research interests

[jcam17]

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I am currently preparing my applications for this coming cycle. I have a decent amount of research experience. I performed an undergrad Honors thesis which I presented on two occasions (1 oral and 1 poster), and I have worked as a volunteer RA for 7 months now. However, none of this experience has been in an area that I hope to study further. I have several areas that interest me and am having some difficulty trying to determine just one. Do most of you guys apply to schools that have faculty that share just one interest of yours, or do you have several interests that you feel would be a good match? Thanks

 

[joetro]

I have a pretty clearly defined interest and applied to people in that area, but there was some variation based on populations studied. You could shoot more for large programs with a lot of collaborative possibilities. But you may need to take some time to think about what kind of research you most want to do.

 

[ResearchGirlie]

I am currently preparing my applications for this coming cycle. I have a decent amount of research experience. I performed an undergrad Honors thesis which I presented on two occasions (1 oral and 1 poster), and I have worked as a volunteer RA for 7 months now. However, none of this experience has been in an area that I hope to study further. I have several areas that interest me and am having some difficulty trying to determine just one. Do most of you guys apply to schools that have faculty that share just one interest of yours, or do you have several interests that you feel would be a good match? Thanks

Can you find a unifying theme that ties your current experience together with your interests in grad school? I was in a similar situation in that I had great solid research experience, but it wasn't all in 1 area of research. It was painful but I finally came up with a story that tied all of my experiences together and pointed towards my future interests. Your story is really important for getting into grad school, and it seems to be important throughout your career. A theme doesn't have to be something as large as depression or anxiety, it could be something less obvious like a certain age group, a method of analysis, or an approach (eg. biological measures to psych).

Basically, be creative and really focus on the story! What makes all of your past experiences tie together to guide your future interests? Good luck!

 

[psychwanabe]

You will find at interviews that some POIs feel that a broad range of interests is a good thing, while others feel it is a negative. In a good way, it makes you easy to fit into an area that is somewhat different than your previous research (i.e., maybe your a kid person focusing on peds and cancer for your research but you're interested in all aspects of kid stuff or peds stuff). On the negative, it may mean that they don't know for sure that you are interested in their specific area.

The important thing to do is match, match, match when choosing the schools to which you will apply. Don't apply to schools where there isn't at least one lab that you could love. And then when you are offered interviews, read the POIs most recent research, educate yourself about what his or her lab is doing, and make sure that you can clearly communicate how that area is a good fit for you.

Good luck!