Crystal Gayle

Here's where my train of thought has lead me (but I could be wrong, so feel free to help me clarify things): i have VERY limited resources in Lake Charles, LA. The closest good Universities, besides McNeese University are 2 hours (Houston, TX or Baton Rouge, LA). I've emailed the professors at my local university and the management department doesn't know of any RA positions. I need research experience. The psychology degree offers methodology courses, statistic courses, etc. The only statistics type degree offered is a math degree. Due to limited resources and funding, this seems like the best option. I'm also thinking being a student, I may be able to get other professors from other universities to help me with my these. I can get this degree for about $5k which seems like a good investment in my future. my main interests are actually micro and macro. Motivation (micro) of employees and Leadership (macro). Also, I've already spoken to McNeese and I won't have to take the GRE (I plan on getting my GMAT up this summer) and I can start in the fall. I started my bachelor's in psychology so I probably have the prereq credits already. Am I on the right track or lost again? lol

UPDATE: So after all these posts, I contacted my local school (McNeese State University) and I'm not too late to register for the fall. It's a research heavy program and involves writing a thesis the 2nd year!! IT is a program made for students wanting to purse a doctorate degree. "The Department of Psychology offers a major in Psychology leading to the Master of Arts degree. Concentrations are available in Addiction Treatment, Applied Behavior Analysis, Counseling Psychology, and General/Experimental Psychology. The master’s program in psychology is designed to give students a deeper understanding of human behavior from a variety of perspectives. All students study a common core of psychology courses and then develop a specialization with the help of an academic advisor. Students finish their graduate experience by either completing an internship or a thesis. Internships are available at a range of human service agencies. Graduates work in human services agencies, enter private practice, or enter doctoral programs.Prerequisites [h=2]Concentrations[/h] Addiction Treatment Applied Behavior Analysis Counseling Psychology General/Experimental Psychology I'd do the general/experimental concentration. Isn't this exactly what I want? I've realized it might be worth the 2 years to invest in myself, get this extra degree, and then apply for my Phd. Here's the curriculum: [h=2]Core Curriculum[/h]Total Hours: 39-57 Hours in Concentration - 15-33 PSYC 571 - Physiological Psychology PSYC 603 - Principles of Learning and Behavior PSYC 617 - Behavioral Assessment PSYC 621 - Applied Research Methods in Psychology PSYC 622 - Psychopathology PSYC 626 - Social and Cultural Diversity (or COUN 626 for Counseling Psychology and Addictions Treatment majors only) PSYC 639 - Human Growth and Development PSYC 685 - Professional Orientation and Ethics PSYC/STAT Elective - 3 PSYC 620 - Single-Subject Methodology PSYC 699 - Thesis STAT 563 - Analysis of Variance

