Fall 2015 I/O Applicants

[kaswing]

Hi!

There was some interest in another thread for a 2015 I/O thread, so I thought I'd get it started with this nice article I found on reddit. It's got more recent rankings for I/O programs, and they are listed by a variety of relevant metrics around publications. 

 

I'm not familiar with the field enough to know if this reflects the attractiveness of these schools graduates for hiring in academia or industry, so if anyone has any thoughts about that, I'd love to hear them! 

Otherwise, I was hoping to find some folks to chat with and commiserate with  As for a profile, I'm 27, my research interests are Human factors/HCI/usability, creativity, problem solving, decision-making, collaboration, and language, and I'm also applying to cognitive science and cognitive psych programs. How and who are you?  
 

 

 

[KW58D]

I will also be applying to a slew of schools during this coming cycle. I've looked into a bunch of those schools, and occupational outcomes from what I have seen are generally good. Obviously positions in academia are limited, but there is no shortage of available positions if you are flexible on some facets.

 

I will also be applying to some human factors programs, though very few. I have my M.A. in organizational psychology, so I/O has always been high on my list of potential doctoral options.

[kaswing]

KW58D, sounds like we have similar interests!

 

I've developed a scatter-shot, brute-force googling approach that has rendered a list of schools I'll consider applying to that is totally out of context and probably incomplete I wonder if the list could be helpful to you at all, or, more likely, if you could give me your thoughts about it, seeing as you've been in the field for a while (my background is much broader, so I am missing all of the very important institutional and culture knowledge that would help me see if I'm missing some great schools.) Also, these are in the order I encountered them, since I don't have enough information to list them by any other metric. 

 

Here's the list I have of I/O programs that have faculty or labs researching HCI/Human Factors/usability: 

USF

UCF

GMU

GWU

UNC

NCSU

Old Dominion

 

If it helps at all, here are some Cog Sci programs I'm considering because I love the Cog Sci approach, and I have some background in it:

UCSD

Stanford

UW

UMD College Park

 

I need more schools to apply to, since I'm very reticent to live in the American South. (Looks like I'll have to give VA a pass, though, or I'd be totally out of schools in IO!) I also could use, once I have a sense of how competitive the schools are, some schools that I think I could get into more easily. I think I'm a competitive candidate, but I know there are lots of people with publications and who've been preparing for this since they were in undergrad. 

 

I'm definitely considering industry-- I have an MBA so that will be an easy story to tell and an easier route for me than for some people. I mean R1 TT would be Plan A, of course, but I would accept the additional tens of thousands of dollars and ability to choose where I live as a consolation prize  

[KW58D]

Kaswing,

 

I'm applying all over the country. But I am applying to UCF for HF. I had a lot of high tier schools on my list initially, but have weeded a lot of them out over time based on various factors. I think I'm a competitive applicant except my GRE's came in just above average. Most of the schools I tossed out either commanded near perfect GRE scores, or significant research experience within the faculty members specific field (I have 1 year of volunteer time in long term projects where I won't get published.) I've communicated via email, phone, and in person with numerous faculty members from varying programs and many were great. Others made me realize I probably didn't want to go there.

 

I'd start contacting faculty members you'd possibly like to work with soon. Does this help...? I can't be sure. At the very least it gives you a little more inside knowledge than you can read on their website.

 

My most valuable angle is that I have the GI Bill benefits available to me. Luckily this makes it so I'm not reliant on getting into a fully funded program. After watching peoples app:acceptance ratio during last years cycle I decided I needed to pursue a majority schools that weren't the "reach" level programs for my stats.

 

If you go through last years threads, it looks like majority of applicants got into at best 3/15 programs, and for many still 0/15. So It changed my strategy a bit. Not trying to be discouraging or sway you just giving my reasons. Also, I tossed out a lot of schools that had very non-standard application procedures. I'm just not interested in playing those games. I'm not going to ask my LOR writers to write 15 different letters and the schools know that you are not applying solely to their program, so why act like it?

 

Just some of my 2 cents.

[kaswing]

Thanks for you your thoughts, KW58D!
I certainly need some perspective-- I'm the only person I know doing this at the moment, as I'm sure most of us are, and it's really great to get a sense of what other people are doing. You make a very good point about letter writers. I definitely don't want to waste their time! About how many are you planning to apply to? 

