Social Psychology Fall 2014 Applicants

[lewin]

The prof took three months to reply to your last email so I wouldn't sweat it, unless you said something offensive in your scheduling email, e.g.,  "Thursdays aren't good because it's my weekly Klan rally." You didn't, RIGHT?

 

 

 

[SocialConstruction]

The prof took three months to reply to your last email so I wouldn't sweat it, unless you said something offensive in your scheduling email, e.g.,  "Thursdays aren't good because it's my weekly Klan rally." You didn't, RIGHT?

 

 

Hahahah, thankfully I had the sense to leave morally objectionable activities out of it... But thanks for the input -- I'm becoming increasingly neurotic as this process unfolds.

[gellert]

Hahahah, thankfully I had the sense to leave morally objectionable activities out of it... But thanks for the input -- I'm becoming increasingly neurotic as this process unfolds.

 

Aren't we all.

[lewin]

Don't say something racist. DON'T. White bear white bear white bear.

[ihatechoosingusernames]

I just submitted my application for my favorite program! If I knew it would help, I'd crawl all the way to the school and worship the admissions committee until they accepted me...but I guess now I'm just stuck playing the waiting game. I want it to be over already! This is actually the first year that I'd be fine skipping the Christmas holiday just to get into 2014 a wee bit earlier. 

[stereopticons]

I'm curious about everyone's thoughts on this story (particularly thoughts from previously successful applicants). A professor at UCLA recently responded to an email I sent them back in August to say, "so sorry I forgot about this, I AM looking for a student for the next year, so why don't you tell me more about your interests?" 

 

So I did. 

 

The next day, they wrote me back suggesting we speak on the phone, to which I excitedly responded with my availability for the coming week. 

 

Then, nothing... It's been two weeks since I responded to their email. I'm wondering what I should think about all this? My friends have just told me not to worry, because the end of the semester is a busy time. But I'm concerned this means they are no longer interested. 

 

Has anyone else had an experience like this? The strange thing was, this happened before I had submitted my application. Most other professors have told me they don't engage in a lot of communication with applicants prior to the submission deadlines. 

 

 

This actually happened to me with a prof at UCLA too...then she emailed me again to say "Sorry it didn't work out, can we try to speak again?" and I replied with my schedule and then never heard back again. I decided not to apply...

[juilletmercredi]

@ gellert: Aw, boo!!  I'm in social psych at Columbia and our department is *awesome*.  We have tea, and by tea I mean beer (but sometimes also pie).

 

@SocialConstruction: It's only been 2 weeks; that's no time at all in the academic world.  I would send them a poke and just say that you're still looking forward to talking to them and perhaps you can talk after the holidays.

[gellert]

 

@ gellert: Aw, boo!!  I'm in social psych at Columbia and our department is *awesome*.  We have tea, and by tea I mean beer (but sometimes also pie).

 

@SocialConstruction: It's only been 2 weeks; that's no time at all in the academic world.  I would send them a poke and just say that you're still looking forward to talking to them and perhaps you can talk after the holidays.

 

 

I knowwww. One of my good friends is in the social dept there and REALLY loves it (apparently everyone is very funny and awesome) but it was the least-strong fit out of all my schools so I decided to drop it. :/

[SocialConstruction]

Has anyone ever heard of social applicants being offered admission without a preliminary interview? I just noticed on the results page that someone got accepted to a developmental program (presumably without a formal interview), and I'm wondering if the same ever happens in social programs? 

[kaister]

It can happen if the POI and prospective student already know each other in some capacity (through a connected colleague).  Or perhaps they've already had a Skype or phone interview and subsequently the PI decided to accept. It can happen.  Some places do not have mandatory interview days. Again, you'd have to check through the results section or school websites to see any info on if and when they do these "interview days". Depending on the school they may be flexible with how PIs can choose their incoming students. My school for example, doesn't have an official interview day, things happen through PIs either scheduling phone or Skype interviews, etc.  It's more personalized, versus going through the department officially (of course this happens later when things are finalized).

[lewin]

Has anyone ever heard of social applicants being offered admission without a preliminary interview? I just noticed on the results page that someone got accepted to a developmental program (presumably without a formal interview), and I'm wondering if the same ever happens in social programs? 

 

It can also happen if programs accept the organizational research showing that unstructured interviews have no predictive power beyond the written record. Also, it's more common in Canada. My old program doesn't do interviews.

[viviancruise]

Has anyone applied to (or know someone who has) John Bargh @ Yale? No matter whether you have got interview, rejection, or no news at all, please reply or message me. Thanks in advance!

[FinallyAccepted]

Never introduced myself. I applied only for Social Psych PhD programs. I'm nontraditional. Undergrad in social studies and psychology education. Finishing up a General Psychology masters this May while teaching. Have been a high school teacher for Psych and AP Psych for 7 years since undergrad.

