mb712 Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 Hahaha. Have you met social psychologists? I work in an interdisciplinary department, and I'm so not surprised that it's taking longer to hear from the Social folks. Haha! I'm not surprised either, but it isn't stopping me from stressing out. Much Anxious Very Waiting 1
mb712 Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 One of my applications isn't even due until Thursday.... the waiting is here to stay for a while... ughhhhh! I found a program with an apllication deadline in FEBRUARY. Talk about setting yourself up for being a backup backup school.
MyDogHasAPhD Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) Is it New Hampshire? I was looking frantically when I accidentally missed one of my deadlines (Northwestern...still kicking myself. Thought it was the 15th of December, when it was the 1st. HOW COULD I DO THAT??!!!!) I came across New Hampshire and so desperately wanted there to be a fit but alas, there wasn't.  The school that is due this week is SUNY Albany, in case anyone is looking for a last minute addition Edited January 12, 2015 by MyDogHasAPhD
Much Anxious Very Waiting Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 Haha! I'm not surprised either, but it isn't stopping me from stressing out. Yeah I'm on that train too.
mb712 Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 Is it New Hampshire? Nevada at Reno. If I remember correctly the application is due 02/01. Another suggestion for anybody who wants last minute additions!
L83Ste Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 Anybody else temporarily wish they were going into clinical so they would have probably heard some results by now? I actually used the results search page to look at my schools and social psychology results. It seems that most of them were either rejected or accepted without an interview. I was wondering, I think it's normal for clinical to have early responses...maybe because they are more likely to offer interviews? Does anyone see this trend or am I completely off?Â
mb712 Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 I actually used the results search page to look at my schools and social psychology results. It seems that most of them were either rejected or accepted without an interview. I was wondering, I think it's normal for clinical to have early responses...maybe because they are more likely to offer interviews? Does anyone see this trend or am I completely off? Seems about right on a general basis. Several POIs I've talked to have told me their in-person interviews are basically optional. In clinical it seems almost universally mandatory.
L83Ste Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 Seems about right on a general basis. Several POIs I've talked to have told me their in-person interviews are basically optional. In clinical it seems almost universally mandatory. I figured that was how it worked. Honestly, it seems pretty logical for clinical to be mandatory.Â
randoperson Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 (edited) Anyone else apply to North Carolina State Public Interest or UMich Personality & Social Contexts?  I applied to the P&SC program. In retrospect my statement of purpose and my personal statement were really not very good, so I'm not optimistic at all. Edited January 13, 2015 by randoperson
MyDogHasAPhD Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 I applied to the P&SC program. In retrospect my statement of purpose and my personal statement were really not very good, so I'm not optimistic at all.  As far as fit goes, it was probably the best program I applied to but unfortunately, I feel that my GRE scores are going to really keep me out of a program of that caliber.  Here is sort of a general question to whoever has some insight: Do you think that GRE scores are as toughly scrutinized for admission to non-clinical PhD programs? I did moderately well on the verbal (78%), very well on analytical (98%), but after attempting four times, I could not raise my Q score over the 50th percentile. I applied to two community-clinical programs but am fairly certain I did not get in, probably due to the low Quant and lack of pubs. I am hoping that they may care less about the GRE in the social/community programs I've applied to, such as UMich P&SC.
FinallyAccepted Posted January 13, 2015 Author Posted January 13, 2015 Do you think that GRE scores are as toughly scrutinized for admission to non-clinical PhD programs?  Well, social psych is a research-oriented field, and they'll want to know that you can analyze your data. A low quant score may not cause a rejection, but it could definitely be a contributor. Find a good test prep book or tutor, because some programs may have minimum cut-offs for GRE scores.  If you don't get in this year, it would be something to consider.
