Psych PhD...feedback on diversity of school list

Graduate School
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>So I have narrowed down a list of doctorate programs in social psychology that I would like to apply to. The problem is, at the moment most of them seem to be highly competitive, and I'm not sure if I have enough schools that I have a decent chance at getting into. I'm hoping people with more familiarity with some of these schools can offer some feedback on whether I need more lower-ranking social psych programs, or if I have a good spread.</p>

<p>First, some of my stats:
Undergrad degree: Psychology
GPA: 3.75, (3.89 in psychology)
GREs: Did not take yet, not worried about quantitative, worried about verbal =/
Honors: Magna cum laude, honors in psychology, Psi Chi member (psychology honor society)
Research Experience: Worked as a research assistant for the same social psych prof in summers 2009 and 2011, worked on an independent research project (my thesis) from December 2009 to November 2010.</p>

<p>I have my name on two publications: a book review (I know, not a big deal), and as a co-author of a book chapter on social psychological contributions to assessment practices. I am also currently finishing up a major theoretical article with that same prof which should be in-review by the time I apply to grad school. My honors thesis is the only research topic that pertains to my interests for grad school (prejudice and stereotyping).</p>

<p>My list of schools (all for social psych PhD) are:
University of Massachusetts @ Amherst <- One of my top choices, though probably unattainable
Rutgers University
Northeastern University
Miami University (in Ohio)
Lehigh University
Penn State University
possibly Temple University</p>

<p>The last two or three I think are possibilities, but I really don't expect to get into the first few (though I'd still like to say I tried). Should I search for more compatible lower-ranking schools? I'm finding it very difficult to determine which schools are out of reach and which may be a possibility in my particular field.</p>

<p>Thanks for your time and feedback!</p>

2

<p>No feedback at all?</p>

3

<p>Your profile seems strong. Although I don’t know much about social psych programs, you have a lot of the important elements in place. The real wild card here is research fit. What interests you within social psychology, and do these programs have professors willing to fund students in that area?</p>

4

<p>Alice Rossi certainly left her mark at U Mass Amherst, attracting good colleagues. Look at the people who are doing the research that you are interested in. Perhaps there is a national meeting that you could attend, so you could listen to presentations, get a feeling for the profs, and narrow your focus from the school to the people and the research. After that, try e-mailing the people who are most in sync with you. In short, do your research–apply with a focus on collaborating with people, not just reputation of the school.</p>

5

<p>I have already done my research and there are at least 1-3 people at each of those schools that I would love to work with. I just don’t want <em>all</em> of them to be out of reach. My specific area of interest is in prejudice and stereotyping, and my undergrad thesis explored how emotions affect our perceptions of outgroup members as modified by social dominance orientation.</p>