weeble Posted November 26, 2008 Posted November 26, 2008 Hi all, I'm applying for social psych phd programs for Fall 2009. Anyone else? I'd love to have some folks to commiserate with. Applying to: UC Irvine UCLA UC Davis Claremont Graduate University Arizona State University University of Wisconsin University of Michigan Pennsylvania State University (app submitted) University of Connecticut Washington University in St. Louis How about the rest of you?
luinar Posted November 27, 2008 Posted November 27, 2008 Hi, I'm an international student applying to 9 schools U Texas - Austin (UT-Austin) Purdue Yale SUNY Buffalo Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) Rochester U Kansas (KU) U Virginia (UVA) U Massachusetts - Amherst (UMass) Good luck guys !
drpsych Posted December 2, 2008 Posted December 2, 2008 Applied to 6 social psych programs, good luck all!
weeble Posted December 4, 2008 Author Posted December 4, 2008 Who are you interested in working with at ASU? What are you research interests?
weeble Posted December 10, 2008 Author Posted December 10, 2008 I'm interested in prejudice and stereotyping. I'm interested in working with Neuberg, Nagoshi, and Russo. Unfortunately, Neuberg will be on sabbatical in the Fall, so he's not taking any students. And Russo is retiring. So... I guess I'm interested in Nagoshi.
drpsych Posted December 13, 2008 Posted December 13, 2008 "I'm interested in working with Neuberg, Nagoshi, and Russo. Unfortunately, Neuberg will be on sabbatical in the Fall, so he's not taking any students. And Russo is retiring. So... I guess I'm interested in Nagoshi." Haha! I love how those things work out.. any schools that top your list? I don't think Arizona State is at the top of mine for right now.. but I also don't know how good the program is? Do you know anything about that?
weeble Posted December 13, 2008 Author Posted December 13, 2008 Yeah, Arizona's not at the top of my list either. I'm mainly interested because they have an option to focus in applied social psych. I don't really know much about the quality of the program. I know ASU is not well thought of for undergrad, so that makes me nervous. UCLA, Michigan, UC Davis, Connecticut, and Penn State are my top choices. I can't seem to narrow it down to a top one or two. I don't know if that's good or bad. I've got six of my ten apps in now, so that feels good. The seventh is due Monday, and I have three more due in January. Whew. Hows your application process going?
drpsych Posted December 13, 2008 Posted December 13, 2008 Ohh yeah, the applied social psych thing is pretty cool.. I agree on the undergrad program thing though. I usually am a big procrastinator, but I started my app planning pretty early and I wanted to finish before the holidays, so I finished about a week before Thanksgiving! I'm starting to already be a bit anxious, and I check on some apps every once in awhile but then I realize most haven't even been due yet haha. Good luck with the rest of yours! (P.S. I figured out that you have to click on the notify me thing so now I know haha)
rising_star Posted December 13, 2008 Posted December 13, 2008 I know ASU is not well thought of for undergrad, so that makes me nervous. Rankings for undergrad have very little, if anything, to do with rankings for grad programs. Both of my graduate programs are at universities known more for partying than academics. That said, the graduate programs are highly regarded by those within my academic discipline, which is what matters most.
drpsych Posted December 13, 2008 Posted December 13, 2008 Yes, reputation of an undergrad program is a poor proxy for reputation of a grad program, but it can carry some weight, so in the case of not knowing the reputation of the graduate program and only knowing about a not-so-great reputation of the undergrad program can make you uneasy? I think that's what we meant by that (or at least that's what I meant, not to speak for someone else ) Also, the quality of the undergrads can affect you if you plan on getting any teaching experience (and in other cases as well).
rising_star Posted December 13, 2008 Posted December 13, 2008 drpsych, I really am trying to caution against assuming that what the undergraduate program is like has anything to do with the quality and training offered by the graduate program. Sure, it has something to do with teaching. But think about it this way: what's the likelihood you're going to end up teaching at a university that isn't known for its partying, has brilliant undergraduates, and fills your classes with students that are dedicated and passionate about learning? Slim to none, right? So why not go ahead and get experience teaching students similar to what you'll be teaching in your academic career (assuming you pursue one)?
drpsych Posted December 14, 2008 Posted December 14, 2008 Oops, that is not at all what I was trying to get at in my last post, and I appreciate you cautioning us. What I was saying is that I think when you are already applying for PhD programs and on forums such as these, you already know that undergrad rep does not = grad rep? And I am in no way advocating that you don't go somewhere because of the students you may be teaching or that you shouldn't get experience teaching students (or working with students) who aren't dedicated and passionate about the same things you are, I was simply stating that undergrad rep can factor into your grad school experience. Sorry if my last post came off as attacking in any way, I didn't mean it as such
weeble Posted December 14, 2008 Author Posted December 14, 2008 Yeah, I agree with drpsych. I certainly didn't mean to equate the quality of the undergrad training with that of the grad. Just throwing out some arbitrary information about ASU. Right now my top picks are probably Penn State, UC Davis, and UCLA. But that seems to change daily, depending on whose website I've been reading.
