limiting choices based on location

[spillsomepaint]

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I've got my list of schools I am applying to this year (my first go round) and I feel I am more open then most on the prospect of not getting in this try, because even though I have visited a number of schools, I really haven't found a plethora that suit my research interests and needs. (I also was trying to decide b/w Psy.D and Ph.D and now I feel like i want to go the Ph.D route, but I have figured this out a bit too late to visit a bunch of schools during the semester) Now I know that one of the most important factors is faculty match. But how much can we limit ourselves when applying. I feel like committing to live somewhere for 7-8 years is a huge commitment, so no matter how great a fit, if you don't like the area you shouldn't apply. I know that if I don't get in this year (I feel like I am a good candidate and the schools I am applying to are great matches) but if I don't succeed this time, I know I will be able to search for other schools and broaden myself, but I still can't see myself to apply to University of Michigan. I love their program, but I hate the cold. To me this seems like a big deal. Is this something I am being completely naive about?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

You would live somewhere for 4-5 years (depending on how long it takes you to meet your requirements and apply for internship). You would do a 1 year internship somewhere, and then a 1-2 year post doc....depending on your area of study. So if you were motivated (and many programs push to get their students out to internship in 4 years), you would only have to subject yourself to 4 U of Mich winters. 😀

-t

 

[RayneeDeigh]

I lived 21 years in one of the coldest cities in Canada and now am getting my PhD in a city that is nearly as cold (and I hate cold, I'm an Arizona weather kinda girl). Plus it's a city that I never in a million years would have wanted to live (in fact I cried when it hit me that I'd actually have to move here). But now that I'm here and in the program it feels so ridiculous to think about. I'm so busy I don't even NOTICE where I'm living. What matters more is the apartment you have. Nobody has time to go sight-seeing or anything, and 4-5 years isn't such a long time to be in a city you otherwise would never find yourself in.

You're obviously well within your right to limit yourself, but I just wanted to present a case for why it's not necessary.

 

[toby jones]

research interests and needs versus location.

i guess it is up to you to decide what is most important to you and / or the trade-off that you are willing to make.

the virtues of an applied field...

where people can do it without being fully committed to their research interests.

cringe.

sorry... different fields, i guess.

 

[psychanon]

Again, it all depends on your priorities. Limiting things based on location is (naturally) going to reduce the chances of your getting in. You're not the only person who wants to live in a fun, sunny place-- that's why programs in nice places like San Diego, Boston, or NYC get way more applications than their quality justifies.

If you are gunning for a research career, where you get trained is extremely important, and will affect the trajectory of the rest of your career. Thus, I really wouldn't recommend picking a so-so program (or one poorly matched to your needs) in a nice location over a good program in a bad location. I'm in a good program in a location that I really don't like, and I justify it by reminding myself that by living in a less than stellar place now, I'll be more competitive for the job market later on, and will more likely be able to have more flexibility in choosing a cool place to live for the rest of my career. Then again, obviously if you can find a place that is both a nice location and a good match, that's ideal. In any event, you're not making any final decisions by deciding where to apply-- you'll get to visit the program (in the dead of winter) and decide if it's worth it for you. So in terms of your decision making now, you may want to think about whether or not avoiding living in a cold place is worth possibly not getting in and having to wait another year.

I have heard that Ann Arbor is a lovely place, by the way, albeit chilly.

 

[Ollie123]

Personally, I looked all over the US and Canada and ended up applying pretty much to all 4 corners (though for some reason, all my SW schools ended up getting cut, closest I had to the SW was Austin). Point is, I'm clearly biased.

That being said, I'll tell you what my advisors have told me.

1) Who cares what its like outside? You'll be working 60-70 hours a week if you're doing your job right anyways. The psychology building should always be a nice, temperate 70-75 degrees whether its heated or air conditioned.

2)Unless you have something tying you down, now is the time to venture out. Who knows? Maybe after a year in Michigan you'll discover you love ice hockey and snowboarding.

I don't know...maybe its different if you want to be a practitioner. My goal is science and I wanted to make sure I maximized my enjoyment for the 8 billion hours I'll be spending in the lab rather than for the occasional outdoor picnic.

I'm from up north and I can't stand heat or humidity, yet here I am on the gulf coast of Florida, where 70 is "freezing" and I feel like I need to grow gills so I can breathe outside.

Maybe that's just me though. If you think you will be miserable and unproductive at a place like Michigan, then I think its reasonable not to apply. It all comes down to the individual for how much you want to limit yourself. Some people have no choice if they have a spouse who only has jobs available in certain cities.

