HyacinthMacaw Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 Hey folks, Anyone else disappointed at the incongruity between good correspondence with POIs and lack of interviews? I honestly thought POIs were interested in my application--they encouraged me to apply and recognized my fit with their research program--but I haven't heard back from these schools and am losing hope. Even if I was a great fit, did I simply fail to meet the admissions standards (combination of GPA, GRE, research experience, etc.) of these programs? Given that programs reject 90% or more applicants, chances are there are a lot of people who believe they are excellent fits but nevertheless didn't receive even an interview. Join the club!
psychapplicant2011 Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 Hey folks, Anyone else disappointed at the incongruity between good correspondence with POIs and lack of interviews? I honestly thought POIs were interested in my application--they encouraged me to apply and recognized my fit with their research program--but I haven't heard back from these schools and am losing hope. Even if I was a great fit, did I simply fail to meet the admissions standards (combination of GPA, GRE, research experience, etc.) of these programs? Given that programs reject 90% or more applicants, chances are there are a lot of people who believe they are excellent fits but nevertheless didn't receive even an interview. Join the club! Keep your head up! It is still very early in the process. I think many of us either haven't heard from anywhere yet or have only heard from a single program. Give it a few more weeks before you start to let despair set in. YA_RLY 1
ErichFromm Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 well looks like NYU is probably out for me. fuck
cautiouslyoptimistic Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 Hey folks, Anyone else disappointed at the incongruity between good correspondence with POIs and lack of interviews? I honestly thought POIs were interested in my application--they encouraged me to apply and recognized my fit with their research program--but I haven't heard back from these schools and am losing hope. Even if I was a great fit, did I simply fail to meet the admissions standards (combination of GPA, GRE, research experience, etc.) of these programs? Given that programs reject 90% or more applicants, chances are there are a lot of people who believe they are excellent fits but nevertheless didn't receive even an interview. Join the club! Most of the really top programs have a 3 or 4% acceptance rate, so it becomes an issue of whether you are the top 1 or 2 people for your POI, not just do you have a great application. If you have a fantastic application then it's not terribly hard to be in the top 10%, but it's a whole other ballgame when you are talking about needing to be the best or second best person who applied to work with a particular prof. In addition to that, there has to be funding available for you, which can be dictated by so many different factors and has been a particularly pressing issue the past few years. But like someone already said, most programs still haven't notified people, so don't get too discouraged just yet.
cautiouslyoptimistic Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 To the person who got the interview invite at Virginia--was it a phone interview or an in-person interview? And if it is the latter, can you please share what the interview date is? Thank you and congratulations!
franks98 Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Hey folks, Anyone else disappointed at the incongruity between good correspondence with POIs and lack of interviews? I honestly thought POIs were interested in my application--they encouraged me to apply and recognized my fit with their research program--but I haven't heard back from these schools and am losing hope. Even if I was a great fit, did I simply fail to meet the admissions standards (combination of GPA, GRE, research experience, etc.) of these programs? Given that programs reject 90% or more applicants, chances are there are a lot of people who believe they are excellent fits but nevertheless didn't receive even an interview. Join the club! I've gotten some insider info on some of the programs that I'm applying to, and really, it seems that many schools are still going through apps in search committees -- both faculty and current grad student committees. I wouldn't start getting concerned at this point . . . you're still in the game! Did you apply to a range of programs? Are you applying to social psych programs? If so, which area of soc. psych?
franks98 Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Are you applying to social psych programs? Whoops... just remembered this was the social psych thread.. Too much time spent hitting the refresh button on my email. . . not thinking straight.
psychapplicant2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Just received a phone call from my POI at Brown. I have been invited to interview/perspectives day on Feb. 11. Brown is probably my first choice, so this is very, very exciting!
HyacinthMacaw Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Just received a phone call from my POI at Brown. I have been invited to interview/perspectives day on Feb. 11. Brown is probably my first choice, so this is very, very exciting! Congrats and all the best!
socialpsychlover Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 (edited) Has anyone heard from UChicago, Northwestern, IIT, UIC, UIUC please? Edited January 21, 2011 by socialpsychlover
HyacinthMacaw Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 I've gotten some insider info on some of the programs that I'm applying to, and really, it seems that many schools are still going through apps in search committees -- both faculty and current grad student committees. I wouldn't start getting concerned at this point . . . you're still in the game! Did you apply to a range of programs? Are you applying to social psych programs? If so, which area of soc. psych? Thanks for the comforting remarks! I applied to 19 social psych programs and contacted POIs who have been publishing in intergroup relations (superordinate and crossed categorization, stereotyping/responses to counterstereotypical targets, contact theory, social dominance theory, intergroup emotions, benevolent prejudice, etc.). I suspect this is a popular area with lots of qualified candidates. It may be reassuring to know that sometimes being denied admission has little to do with lack of merit--there's a point at which the process can become very capricious indeed (I am paraphrasing a graduate director I spoke to). Again, all the best to everyone!
