Fall 2015 I/O Applicants

[GoBruins]

I think they meant "ADmission COMmittee" 

 

 

 

KW58D, what is an ADCOM? 

[IOGraduate]

Hi everyone-

 

I just wanted to swing by for a minute and caution anyone considering it against the St. Cloud State University MS program. I was very conflicted about posting this, but today's incidents just cemented my opinion. This program is horribly run, and there have been countless issues I will not publicly hash out. I cannot explain the degree to which I dislike bad-mouthing people, or really anything in general, but I would have loved it if someone had warned me.

[fvls3]

I JUST CHECKED MY SPAM EMAIL AND I FOUND AN ACCEPTANCE IN THERE  FOR CAL STATE SAN BERNARDINO!!!! 

 

Check your spam folders people lol ... omg this is worrying. Now let me go back and check my email since March.

Do you mind sharing your stats and when it is that you got the email from csusb? I Haven't gotten anything from them. Not even a rejection yet so I'm wondering what happened o____O

[mmww]

Hi everyone-

 

I just wanted to swing by for a minute and caution anyone considering it against the St. Cloud State University MS program. I was very conflicted about posting this, but today's incidents just cemented my opinion. This program is horribly run, and there have been countless issues I will not publicly hash out. I cannot explain the degree to which I dislike bad-mouthing people, or really anything in general, but I would have loved it if someone had warned me.

Thank you for providing an honest opinion.  I had a phone conversation with a student from that program and they pretty much echoed your cautions against the program.  It's extremely helpful to see how current grad students evaluate their program's shortcomings.

[setite]

Hi everyone-

 

I just wanted to swing by for a minute and caution anyone considering it against the St. Cloud State University MS program. I was very conflicted about posting this, but today's incidents just cemented my opinion. This program is horribly run, and there have been countless issues I will not publicly hash out. I cannot explain the degree to which I dislike bad-mouthing people, or really anything in general, but I would have loved it if someone had warned me.

 

I appreciate the sentiment. I have never heard of the program but I don't know that anyone will listen unless they are already on the fence. I don't mean to say I don't trust you, it's just that saying a program is bad with no explanation is hard to listen to. I understand if perhaps revealing your experiences would identify your, but you should be clear about how it's horribly run.

 

Thank you for providing an honest opinion.  I had a phone conversation with a student from that program and they pretty much echoed your cautions against the program.  It's extremely helpful to see how current grad students evaluate their program's shortcomings.

 

Since your account sounds less personal, do you mind elaborating on what is wrong with that program? Are there cultural problems, bad interpersonal politics, or is the administration just unorganized. I didn't get any of these accounts this time around but I heard a few people mention that they did, though they didn't say which schools so it was similarly unhelpful

[IOGraduate]

I appreciate the sentiment. I have never heard of the program but I don't know that anyone will listen unless they are already on the fence. I don't mean to say I don't trust you, it's just that saying a program is bad with no explanation is hard to listen to. I understand if perhaps revealing your experiences would identify your, but you should be clear about how it's horribly run.

 

 

 

And that's fully their choice! I'm not interested in identifying myself any further, so people are certainly welcome to disregard my vague testament if they so choose.

[Thestaryeyedkidinallofus]

Ph.D Programs:

1) Central Michigan University (Rejected by email on February 18th, 2015)

2) Wright State University

3) Virginia Tech (Rejected by email on March 18th, 2015)

4) University of Houston  

5) University of Missouri, St. Louis (Made the short list by email on February 13th, 2015)  

6) Florida Institute of Technology (Rejected by email on March 24th, 2015) 

7) Claremont Graduate University (Accepted to the Masters of Arts in Organizational Behavior Psychology & Evaluation by email on March 18th, 2015)      

8) Roosevelt University 

9) Louisiana Tech University (Got an interview on March 19th, 2015)

10) Illinois Institute of Technology (Accepted to the Masters of Science in Personal and Human Resource Development by phone on March 2nd, 2015) 

 

Masters Programs:

1) San Francisco State University

2) Cal State San Bernardino (Accepted to the Masters of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology by email on April 6th, 2015) 

3) Missouri State University (Made the wait list by email on March 1st, 2015 and accepted to the Masters of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology by email on March 30th, 2015)   

4) University of Baltimore (Accepted to the Masters of Science in Applied Psychology by email on March 26th, 2015)  

 

Overall GPA:3.63

Psychology GPA: 3.85

GRE Scores: 

* Verbal: 154/170 (63% percentile). 