I'd definitely encourage you to venture outside your comfort zone though...I'm very glad I did, and this is the best place for me educationally. I've got way more advantages here than I'd have if I had stuck to schools in NY and PA. Even if I didn't like it here, 5 years here means I'll be better qualified to move somewhere I want to later on, and I'd much rather spend 5 years doing work I like in a city I don't like if it means I can spend the next 50 better equipped to do the kind of work I like🙂

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

1) Who cares what its like outside? You'll be working 60-70 hours a week if you're doing your job right anyways. The psychology building should always be a nice, temperate 70-75 degrees whether its heated or air conditioned.

There were times when I'd be meeting with my group on sundays and we'd get there in the morning, review stuff, get lunch, review more, and get dinner....and throughout the day we'd see the same people in the halls and it'd be like, "Okay...at least we aren't the only ones stuck here!"

I don't know...maybe its different if you want to be a practitioner. My goal is science and I wanted to make sure I maximized my enjoyment for the 8 billion hours I'll be spending in the lab rather than for the occasional outdoor picnic.

Picnics only happen in the winter time...it is WAY too hot during: Not Quite Summer, Summer, and Summer II. It *is* pretty awesome during 'winter' though.

I'm from up north and I can't stand heat or humidity, yet here I am on the gulf coast of Florida, where 70 is "freezing" and I feel like I need to grow gills so I can breathe outside.

Give it another year and <70 WILL be freezing...trust me. I was a Northerner too, and by my 2nd year down here I was putting on long sleeves/light jacket when it got in the mid-60's...the wind, man...the wind!!

Nothing says fun like walking around in an oven all day...that is what it feels like during the summer, it is that thick and nasty (which is what Ollie is alluding to). The good thing about grad school is that you are stuck inside for 90% of your day, so you don't have to deal with it! Lunch is always the issue though, do you go outside, possibly lose your parking spot, AND get all hot and sweaty for food?

-t

 

[Squarepants]

You know what? The heat is *exactly* why I'm not applying to any schools south of Missouri. I refuse to spend years suffering in the heat when I could just as easily attend a school with a temperate climate. I lived in Kentucky before, and it was murder in the summer. I literally spent the entire season indoors because I just had zero incentive to do anything outside in that kind of weather. If this cuts out a lot of schools, so be it. For me, climate is almost as important as funding in selecting programs. 😎

 

[JockNerd]

I wouldn't knock a school off your list just because it's somewhere with weather you don't like, but I think its reasonable to move it a little further down the list of potential schools to apply to. You do want to be happy wherever you end up, but I don't think you should (and I don't think the OP was saying he or she was going to do this, just saying is all) throw away a great match because the weather at the school sucks.

I really loathe gigantic cities, and moved universities in them down my list for that reason. I ended up with 13 places that I would have liked to be which were in places where I wanted to go.

(Also, I did undergrad in the same ridiculously cold city that Raynee did, and now live somewhere where it doesn't snow ever. 😀)

 

[RayneeDeigh]

(Also, I did undergrad in the same ridiculously cold city that Raynee did, and now live somewhere where it doesn't snow ever. 😀)

Rub it in some more why don't you, while I freeze my butt off in the mornings. I'm counting down the days until the Albuquerque conference in February so I can at least be warmer.

 

[PizzaButt]

I also need to limit where I apply to certain cities--where my husband can find a job. This limits me to applying to the programs that seem harder to get into--b/c I'm limited to the largest metropolitan areas in the country, where my husband can find a job. Most of my schools acceptance rates are like 1 in 20, so I'm not too confident about getting in this year. Also, there are a bunch of schools where I'd have a better research match, but are in places like the plains states, but my husband can't get a job out there so I can't consider them, but that's ok.

 

[socialcog]

Rub it in some more why don't you, while I freeze my butt off in the mornings. I'm counting down the days until the Albuquerque conference in February so I can at least be warmer.

Hey Rayneedeigh, are you referring to the conference on emotions? Are you going to that?

 

[RayneeDeigh]

Hey Rayneedeigh, are you referring to the conference on emotions? Are you going to that?

Um... I don't know but I don't think so. It's SPSP if that helps you.

 

[socialcog]

Um... I don't know but I don't think so. It's SPSP if that helps you.

Yes that's it. Society for personality and social psychology. Cool. The ISRE is sponsoring a Emotion Pre-conference. I probably won't go but most of the organizers and speakers I have written to about being possible advisers.

That's exciting. Have a blast and soak up the sun!!😉

 

[RayneeDeigh]

Yes that's it. Society for personality and social psychology. Cool. The ISRE is sponsoring a Emotion Pre-conference. I probably won't go but most of the organizers and speakers I have written to about being possible advisers.

That's exciting. Have a blast and soak up the sun!!😉

I'll try, thanks! I know little to nothing about this conference since I'm really just going to present my poster and see all my undergrad friends. Plus I figure I'm really going to need a long weekend by February. Should be fun, I just have to get my act together and actually make the poster.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

.....I just have to get my act together and actually make the poster.

Details....details.......

-t