Mr. Tea Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Has anyone heard from UChicago, Northwestern, IIT, UIC, UIUC please? I think someone mentioned earlier on this thread that he or she had been contacted by Northwestern (sad for me too, one of the schools I applied to as well). I've heard nothing from the others, but I think UIUC recently started to look through applications so I doubt they've contacted anyone yet. I have not heard anything about the other schools that you mentioned, but also applied to UChicago, so I'm anxious to know if anyone else has heard from them. To the person asking about U Michigan above, I have received an invite to their recruitment weekend and I know at least one other person has received the invite as well.
franks98 Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Thanks for the comforting remarks! I applied to 19 social psych programs and contacted POIs who have been publishing in intergroup relations (superordinate and crossed categorization, stereotyping/responses to counterstereotypical targets, contact theory, social dominance theory, intergroup emotions, benevolent prejudice, etc.). I suspect this is a popular area with lots of qualified candidates. It may be reassuring to know that sometimes being denied admission has little to do with lack of merit--there's a point at which the process can become very capricious indeed (I am paraphrasing a graduate director I spoke to). Again, all the best to everyone! Cool! I'm focusing on prejudice and group ID stuff too. I've also been getting really into the existential stuff as well lately (namely terror management). What an interesting field! What part of the country are you in now?
psychapplicant2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Just received a phone call from my POI at Brown. I have been invited to interview/perspectives day on Feb. 11. Brown is probably my first choice, so this is very, very exciting! obviously, i meant prospective's day, not perspectives day ... Oh, and thanks for all the congrats!
maath805 Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 well looks like NYU is probably out for me. fuck me too.
psychapplicant2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Received some second-hand insider information, and it looks like I am out at Virginia (if that was not obvious already!) and at Yale. For Yale, I was told that my application made it down to the next-to-last-cut-before-the-short-list, but, in that next-to-last-cut pile, some applicants had slightly better research matches, so I didn't make it to the final short list. If you have not heard from Yale yet, do not panic. As far as I know, they have not officially started contacting people yet. (And just FYI, though I applied to mainly social psych programs, I actually applied to the development track at Yale.) Also, things are not looking so great for me at BC. As it turns out my POI is preferring a specific set of skills, some of which I don't have. Nonetheless, my POI recognizes that my application in many regards is "superior" and that I am "still in consideration." So, Boston College -- no word, looking 50/50 at best for being shortlisted Brown -- invite to interview day!!! Cornell - no word, still hopeful Emory - no word, still hopeful Harvard - no word, fear I might be in a similar situation as I am in at BC Maryland - no word, still hopeful USC - phone interview, no official word of anything more yetl Virginia - no official word, but probably out Yale - no official word, but probably out
a.arcane Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 Wow! Such specificity of information is great. Are you getting this info (e.g., Yale--I applied for social at Yale) from PIs or dept coordinators/admin? Received some second-hand insider information, and it looks like I am out at Virginia (if that was not obvious already!) and at Yale. For Yale, I was told that my application made it down to the next-to-last-cut-before-the-short-list, but, in that next-to-last-cut pile, some applicants had slightly better research matches, so I didn't make it to the final short list. If you have not heard from Yale yet, do not panic. As far as I know, they have not officially started contacting people yet. (And just FYI, though I applied to mainly social psych programs, I actually applied to the development track at Yale.) Also, things are not looking so great for me at BC. As it turns out my POI is preferring a specific set of skills, some of which I don't have. Nonetheless, my POI recognizes that my application in many regards is "superior" and that I am "still in consideration." So, Boston College -- no word, looking 50/50 at best for being shortlisted Brown -- invite to interview day!!! Cornell - no word, still hopeful Emory - no word, still hopeful Harvard - no word, fear I might be in a similar situation as I am in at BC Maryland - no word, still hopeful USC - phone interview, no official word of anything more yetl Virginia - no official word, but probably out Yale - no official word, but probably out
psychapplicant2011 Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 Wow! Such specificity of information is great. Are you getting this info (e.g., Yale--I applied for social at Yale) from PIs or dept coordinators/admin? Let's just say that someone I know who also knows some of my POIs was willing to check on my standings for me.
rachelruby Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 (edited) i think stanford and harvard have already finished sending out social psych interviews invitations i heard some student from stanford say there'll be some "action' from wed-fri this wk. today i saw what the latest poster on stanford psychology said and figured so that "action" probably = sending out invitations harvard started sending theirs from 1st - 3rd wk of jan. it's the end of the 3rd wk now so i, for one, am giving up hope now that i haven't heard back from them. if there's someone here who actually received those interviews, congrats!! and do you mind sharing a bit about your portfolio? Edited January 22, 2011 by rachelruby rachelruby and newkidontheblock 1 1
cautiouslyoptimistic Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 i think stanford and harvard have already finished sending out social psych interviews invitations i heard some student from stanford say there'll be some "action' from wed-fri this wk. today i saw what the latest poster on stanford psychology said and figured so that "action" probably = sending out invitations harvard started sending theirs from 1st - 3rd wk of jan. it's the end of the 3rd wk now so i, for one, am giving up hope now that i haven't heard back from them. if there's someone here who actually received those interviews, congrats!! and do you mind sharing a bit about your portfolio? I don't think Stanford has sent out their social invites actually. I saw that post from the Stanford person about invites going out on Wednesday or Thursday, but did you notice that that is the day all of these cognitive people posted interview invites for Stanford? AND an actual grad student at Stanford in the social program said that they were just getting to reviewing the applications this week. So I wouldn't give up on Stanford just yet.
newkidontheblock Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 I don't think Stanford has sent out their social invites actually. I saw that post from the Stanford person about invites going out on Wednesday or Thursday, but did you notice that that is the day all of these cognitive people posted interview invites for Stanford? AND an actual grad student at Stanford in the social program said that they were just getting to reviewing the applications this week. So I wouldn't give up on Stanford just yet. may your word be the case! wonder what's taking those folks so long since SPSP is next week too.
ErichFromm Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 I think someone mentioned earlier on this thread that he or she had been contacted by Northwestern (sad for me too, one of the schools I applied to as well). I didn't see that in this thread. i did see someone posted something about Northeastern Social Psy on the results page though
Mr. Tea Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 may your word be the case! wonder what's taking those folks so long since SPSP is next week too. Not to mention their deadline was in November.
Mr. Tea Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 I didn't see that in this thread. i did see someone posted something about Northeastern Social Psy on the results page though You're right. I thought I remembered seeing something, but maybe it was in another thread (and for another program area).
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