* Math: 148/170 (32% percentile). 

* Writing: 5.0/6.0 (93% percentile)

 

3 Rejections: (Central Michigan University, Virginia Tech, Florida Institute of Technology)

5 Acceptances: (Illinois Institute of Technology, Claremont Graduate University, University of Baltimore, Missouri State University, Cal State San Bernardino) 

1 Wait list: (University of Missouri - St. Louis) 

1 Interview:  (Louisiana Tech University) 

4 Waiting: (Wright State University, Roosevelt University, University of Houston, San Francisco State University) 

[phatlilpanda]

Just got an offer from UCF!

[Thestaryeyedkidinallofus]

Just got an offer from UCF!

Very big congrats!!! Your first acceptance is always the most exciting! Very happy for you. 

[CompulsiveEmailRefreshing]

Congrats on everyone's acceptances!

[BuzzinAround]

I appreciate the sentiment. I have never heard of the program but I don't know that anyone will listen unless they are already on the fence. I don't mean to say I don't trust you, it's just that saying a program is bad with no explanation is hard to listen to. I understand if perhaps revealing your experiences would identify your, but you should be clear about how it's horribly run.

I mean, why would you want to oust yourself and air your dirty laundry out for the whole internet to see? This is why we have PM.

[lilypeng2015IO]

Just got an offer from UCF!

so happy for you!! Congratulations!! Edited April 8, 2015 by lilypeng2015IO

[PhDseeker2015]

I mean, why would you want to oust yourself and air your dirty laundry out for the whole internet to see? This is why we have PM.

 

Pretty much my thoughts. It doesn't need to be aired all around...but those who need more info now know who to PM. 

[setite]

I mean, why would you want to oust yourself and air your dirty laundry out for the whole internet to see? This is why we have PM.

Maybe I'm wrong but I felt such vagueness was essentially useless. I appreciate the intent and perhaps some people will find it useful. I suppose when initially deciding on schools you need a reason to exclude some schools just to make the list manageable, so his/her post could help someone. PM didn't occur to me, I guess PM is more private but I wouldn't say something in PM I wouldn't say in the open thread. If you guys want to say something you don't want to get out, dont! Nowhere on the Internet is safe.

[phatlilpanda]

so happy for you!! Congratulations!!

 

 

 

Very big congrats!!! Your first acceptance is always the most exciting! Very happy for you. 

Thanks guys!! So glad to be accepted somewhere finally. The last few months have consisted of constant email checking and refreshing of the results page. I'm so glad that's finally over and I can have some peace of mind. The funny thing is, of all the schools I applied to, UCF IMO, has the best I/O program but they're the first to offer me an acceptance. Goes to show you, this whole applicant process can be so random.

Edited April 8, 2015 by phatlilpanda

[angeladl6007]

But did you know you were on the waitlist? I haven't heard a word from Akron about my application in either direction. Someone on the previous page said they were indeed notified of their wait list status. The fact I have heard nothing makes me assume I am rejected and they just didn't have the courtesy to let me know, but I could be on the deep wait list, though the poster I mentioned said they have a super small short list only.

KW58D, what is an ADCOM? The most common confusing decision I have seen is high end applicants getting rejected from their self-proclaimed safeties. I imagine a bit of that is realistic fit mismatch, but also that programs know there are some applicants who will get better offers and it might be a waste of time to give them an offer. I learned in my Org Psych lab last week that rejecting someone for being too qualified is perfectly legal and accepted despite the silliness of such a thing. Though the case I mention was someone rejected from the police academy for doing to well on the cognitive ability measure which differs from grad school applications but a similar principal applies.

I did know I was on the wait list. Dr. Snell called me about 3 weeks ago to tell me that she believed I would be getting an offer soon. That being said, I think that means I was at the very top of the wait list. You may still be on it, just maybe not very high. She told me that they'd given offers to 5 people total for both programs, me being the 6th.