digits2006 Posted December 19, 2008 Posted December 19, 2008 For those who are applying to Social programs, what are your stats. GRE scores and research. I am in my junior year right now and i plan on applying to social programs ( psych and law) and will be applying to a school like ASU. Just like to see where i stand. Thanks!
weeble Posted December 19, 2008 Author Posted December 19, 2008 I have a 3.91 GPA, 770 subject test GRE score (psychology), 800 verbal, 650 quant, 4 writing on general GRE. Senior thesis research project with poster presentation. Summer research assistant for one summer. We'll see if it's good enough!
digits2006 Posted December 19, 2008 Posted December 19, 2008 Does anyone with a 3.5 GPA have a chance at a PhD program? I just finished my first semester of my junior year. By the end of next semester i hope to have a 3.5. That GPA is what i will apply with to my PhD programs because as you know most deadlines are in December before grades come out. Also, next semester i am conducting my own research project as the lead investigator. Also, i have received an undergraduate research grant for $2,700 and also i am trying to get into summer research programs. Do you think my research will over take my GPA. I am also in the process of studying for the GRE.
drpsych Posted December 22, 2008 Posted December 22, 2008 I would think research experience overrides GPA, especially if you have strong research experience (and it seems like you will?). * Took down my stats because I'm starting to get paranoid lol.. I'll put them back up if anyone would like after the whole application process is through
MacDuff Posted January 9, 2009 Posted January 9, 2009 Hello! Just wanted to throw my hat in the ring and share that I, too, am applying to social psych Ph.D. programs this year. I'm not comfortable naming all the schools I applied to or listing my stats quite yet, but good luck to all you social psych'ers applying this year! FWIW, I've only heard from one West coast school (12/15 deadline) about an interview thus far...waiting on all the others! One of my advisors said I shouldn't expect to hear from most of the social psych programs until Feb/March so I'm working hard on not obsessing over the results page.
digits2006 Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 MacDuff, What are your stats? GRE, GPA, research etc.
MacDuff Posted January 11, 2009 Posted January 11, 2009 digits2006: I'm not comfortable posting my stats publicly but will share that I have a fair amount of research experience (independent projects, R.A., etc.) but do not have a publication - yet! It appears that you are highly motivated and will be participating in a summer program to gain additional research experience -- which is great! -- and it will surely help to compensate a lower than typical GPA for social psychology Ph.D. applicants. Keep in mind that programs also consider the types of courses you've taken (i.e., a well-rounded course load with a healthy mix of hard & social science classes and math classes). So, if your GPA is a bit lower because you've taken a more challenging course load, this will likely be factored into their evaluation of your transcript. It sounds like you're on the right track so good luck with your studies and keep up the research. And start studying for your GREs. One of the easiest things you can do to get yourself prepped is to create & review your verbal flash cards now; it will make it a lot easier when you need to knuckle down to brush up on your math and learn the reading comprehension and essay strategies as the test date draws nearer.
SharperImage Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 Does anyone have a roughly clear idea regarding how admissions committees generally view applicants that hold master's degrees? I've heard mixed opinions on this (i.e., some say it is beneficial to have advanced training, even in a different field so that an alternative perspective can be offered; others say that PhD committees prefer applicants straight out of undergrad so that they can "train" students from scratch; still others, however, say it's a moot point...they could care less and even strictly look at undergrad stats when making admissions decisions). Can anyone speak to this concern? I'm somewhat in the dark on this matter, and I've been given highly contrasting views...even directly from admissions reps from schools to which I've placed calls. My other concern is that my MA is in a different (albeit related) field. Good luck to all...I'm empathetic to everyone in a similar boat, and my obsession with checking this (and related) forum grows increasingly daunting by the day. :shock:
steveotron Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 Got my first rejection-- WashU. It was a huge reach for me since their program is so highly ranked overall in social psych. Congrats to anyone else who has received better news though. I never thought I'd get in, but it still sucks. Since I haven't heard anything from UCLA or UCR, I'm prepared for the worst.
MacDuff Posted January 15, 2009 Posted January 15, 2009 steveotron: Sorry to hear that. I expect to be writing a similar update about WashU soon myself. Darn it, though, that there wasn't an update on my status page! A few more "brew and stew" days are likely in my future. Good luck, everyone!
SharperImage Posted January 15, 2009 Posted January 15, 2009 That's probably a good thing that you didn't hear...I got my decision from WashU today as well...DENIED ADMISSION.
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