Taking the Next Step

For the past year (or longer), I have been developing and reformulating my graduate school strategy for achieving my next career goal - getting a PhD and an academic job at a research university in consumer psychology. This plan has gone through a lot of different versions (PhD social psychology, PhD marketing, masters then PhD Marketing), and I have spent a huge amount of time and effort determining what things I can do to improve my chances along the way:

- take marketing classes (and do well)
- take more math and stat classes (and do well)
- read about the field of consumer psychology
- get to know professors well enough for them to be willing (eager?) to write strong, relevant recommendations
- get additional academic research experience
- get conference or journal publications
- find masters degree programs and professors (with research match) that will set me up for the PhD and develop a final list of programs to apply to
- write a C.V.
- take the GRE (and do well)
- write a strong statement of purpose
- get familiar with SAS and a programming language

But at this point, with only a few months until applications are due, it's time for me to get tactical. To quote author of The Art of War Sun Tzu, which is obligatory in this context: "Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat."

Or as I would say: No plan is better than its execution.

Or as the Byrds (or the Bible) might say: A time to plan, a time to act.

So I am making a purposeful effort to dwell less (preferably, not at all) on the scary, big-picture stuff between now and when applications are due and rather focus on actually accomplishing the short-term tasks I have identified as useful or necessary to carrying out the plan.

Tasks that I have completed:

Previous life:
- Completed a bachelors degree in a relevant field with a high GPA from a top-20 university; worked as a research assistant, a grader, and an office assistant (hey, some people are still working on this, or will never have it)
- Two publication credits as junior author
- Learned SPSS
- Over 10 years of research experience (not hugely important for academic programs, but can't hurt)
- Got an A in Calc 3 so I don't need to take it again for a better grade

More recent life:
- Wrote my C.V. (may be updated with new stuff, of course)
- Took the GRE (and I'm not giving it back)
- Finalized the list of masters programs and identified potential advisors at each one
- Completed Calc 1, Calc 2, Linear Algebra, and Intro to Prob & Stats (all high A's)
- Completed a graduate psychology course in attitude change (grade = 100)
- Completed Intro to Marketing and Consumer Behavior (high A's)
- Identified 3 professors who I believe will write me good recommendations
- Read about 3 academic books about consumer psychology or related fields
- Worked a summer job as a research assistant writing a textbook (math)
- Worked occasionally over one semester as a research assistant performing experiments (marketing)

Some tasks that will be occupying me in the near future:
- Differential equations class, which requires constant vigilance
- Getting the organic paper submitted to the conference before Nov 14; this may involve doing additional data collection
- Writing my statement of purpose
- Organizing the application process - what is needed, when, and where?

A task that I will not be spending any more time on:
- Searching for yet another potential masters program, even more wonderful than the ones I have already picked; I need to move the hell on.