MyDogHasAPhD Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 I have pretty strong research experience and my grade in stats and methods reflect competence. I just am an awful test-taker. I addressed the low quant score in my SoP. GPA is a 3.91. I hired a private tutor, took Kaplan courses...I really feel hopeless that it will get much higher. The good news is that I raised it from a 141 (Don't pass out) to a 154 in the course of 4 months. I took it four separate times. I just don't know why but the GRE math really messed with my mind. I did speak with my POI at NC state and she said she cared more about writing abilities than the GRE scores. I just wish they wouldn't automatically disqualify you at the higher tier programs when every other aspect of your application is strong. I feel hopeless that my GRE will improve more than it already has. Do you know if GRE scores have consequences on funding? I have heard some mixed opinions on that.Â
mb712 Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 I've had several faculty members tell me that if you can find and make notice of something that contradicts a low quant score (great grades in stats, taking analyses classes, a LOR writer with knowledge of your ability with numbers) that the quant score *almost* doesn't matter as long as it isn't something dismal like 25th percentile. I think grad admissions care more about your GRE score than anybody else in the process. Of course this isn't universal, but what I've picked up in the process.
MyDogHasAPhD Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 I've had several faculty members tell me that if you can find and make notice of something that contradicts a low quant score (great grades in stats, taking analyses classes, a LOR writer with knowledge of your ability with numbers) that the quant score *almost* doesn't matter as long as it isn't something dismal like 25th percentile. I think grad admissions care more about your GRE score than anybody else in the process. Of course this isn't universal, but what I've picked up in the process.  I really hope that is the case! I got A's in stats and research methods. I am pretty sure all three of my letter writers, who were either my research mentor, honor's thesis committee members, or a faculty member whose lab I worked in, spoke to the fact that my Q score was not an accurate depiction of my abilities.  I seriously vacillate between total confidence or the thought that I am not getting in anywhere! There is no happy medium in my mind! I wish the waiting would enddddd....
L83Ste Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 I got a 155 on the Quant. and I got an A+ in my statistics course....and I'm the stats TA now. Quite honestly, I don't feel that the quantitative section is full of math we need in graduate school. There is a section that is important, but it's only a small part of the whole. I wish they made the test more relevant to actual statistical analysis. My score was 60th percentile. I wish it were better and if I get rejected from all of the schools I applied to this time around, I do plan to study and retake the test. I do not think it is an accurate measure of what it needs to measure for our purposes. I think it is a generic measure because they can't make tests for each individual discipline. That's just my thoughts! If it makes you feel any better, a 155, according to the GRE makers, when compared with other students trying to go for psychology is actually in the 80th percentile. In my opinion, our scores should be compared with scores of those we are in competition with, not the scores of people trying to be engineers, chemists, English professors, or any other profession. MyDogHasAPhD 1
randoperson Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 As far as fit goes, it was probably the best program I applied to but unfortunately, I feel that my GRE scores are going to really keep me out of a program of that caliber.  Do you know of acceptance rate stats for the P&SC area in particular?
FinallyAccepted Posted January 13, 2015 Author Posted January 13, 2015 (edited) Being a Stats TA should be fine, but without something else to outweigh the quant part, it could be problematic. Having LORs to that effect should help, too. I took the GRE twice, and the second time I did it at the end of the summer after studying for the test everyday after my students were let out for the summer. It was a lot of work. Not a fun carefree summer like I'm "supposed" to have as a lowly, lazy, greedy teacher. Edited January 13, 2015 by shana.teacher
randoperson Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 I seriously vacillate between total confidence or the thought that I am not getting in anywhere! There is no happy medium in my mind! I wish the waiting would enddddd.... Â My main problem is that I don't have all that much research experience, and the research I have done is not really connected to that of any of the professors I'd want to work with in that program, so I struggled to write a good SOP as a result.
FinallyAccepted Posted January 13, 2015 Author Posted January 13, 2015 Yeah, I definitely could have had more experience. In fact, I tried to reach out to one of my POIs 40 minutes away to see if I could do anything to help her in her lab. I maintained a part-time teaching position so I could leave early enough to be available to do anything in the lab. She must have sent my contact info to her lab manager/director because I started getting mass lab e-mails. Unfortunately, the monthly lab meetings were smack dab in the middle of the school day, and when I e-mailed the lab manager multiple times about ways that I could be involved (including the most menial grunt work) without being able to attend those meetings, I never got anything back.  It was frustrating. It was a gamble I took, and I'm making less money this year because of it. I applied to work with the POI this year regardless, but that was one way I was hoping to boost my application this year. Now, I'm not so sure. We'll see.
