I/O Applicants 2011

[CSJ]

Hey All,

I wanted to make a group for all I/O applicants for the fall 2011 season. If you are applying to either PhD or MA programs feel free to post your schools so that we can all stay connected and up to date.

Thanks.

[i/o hopeful]

I figured I'd try to get this topic started, and hopefully get some feedback on my list as it stands now. I'm looking for PhD programs with an interest in personality (so p-e fit, personnel selection, etc), but I'm really trying to stay in a city, so my list at this point is:

DePaul

George Mason

WashU

Portland State

UMaryland

Georgia Tech

NC State (maybe)

UWashington (Social Psych)

I'm kind of struggling for what to add in terms on "backups", so probably MA programs. There's one at Boston College and Portland State I could do, but not sure at this point. Also, does anyone have opinions on George Mason PhD vs MA in terms of likelihood of getting in? I'd ideally want to go straight for the PhD, but if the chances of that seem slim to none, then maybe I should just try for the MA. To give a sense of my qualifications, I have a good GRE score ( >1500), GPA (3.6 overall, 3.9 in psych), quant background (double major in psych and math/stats), but less stellar research perhaps (did a psych honors thesis but not published-- I do have my name on several papers to be published, but in an entirely unrelated field from psych).

Thoughts? Is my list too ambitious?

[io2011]

I am applying this season too! I will include more details later but just wanted to keep this topic going.

[io2011]

I have the same thoughts on George Mason as you. My advisor was really pushing me to just apply for the PhD anyway but I was too intimidated so I am going for their Masters, along with a couple of other Masters programs and some PhDs. Your GRE is much higher than mine, similar GPA, and similar research (although I do not have publications, and do have a couple years of lab experience). If you really want to apply for the PhD, you might as well. I think you have a chance. I am almost regretting not going for it myself, although I keep telling myself it is a safer decision to go for their MA.

[iopsych]

I would say you have a very good shot of getting in everywhere you apply. Schools love the GRE, to top it off you have research experience and publications going in.

Question; why the wide variety of programs? You have some traditional I/O psych programs(Mason, Maryland), some programs that are mostly O (George Washington) and a social psych program.

Not interested in the big ten schools?

[i/o hopeful]

I would say you have a very good shot of getting in everywhere you apply. Schools love the GRE, to top it off you have research experience and publications going in.

Question; why the wide variety of programs? You have some traditional I/O psych programs(Mason, Maryland), some programs that are mostly O (George Washington) and a social psych program.

Not interested in the big ten schools?

Well, the main reason for the variety is because I'm limiting myself to programs that are by/in a decently sized city. I've been living in a great city for the past several years, and am having a hard time imagining myself stuck in a college town for the next 5-7 years. I know it's not the best reason to exclude/include programs, but so be it.

[iopsych]

Well, the main reason for the variety is because I'm limiting myself to programs that are by/in a decently sized city. I've been living in a great city for the past several years, and am having a hard time imagining myself stuck in a college town for the next 5-7 years. I know it's not the best reason to exclude/include programs, but so be it.

I am not sure what type of cities you are looking for, but USF in Tampa and UCF in Orlando are also viable options in a city with excellent programs.

I think it is also important to decide what you would like to do when you graduate. If academia is a strong possibility I think it would be a mistake to throw out schools like Michigan State, Minnesota, and Penn Sate because they are in college towns. Those schools publish and present at SIOP a lot more than some of the schools on your list, which would be very important when applying for tenure-track academic positions.

But as I said earlier your GRE will make you very competitive anywhere. I know that some schools can put applicants with a +1300 GRE up for fellowships that pay near 20k per year. This makes the decision process a lot easier because the program doesn't have to fund you, the university will.

Edit: I try to come back here every year and help students applying because I could not find much help when I was applying. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Edited October 13, 2010 by iopsych

[paiged2]

I think it is also important to decide what you would like to do when you graduate. If academia is a strong possibility I think it would be a mistake to throw out schools like Michigan State, Minnesota, and Penn Sate because they are in college towns. Those schools publish and present at SIOP a lot more than some of the schools on your list, which would be very important when applying for tenure-track academic positions.