 

I've heard that contacting professors is very helpful. Hard to know if the people who told me that are right, but there you go  

 

I didn't add easier-to-get-into programs because I don't know what they are! It's not a field I've spent much time in directly, and so the only indications I have of a programs quality are that SIOP list and the schools GRE ranges, which haven't been very helpful. Not all of them publish ranges, and half the time they are just minimums, which don't really indicate what a competitive score really is. If you've found any gems that do HF, even if they are ones you've thrown out, I'd be much obliged. (Or, if you've learned something about a program that seems good on the surface! PM me if you'd rather not publicly malign anyone : ) 

 

I agree: it was scary to watch the app:acceptance rates in the last thread! I'm not as worried for a couple reasons: 1) I will be applying in other fields, too. 2) Although I won't be published, I will have about 2 years of experience in two kind of labs with a lot of different data, software, and responsibilities (at least one very enthusiastic recommender and one influential recommender) 3) I have a Master's, although it's super relevant 4) my GRE scores are on the high side (170 V 161 Q) Although, again, so many of the published scores are arbitrary minimums, I have found that the frequency of my freaking out and googling GRE averages has reduced after making a spreadsheet, which I'm happy to share if you PM me  

All that said, I don't really have a year to wait to reapply. It's difficult to balance [i want to make sure I get into at least one!] and [i don't want to apply to schools that I wouldn't really consider going to.] My goals are to get paid for a few years to research under a professor who will teach me something and to have the best chances for R1 TT when I graduate. Not that I know how to achieve that, but there you go : )

 

Thanks again for the thoughts! 

[BeingThere]

Hi 2015 applicants and good luck to you!

I went through the process last year.  I got into my top choice program (and others, out of the 10 I applied to.)  I got accepted/wait-listed at programs I thought were reaches for me and got rejected from some programs that I thought were my safety schools.  You can take that as me being a bad judge of my own qualifications or you can take it as a testament to the weirdness and wackiness that is the PhD application process.

 

Sounds like the posters on this thread so far are fairly savvy about applying. 

For those reading this thread that may wonder what I/O programs are looking for or what matters most to programs, here is a link to results of a study which assessed these questions in general:

 

http://www.siop.org/tip/Jan13/03_tett.aspx

[Munashi]

Hi 2015 applicants and good luck to you!

I went through the process last year.  I got into my top choice program (and others, out of the 10 I applied to.)  I got accepted/wait-listed at programs I thought were reaches for me and got rejected from some programs that I thought were my safety schools.

 

I had the same thing happen to me, Bren!  I don't think it's because you're a bad judge.  

 

Best of luck, 2015 applicants!

[OneIOplease]

Hey everyone! Excited for this upcoming application season! I feel like it's about to get real busy. 

 

Anyway, I just wanted to ask how much importance is placed upon an internship/job in HR or some other related field is when applying. I feel like my application will be decent, but I have no related job experience in IO (I'm a tutor for my university, and I just kept working in labs during the summer as an RA). So, in your quest for the perfect application, how important is an internship/job related to IO? 

[dinnerdate]

Hi everyone! Gearing myself up for this fall as a first-time applicant -- best of luck to us all.

 

I've been seeing NYU listed as one of top doctoral programs in I/O, but their website doesn't list a PhD option. It seems some of the Social Psych professors do related work, but I'm not sure it's strong enough that you could reasonably expect to enter industry afterward -- looks to be more organizational than industrial. Any thoughts on this?

 

Also wondering if anyone considered applying for a degree in Management. It seems as though there can be some overlap, though obviously more applied/business-oriented.

[BeingThere]

Hey everyone! Excited for this upcoming application season! I feel like it's about to get real busy. 

 

Anyway, I just wanted to ask how much importance is placed upon an internship/job in HR or some other related field is when applying. I feel like my application will be decent, but I have no related job experience in IO (I'm a tutor for my university, and I just kept working in labs during the summer as an RA). So, in your quest for the perfect application, how important is an internship/job related to IO? 

Someone in this thread posted a link to a survey on the relative importance of what I/O grad programs look for in applicants.    Maybe take a look at that.

 

If you have research experience including presentations and papers - especially within I/O related research topics - you meet that bar. 

[iopsych]

I graduated from an I/O PhD program last year and have been working full time for 3 years, so if anybody has any questions about grad school or work I would be happy to try my best to answer them. 

