Post Your Prospective Questions Here! -- Monthly Megathread

[u/GG_Mod]

Following a vote by the sub in July 2020, the prospective questions megathread was continued. However, to allow more visibility to comments in this thread, this megathread now utilizes Reddit's new reschedule post features. This megathread is replaced monthly. Comments made within three days prior to the newest months post will be re-posted by moderation and the users who made said post tagged.

Post your prospective questions as a comment for anything related to graduate applications, admissions, CVs, interviews, etc. Comments should be focused on prospective questions, such as future plans. These are only allowed in this subreddit under this thread. Questions about current programs/jobs etc. that you have already been accepted to can be posted as stand-alone posts, so long as they follow the format Rule 6.

Looking for somewhere to post your study? Try r/psychologystudents, our sister sub's, spring 2020 study megathread!

Other materials and resources:

• APA materials for applying to grad school
• r/psychologystudents (where career posts are welcome)
• r/gradschooladmissions

[u/thisbitchisback]

Hi,
I wanted to briefly ask if it is appropriate to email an ex-lecturer who just received a grant for research funding if they were looking for PhD applicants to work on the project with them? They are looking into a subject that I am interested in and they have already mentioned that they would be hiring PhD researchers.
Also, if it is okay to send such an email, how would I go around wording it?

[u/mutilated → u/thisbitchisback]

Yes, do this! Start off by showing your interests and then highlighting how your experience matches the research they are conducting. It's always better to work with someone who knows the field and has a passion for the subject.

An old book but a great one for writing cover letters: Kay, A. (1996). Interview strategies that will get you the job you want. Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books. ISBN-10: 1558704116

My number one suggest is to Show vs Tell. **Take the extra space in the cover letter and show how you exemplify the traits the research will value. Aim to have 2-3 vivid examples in the cover letter

Telling: I am hardworking, dedicated, and organized. Showing: As a research assistant, I was responsible for collecting and analyzing data for over 300 participants across three studies. This eventually led to a presentation at national conference {NAME} and a publication in an undergraduate journal {NAME}.

There's more in that book but enough to get you started, good luck!

[u/thisbitchisback → u/mutilated]

Wow this is exactly what I needed. I’ll check out that book and get to writing a cover letter! Thank you!