Quote:
Originally Posted by fugue
Hello friends,
Here are my concerns about the program specifically:
1) APA Accreditation is presently on probation. Is it even worth it to consider attending the program in light of this?
2) Internship matching rates: 11% of students obtain APA-accredited internships, 34% obtain APPIC internships, and 51% obtain CAPIC internships - would someone mind explaining to me, or linking me to information, regarding the limitations placed on career options by internship choices? I have a decent understanding of this, but want to make sure I'm not mistaken.
3) Cost: After tuition (~$110,000) and living and miscellaneous expenses over 5 years, I can't imagine I'll be any less than $300,000 in debt after graduating. How do potential students plan on paying this?
4) Licensure Rate: 62% - Any comments? Seems pretty outrageous for a school costing this amount of time and money and focusing so heavily on clinical practice.
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Run, don't walk, away from this program. Seriously, everything on your list here presents a huge red flag.
1. If the APA accreditation is on probation, it means they really screwed something up, because the APA is pretty reluctant to revoke this status once it is given out. Not graduating from an APA accredited program will prevent you from ever working for a VA, an academic hospital (in most cases), or the BOP.
2. 11%?! APA sets their accreditation of internships to be the base standard, not the gold standard. This rate is atrocious. Not going to an APA accredited internship will disqualify you from everything I've listed above as well as general employment in a lot of settings--with so many psychologists in California, why would an employer accept anything less than someone who has gone through accredited training across the board?
3. You will be $300,000 in debt and making, on average, 50K-70K a year once you land a job. Not a sound economic prospect.
4. You hit the nail on the head. Almost 40% of students who graduate from this program and get far enough in the process to take the licensing exam aren't able to pass it and aren't able to get licensed. (I'm assuming this 62% is the EPPP pass rate, since that info is pretty readily available at most programs. Maybe this is another statistic though? ) Anyway, if you can't get licensed, we're talking about $300,000 in debt and virtually nothing to show for it.
Wait a year and figure out a better plan. Your future self will thank you for it.