<p>I don’t know what I want to do yet but my family is pressuring me to figure it out soon! </p>
<p>So my PLAN is to apply to BOTH types of programs: psychology (Ma and PhD to see what I get), AND international relations. </p>
<p>I will be applying to programs in the US and in Europe. </p>
<p>Is this a problem? </p>
<p>Can schools find out I’m applying to both ? I know it wouldn’t look good for them to know I’m undecided. </p>
<p>Also how should I manage this as far as recommendation letters? Should I have one set of professors writing letters for the psych programs, and one set of professors writing letters for the international relations programs? I was just going to have the same professors write a letter for both kinds of programs.</p>
<p>“I don’t know what I want to do yet but my family is pressuring me to figure it out soon!” - I read: I should take some time off before applying because I am not sure yet what I want to do. Don’t let your family pressure you (I know I know, much harder to do than say). Take a year, two, or a few before applying to grad school (this can help your application - sometimes a lot depending on what you do) and figure out if you want to do psych or IR. Try to get a job/internship/“real-world experience” etc. in those fields. THEN apply to grad school. Tell your family that College Confidential says so.</p>
<p>My guess is that you aren’t ready for graduate school if you haven’t yet decided which you want to study. Advanced work in any field can be grueling, and if you aren’t set for it mentally, you’ll have a tougher time. But let’s just say that you are ready. </p>
<p>The only pro, if you can call it that, is that someone else (a program) will decide your career for you. </p>
<p>Cons? You’ll probably need two different sets of recommenders since they should be field-specific. You’ll spend a lot more time on applications, a process that is time-consuming with just one field. </p>
<p>Although the programs can’t find out on their own that you’ve applied to two different fields, your letters writers can. They likely won’t support such a lack of focus and might conclude that you aren’t ready for graduate school. That could be the kiss of death for ALL your applications. </p>
<p>Have you done research/internships in either or both? If not, you’ll have a tough time getting into a graduate program. Decide which you love more – and then work on strengthening your background to gain admission into a good program.</p>
<p>LAC operon, I totally agree with you, and I really wish that’s what I could do!
My parents come from a background where you do all the schooling first, so they don’t understand this taking a break/getting real world experience idea, no matter how much I explain it to them. The truth is I agree, it will hurt me in the long run if I don’t end up liking the grad program b/c I’m not sure. Doesn’t matter how much I explain it to them they don’t get it.</p>
<p>Momwaitingfornew, also completely agree… </p>
<p>I was hoping to at least get some real world experience this year, that way when acceptances/rejections come in the mail I might know where I want to go. </p>
<p>But yes, it’s going to make the process much more difficult. I’ve also thought about getting two different sets of recommendations… that’s again not ideal… </p>
<p>I have lots of experience in the clinical psych field, I mean, “lots” for someone who just did 4 years of undergrad.</p>
<p>I’m also pretty well qualified for the international relations field, being multilingual, studied abroad, etc… So I feel that I can go both ways. </p>
<p>Also although I’m not sure what kind of program I want, I have a pretty consistent idea of my interests… definitely “people based”… I’m interested in human rights, different cultures, international development… but I also have a really strong interest in mental health and becoming a clinician, so I need to figure out how to combine the two…
For now I’ve got it down to Masters programs in international development, public health, and psych + clinical psych… I guess that’s still a pretty broad list</p>
<p>Have you taken any IR courses before?</p>
<p>Based on your interests I think psych might be the better route for you. You can always use it toward a career in international development, but a degree in international development won’t make you a psychologist. See what I mean?</p>