If you are considering applying for the graduate program in Social and Personality Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, you should be aware that students are admitted into the program under the sponsorship of individual faculty members. The sponsor becomes the student's advisor, and students work closely on collaborative research projects with their advisor. Consequently, when deciding which students to sponsor, faculty members consider not only those who have a strong record of academic achievement, but those who also have clear interests in working on topics in the faculty member's general area of research.
Thus, prior to applying you should carefully study our faculty's research interests. Read the material posted on their web sites, look up a few of their published papers, and, if you have further questions, contact them by email or telephone to learn more about their research. Then, when you apply, be sure to articulate your own research interests as clearly and as thoroughly a possible, and describe how you think your interests relate to those of our faculty. Remember, students in our program have only one faculty sponsor (advisor), so it is very important that you determine in advance the faculty member with whom your own interests most closely coincide.
My own general area of research is small group dynamics. Included in this domain are topics ranging from group problem solving and decision making effectiveness to group creativity, motivation, and leadership. I typically sponsor one or two new students into the Social and Personality Psychology program each year. I look for research-oriented students who wish to develop significant expertise in this challenging area. For a description of some of the specific research projects that my students and I have done, please read the Summary of My Research.