But as I said earlier your GRE will make you very competitive anywhere. I know that some schools can put applicants with a +1300 GRE up for fellowships that pay near 20k per year. This makes the decision process a lot easier because the program doesn't have to fund you, the university will.

Edit: I try to come back here every year and help students applying because I could not find much help when I was applying. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

So, I'm in the same boat as IOpsych (aside from managing to forget my password, then realizing that the notification e-mail was sent to my undergrad address, which has long expired, womp womp). I'm a second year student who found this when I was applying, and try to come back and help out. I did in fact also meet IOpsych at SIOP this year. Pretty cool dude.

I agree that your stats will make you competitive anywhere-- you're in a better position, stats wise, than I was when I was applying to grad schools. I'm heinously biased with Big 10 pride, but I think that you should consider adding some Big 10 schools to your list-- yeah, they're not in the biggest towns in the world, but most of them are pretty close to good towns, and Minny/St Paul is a large town with lots to do in itself. I think that it depends a lot more on program culture, your cohort, and the cohorts around you, than the size of the town. This is the smallest town I've ever lived in by a longshot, and yeah, I want to go on vacation, but that's moreso a byproduct of grad school than the town

[i/o hopeful]

So, I'm in the same boat as IOpsych (aside from managing to forget my password, then realizing that the notification e-mail was sent to my undergrad address, which has long expired, womp womp). I'm a second year student who found this when I was applying, and try to come back and help out. I did in fact also meet IOpsych at SIOP this year. Pretty cool dude.

I agree that your stats will make you competitive anywhere-- you're in a better position, stats wise, than I was when I was applying to grad schools. I'm heinously biased with Big 10 pride, but I think that you should consider adding some Big 10 schools to your list-- yeah, they're not in the biggest towns in the world, but most of them are pretty close to good towns, and Minny/St Paul is a large town with lots to do in itself. I think that it depends a lot more on program culture, your cohort, and the cohorts around you, than the size of the town. This is the smallest town I've ever lived in by a longshot, and yeah, I want to go on vacation, but that's moreso a byproduct of grad school than the town

Thanks for the input, both of you-- I met with my old thesis advisor yesterday, and he sort of echoed what you are saying (and in fact strongly encouraged me to apply to Minnesota in particular). I guess I have a question of how much the school 'brand' matters in terms of options after the degree if I'm thinking that applied is where I'm headed at the moment (I'm not saying academia is out of the picture entirely, but I just can't envision it right now). My thinking was that being by a city would be really good in terms of getting exposure to internships and taking advantage of ties the schools may have with surrounding organizations. Is that right, or do you think people in industry actually care about name as well? Also, do any big 10 schools really encourage the option to go applied post-PhD, or are they pretty much gearing their students toward a professor's life?

[iopsych]

Thanks for the input, both of you-- I met with my old thesis advisor yesterday, and he sort of echoed what you are saying (and in fact strongly encouraged me to apply to Minnesota in particular). I guess I have a question of how much the school 'brand' matters in terms of options after the degree if I'm thinking that applied is where I'm headed at the moment (I'm not saying academia is out of the picture entirely, but I just can't envision it right now). My thinking was that being by a city would be really good in terms of getting exposure to internships and taking advantage of ties the schools may have with surrounding organizations. Is that right, or do you think people in industry actually care about name as well? Also, do any big 10 schools really encourage the option to go applied post-PhD, or are they pretty much gearing their students toward a professor's life?

Paige could answer the big ten question better than I could, but from what I hear some of them are fairly balanced while others tend to push harder for academia. I am fairly certain Minnesota is very balanced as the founders of PDI are from Minnesota and from the people I know at Penn State, I hear that is also a balanced program. Brand matters to a certain extent, but is not extremely important. If companies are aware of your school's reputation for producing students that will always help.

I was thinking along similar lines when I was applying, be near a big city, better chance of internships. But what I failed to realize is that with a PhD you aren't competing for jobs and internships on a local level, instead you are on a national level. It is different from law school where you should go to school in the city you want to live in. Firms and organizations hire people nationally.