 

Good luck everyone! It looks like as I/O gets more and more popular the process is becoming much more competitive. I doubt I would be competitive with most of you today  

[guagua]

There are possibilities and challenges..Unexpected things happen all the time. Good luck to u all!!! 好久没来这儿了，今天爬上来瞧瞧~ 加油套磁啊~祝你们满手offer~ 以及申OB的小朋友可以去URCH的PhD in Business论坛转转~

[IOGradschool12]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm currently in my senior of college and preparing to apply to I/O programs in the Fall for programs starting in Fall 2015. I've been doing massive amounts of research on I/O schools and stumbled upon this forum. Since you all seem to have so much experience in applying, I was wondering if you could give me insight in to if I'd be a competitive applicant for PhD/Masters programs.

 

GPA: 3.6

Jr/Sr GPA: 3.7

Psych GPA: 3.9

GRE V: 151

GRE Q: 155     (retaking GRE in July and most likely August)

Analytical: 4

Research Experience:

- won a research poster fair through the psychology department at my college for the complexity and creativity of my design

- have participated in two I/O labs for 1 year (coding, rating, and data entry experience)

- earned a position that put me and another coordinator in charge of all the undergraduates in the research lab

- participation in an assessment center

- have worked in an office environment at a medical billing office for two years

- will have two fairly solid letters of rec from the research labs I'm working in, another from work 

 

 

Any advice/input would be incredibly helpful! Thanks!

Any advice/input would be incredibly helpful! Thanks!

[Engali]

 

Hi everyone,

 

I'm currently in my senior of college and preparing to apply to I/O programs in the Fall for programs starting in Fall 2015. I've been doing massive amounts of research on I/O schools and stumbled upon this forum. Since you all seem to have so much experience in applying, I was wondering if you could give me insight in to if I'd be a competitive applicant for PhD/Masters programs.

 

GPA: 3.6

Jr/Sr GPA: 3.7

Psych GPA: 3.9

GRE V: 151

GRE Q: 155     (retaking GRE in July and most likely August)

Analytical: 4

Research Experience:

- won a research poster fair through the psychology department at my college for the complexity and creativity of my design

- have participated in two I/O labs for 1 year (coding, rating, and data entry experience)

- earned a position that put me and another coordinator in charge of all the undergraduates in the research lab

- participation in an assessment center

- have worked in an office environment at a medical billing office for two years

- will have two fairly solid letters of rec from the research labs I'm working in, another from work 

 

 

Any advice/input would be incredibly helpful! Thanks!

Any advice/input would be incredibly helpful! Thanks!

 

 

Your app will be very strong. I don't know the conversion for the GRE scores though since I took them before they switched to this format. Do you know what percentile scores you got?

 

If you can get a publication out there, that would obviously make you much more comeptitive, but it certainly isn't necessary. I think your background makes you a strong candidate because you should be able to write intelligently about what your interests in I/O are in you SoP. I could seek out the people who are doing research in the area you want to work in and start emailing them about your interest in their line of research.

[IOGradschool12]

Your app will be very strong. I don't know the conversion for the GRE scores though since I took them before they switched to this format. Do you know what percentile scores you got?

 

If you can get a publication out there, that would obviously make you much more comeptitive, but it certainly isn't necessary. I think your background makes you a strong candidate because you should be able to write intelligently about what your interests in I/O are in you SoP. I could seek out the people who are doing research in the area you want to work in and start emailing them about your interest in their line of research.

Based on the conversions, my quant score would be in the 60th percentile, while verbal was only in the 50th. I'm pretty sure I can raise both a couple points which will hopefully help. I can never tell how heavily weighted GRE scores are for these programs. Is it also okay to have really narrow interests in your SoP? What if there's only one professor that's studying what you want to at a university? Is it okay to only include one in your SoP? Any advice would be helpful. Thank you for your input!

[Engali]

Based on the conversions, my quant score would be in the 60th percentile, while verbal was only in the 50th. I'm pretty sure I can raise both a couple points which will hopefully help. I can never tell how heavily weighted GRE scores are for these programs. Is it also okay to have really narrow interests in your SoP? What if there's only one professor that's studying what you want to at a university? Is it okay to only include one in your SoP? Any advice would be helpful. Thank you for your input!