Thank you all so much for all of this advice. I want you to know that I'm taking all of it in and already feel like I have much better ways to prepare in the future. I want to make something clear as well. I know all of you worked very hard to get where you are and I admire you. I have also realized I haven't 'earned' a Phd position yet. I kinda knew that when I applied. But, I also knew that I didn't know what I didn't know about applying. Had I not applied to schools this year, I would have not found this forum and I would still be ignorant to what it takes to reach my dream. I know my stats are not up to par. But, I figured after applying to schools, I could then ask them how to improve my application and get feedback. Some worked with me and gave me feedback before, but I feel that the best way to get feedback was to apply and then ask why I wasn't accepted. Also, this gave me an idea of what to expect, what fees to expect, what paper work is required, etc. I had to start somewhere. And this is how I started my journey. The thought of being in school for the rest of my life is so exciting to me. Math has always been one of my most favorite subjects and that is probably why I find research so interesting. Reading, writing, researching, long hours, hard work, being published - this are all dreams to me. I do have to admit that one of the reasons for my lack of preparation is because I am now working 3 jobs - one full time as a pharmaceutical sales representative for a compounding pharmacy (I read LOTS of pharmaceutical journals) and part-time at a book store and as a Zumba instructor. Because of my busy life style, I have not had adequate time to prepare and I now know that. As the GMAT goes, my studying habits for it have been terrible. The first time I barely studied and didn't take a practice test. The second time, I thought I would have studied more, but life happened and I ended up cramming over 2 weekends. Shame on me. I know. Therefore, I do believe with the appropriate studying I could reach above a 600 and hopefully closer to a 700. I know a top 25 school is probably out of my reach and I'm completely ok with that. :) I applied to a wide range of schools (Duke HAD accepted a 550 GMAT score before according to their website hence why I applied) just to be able to get various feedback. I had also heard there was a sort of randomness to what schools looked for. I thought my work experience and enthusiasm counted for something. Now I realize just how wrong I was. :) But, this is a learning experience and I've learned more about this process in the last 2 days then in the last 6 months. I am so thankful for all of you and this forum. I feel like I can now make an effective action plan and that makes me excited. :) As far as math goes, here are some course I have taken: Calculus I (BA - bachelor's degree) Statistic I & II (MA - master's degreel) Here are some of the business accounting and economics I've taken: ACCT 2001: Intro Financial Acct (BA) ACCT 2101: Intro Managerial Acct (BA) ACCT 625: Financial Acct Disclosures (MA) ACCT 620: Acct Info for Decision Making (MA) ECON 2010: Econ Prin Problems (BA) ECON 2020: Econ Prin Problems (BA) ECON 641: Managerial Economics (MA) FIN 3715: Business Finance (BA) FIN 620: Financial Mgmt Policies (MA) Moving Forward: 1. I need to improve my GMAT Score OBVIOUSLY. I will be working on the starting this weekend. 2. I believe a Master's degree in Science would help? I'm thinking psychology since it has a lot to do with Organizational Behavior. I know I can enroll at the same University I received my MBA even starting in the fall. HEre's the link. Do y'all think that's a good move? General/Experimental Psychology | McNeese State University It has a thesis component which would be research, right? [TABLE=width: 100%] [TR] [TD=width: 100%, colspan: 4][h=2]General/Experimental Concentration[/h]Total Hours: 15 PSYC/STAT Elective - 3 PSYC 620 - Single-Subject Methodology PSYC 699 - Thesis STAT 563 - Analysis of Variance 3. I need to do much more research on the field. I guess the biggest challenge was knowing where. WHile in school, there's tons of outlets, but being out of school I wasn't sure how to reach those outlets anymore. Any assistance on that???? Here's two other programs I have come across (and have not had time to research but wanted to see if anyone knew anything about them). I'm on my lunch break now, but hoping tonight I will have time to look into it more. Benedictine University M. S. in Management and Organization Behavior http://grs.uncg.edu/programs/ M.A. in general Experimental Psychology,Psychology Department, UNCG [h=2]Psychology[/h]Programs Offered Master of Arts in Psychology - General Experimental Psychology - Terminal Master of Arts / Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology - Clinical Psychology Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology with concentrations in: Cognitive Psychology Developmental Psychology General Experimental Psychology Social Psychology Application Deadline Master of Arts: April 20 Master of Arts / Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy: December 15 Application Requirements Master of Arts Entrance Exam: GRE general required; (subject tests recommended if not BS/BA in Psychology) Supplemental A: Psychology Department Form (includes Research and Personal Statements): see www.uncg.edu/psy/grad/applying.html Supplemental B: Resume/CV Master of Arts / Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy Entrance Exam: GRE general required; (CLINICAL APPLICANTS: Subject GRE recommended if earned a BS/BA in Psychology; if NO BS/BA in Psychology, subject GRE is required.) Supplemental A: Psychology Department Form (includes Research and Personal Statements): see www.uncg.edu/psy/grad/applying.html Supplemental B: Resume/CV ANY OTHER SCHOOL RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD BE HELPFUL!!! Keep the advice coming. You have no idea how helpful it is. Even if you seem harsh, I need to know. THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!! =) [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

I answered it earlier, but most not have went through. Sorry about that. Yes. I believe that a Phd program is much more researched based whereas my Master's program had a lot of research and writing, it was preparing you for the world of business, not the world of research. I also BELIEVE (I stress believe because obviously there is A LOT I don't understand or know about Phd programs) that the Phd program will have a lot more primary research (actually doing the research) where as my master's program was a lot of secondary research (reading and analyzing others research). Am I close? :)

Yeah... this was the last school I applied to and I got sloppy. Most of my top choices (the first 8 at least) I found research from professors and talked about how that research would interest me. This was much harder to find at some schools than others..