Most schools really won't encourage an internship until you are ABD anyway, so getting an internship in another city when you are finished with all your classes and comps really wouldn't hinder your progress unless you need your advisor breathing down your neck. I can't think of any schools that have direct ties to organizations (even the one's in big cities). PhD programs tend to separate themselves from practice more than master's programs. Getting a job in industry when the student graduates is not a problem, so there is no need to develop an internship type relationship with organizations.

The best contacts you will have will be your advisors (and the one's at PSU, MSU, Minn., etc. will all have very good contacts), students that stay in contact with the program, and people you meet at conferences.

Trust me: If you want an internship and you are at one of those schools you will not have a problem finding one, but you will start to realize that having an internship is not always necessary. I chose a very applied lab and almost everything we have done (developed and validated assessment tools, implemented performance measurement system within an organization, etc.) is more in depth than you would get at your typical internship anyway.

[paiged2]

Paige could answer the big ten question better than I could, but from what I hear some of them are fairly balanced while others tend to push harder for academia. I am fairly certain Minnesota is very balanced as the founders of PDI are from Minnesota and from the people I know at Penn State, I hear that is also a balanced program. Brand matters to a certain extent, but is not extremely important. If companies are aware of your school's reputation for producing students that will always help.

Trust me: If you want an internship and you are at one of those schools you will not have a problem finding one, but you will start to realize that having an internship is not always necessary. I chose a very applied lab and almost everything we have done (developed and validated assessment tools, implemented performance measurement system within an organization, etc.) is more in depth than you would get at your typical internship anyway.

At Penn State, things split almost at the half with people pursuing academic v. industry careers. There is three years of consulting built into the program requirements, so it is definitely a place where both aspects are well respected. A lot of the faculty do consulting on the side too, and have been known to bring interested students in on projects. It is definitely correct that your advisor is your greatest strength, especially in a program that has graduates in academia and industry. It's amazing what can be done and the opportunities that present themselves when you ask for help or information.

The size of the town has little to do with internship placement. I know people from my program who have interned in Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Houston, Chicago, London, and Princeton, N.J. So, I would recommend not knocking out the Big 10's just because we're in smaller towns.

[BGSUFalcon]

Hey everyone,

I'm attempting to pursue a Ph.D. in I/O psychology and was wondering if anyone can offer me any advice as to what programs I have a realistic chance of being accepted to.

GRE: 1260 (580V, 680Q; AW: Not graded yet)

Undergrad GPA: 3.61

Psychology GPA: 3.76

Research Experience: Starting to work with one of the most esteemed faculty here at BGSU. I am seriously concerned that I am starting too little too late. This is a significant concern for me.

LOR: I don't really have an established means for this either. Again this is a significant concern for me.

Additional information (possibly irrelevant): Worked anywhere from 15-20 hours a week since my first semester of my freshmen year. Highly involved in campus organizations and with the University (which I understand is of minimal importance).

I personally have minimal preference as to where I go as long as I get accepted into a reputable program. However, I am highly considering applying to the following programs:

WashU

University of Akron

Purdue

Do I have a shot at any of these schools based on my information? If not, where should I look towards applying? Furthermore, how much of a negative is the fact that I have almost no research experience? What should I do about letters of recommendation?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

[university99]

Just sent out all of my applications during a post-Turkey stupor (and got a big blow to my credit card!). Reviving this thread so we can go about waiting together.

[i/o hopeful]

Congrats on getting everything out the door! I've got all my Dec 1 apps in, and the rest are pretty much ready to go out as soon as I can convince myself to stop looking at my SOPs =)

A lot of the schools I applied to say there's a several week lag between getting transcript/scores/etc and actually updating their statuses to "received", so don't contact them before then. However, it's hard for me to watch deadlines pass without getting confirmation that everything they need they have. Do you have this issue too? I'm contemplating following up by calling the schools right at the deadline to get someone to tell me my application is all there, but I'm wondering if that's just going to be pesky for them.

Also, seems to be a quiet years for I/O people-- who else is out there? Where's everyone applying?