MyDogHasAPhD Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 My main problem is that I don't have all that much research experience, and the research I have done is not really connected to that of any of the professors I'd want to work with in that program, so I struggled to write a good SOP as a result.  I was lucky enough to attend an undergraduate program where they have a ton of research opportunities for undergrads to head their own research and work closely with faculty, otherwise it would have been really tough! I feel that I have a lot in my application to offset the lower than average quant. I reached out to one of my POIs prior to applying to ask her if my GRE scores would be an automatic disqualification and she said not to worry, that it was one small ding in an otherwise very strong application.  I will say that absolutely none of my research I did in undergrad (which was basically two full years of heading my own studies) has little to do with my graduate school research interests but it was at least alongside a social psychologist and was submitted to conferences as social psychological research. That's really all I have going for me. I wouldn't worry so much about whether or not your research is aligned with the research of your potential POI. All my professors told me that they care more that you've had experience in a lab and know the basics (less to teach you) than having researched in what they're researching. What I want to do is so specific that there is no way it would have been possible for me to do research without some serious grant money as an undergrad. In my SoP, I basically made the case for the fact that I did have experience, in a lab, designing and executing a study and that I knew how to analyze the data enough to complete my study and present the findings a few times. I think that's what they're looking for more so.  I don't know the acceptance rate of the P&SC area. I did look at the previous years acceptances and it doesn't seem like that many people apply, but that is just based on the amount of people who report the outcome of their application on this site, so it's hard to really gauge. I know in general, UMich is tough and they probably can pick from really top candidates so as much as it would be a dream for me to get in there, I am not getting my hopes up.Â
L83Ste Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 Being a Stats TA should be fine, but without something else to outweigh the quant part, it could be problematic. Having LORs to that effect should help, too. I took the GRE twice, and the second time I did it at the end of the summer after studying for the test everyday after my students were let out for the summer. It was a lot of work. Not a fun carefree summer like I'm "supposed" to have as a lowly, lazy, greedy teacher. All of the schools that I applied to had cut off scores of 50th percentile. I got 84th in verbal, 60th in quant, and 93rd in writing. I really don't think these programs should put that much stock in the GRE scores to be honest. I think they look for their cut off score and then after that they don't care. GRE score is not even a good predictor of graduate school success. I do have strong LORs though. If I get denied at all three schools this year I'll retake the GRE to aim for the 80th and above in everything, but I really would rather focus on research more. I think that and maybe working on my personal statements and finding better fits would be helpful. Hopefully I won't have to worry about it, but since I only applied to three this year I am already getting a list together for next year....
FinallyAccepted Posted January 14, 2015 Author Posted January 14, 2015 The GRE is definitely not the most important thing. I have pretty strong scores, but this is my second application season. So for what it's worth, SOP and research experiences will be more influential in the overall application. You can look at the scores people report on the Results Search page. They won't always be the highest scores, but they'll give an idea of what people who get interviews are scoring.
L83Ste Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 I've noticed that the scoring isn't really consistent. It's really frustrating when an near perfect GRE and GPA is rejected. Several scores that seem lower have gotten interviews. I actually emailed someone at one of my schools to find out if my scores were acceptable. He said they were fine for the department, but that each professor might have their own cut off score.Â
Freudian_Slip Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 I scored very high and would like to think it was a factor, but honestly once you reach 155-160 per section, I doubt it makes any difference or gets looked at again--especially for Social. 150 or below would probably be somewhat of a factor, but this is not undergrad and I don't think they're looking at test scores as this person got a 157 and this person got a 165 so Person B is better. Those two would pretty much be the same, and they turn to the other more directly relevant factors like recs, experience, fit, statements, pubs/posters. Michigan is a top program and their averages were 155 & 159 last year. I think it's far from the science (no pun intended) that undergrad admissions more closely resemble. L83Ste 1
MyDogHasAPhD Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 Has anyone heard of funding being less or more if accepted into a program based on GRE scores?
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