Yes and any of them. Mostly curious about the ones you got accepted in and what you did to impress them.

No Phd at the university I got my MBA. I'll have to ask those professors. They all have their Phds from reputable schools (accredited), I know that for sure. I don't want to teach at a community college. I want to teach at a research university so that I can teach and conduct research and get published. Besides my GMAT, whatelse do you think I should work on???

Sorry. I didn't mean to ignore it. The biggest difference is research basis. During my MBA, we did research and writing, but not to the same extent. I really want to be a professor. That is my dream job. And without my Phd, it isn't going to happen. I did a lot of secondary research during my MBA where as with a Phd you do more primary research, correct? As you can tell, I haven't had a lot of conversations I've needed to have (and are now having thanks to this forum). I want to be a career scholar and teach at a University level. I'll do what it takes to get there. So... how do I find schools that offer a Master's degree in Organizational Behavior? I'm assuming I'm going to have to retake the GMAT for those too... Anyone use the Manhattan GMAT self-study??? Was it worth the $600?? Thanks again for all this wonderful help! :)

Now you have me thinking... would a Master's in Organizational Behavior help?? How do I find schools that offer that? Would it be something like this? MS Degree in Organizational Behavior and Executive Coaching | Naveen Jindal School of Management

PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: BA Mass Communications: Advertising Minor: Business Undergrad GPA: 3.44 Type of Grad: MA Business Administration Grad GPA: 3.78 GRE: Math Courses: Calculus, Statistics Other Courses: Letters of Recommendation: From MBA professors Research Experience: 0 Teaching Experience: 0 Research Interests: Organizational Behavior, Management, Human Resource Management leadership, motivation, organizational efficiency SOP: Concerns: Other: Applying to: University of Texas-Austin, Texas A&M, Auburn University, Duke University, University of Kansas, University of Missouri, Washington University at St. Louis, University of Tennessee, University of Kentucky, University of Memphis, Clemson University - withdrawn

THANK YOU! I've been in sales for 6 years. I hear NO all the time. I need HONESTLY and I thank y'all for that. I really had a feeling I would most likely not get in this year and am prepared for that. I just want to know how to make myself more competitive. Would getting another Master's degree really be necessary? The reason I ask is I'm already paying on a $500 student loan each month and would like to avoid any unnecessary debt (I do know that Phds are not cheap, I just want to be smart with what my next action is). Keep the advice coming. It is helpful - good and bad. I want whatever y'all have. :)

Thank you everyone for all your advice. I am so glad that a forum like this exists. Just talking about it I feel a lot better. Luckily, I had good recommendation letters (I saw one of them). Two of my MBA professors are the ones who told me I should look into getting my doctorate degree. All 3 recommendation letters are from MBA professors - which all knew me pretty well. Let's just say I always have a "presence" when I'm in a class. :) Professors know me. If I can't find a RA position (I live in Lake Charles, LA - 2 hours from Houston, 2 hours from Baton Rouge, and 3 hours from New Orleans) is there ANYTHING else I can do for research experience? I e-mailed some professors to see if there's anything they know of. If and probably WHEN I retake the GMAT, any suggestions on the best study route. I tend to OVER-ANALYZE a lot (hence why I would thoroughly enjoy research) and I'm pretty sure that is what I need to work on. I actually did better on the GMAT before my MBA with less studying and not even finishing parts of the exam - crazy right? I applied to a variety of schools (Duke being high tier and a couple of what seemed to be maybe less pursued schools - University of Minnesota? University of Memphis?) in hopes that it wouldn't hurt to give them all a shot. Worse come to worse, I'd just reapply and hopefully they would see my persistence. By the way, the school I withdrew from didn't offer a management or organizational behavior concentration. :-/ I wish I would have realized that before I did all the parts of the application and paid the application fee... sigh.

I'm all in!! I'll go just about anywhere that is a good fit for me and my research interests!! :)

Awkward. :-p Thanks for the heads up, lol. I'm still learning. :) Newbie in da house! ha ha

Hello There! How did the interviews go? I applied to that school as well for the same field, but haven't heard anything. :( Have they sent out acceptance letters already? I'm afraid maybe I missed something...