.

[hk490xv]

---

Members do not see this ad.

.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Strong publication opportunities are a *huge* plus, IMO.

 

[nessa34]

one of the biggest determiners in how much an RA job will help you get into grad school (imho) is how much opportunity you have to do research vs. paperwork & running subjects. How much involvement will you have with the research process at these sites? will you be able to do any data analysis/interpretation, take part in writing up results and publishing? Labs and PIs differ greatly in what they expect out of their RAs and what they allow RAs to do in terms of getting involved in research. (going back and rereading, it sounds like warm sunny job is better at that?)

In my RA job, I make less than 27K after taxes and I though I was on the high end of the RA pay scale. It's up to you what you want your living expenses to be, but if you're fine with roommates/commuting, and don't have a lot of expensive habits, I think the NYC job would be fine financially. As far as long hours go, that really depends how much you like what you're doing during those hours 🙂

good luck! sounds like either way you're going to have a great two years🙂

 

[Marissa4usa]

So here's the deal - I'm a graduating Psych major, interested in pursuing a Clinical PhD, and decided to take 2 years off and work as an RA. I applied to a number of positions and got 2 offers. It's turning out very difficult to pick one, so I was hoping for some advice on this 😳 I realize that I'm very lucky to be having this sort of 'problem', but I still want to make the right decision.

Job 1 is a field that I am more interested in, pays VERY well, has great benefits, opportunities for publications, and is located in a small city with a warm and sunny climate. The downsides are very long hours, possibly stressful conditions (interviewing prison inmates), and it's not affiliated with a top-ranked research university.

Job 2 is in an Ivy League-based lab in NYC (definite location plus), shorter hours/less stressful working conditions, and possibilities of recs from well-known professors. But it pays very low - 27k after taxes, few opportunities for publications, and I'm also much less interested in the subject of research.

Both jobs are about equally good as far as the experience I would gain - I would be doing clinical interviews, fMRI/EEG recordings and analysis, running participants, and some routine data entry. Both positions require relocating very far from home.

My main difficulties in picking one offer are: What matters more when applying to grad schools: lab's prestige/affiliation, or how closely the research matches my interests? Should I pick the one that clearly pays much better (job 1) or the one that is probably less stressful and located in an amazing city? Could I even survive in NYC on a net of 27k a year? I'd be required to have a car, which adds parking/insurance expenses, but I'm fine with living in outer boroughs or in NJ. Is it difficult to adjust to working long hours in prison settings?

If you've read this far, I would really appreciate any and all advice on how to go about deciding between these two offers. I realize that ultimately it is my decision, but I would love to hear some opinions. It's so hard to evaluate how good/bad an RA job might be from the meager descriptions given to the applicants.... 😕 But once again, I know I'm lucky to have this kind of choice to make!

To be honest, Job 1 sounds like the overall better option. I think it's better to have publications and excellent letters of rec from less known people than just good letters of rec. Also, if the research area doesn't really match what you want to do, then letters from those people might not even make as much of an impact.

I think it's possible to make it on $27K in NYC if you are ok with roommates and commuting. But I think overall, job 1 just sounds better. And I don't know about but I don't mind warm and sunny climate 🙂

 

[Ollie123]

The only real advantages that #2 seems to have are 1) Institution and 2) Possibly location (depending on what you want) and 3) Less stress.

I'd say this depends what your goals are. If you are looking for something cool to do in between undergrad and grad...go with #2, are looking to build your credentials but aren't necessarily in a hurry, #2 is likely fine. If you are asking which one is better for your CV, its probably the other one.

Institution likely means very little, the faculty you are working with are what matters. Chances are, if they have the money to hire full-time RAs, they have a major grant. Chances are, if they have a major grant, they are pretty well-known to other people within their sub-field. If those are the folks you are planning to apply to for graduate school, they are going to know that person's work. Where they are is only peripherally relevant.

 

[PsychAndMusic]

Institution likely means very little, the faculty you are working with are what matters. Chances are, if they have the money to hire full-time RAs, they have a major grant. Chances are, if they have a major grant, they are pretty well-known to other people within their sub-field. If those are the folks you are planning to apply to for graduate school, they are going to know that person's work. Where they are is only peripherally relevant.

I agree, don't let the Ivy part sway you. It essentially doesnt mean much, I learned that myself this year during phd applications 😛. Option 1 sounds better to me..

 

[busybusybusy]

Institution likely means very little, the faculty you are working with are what matters. Chances are, if they have the money to hire full-time RAs, they have a major grant. Chances are, if they have a major grant, they are pretty well-known to other people within their sub-field. If those are the folks you are planning to apply to for graduate school, they are going to know that person's work. Where they are is only peripherally relevant.

+1!!! I work as an RA for a researcher at a federal agency and I was told going in to it that this wouldn't look as good on my CV as a Uni. would. However, the research is exactly the area I'm interested in, I've been able to publish and I'm presenting at two major conferences this year. Although it is full-time and stressful, I have enjoyed every minute of it because it's something I'm interested in. IMO when you're into the work you become a more efficient worker.

The researcher I work for, although not widely known in general, is very well known in his sub-field and his recommendation definitely helped me, much more than I thought it would when I started here. My point is that from the beginning #1 may not look "as prestigious" but it's the little things that really matter more in the long run; who you get to know, getting to publish, type of research you're doing, etc. FYI - I not only got in to one of my top choice PhDs, but had the ability to choose between them.