[university99]

My earliest deadline is December 12, and luckily a lot of my schools have online applications, so it's not really an issue of receiving everything before then. Does anyone know when the usual time is for interview selections and also for admissions decisions?

For those of us applying to PhDs, when do you suggest applying for MAs just in case?

[paiged2]

For those of us applying to PhDs, when do you suggest applying for MAs just in case?

Play it by ear. Masters programs usually have much later due dates, often after when you hear from PhD programs. I was planning on applying to a few masters programs, but it turned out that I didn't have to spend even more money on all that is involved.

[dherres]

I might as well post in here, too. I'm currently a PhD I/O student at UConn, but I'm applying to a different program: Teachers College, Columbia Univ. Don't get me wrong, UConn is great, but it's really more of an occupational health psychology program than straight I/O. The faculty here are awesome, though, as are the other students, so anyone who's interested in UConn, don't feel dissuaded!

[Zorah]

Does anyone know anything about George Washington University's ED.D in Human and Organizational learning? How does this program differ from their Organizational Science program?

[iopsych]

I might as well post in here, too. I'm currently a PhD I/O student at UConn, but I'm applying to a different program: Teachers College, Columbia Univ. Don't get me wrong, UConn is great, but it's really more of an occupational health psychology program than straight I/O. The faculty here are awesome, though, as are the other students, so anyone who's interested in UConn, don't feel dissuaded!

from what I understand and I have heard from people at Teacher's college that is not a traditional I/O program either. They are more focused on the O and Social Psychology side of I/O. I am sure you are already aware of this, but I just thought I would let you know they seem to place a lot less emphasis on the I side. Although I do not know how they deal with the statistical and Quant side. I will tell you this however, having a strong background in Quant. and Psychometrics really makes interviewers ears perk up, from the two jobs I have applied to thus far.

[chak]

Check out the PhD I/O program @ the cuny graduate center. Hope this helps

from what I understand and I have heard from people at Teacher's college that is not a traditional I/O program either. They are more focused on the O and Social Psychology side of I/O. I am sure you are already aware of this, but I just thought I would let you know they seem to place a lot less emphasis on the I side. Although I do not know how they deal with the statistical and Quant side. I will tell you this however, having a strong background in Quant. and Psychometrics really makes interviewers ears perk up, from the two jobs I have applied to thus far.

[dherres]

Sorry for misrepresenting my reasons for wanting to transfer. I'm well aware of the focus of the TC program, and prefer that to a traditional I/O program. My concern with UConn is that it's not even a traditional I/O, despite claims (one student who is ABD recently stated that he's about to graduate having never actually taken an I/O class.... how exactly does that work??).

from what I understand and I have heard from people at Teacher's college that is not a traditional I/O program either. They are more focused on the O and Social Psychology side of I/O. I am sure you are already aware of this, but I just thought I would let you know they seem to place a lot less emphasis on the I side. Although I do not know how they deal with the statistical and Quant side. I will tell you this however, having a strong background in Quant. and Psychometrics really makes interviewers ears perk up, from the two jobs I have applied to thus far.

[JohnP]

So I'm kind of behind the eight ball but maybe there is someone out there who can point me in the right direction with some optimism.

I'm applying to I/O Masters programs but I missed all the Dec 1st deadlines due to having waited on taking the GRE.

The only schools on my radar currently are San Francisco State University, San Jose State University, SUNY-Albany, and NYU.

My stats go like this:

V: 650 Q: 600 AW: 3.5 : (

Can't believe I got a 3.5. Getting a 3.5 on the AW feel like getting a failing grade. Total bummer.

The 600 on the Quantitative is also brutal.

I graduated college back in 1995, got a B.S. in Advertising, had a 2.85 overall GPA (terrible GPA)

I have worked nonstop since I was 15 years old with only one 3 month break in between my 1st and 2nd sales job.

I worked for 1 1/2 years in advertising upon graduating in 1995, didn't like it and got out, then worked the next 12+ years in outside sales.

The first six years I worked for one company as a straight-commissioned outside salesperson.

The last six years I worked as a specialty pharmaceutical sales rep selling adhd medications to psychiatrists and behavioral pediatricians.

