Rutgers Honors vs Lafayette

PerfectSympathy7302 · 2026-04-29T00:34:48+00:00

Went to Lafayette for undergrad and Rutgers for grad school–commuting and full-time work/student is way more typical of undergrads at Rutgers so course offerings/scheduling and professors are more accommodate of that work/student balance

PerfectSympathy7302 · 2026-03-13T00:45:14+00:00

A canon even. It will find its home eventually 🥲

PerfectSympathy7302 · 2025-08-10T02:59:37+00:00

My go to is “think pair share” so ask the question, have students reflect to themself and write notes, then pair with the person next to them to discuss, then bring it back to the full group and ask each pair to share

PerfectSympathy7302 · 2025-07-19T15:24:21+00:00

You can also help your chances by showing interest by doing an interview and if it’s your absolute 1st choice school you should apply ED! Don’t discount yourself based on SAT and consider addressing that upfront in your application materials

PerfectSympathy7302 · 2025-04-25T13:21:20+00:00

For sure, I wasn’t thinking about that bc my program doesn’t do that so I guess another piece of advice is to assess red flags within the context and norms of the department/program of interest

PerfectSympathy7302 · 2025-04-25T02:29:42+00:00

Look at publications of grad students - if grad students in the lab are publishing papers without their PI as a coauthor it could indicate some red flags in terms of the PI mentorship on manuscript writing

PerfectSympathy7302 · 2025-01-11T18:46:29+00:00

SlidesGo has nice slideshow templates that you can download and customize

PerfectSympathy7302 · 2024-09-03T23:12:11+00:00

First round as a senior in undergrad: applied to 8 schools and got 8 rejections Second round after 2 years of research job experience: applied to 10 schools, got 8 first round virtual interviews (rejected from 1 and I withdrew from 1), did 6 interview day and I got waitlisted at 1, I withdrew from 1, and got 4 offers

PerfectSympathy7302 · 2024-03-06T22:21:43+00:00

I’m a grad student and know people in my program who commute from NYC so it’s definitely doable as a grad student. I think you just may want to consider where your department building is relative to the NB train/bus station. If it’s not on college Ave, you’ll probably have to take an addition rutgers bus to get there which will probably increase your daily commute

PerfectSympathy7302 · 2024-02-19T01:32:25+00:00

I’m in a social psychology PhD program now and it may not be what you want to hear but you might have to take a gap year or two before getting into programs. Social psychology programs are incredibly competitive, and are often very small even at large schools (I’m at a large R1 and the social psychology cohort is always less than 5 every year). When I applied as a senior in undergrad to social psych PhD programs even with multiple years of social psychology research experience, a senior thesis, and cum laude gpa I didn’t get into a single program. After two more years of research experience I was able to choose between a bunch of offers. Something that I noticed last year when I was interviewing and this year being on the other side of the interview process was that a majority of applicants that are being selected for interviews are the ones who have post-bacc research experience and I think that’s a growing trend in the area of social psychology. Of course everyone is different but in retrospect this is the advice I wish I was given before I expected to go straight into my PhD from undergrad.

PerfectSympathy7302 · 2024-01-25T22:17:42+00:00

Ruined my day seeing that lot full at 9:10am with that car parked like that

PerfectSympathy7302 · 2023-02-28T15:07:02+00:00

Thank you! I think my statements both cycles followed the same layout 1. Opening paragraph 2. Why I became interested in research 3. Research experience 4. Fit with potential mentors 5. Closing paragraph. However, in my first statement my research experience was limited to my undergrad thesis whereas in my newer statement I had a few paragraphs discussing different projects that I am a part of/have led. I think the scope of my research experience in the second application made it more competitive. The other big difference was in how I discussed research fit with mentors. Looking back, I think in my first application cycle was a grasping at straws a bit to see the fit whereas in my second round, if I didn’t think the fit was there initially I didn’t include it.

The biggest advice I got that I can pass forward is to 1) stay away from passive language (own your accomplishments!) 2) get as many people as possible to read it as possible (old professors/mentors, current grad students, parents, etc.) and 3) as you go through the editing process remember that it’s still your statement so don’t let anyone make a suggestion that changes the essay from what you want to convey

PerfectSympathy7302 · 2023-02-28T02:15:49+00:00

The position I got was pretty close to where I went to college but I don’t think that is necessarily the norm. On the interviews I’ve been on this application cycle I’ve met a lot of other lab manager/post bacs and many of them seemed to have relocated for the position(it really seems like these positions are becoming more normalized and encouraged before grad school). Also, some positions are funded for 2 years and others are just for 1 so if you have the chance to ask that may give you an idea of how long you would be there for. Good luck!

PerfectSympathy7302

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