With this background, what kind of schools should I realistically be looking into (PhD programs)?

[dmacfour]

Undergrad: B.S. Psychology, 3.12 GPA

Grad School: M.S. Experimental Psychology, emphasis in Human Factors & Ergonomics, 3.42 GPA

Both from University of Idaho, a tier II research institution. I was involved in research projects and am second author on a paper, but chose the non-thesis route to save money (I graduated in a little over a year). I've been working as Software Product Manager & Usability Specialist for the last two years. The usability specialist portion of that is relevant to the programs I'm looking at. 

My game plan:

1. Get LOR's from my boss, a couple of company executives, my graduate adviser, and a character reference from an attorney that knows me really well.

2. Retake the GRE. It's been years and I only studied for it for a week the first time I took it. My verbal score was above average and my math score was dead average. I think I destroy the quant portion if I give myself enough time to review. 

3. Figure out where I have a realistic chance of getting admitted. 

That's where you guys come in: Given my GPA and research background, what kind of schools should I seriously consider? What would be a reach, and what would be a fallback?

Edited December 15, 2015 by dmacfour

[mylifeinshambles]

Honestly I don't think you give enough information for anyone to advise you on what schools you should consider. Phd programs in psychology are very specific and competitive. That is, you usually have to have a very clear idea of what your research plans are and who you want to work with and so much of it is about fit. You might also need to get more research experience and more academic LORs. 

Edited December 16, 2015 by xEB0511
added a word

[FeelTheBern]

I would have to agree with @xEB0511 about getting more research experience and having academic LORs (preferably from research mentors if possible).

Regarding your third point, I would be hesitant to give you any PhD programs that are considered "fall-backs". Given the competitive nature of these programs, it is hard to say what exactly the perfect candidate is, or if such a candidate even exists, however, I do think that it is fair to say that you should never expect that you will most definitely, 100% be admitted to a fully funded program, even if that program may seem less competitive than others.

My advice would be to apply to schools where you believe you would be happy and excel. However, there are other factors that should also be considered like the pros and cons of applying to top tier institutions vs. lower tier ones simply so you have a better shot at acceptance. This is especially important given the current job market.

During the application process my SO received the following advice from one of his LORs: "So my advice (and the advice that other professors in this department agree with) is to aim high, for top tier schools, where you are most likely to get a job when you complete the PhD. Because if you can't get in there, that will suck, but it will suck less than completing a PhD at a "safety school" and not being able to get a job when you graduate." The article below goes into detail about the importance of this.

Interesting article about universities hiring for tenure-track positions: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/education/2015/02/university_hiring_if_you_didn_t_get_your_ph_d_at_an_elite_university_good.html

Note: I am not encouraging applying to top-tier institutions if you do not think you would be happy there. Simply saying that if you like top-tier institutions you should consider applying instead of replacing them with safety schools for acceptance sake.

[dmacfour]

On 12/16/2015 at 4:28 PM, xEB0511 said:

Honestly I don't think you give enough information for anyone to advise you on what schools you should consider. Phd programs in psychology are very specific and competitive. That is, you usually have to have a very clear idea of what your research plans are and who you want to work with and so much of it is about fit. You might also need to get more research experience and more academic LORs. 

I could be a little more specific: I'd like to continue studying experimental psychology. I emphasized human factors as a Masters student, and would like to continue conducting research in the realm. Decision making models,  and research methods are what interested me most while in the program. I know that's kind of vague, but I don't really want to get more specific than that. 

This is the program I'm most interested in:

https://psychology.wsu.edu/experimental/graduate-experimental/

Among other things, I could emphasize cognition or applied quantitative methods. 

Edited December 17, 2015 by dmacfour