Edited April 8, 2015 by angeladl6007

[ILTWat]

I did know I was on the wait list. Dr. Snell called me about 3 weeks ago to tell me that she believed I would be getting an offer soon. That being said, I think that means I was at the very top of the wait list. You may still be on it, just maybe not very high. She told me that they'd given offers to 5 people total for both programs, me being the 6th.

 

Yeah, she called me a while back, and told me she had 5 spots to bring people in.  What I didn't know is that was 5 spots total for both the terminal Master's and PhD (sounds like you applied to the terminal Master's, right?).  So, I'm wondering if there's separate wait lists for each program or not.  She told me (I applied to the PhD program) that there were only 3 people on the wait list for this cycle.  Did she mention anything about how long your wait list was for the terminal Master's?

Akron is really my last hope (although I suppose I'm still on FIT's wait list, but I'd much prefer Akron), so I'm just trying to follow closely what's going on and resist calling them asking where they are on the wait list/initial offers.  The 15th is just looming around the corner at this point!

[BuzzinAround]

Has anyone heard from Portland State recently? I was waitlisted a few months ago, but I still have heard nothing. I've already accepted an offer, but I just think it's kinda strange.

[setite]

I got my rejection from Portland March 19th via e-mail.

[PsychCray43]

Hey guys i could really use your thoughts on this! 

 

I applied to PhD programs, and was rejected across the board, however one school offered me their MA program (no funding), obviously i will continue to do whatever i can next year and the year after to get into a PhD, but for the meantime should i accept the MA program for this coming fall, what happens if i get a crazy offer from a job in the summer and have to decline the MA offer? Do people do this? How badly does it ruin your reputation to accept an MA offer and then later decline? I also don't want to ruin anyones chances if their on the waiting list for the MA (even though this school said there was no waiting list), but i'm just curious other peoples thoughts on this??? 

 

Thanks

[setite]

 

You may get more than one offer before April 15 and may receive a few statements that you are listed as an alternate. In fairness to the graduate programs, as well as the other applicants seeking admission, you are strongly urged not to hold more than one offer pending at a time. To protect a candidate against premature decisions, graduate schools currently have agreed to allow the applicant until April 15 for a final decision. This is in accordance with a resolution adopted by the Council of Graduate Schools in the United States in 1965 and further modified by the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology (COGDOP) in 1981. The 1965 resolution of the Council of Graduate Schools in the United States was supported by 317 universities and colleges and by the directors of four granting agencies, both public and private. It reads as follows:

Acceptance of an offer of financial aid (such as graduate scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, or assistantship) for the next academic year by an actual or prospective graduate student completes an agreement which both student and graduate school expect to honor. In those instances in which the student accepts the offer before April 15, and subsequently desires to withdraw, the student may submit in writing a resignation of the appointment at any time through April 15.

However, an acceptance given or left in force after April 15 commits the student not to accept another offer without first obtaining a written release from the institution to which a commitment has been made. Similarly, an offer by an institution after April 15 is conditional on presentation by the student of the written release from any previously accepted offer. It is further agreed by the institution and organizations subscribing to the above Resolution that a copy of this Resolution should accompany every scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, and assistantship offer.

The above comes from https://sites.google.com/site/cdspphome/cogdop-rules-on-acceptance-of-offers-of-admission-and-financial-aid

 

Also, I/O is small, I have been told by professors that things you do during the application season follow you. It was more about people who are disrespectful when interviewing at school. She gave me examples of snooty students who acted better than the current grad students. They didn't get in, in part because of the sway of the grad students they offended. The fact that she remembers these people over a decade later is important.

 

I wouldn't decline an MA offer for a job offer unless you can't handle the money situation during the 2 years it takes to finish the MA. I can't imagine a job you can get, with what I assume is a Psych BA/BS, that would be comparable to what you will get after you finish the MA even considering 2 years of promotions.

