Yipes, this is embarrassing. I haven't posted at all this semester and I was so certain that I'd finally have the time to get back to this! I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that senior year turned out harder/busier than I would have guessed. It's my final year as an undergraduate student at the University of Texas which means all of my time is focused on graduate applications and my senior thesis.
While I'd love to go on and on about my senior thesis project (I think it's pretty sweet!), I'd like to just talk a bit about the process for applying to graduate schools. It went something like this for me:
1. Generalized stress
2. Look at the national ratings for cognitive psychology programs
3. Panic
4. List programs that seem to be in my field of interest (sleep, memory, cognition)
5. Look at faculty at those programs/find potential advisors
6. Sign up and take the GRE
7. Panic about results
8. Make list of schools/advisors to apply to
9. Order official transcripts from UT
10. Email potential advisors with my CV
11. Write personal statement
12. Send statement to a friend, rewrite, send to grad student, rewrite, send to PI, rewrite
13. Stress out that my writing is unintelligible
14. Fill out online applications for selected universities
15. Generalized panic
Obviously, there was a lot of stress/panic involved with my personal experience. It's both humbling and inspiring to apply: humbling because you're reminded of how much more you could always be doing but inspiring because you realize how much you've accomplished already.
I'm so glad to be done with the stress associated with applications. Now I just have to play the waiting game to find out where I will have the opportunity to interview at. Surprisingly, I have already heard back from Northwestern University and will be interviewing with their department in February.
Hope to let you know how it goes then and happy holidays!
