Dare I?

[Plokim]

Hi!

I’ve been reading the forums for a few days now and have found it very useful and quell any fears that I am in this ordeal alone.

Context:

I’m wondering if I should apply (with obvious delusions of getting a position) for a PhD in the US (I’m Singaporean) this year for the intake next year or the year after that.

In terms of what ammo I’m packing:

- A B.Sc in Chemistry GPA 5.75 / 7 = 3.29 / 4

- A B.A. (Hons) in Psychology with thesis GPA 6.33 / 7 = 3.67 / 4 (2^nd Upper or Magnum cum laude – missed a 1^st class by one sad lonely percent)

- A letter of commendation for almost every semester in uni for both Chemistry and Psychology.

- Best conference speaker award at an annual honours student’s conference.

- A publication that is ‘in review’ in decent IF 5 journal but it’s in neuropharmacology/clinical psychology –ish

- I’ve started working two psych RA jobs now at different universities full time, one involving personality and psychopathology and the other on entrepreneurship.

I’m interested in research in power/status with the people working in this field coming from a range of departments and programs – social, I/O and OB.

The problem with the research area that I’m interested in is that the universities doing then to be quite difficult to get into (Northwestern, Stanford, etc.)

Questions

• As an international student, I’m concerned that priority will be given to domestic students (as they should) but I’m wondering the degree and extent to which this is done. UCLA seems less likely to bring in international students but that is perhaps due to state funding issues? Or is it typically a fair - go dependent on the strength of your application?
  
  
  • How close should my current research assistant work match the POI’s work Ideally, it should overlap but there’s no one in Singapore doing research on power/status. Will my research experience as an R.A in Clinical/personality and entrepreneurship (I/O-ish) count at all?

  [*]Given that I’ve graduated last year and starting working as an R.A do you think I should apply for next years intake or should I wait for another year when I may have more publications to put on that list which as I understand from the readings help[*]Would it matter in terms of future employability which (social, I/O and OB) PhD I applied for, if I want to do a little teaching and a lot more research? [*]Some of the topics in the forum have described OB as a “hot” and emergent field. Why?

  Thanks for even taking the time to read this!

  Hope it wasn’t too convoluted.

Edited March 30, 2011 by Plokim

[Mr. Tea]

Just to clarify, the next time you will be able to apply for Ph.D programs in the US is in the fall for the following year. I see no reason why you should not try to apply at that time.

I don't know of any reason why coming from Singapore would put you at a disadvantage. US schools receive plenty of international applicants. It should be no more costly to a program to accept you as a student than it would be for them to accept an out-of-state US student. As long as you have a strong application, you should be fine.

I don't think the match between your past research experience and POI's research really matters. It's more important that your research interests match your POI's research interests. Fit is very important after you get past early cutoff factors (e.g., GRE scores) that get you a foot in the door. The research experience that you have should be valuable because it demonstrates ways in which you have prepared yourself for graduate level work.

Publications help, but they are not necessary. I doubt that the majority of applicants have any. Those who do are most likely to have one. I won't discount that they can make you a more competitive applicant, but again, they're not necessary.

I don't know the answer to your question about Social vs. I/O vs. OB programs. You have the option to apply to all three types of programs. Check and see how the specific programs prepare their students and how that will help you accomplish your future goals. Maybe someone else can offer more help on this question.

Stanford and Northwestern are both competitive programs. I recommend applying to 8-12 programs if you are aiming for this tier. Things are really competitive right now. Many schools have about 200 applicants for 4 or fewer spots, so applying to multiple schools will give you a greater chance to receive an offer.

Hope that helps.

[LJK]

I don't know of any reason why coming from Singapore would put you at a disadvantage. US schools receive plenty of international applicants. It should be no more costly to a program to accept you as a student than it would be for them to accept an out-of-state US student. As long as you have a strong application, you should be fine.

I don't think that coming from Singapore would necessarily put you at a disadvantage, but your application is likely to be treated a bit differently than one from a domestic student. It is more costly to a program to fund an international student than an out-of-state US student - the program would pay out-of-state tuition for both in the first year, but the US citizen will change residency and become an in-state student by the start of the second year (at least in the states to which I applied) while the international student will remain out of state. This only applies for public schools though - the departments will be paying the same amount for domestic and international student's tuition at private universities. This doesn't actually apply to me so I don't know all the ins and outs but I think that at some schools the department has to put aside enough money to cover the international student through the whole program at the start. They can only do that for so many slots if that is their situation.

I think that you are in a good position having 8-9 months before applications are due. Figure out what programs you are interested in, then contact them. Ask how international applications are handled at those specific programs. My understanding is that some schools consider all students together, others have set number of potential international slots and you would mainly be competing with other international students. Maybe one of the sub-fields you are considering has better funding for international students in general! If it seems like you would have lower chances than US students, broaden your list of schools if you would really like start in 2012.

Edited March 30, 2011 by LJK

[Mr. Tea]

I don't think that coming from Singapore would necessarily put you at a disadvantage, but your application is likely to be treated a bit differently than one from a domestic student. It is more costly to a program to fund an international student than an out-of-state US student - the program would pay out-of-state tuition for both in the first year, but the US citizen will change residency and become an in-state student by the start of the second year (at least in the states to which I applied) while the international student will remain out of state. This only applies for public schools though - the departments will be paying the same amount for domestic and international student's tuition at private universities. This doesn't actually apply to me so I don't know all the ins and outs but I think that at some schools the department has to put aside enough money to cover the international student through the whole program at the start. They can only do that for so many slots if that is their situation.

Thanks for that correction.

[Plokim]

Hey Thanks Mr Tea and LJK!

Really appreciate it, looks like I'll be throwing in my application into the fray this year.