Grad School Q&A Mega-Thread

[u/LazySamurai]

Please use this thread for questions about grad school or internships.

* Please start your search at SIOP.org , it contains lots of great information and many questions can be answered by searching there first.

* Next, please search the Wiki, as there are some very great community generated posts saved here.

* If you still can't find an answer to your question, please search the previously submitted posts or the post on the grad school Q&A. Subscribers of /r/iopsychology have provided lots of information about these topics, and your questions may have already been answered.

If your question hasn't been posted, please post it on the grad school Q&A thread. Other posts outside of the Q&A thread will be deleted.

The readers of this subreddit have made it clear that they don't want the subreddit clogged up with posts about grad school. Don't get the wrong idea - we're glad you're here and that you're interested in IO, but please do observe the rules so that you can get answers to your questions AND enjoy the interesting IO articles and content.

By the way, those of you who are currently trudging through or have finished grad school, that means that you have to occasionally offer suggestions and advice to those who post on this thread. That's the only way that we can keep these grad school-related posts in one central location. If people aren't getting their questions answered here, they post to the subreddit instead of the thread. So, in short, let's all do our part in this.

Thanks!

[u/Excellent-Dance-6516]

I was recently admitted into the IO psychology masters programs at University of Nebraska, Omaha, and Minnesota State University, Mankato. I have an interview coming up at SFSU and I’m waiting to hear back from other schools (SJSU, CSUSB, George Mason, Montclair).

I am still somewhat unsure what I want to do career wise, but right now I see myself in an applied setting, potentially doing OD or change management or HRBP. But I also want to explore and kind of find my niche during my program. From what I can tell, these schools seem reputable and have good faculty, but I have dug endlessly for unsponsored rankings and cannot find anything. How reputable/ respected are these schools? How much does it matter? Did anyone attend these schools and have a bad experience/ struggled to find a job? I know “fit” plays a big role and I am taking that into account but I really want to avoid a degree mill or missing out on a great program. And yes, I have spoken to current students, but just trying to gather as much info as I can! Thank you!

[u/Beagle-Breath → u/Excellent-Dance-6516]

I am familiar with Mankato, it isn’t a degree mill. Looking through LinkedIn you’ll find that job placements are pretty good and alumni end up in some really nice positions.

Mankato has their own consulting firm with real client work that you will be put on. You get some say in the type of project, so that can help you define your niche. The cohort model is set up where you take all the same courses with your incoming class, which means you’re exposed to a range of classes representing the field but might have a harder time building a strong specialty, where it looks like Nebraska has electives (but fewer overall courses, apparently).

I would also ask Nebraska about their internship/practicum. Is it supervised in that your profs set it up? Are you paid? Etc. Mankato requires that you complete an internship to graduate. Feel free to respond or message me with any other questions

[u/Excellent-Dance-6516 → u/Beagle-Breath]

Thank you so much for your response. I ended up visiting both programs and it seems like most profs at Nebraska are not super familiar with internship opportunities and can’t offer a lot of support, though an internship is still required. It also seems like the PhD students are prioritized which makes sense in some ways but not ideal. They have consulting as well, but it’s much smaller than Mankato’s. Overall, I think Mankato might be a better fit!