 

For the true opinion piece if you don't plan to follow through I wouldn't take the spot of someone who will. In your case, the question depends on what you'd do if you stayed in. Getting into 0 PhD programs means you can take a gap year to strengthen your application if you think you can, or finish the MA and reapply. If you do well in the MA getting into a PhD should be much easier. BTW, does your unfunded MA offer have a funded PhD you could apply for in a year or two? I was initially in your boat and I was going to decline the unfunded MS from IIT and take a gap year. However that was only after I realized that their PhD was also unfunded which doesn't interest me. The APA grad guide led me to believe they were just funded at 10 hours but I guess they use some sort of merit based funding which seems to equate to a crap shoot each semester. I'm sure I can do well, but that creates a zero sum game of competition I'd rather avoid.

 

I ended up going with an MA at another PhD program I applied to. I don't know specifics but they are good at finding work somewhere on campus and either way the goal is to reapply for their PhD upon completion so I consider the money situation to be the only difference between the acceptance I have and the one I'm hoping for (shortlisted still).

 

As a last note. If they really have no waiting list then you won't be hurting much. Also I suspect pulling out of an offer from an unfunded program ruffles far fewer feathers than if it were funded. All in all it's a hard decision to make. Be true to yourself while trying not to be selfish and you should come upon a good choice.

 

P.S. I typed way too much.

 

[IOGraduate]

For the true opinion piece if you don't plan to follow through I wouldn't take the spot of someone who will. In your case, the question depends on what you'd do if you stayed in. Getting into 0 PhD programs means you can take a gap year to strengthen your application if you think you can, or finish the MA and reapply. If you do well in the MA getting into a PhD should be much easier. BTW, does your unfunded MA offer have a funded PhD you could apply for in a year or two? I was initially in your boat and I was going to decline the unfunded MS from IIT and take a gap year. However that was only after I realized that their PhD was also unfunded which doesn't interest me. The APA grad guide led me to believe they were just funded at 10 hours but I guess they use some sort of merit based funding which seems to equate to a crap shoot each semester. I'm sure I can do well, but that creates a zero sum game of competition I'd rather avoid.

 

 

 

Just so you're aware, this is absolutely not universally true. I personally discussed the issue with several members of AdComs when I still had my soul and thought I'd go onto an I/O PhD after my MS. Particularly, Akron's rep explained to me that she almost always chooses to start fresh with someone rather than invest in someone who they'll have to retrain and start on shorter-term projects with. 

[gradschoolisfreakingmeout]

Has anyone heard from OU?

[setite]

Just so you're aware, this is absolutely not universally true. I personally discussed the issue with several members of AdComs when I still had my soul and thought I'd go onto an I/O PhD after my MS. Particularly, Akron's rep explained to me that she almost always chooses to start fresh with someone rather than invest in someone who they'll have to retrain and start on shorter-term projects with. 

 

You are 100% correct that some programs look poorly on a PhD applicant with a Masters. I've never heard the short-term project argument but I know that some programs will take no transfer credit and you have to start again. This is not all programs, and I mentioned it to Cray specifically as an option if he/she could bolster their application during the gap OR go for the MA and re-apply. This also applies to the program Cray was offered an MA for, as I believe most of the MA offers on PhD applicants are given with the understanding that the applicant can/might re-apply after proving themselves in the Masters program. I don't know what program offered him an MA, but all the PhD programs that offered me Masters did so under those conditions.

 

The only fact is that all programs are different, and most have a policy or two I think is weird and/or stupid despite making sense. The retraining thing is silly, though true, because you can just tell the applicant they have to redo everything. When I was considering the MA and reapplication (to outside programs) option I was doing so fully aware that I'd have to redo everything. In this situation the point is to prove quantitative skills that didn't show through in the GRE.

 

Given your point, the best advice would be to try and talk to someone at all the programs you want to apply to see if getting an MA will help or hinder your re-application. IO Graduate, thanks for the tip about Akron.

[KW58D]

Well guys and gals, I took a funded Ph.D offer at USD in Human Factos and released all my other offers. In the end, HF was where my heart really was. Probably won't see me around these parts too much anymore. Good luck to everyone that is waiting, got in places, or are applying next year. Very thankful to never do this again.

 

To address something brought up earlier, be polite and respectful at all times. While Faculty and current students don't forget applicants that acted unprofessionally, the same goes the other direction. You never know where someone might end up, or where their career may take them. That person you had under your thumb back in the day might be the person making a decision on your life in the future. Follow the golden rule.