Intro to My Ph.D. Program Search

As I prepare for the fall semester, I have some things to consider on top of the normal school things. Beginning in late September and early October, I have to start filling out applications for Ph.D. programs. And while I am normally a procrastinator, there is one thing that I have never procrastinated on and that is selecting the schools and programs that I want to apply to. I'm pretty sure that I started my undergrad search in the beginning of my junior year of high school, and I know that it was well before senior year started. And when I first thought of going to Chicago, I wasted no time looking for the programs that I could go to. When applying for graduate school, I had a list ready by the end of my junior year--though that was for law school and I changed my mind over the summer. So, of course, my search for Ph.D. programs started months ago. As a matter of fact, I have a detailed document with the schools and programs, the amount of funding they offer, the application fees and deadlines, and the averages of how long it takes people to get through the program.

And here's where you get to learn how ridiculous I am...

I have a system of rating programs to figure out which programs have the best combination of things that I desire. This involves the location of the school, the amount of funding available, and the features of the program. Each category gets a score, and then I add the scores together to get a composite score. Then the programs are ranked by composite score from lowest to highest with the lowest being number one on my list. I have 8 programs from 8 different schools on my list. I don't anticipate adding or subtracting any programs between now and the time applications are due.

So, let's go through the list.

1. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
   Ph.D. in Community Research and Action
2. New York University, New York City
   Ph.D. in Psychology and Social Intervention
3. University of Illinois at Chicago
   Ph.D. in Community and Prevention Research
4. DePaul University, Chicago, IL
   Ph.D. in Community Psychology
5. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
   Ph.D. in Community Psychology
6. Portland State University, Portland, OR
   Ph.D. in Applied Social and Community Psychology
7. Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
   Ph.D. in Community Psychology
8. University of North Carolina at Charlotte
   Ph.D in Health Psychology, community track

*Note: In my rating system, NYU beats Vanderbilt because I ranked Nashville as slightly less desirable than NYC. I decided that the program outweighed that difference and put Vanderbilt in the number one spot.

All of these programs emphasize research and action within the community. The 'and' is very important to me. I don't want to just observe the social issues and dynamics and then let any application fall on someone else. If there is something that can be applied from my research, I want to know how to go about implementing said applications. Most of the programs have time required to be spent on a community project in some way in addition to classes and research.

A few of these programs are explicitly multi-disciplinary, meaning that it isn't limited to the scope of psychology. There will be classes and study related to disciplines like sociology, women and gender studies, anthropology, history, literature, and so on. Those programs are especially interesting to me because I understand the limitations of the psychological viewpoint, and adding perspective from other disciplines opens up a whole new world of knowledge and research.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my information about these programs. Remember that detailed document...it may or may not be ten pages long...

If you have any questions about my interest in a particular school, go ahead and ask away. This is something I love talking about...I'm an academia nerd. :)

<3 Amber Marie