet.

Second time applying as well - Hofstra, GM University, GW University, Bowling Green, North Carolina State U, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, U of Connecticut, NYU, Columbia, Baruch, Old Dominion 

[SCIOPsych]

20 hours ago, SpYEsther said:

@SCIOPsych Thank you for starting this thread. I was looking around here wondering if someone started a thread for I-O Psychology this year yet.

Second time applying as well - Hofstra, GM University, GW University, Bowling Green, North Carolina State U, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, U of Connecticut, NYU, Columbia, Baruch, Old Dominion 

Awesome- I've also heard that we should be hearing back from Bowling Green in middle/end of January. @KB io psyched- not sure if you're applying there. Of course, if it's the waitlist, it could be April 15th ? Did anyone apply to any fellowships? I didn't the first time around because I didn't even know about them. I applied to the NSF GRFP in Oct. and finished up the Ford Foundation application today.

[psycholokri]

24 minutes ago, SCIOPsych said:

Awesome- I've also heard that we should be hearing back from Bowling Green in middle/end of January. @KB io psyched- not sure if you're applying there. Of course, if it's the waitlist, it could be April 15th ? Did anyone apply to any fellowships? I didn't the first time around because I didn't even know about them. I applied to the NSF GRFP in Oct. and finished up the Ford Foundation application today.

I applied to NSF GRFP but not the Ford Foundation. I didn't know about them last year, either. Hoping for a better application outcome this year. So anxious ?

[poserchild]

On 12/16/2020 at 4:03 PM, SCIOPsych said:

Awesome- I've also heard that we should be hearing back from Bowling Green in middle/end of January. @KB io psyched- not sure if you're applying there. Of course, if it's the waitlist, it could be April 15th ? Did anyone apply to any fellowships? I didn't the first time around because I didn't even know about them. I applied to the NSF GRFP in Oct. and finished up the Ford Foundation application today.

I'm hoping to hear back for most of my schools by January! I am certainly interested in BGSU, as I had an informal interview with a professor there over the summer. I am still unsure about how I would feel living in Bowling Green, but I imagine that it will be alright. I'll certainly go and visit if given an offer. I didn't apply for any fellowships -- I am really just hoping to score an RA/TA assistantship and go from there. I am still finishing up my undergraduate degree, so I was a bit too busy since I am applying to 11 schools. 

Are any of you nervous about this application cycle? I have heard rumors about it being harder than before, but I am not so sure if that pertains to I/O PhD programs. I can see how master's programs are significantly more competitive, though.

[poserchild]

I just got an email invite from UNCC's Organizational Science PhD program. They want to schedule an interview for mid January. So nervous! How should I best prepare?

[KB io psyched]

Wow, that's fantastic for you to hear so early!  You must have had a great application. It is stressful to think of doing this and not being accepted anywhere. Just to know you have an interview must provide some relief.  Best of luck to you!!

 

[SCIOPsych]

On 12/18/2020 at 7:56 PM, poserchild said:

I just got an email invite from UNCC's Organizational Science PhD program. They want to schedule an interview for mid January. So nervous! How should I best prepare?

That's so exciting! And so it begins!! I applied there and haven't heard anything yet. I realized I was missing two transcripts for UNCC's app (Not from the university I graduated from but from one I took classes from in high school and one I took a class from in college). I sent them via email right away, but I'm hoping that's not setting me back. Do you mind giving the initials of your POI? 

 

As for tips- I would say prepare like you would for a job interview. Make sure you know the school, the research interests of the POI who will be interviewing you (assuming it will be your POI), and have well-thought out questions prepared. I'd also say make sure you have your CV or resume on-hand. They'll definitely have questions about prior research, so make sure you can explain what you did and what the objectives of the research were. If you need some resources for practice interview questions, let me know! I currently work as a Career Advisor for undergraduates so I have some good resources! ?

Edited December 20, 2020 by SCIOPsych

[poserchild]

1 hour ago, KB io psyched said:

Wow, that's fantastic for you to hear so early!  You must have had a great application. It is stressful to think of doing this and not being accepted anywhere. Just to know you have an interview must provide some relief.  Best of luck to you!!

