Applying to different interest field?

[honkycat1]

Not to say I'm not interested in what I'm applying to, but if my undergraduate research has been in one field how much of chance do I have getting in a different field for PhD?

I applied to some different I/O programs and am starting to get a little cold feet about it. I have pretty good grades/scores

GPA: 3.5

GRE 1320 (Q720)

I worked at 2 labs, no publications but 1 small undergrad conference presentation, 1 big poster presentation at Annual Conference for Judgment and Decision Making. I worked mostly at a Cognitive Science/Decision Lab. With some experience in a social personality lab. plus a $2000 research grant

I think I would be a pretty competitive applicant for my field (Cognitive Psych, Social Psych etc.) but I'm looking to get into I/O psychology, and I do think my skills/ experience can be applied there. But given my experience in a significantly different field, how are my chances? was this a bad idea to begin with and I should have stuck to something I can at least SHOW I know more about? or is this something happens more often, (especially in I/O Psych, considering not every UG institution have a good I/O Program to train their undergrads anyways...)

Thanks for any input from people that got accepted or know others in PhD programs.

Edited February 8, 2011 by donnyz89

[neuropsych76]

Not to say I'm not interested in what I'm applying to, but if my undergraduate research has been in one field how much of chance do I have getting in a different field for PhD?

I applied to some different I/O programs and am starting to get a little cold feet about it. I have pretty good grades/scores

GPA: 3.5

GRE 1320 (Q720)

I worked at 2 labs, no publications but 1 small undergrad conference presentation, 1 big poster presentation at Annual Conference for Judgment and Decision Making. I worked mostly at a Cognitive Science/Decision Lab. With some experience in a social personality lab. plus a $2000 research grant

I think I would be a pretty competitive applicant for my field (Cognitive Psych, Social Psych etc.) but I'm looking to get into I/O psychology, and I do think my skills/ experience can be applied there. But given my experience in a significantly different field, how are my chances? was this a bad idea to begin with and I should have stuck to something I can at least SHOW I know more about? or is this something happens more often, (especially in I/O Psych, considering not every UG institution have a good I/O Program to train their undergrads anyways...)

Thanks for any input from people that got accepted or know others in PhD programs.

From what I've heard, it doesn't matter so much what exactly the research you did, as it matters that you received quality research. So, I wouldn't worry about if the research you did isn't directly applied to the program you wish to be admitted to. Besides, cognitive and social psych isn't that much different from I/O and you should have easily been able to explain how doing your cognitive and social psych research lead you to your interests in I/O.

best of luck!

[TheDude]

I might disagree a bit. If getting in is really about "fit" then you're undergraduate research, at least in part, should line up with what you want to do.

Four of the schools I applied to are perfect fits with research I have done in the past, which wasn't the most compelling work in the world. The other 4 I was in the ballpark. So far, in terms of interview invites, if I go with what was posted on the results page. A place where my past research lined up perfect wants to interview me and assured I am a really compelling candidate. Another institution for which I was in the same ballpark didn't extend an interview offer. A second where I was in the ball park interviewed me several times before I submitted an application.

Edited February 8, 2011 by musicforfun

[sjc86]

I worked at a social lab during undergrad (did my thesis there), graduated and got a job in developmental/clinical research, and I am now working in a cognitive lab.

I decided I like developmental the best, so that is where i applied. As long as you clearly state why you want to study I/O, you'll have no problem. Plus a lot of I/O is an off-shoot of social (of course, it depends on exactly what you want to study), but I wouldn't worry about it. A social psych researcher is going to approach a particular research question in a very similar fashion to an I/O researcher.

[psychapplicant2011]

I am a philosophy student who has done all of my meaningful research in a philosophy department. It should be noted that, even though I all my research has been done in a philosophy department, I have been engaged in empirical work, and I have a fairly strong stats background.

My research interests line up nicely with work being done by some psychologists. Some of these psychologists do not seem to be holding against me that I studied in a philosophy department. Yes, they care that my interests line up with theirs, and they care about the quality of the signs of my potential to do good psychology, but they don't care that I didn't do "social psychology" in a "social psychology lab" within a "social psychology department."