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Sh*t people say when you are applying to grad school


Clou12

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"Oh, I 'm sure they'll just snap you up everywhere!" no help, there.

"But...you HAVE a job already. WHY are you going back to school?" (Because, of course, my crappy job in a stultifying industry is exactly where i want to be for the rest of my life.)

Or this gem, from my Mom: "Honey, you HAVE a degree. Just settle down, have some kids, and be happy with it."

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"You're a gifted administrator. If you don't get in we should come up with a plan B for you. Perhaps running a department?"

Great, are you telling me I'm not smart enough to do the research but I can manage the research others do? Excellent.

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2. How long is grad school (Ph.D.) gonna take? two years?

3. So you' re not gonna earn any money for the next 5 to 6 years? (after hearing the answer to 2)

Ha yes, these.

Also, when I tell them the acceptance rate (somewhere between 6 and 9%), there's usually a pretty awkward pause and then "What's your plan B?"

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I hear the "you're definitely going to get in somewhere" phrase all the time. It just stresses me out more! Then it's the, "don't worry, things will work out in the end" or "just get a job!" "what's the point of wasting 5 years of school? 4 years of undergrad was enough!"

There's also that incessant commenting on how psychology is "useless"

Edited by galipettes
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Real convo I had when I first started my PhD (paraphrased):

Them: So, what do you do for a living?

Me: I'm a PhD student here at the University in Department XYZ.

Them: Oh, cool. So, you're going to be a doctor?

Me: Yeah.

Them: Then you can do surgery, or whatever?

Me: No. Actually, I'm in a non-medical field, so I'll still be called Dr. Awesome, but my area is XYZ.

Them: Oh. [lonnnnng pause while they think]. But, you COULD be a real doctor if you wanted to, right?

Me: I *will* be a real doctor, just not a medical doctor.

Them: But don't you want your own practice or something?

Me: Still not that kind of doctor... I'm going to teach XYZ as a professor, which is a non-medical field.

Them: Why would you teach, when you could work at a hospital or clinic or something and make more $$?

Me: [needing to end this useless convo]... Yeah... good point... I'll consider that...

[NOT ALL PHD's ARE MEDICAL YOU IDIOT!!!]

<headdesk>

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"Why are you applying there? Doesn't [insert name of completely random local/regional school] have a good program?"

I get this one ALL THE TIME. It's always somewhere that doesn't even have a quantitative psych program, and when I mention this to said person or persons, they will shoot back, "Well, is it really THAT important that it's in quantitative psychology? I mean, there are other types of psychology, right?"

Right, because devoting 5+ years to a psychological subfield that I'm not as interested in would be TOTALLY worthwhile... NOT!!

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1. You did well on your GRE? Then you must get in!

2. How long is grad school (Ph.D.) gonna take? two years?

3. So you' re not gonna earn any money for the next 5 to 6 years? (after hearing the answer to 2)

Oh yeah, the scrunched up faces or the mouths agape when you tell someone it is going to take 5-6. You would think I told them I am going to jail.

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Ditto on everything I've read so far.

I'm feeling depressed today... no particular reason. Maybe 'cause it's Monday. But I just feel like no one else *really* understands what I'm going through. And even if it's good news (yay, first acceptance), people don't understand all the time and work I put into studying for the GRE and completing my applications.

I've also been asked, "Oh, so what are you going to do with a PhD"? This is coming from people who have presumably attended college already. Yikes!

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"Why did you apply to schools that are so far away and cold? You could just go to UT Austin."

"You want to study monkeys? And then what.. be a zoo keeper?"

Or my favorite from my 28 yr old neighbor just the other day--

Her: I want to apply to graduate school!

Me: That's great! For what?

Her: Oh, I don't know. But I want to live in Arizona so I guess I will go to Arizona state university.

Me: Wait, you don't know what you want to do? What was your undergrad degree?

Her: Psychology, but I don't know if I will like that. I really want to study the body.

Me: Um, ok so you mean you would like to be an MD?

Her: What? I don't know but I like Biology....

Me: I tell you what, why don't you start looking at graduate programs in Arizona and see what makes you happy.

(I'll help her along as much as I can, but I never met someone so full of excitement who had no idea what she should be excited about.)

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I get this one ALL THE TIME. It's always somewhere that doesn't even have a quantitative psych program, and when I mention this to said person or persons, they will shoot back, "Well, is it really THAT important that it's in quantitative psychology? I mean, there are other types of psychology, right?"

Right, because devoting 5+ years to a psychological subfield that I'm not as interested in would be TOTALLY worthwhile... NOT!!

That reminds me of the common "so, you'll be a psychiatrist?" saying. For some reason, everyone seems to believe that a degree in psychology means "mind-reading" and therapy.

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People keep telling me, "You'll get in somewhere."

I hear this every day... :(

You can't do anything about it now, just relax.

Yeah, this line is just awesome. You might as well say, "I don't think your issue is that serious and I also think that you might be overreacting." Thanks.

The "best" line I have gotten is when people try to tell you what schools you have a chance of getting into without any knowledge of the field or program. Ex. "You'll probably get into UCLA, but you should definitely forget about Harvard. That's just a stretch." :rolleyes:

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"Why are you getting a Ph.D in that? There's no money in that field."

and the inevitable "Why don't you want to go to law school?"

I get the law school one all the time! Everyone thinks I should go into politics, which is flattering, but... no thanks. Not for me.

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"It can't be too hard to get in. I mean, there can't be that many students who are applying to Art History programs."

So, if I happen to be accepted to one of my top choice, very exclusive, absolutely fantastic programs, it's because there weren't that many students applying? *facepalm*

Edited by artofdescribing
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