GRE: V 168, Q 162, W 5

Psych Subject GRE: 840

Masters GPA: 4.0

Undergrad GPA: 3.73 with 3.88 in psych classes

I thought my practical experience might help, but maybe not since I've heard nothing so far from any of the schools about interview weekends. I've seen Yale, Princeton, Indiana, and Northwestern interview notifications on the results search. Since the university I'm at right now is a small, private university, finding participants for research has been challenging, and so the research experience part of my application materials was probably most lacking.

Any insight on what to expect for someone who graduated from undergrad without a psych degree and then waited awhile to apply for a Phd? Am i just like an old athlete that everyone knows has fewer years left than the newer recruits?

[Socially Awkward]

Hello all, 

 

I've seen plenty of people apply to the more popular programs, however I was wondering if anyone applied to U of Minnesota's social psych program? I feel so lonely being the only one!

 

Anyway, if anyone did happen to apply it would be interesting to chat.

[DiVitaJ]

Ok. I'm getting nervous. Time is coming to start hearing back from a few of the programs I applied to... according to some other people. I'm

Not the only person preparing how to tell everyone I was rejected everywhere, am I?

The waiting around is going to my head....

[AAAAAA!!!]

Ok. I'm getting nervous. Time is coming to start hearing back from a few of the programs I applied to... according to some other people. I'm

Not the only person preparing how to tell everyone I was rejected everywhere, am I?

The waiting around is going to my head....

 

 

I was rejected by two of my applied schools... So sad...only four left... Berkeley will send out interviews on 17th, guess gonna get rejected by three schools by then...sigh...

[FinallyAccepted]

Ok. I'm getting nervous. Time is coming to start hearing back from a few of the programs I applied to... according to some other people. I'm

Not the only person preparing how to tell everyone I was rejected everywhere, am I?

The waiting around is going to my head....

I've been practicing that speech myself.

[JadeS]

To the person who had a phone interview with U of Oregon (for Social Psych) - can you message me your POI? 

[Variki]

I'm very nervous, I just wish the end of the week would be here already. Really hope I get in somewhere, haven't heard back from any place yet. 

[green90]

I've already decided I will say that I was accepted into Some University, but my POI's grant funding was cut last minute so they're unable to fund me this year. People just don't get how competitive psychology doctoral admission is...even if you tell them. I'll be honest with close friends and family, though.

[emmett81390]

I've already decided I will say that I was accepted into Some University, but my POI's grant funding was cut last minute so they're unable to fund me this year. People just don't get how competitive psychology doctoral admission is...even if you tell them. I'll be honest with close friends and family, though.

 

With you on this... unless they've been through it themselves many people just don't understand that you can have the right combination of grades, test scores, research experience, and recommendations and still not get in anywhere.

[FinallyAccepted]

I've already decided I will say that I was accepted into Some University, but my POI's grant funding was cut last minute so they're unable to fund me this year. People just don't get how competitive psychology doctoral admission is...even if you tell them. I'll be honest with close friends and family, though.

I'm tired of hearing "You'll get in! Don't worry." from people who don't know just how selective it is. I know they're just trying to be helpful, but if I end up needing to reapply next year, I'm not telling anyone, and if I get in, it will just be like this totally random announcement one day that I'm off to get my PhD and moving away.

[JadeS]

and no matter how often you explain that to someone - and that only *one* person is getting in [and how many of those people who were rejected had absolutely rocking apps!?] - they still say 'you have x and y experience, you're good' or some other random thing that they've decided is 'the' factor. 

 

I think maybe I will say I lost funding, too now that I think about this... 

[AAAAAA!!!]

I'm very nervous, I just wish the end of the week would be here already. Really hope I get in somewhere, haven't heard back from any place yet. 

 

Me, too! I applied to 6 six schools, got rejected by two, only four left... It is so sad cause at the beginning of application, these professors said your CV is impressive, I encourage you to apply...blah blah... Now!!! No interview invitation!!!

[green90]

I'm tired of hearing "You'll get in! Don't worry." from people who don't know just how selective it is. I know they're just trying to be helpful, but if I end up needing to reapply next year, I'm not telling anyone, and if I get in, it will just be like this totally random announcement one day that I'm off to get my PhD and moving away.

Haha lol...I get what you mean by people trying to be helpful but not getting it...My roommate is a public policy MA student. When he got home one day, he asked if I'd finished my SOPs. I reminded him that I was applying to 20 schools, hadn't started on any of them, and that he had only been gone five hours, which wasn't enough time to write up a working draft, finalize it, then craft it to each school and POI because the app would be tossed if my research interests weren't a match...to which he replied "That's easy. Go to the POI's webpage and copy and paste the research interests they have listed into your SOP. That's what I did."

Edited January 14, 2014 by green90