I was once the #1 ranked sales rep in the country. (335 reps total)

Lost my job last year due to company politics. Have a great story to tell that directly applies to I/O Psychology.

I also have interests in Personality Disorders/Domestic Violence/Intimate Partner Violence and have given two presentations on the topic to psychology classes at a local community college.

Have recently completed 4 psychology classes and received all A's.

Abnormal Psych, Psych Research Methods, Personality Theory, Psych and Modern Life

Took Statistics in college when I was 19 and received an A.

Took intro to psychology when I was 19 and received an A.

I plan on taking (Social Psychology), (Intro to Social Research), (Emotions, Learning, and the Brain), and a refresher course in (Elementary Statistics)

So, after all of that, do I have a snowballs chance in hell of getting accepted to any I/O Psychology Masters Programs for Fall 2011?

Edited January 13, 2011 by JohnP

[ynos23]

Hi all,

i've applied to about 20 schools (PhD and MA) with the following being my top picks:

NYU MA

Teachers PhD

George Mason MA

my stats are as follows --> 1540 (760 Q, 560 V, 4.5 on the 2nd/5.0 on the first AWA); 3.05 GPA, 3.06 Psych GPA

What are your thoughts?

Ynos

Hey All,

I wanted to make a group for all I/O applicants for the fall 2011 season. If you are applying to either PhD or MA programs feel free to post your schools so that we can all stay connected and up to date.

Thanks.

[chak]

So I'm kind of behind the eight ball but maybe there is someone out there who can point me in the right direction with some optimism.

I'm applying to I/O Masters programs but I missed all the Dec 1st deadlines due to having waited on taking the GRE.

The only schools on my radar currently are San Francisco State University, San Jose State University, SUNY-Albany, and NYU.

My stats go like this:

V: 650 Q: 600 AW: 3.5 : (

Can't believe I got a 3.5. Getting a 3.5 on the AW feel like getting a failing grade. Total bummer.

The 600 on the Quantitative is also brutal.

I graduated college back in 1995, got a B.S. in Advertising, had a 2.85 overall GPA (terrible GPA)

I have worked nonstop since I was 15 years old with only one 3 month break in between my 1st and 2nd sales job.

I worked for 1 1/2 years in advertising upon graduating in 1995, didn't like it and got out, then worked the next 12+ years in outside sales.

The first six years I worked for one company as a straight-commissioned outside salesperson.

The last six years I worked as a specialty pharmaceutical sales rep selling adhd medications to psychiatrists and behavioral pediatricians.

I was once the #1 ranked sales rep in the country. (335 reps total)

Lost my job last year due to company politics. Have a great story to tell that directly applies to I/O Psychology.

I also have interests in Personality Disorders/Domestic Violence/Intimate Partner Violence and have given two presentations on the topic to psychology classes at a local community college.

Have recently completed 4 psychology classes and received all A's.

Abnormal Psych, Psych Research Methods, Personality Theory, Psych and Modern Life

Took Statistics in college when I was 19 and received an A.

Took intro to psychology when I was 19 and received an A.

I plan on taking (Social Psychology), (Intro to Social Research), (Emotions, Learning, and the Brain), and a refresher course in (Elementary Statistics)

So, after all of that, do I have a snowballs chance in hell of getting accepted to any I/O Psychology Masters Programs for Fall 2011?

I think you have a good shot. Considering masters programs look for at least a 3.0 and roughly 1100 (or even less) for applicants coming straight out of undergrad. However for you situation, I believe they'll consider your more recently work - which will probably further increase your chances- over your previous. I'd say start building up your research experience (if you haven't done so already) because PhD programs look for these in applicants as well.

[chak]

Hi all,

i've applied to about 20 schools (PhD and MA) with the following being my top picks:

NYU MA

Teachers PhD

George Mason MA

my stats are as follows --> 1540 (760 Q, 560 V, 4.5 on the 2nd/5.0 on the first AWA); 3.05 GPA, 3.06 Psych GPA

What are your thoughts?

Ynos

I'm confused with your GRE score