non-degree/continuing ed question...

[royalewcheeze]

Hi all!  First of all, for those of you who've gotten acceptances, congratulations!  That's quite an accomplishment.  And for those who are still waiting:  take comfort in the fact that there's alot of us in the same boat, and we'll eventually get where we need to be

Comments

[zanylikethat]

This probably isn't helpful, but... I work at the university where I'm taking non-degree classes. I get 1.9 classes free per semester as part of my benefits package (which is basically the only worthwhile thing about working here; outside of the classes, pay is crap!). I suspect I'm not alone in this; a lot of people come to work at this university, do some classes or a degree, and then leave.

I wish I knew what other people were doing. Sorry I can't be of more help!

[ravenword]

Some employers offer tuition reimbursement. A friend who's working toward his MS at the Harvard Extension School is doing so on his employer's dime -- but, with the expectation that he will stay with the company and put that education to use while working for them. Still, I'd check with your employer to see what their policies are

[sporkgoddess]

[royalewcheeze]

that would actually be my top choice for a course of action right now, but after cold emailing some of the professors here, the response I got was, "Students must be enrolled to be involved in research."

which I think is a crock of shit, because I did volunteer in a lab after I graduated. The university where I live now is famous for its bureaucracy, though.

maybe I'll just start pestering them again.

[roseofjuly]

I think this is a crock of shit, personally -- we always have people in our labs who are not enrolled students. As a matter of fact, our project coordinators are almost never students at the university, but they audit classes or take them pass/fail all the time.

[royalewcheeze]

I agree. In fact, I did a year long stint as a volunteer RA after I graduated (I've since moved, though, or else I'd just go back there).

Really, without getting too far into it, I think the response I got had to do with the U's bureaucracy, and more than a little to do with the local culture towards 'outsiders'.

but that's just my (very, very bitter) take on it.

(but thank you for validating my opinion.)

[hallow000]

i was a non-degree student for two years with the intention of applying to the school i was taking my classes at. this year i was rejected after taking 4 non-degree classes. the good news is i can take those credits elsewhere when the time comes but in the meantime, all i can say is being non-degree is unbelievably expensive. what i did after i graduated with my undergrad was take two jobs and saved as much money as i could for a few years. when i could afford a class, i would take it. it was a slow grueling process

[royalewcheeze]

thank you for your thoughtful response; this is very helpful advice! This is exactly the sort of advice I was looking for.

are you in a grad program yet? or did you get rejected from all the ones you applied to this year?

[hallow000]

no problem with the advice. no, i'm not in any program as of now. this is the third year i've been rejected from the particular school of discussion even when i was enrolled there part time as a non-degree and i didn't get in any of the others i applied to either. it's kind of a bummer. i'm changing my options and most likely will apply out for a MFA instead of a MA like previous times before next time around. hopefully things will turn around.

[royalewcheeze]

that is a bummer. =( I hope it does turn around for you. best of luck.

[shil]

As a psych student, I think the better way of meeting some profs and working on some papers with them is to work or volunteer in a lab. While success at grad classes is impressive, research experience trumps grad classes (even if the class includes a research project, lab work shows more initiative than doing research because it was assigned). Plus, it's usually more flexible, and hella less expensive!

[royalewcheeze]

yes, and that would honestly be my first choice. unfortunately, though, when I emailed professors directly, the only response I got was a curt one-line email saying "Students must be enrolled to be involved in research."

so it may actually be time to pester them again. I know that it's possible; I volunteered for a year as an RA immediately after finishing my undergrad. Unfortunately, I've since moved out of state, and the university in the city I'm located currently, though AWESOME for my program, is notorious for being bogged down in bureaucracy.

maybe I'll just keep bugging someone until they let me.

[roseofjuly]

There are no other universities in the city in which you live? I would look for other nearby universities. Sometimes the less well-known schools are dying for RAs and would be happy to have you. Also, if you are willing to move, a lot of schools offer 1 or 2-year positions as research coordinators of labs during which you get paid full salary, probably some benefits, you can take classes, and you get to work on whatever research is going on in the lab. Our lab coordinator applied for clinical programs this round and got into some excellent schools, including UCLA and UNC-Chapel Hill.

[royalewcheeze]

actually, that's a very good point. There are quite a few universities here, I was just aiming for the large state university that has the awesomely funded psych program. That's a very good point.

I had no idea about those positions! That's very good to know. Would I just find out about them through word-of-mouth in the department?