 

Thank you, I hope so!! UNCC is certainly high on my list!

18 minutes ago, SCIOPsych said:

That's so exciting! And so it begins!! I applied there and haven't heard anything yet. I realized I was missing two transcripts for UNCC's app (Not from the university I graduated from but from one I took classes from in high school and one I took a class from in college). I sent them via email right away, but I'm hoping that's not setting me back. Do you mind giving the initials of your POI? 

 

As for tips- I would say prepare like you would for a job interview. Make sure you know the school, the research interests of the POI who will be interviewing you (assuming it will be your POI), and have well-thought out questions prepared. I'd also say make sure you have your CV or resume on-hand. They'll definitely have questions about prior research, so make sure you can explain what you did and what the objectives of the research were. If you need some resources for practice interview questions, let me know! I currently work as a Career Advisor for undergraduates so I have some good resources! ?

Sure, the POI I am interested in working with is ST. I spoke to him briefly a few months back and he mentioned that people get admitted to the program instead of a specific lab, and then they get to choose who they would like to work with from there.

UNCC actually saved me for all of my applications! They alerted me that I needed to submit a transcript from 2012 that I had completely forgot about from my first attempt at college. I moved across the country a couple weeks into that semester and dropped out, so it completely slipped my mind! I was pretty nervous since they alerted me 3 days before most of my applications were due, but it ended up being alright. It would have been a bummer to have my applications be denied due to being incomplete. 

I think that you should be alright! I imagine more invites will come soon. UNCC is one of my top choices, so fingers crossed! 

Interview resources would be awesome!! I have not had an interview for grad school before, but I have worked a bunch of different jobs. 

[SCIOPsych]

On 12/19/2020 at 9:50 PM, poserchild said:

Thank you, I hope so!! UNCC is certainly high on my list!

Sure, the POI I am interested in working with is ST. I spoke to him briefly a few months back and he mentioned that people get admitted to the program instead of a specific lab, and then they get to choose who they would like to work with from there.

UNCC actually saved me for all of my applications! They alerted me that I needed to submit a transcript from 2012 that I had completely forgot about from my first attempt at college. I moved across the country a couple weeks into that semester and dropped out, so it completely slipped my mind! I was pretty nervous since they alerted me 3 days before most of my applications were due, but it ended up being alright. It would have been a bummer to have my applications be denied due to being incomplete. 

I think that you should be alright! I imagine more invites will come soon. UNCC is one of my top choices, so fingers crossed! 

Interview resources would be awesome!! I have not had an interview for grad school before, but I have worked a bunch of different jobs. 

Good info to know! Thanks for sharing ? My POI there is MA.

I've added a link to a Google Drive below with some resources we share with students. I work at an all STEM school, so some of the interview questions may not apply. I also included some for job interviews, which may or may not apply.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YBFWhVt_2CHvBKpUXDUCHRzwx4FtWiMe?usp=sharing

[Aminta Greene]

Bumping this thread... has anyone else heard back from programs about interviews? Wondering when Dec. 1 programs will start contacting people. 

Hope everyone is staying safe over the holidays ?

 

[psycholokri]

19 hours ago, Aminta Greene said:

Bumping this thread... has anyone else heard back from programs about interviews? Wondering when Dec. 1 programs will start contacting people. 

Hope everyone is staying safe over the holidays ?

I've heard back from Ohio University (IO) and the University of Denver (social) about preliminary interviews for the week of January 4-8. No official interview weekend invites yet. 

[Quant-Methodz]

Hey, everyone!  Just here to introduce myself.

Definitely anxious--I applied to programs in I/O Psychology and Organizational Behavior.

[SpYEsther]

On 12/30/2020 at 2:43 PM, Aminta Greene said:

Bumping this thread... has anyone else heard back from programs about interviews? Wondering when Dec. 1 programs will start contacting people. 

Hope everyone is staying safe over the holidays ?

Do you think schools are taking longer since most programs waived the GRE? That's the only explanation I can come up with. 

I heard from 2 programs that they have to re-arrange their "formula" for accepting students since they aren't taking into account the GRE.