 

The whole GRE score thing...it really varies by department. I would say that most use it as a first hurdle to weed out apps, but some use it as part of the application as a whole to get a holistic picture of who the candidate is and their strengths/weaknesses. I will say that if you want to be competitive for the top programs that you will want to raise your Quant score to at least 75%. Verbal seems to be less heavily weighted, but I wouldn't look past it, either. 

 

As far as interests, being focused is good, but I think being narrow is very limiting. If your interests are really narrow, then you will have issues finding people who are researching what you want. I would start to think about how your research interests intersects with the broader topic areas that make up I and O and start from there. You will probably do research that looks at your specific interest in the context of the larger topic or how your interest relates to a construct or constructs in a related area. I do think it is okay to mention just one professor, but from experience I will tell you I was glad I didn't and it actually worked out worlds better for me in every conceivable way. Sometimes you think you know what you want to learn and then you realize you really didn't even know how much you were interested in something else. Read this:

 

http://www.siop.org/tip/oct11/07campion.aspx

 

Your interests will very likely change during your grad school career. What's important is finding an advisor who has interests that are generally similar enough. Beyond that, I think their publication history/trend (should be strong and trending upward) and personality fit with yours is vital to your long term success in grad school. I can not emphasize this enough.

[C A]

I graduated from an I/O PhD program last year and have been working full time for 3 years, so if anybody has any questions about grad school or work I would be happy to try my best to answer them. 

 

Good luck everyone! It looks like as I/O gets more and more popular the process is becoming much more competitive. I doubt I would be competitive with most of you today

Hi!

FIrst off, thanks for being willing to answer questions for us newbies!

Secondly, I'm a Canadian student with a decent application and am really interested in doing a Masters in IO so I can go onto consulting.  I even have a list of companies i've been using as kind of my "dream companies":

 

Aon Hewitt

Hay Group

Deloitte

Mercer

PriceWaterhouseCoopers

Segal Company

Towers Watson

DDI

So I was wondering if you have any information on these or other IO/HR consulting firms and their hiring practices. I know that for business schools, it's important to get into a school that a company you want to work for hires from. (Ex. BCG takes heavily from Wharton). I was wondering if that's the same for IO or if  the prestige of the school matters less.

 

Lastly, after talking with my prof I've compiled a list of schools whose masters programs i'd be interested in applying to, also wondering if there's any schools I might be missing if my end goal is consulting:

 

University of Central Florida

Central Michigan University

University of Akron

University of Western Ontario

Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis

[Giord023]

Hello!

 

I just completed the GRE and can finally move onto searching for some I/O PhD programs that suit my interests! Although I am relieved it is behind me, I still have personal statements to write and the psych subject test to study for along side my senior year courses (yikes!). I have high aspirations for grad school but I do not want to aim too high; therefore, I am wondering how some of you think I stand for applying to some top schools. So far I am looking at U of Minnesota, Michigan state, Illinois: Urbana-Champaigne, Bowling Green. 

 

Cumul GPA: 3.58 (excluding freshman year, my lowest GPA was a 3.85. Two consecutive 3.0's brought me down)

Psych GPA: 3.76

GRE: Unofficial scores are as follows: verbal=163, quant=160. No analytic writing score yet

Research experience: I worked under an IO professor for a semester and continuing with that for another year with the hopes of publishable work (will be too late for the fall '15 application). I held a research assistant paid position in which I ran participants through a simulator and recorded the data. 

 

My work experience doesn't really pertain to IO. In October, I will have been in the Army National Guard for 4 years with another 2 to go. 

 

Am I setting my sights too high or would I still have a fighting chance to get into some top programs (i.e. Minnesota, MSU, Bowling Green)? I will also apply to some pretty stellar OB/HR PhD programs but that isn't all that applicable to this topic. 

 

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated and best of luck to the other applicants out there.

[KW58D]

I think your stats are certianly good enough to land you in a strong (funded) program. Sounds like you are on track with everything. I would also shoot for some mid level programs in case you don't get into the high tier, but it will all depend on how much funding you will really need and your finances.

[shobes]

Hello all!

 

I am excited (and really nervous) to be applying this year. I have solidified my list of schools and am in the midst of working through applications. It’s been pretty stressful so far as I want to make everything perfect… whatever that means.

 

My stats are as follows:

GPA: 3.72 (Last two years : 3.86)

 

GRE scores are 162 V, 153 Q, and 4.0 on writing. I am taking it again in October in hopes of raising my quant score as I know that it’s horrendous.

 

Research experience:

1.5 years of research experience as an undergrad in two different labs.

1.5 years as a paid research assistant after undergrad working on a $4 Mil NIH grant.

8 months working for a well-known consulting firm in I/O.

 

I also have 5 poster presentations (2 as first author), 1 publication where I am first author, 3 round tables, a workshop where I am first author, and I had the opportunity to sit on a review board for conference submissions.

 

I will have two letters of rec from professors whose lab I worked/work in and one letter from my boss at the I/O consulting firm.

 

I feel like I’m a decent applicant but this process seems so arbitrary that I am just terrified how it will all turn out.

 

Thanks for getting the thread going and good luck to everyone this application cycle!!

[iopsych]

Hello all!

 

I am excited (and really nervous) to be applying this year. I have solidified my list of schools and am in the midst of working through applications. It’s been pretty stressful so far as I want to make everything perfect… whatever that means.

 

My stats are as follows:

GPA: 3.72 (Last two years : 3.86)

 

GRE scores are 162 V, 153 Q, and 4.0 on writing. I am taking it again in October in hopes of raising my quant score as I know that it’s horrendous.

 

Research experience:

1.5 years of research experience as an undergrad in two different labs.

1.5 years as a paid research assistant after undergrad working on a $4 Mil NIH grant.

8 months working for a well-known consulting firm in I/O.

 

I also have 5 poster presentations (2 as first author), 1 publication where I am first author, 3 round tables, a workshop where I am first author, and I had the opportunity to sit on a review board for conference submissions.

 

I will have two letters of rec from professors whose lab I worked/work in and one letter from my boss at the I/O consulting firm.

 

I feel like I’m a decent applicant but this process seems so arbitrary that I am just terrified how it will all turn out.

 

Thanks for getting the thread going and good luck to everyone this application cycle!!

 

 

Interesting that you have experience in a top I/O firm as an undergrad. Good for you, I am not aware of any I/O specific firms that hire UGs. I'd consider trying to improve your Quant score if you can, but you look like you are a solid candidate even if you don't. 

 

Good luck!

[jklunder]

Hi Everyone,

 

I have read I/O psych textbooks, spoken to about a dozen professors, and would like to transition into career goals.

 

1.  Would any of you be willing to actively guide me.

 

2.  Here are my relevant stats, feel free to tell me what's good and where I need to improve:

 

a.  Total GPA: 3.8/4.0 from Brown University in History

b.  Took three years off for a very personal problem, and did coursework at University of California- Irvine.  I did well before and after this problem happened; but, my total GPA there is about a 3.055 (got a few D's and F's).

c.  I took the GRE in September of 2010.  I got a 640/690/6.0 on M/Verbal/Writing

d.  While at UCI, did some research and wrote some articles in educational psychology

e.  I can get some good recommendations from my boss (who was a PH.D. student who I was doing research for) and for someone who can write for my late mentor.

 

3.  My goal is to eventually become a tenured research professor.  However, at this point, I want to get into any master's program that's AFFORDABLE, LEGITIMATE (not University of Phoenix type online junk) and can pave the way for a Ph.D program.

 

I don't care about ratings, I care about getting into school and getting the opportunity to get published.

I'm confident that I can excel at school and get published.

 

4.  

 

a.  What crucial information am I missing to help you determine my scores?

 

b.  What do I need to improve upon?

 

c.  Anything else I can do?

[Engali]

a. Were the articles you wrote for ed psych first author? Were they published? If so, what journals? How is that related to topics within I/O? Btw, you obviously don't have to tell us, but be prepared to talk succinctly and tactfully about why you got Ds and Fs in undergrad. 
 

 

b. I would consider retaking the GREs to up to your Math GRE score. TBH you're quite competitive, but top programs  seem to have an average GRE score of ~1400 for accepted students

 

c. I would start to zero in on your research interests and actually research it. I would also start making a list of master's programs and start looking at the CV of faculty at these programs. You want a research and personality fit with your professor-advisor.

[Munashi]

Hey 2015 I/O applicants!  Just stopping by to say I hope you're doing well.    Keep pushing!

[kaswing]

Thanks, munashi!

I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say that applications are super fun, all my recommenders are on top of it, and I am definitely not panicking about anything, why do you ask? Should I be panicking? Do you think I didn't apply to enough schools?? What if everyone rejects me and blacklists me for all time and I never get a job and I have to live on the streets??

How are you?