Commencement question

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LadyInRed

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So I'm jumping the gun here a bit considering I haven't even started grad school...let's say this fall you begin a clinical psych PhD program. The program is designed so that you take 5 years in the program and in your 6th year you go for your internship. Do you actually graduate after the 5th year or after the 6th year? Are you still in touch with your grad school while you're on internship? And lastly, are you considered class of 2012 or 2013? Forgive my ignorance here :oops:

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As far as "class of" is concerned, I am under the impression that most grad schools label you as the incoming year rather than the anticipated year of graduation because SO many students take more than 4/5 years to graduate. However, I think you are considered "graduated" once you have completed all your requirements and you are accepted to an internship, rather than once you've finished the internship. I think you do remain in touch with the school during the internship (but I imagine the extent that you're in communication would depend on the program).
 
Nope, you don't graduate until you've finished your internship. It's an APA requirement that you complete an internship before you get your clinical psych degree. You generally walk whenever graduation is held in the year of your internship (May, typically), even if your internship ends later than that. At my program, if your internship goes through August, you officially get your Ph.D. in August; if it goes through June, you officially get it in May (it matters little). So your official year of graduation, as listed on your vita forever, will the year your internship ends (it's a teeny bit frustrating that all your non-clinical classmates graduate a year before you do, but what are you going to do).
 
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Yep, not 'til after you have completed all requirements. Furthermore, I'm unsure about this for all programs but most that I have seen do not consider you "class o/ (insert year you entered)" but rather the year you actually graduate. Which, of course, makes for an interesting time if you keep adding on a year for whatever reason. AND, something to keep in mind, there are some people who are still working on and/or finishing up dissertations when they go on their internships . . . so technically, you could finish your internship and still not graduate (i.e., earn your PhD) because you have yet to complete your dissertation. One of my profs was telling me about a few people he knew who went away for their internship and never graduated because they didn't complete their dissertations, nor did they bother to return in an attempt to finish. Now, hopefully, none of us will be this way but it's something to keep in mind! Some programs seem to plan for this as they may have a requirement that your dissertation be complete before you do your internship year . . . Check with YOUR program for their requirements. Seems like a waste of time, effort, and money to go all that way, only not to get your nifty piece of paper because you didn't defend your dissertation.
 
well, i'm already the class of 2007 for my undergrad, i decided it shouldn't be class of 2007 for grad school. and that's my .75 cents.
 
Thanks, everyone! Guess I'll be class of 2013+ then...doesn't that sound like FOREVER from now?? :eek:
 
OMG, can you imagine going through all this, 4-5 years of graduate school, 1 year of internship (assuming we match the first time out!) and then remaining ABD for the rest of our lives???!!! I know that some Psy.D. programs (I don't know about Ph.D.'s) require you to defend before you go off to internship. I think that's a great plan!

And wow, 2013(ish). *gulp* Sounds like a really long time from now!
 
Don't focus on your graduation date. I know it seems far, but my college graduation date of 2002 seemed eons away when I started college in 1998, and now it seems long ago. :cool:

People don't ever say "class of", at least not in my program (because people graduate at different times, but your classmates will always be the people you started with). Classes are usually referred to as the first year class, the second year class, etc.
 
As far as I know for any programs I've heard of, you graduate only after you've finished all the requirements for the program including internship. Maybe you're thinking of how some people defend their dissertations before they go to internship but others come back and defend it after? But either way you aren't done until your internship is finished, since that is included in the requirements of a program. At my undergrad graduation, the doctoral students graduating were those who finished their internship and were moving on to post-doc placements. I have heard of some places calling those entering a program , "the class of (year entered)" but really I think most people go by "first year, second year" etc. but, again you only have graduated after finishing everything. I prefer thinking that I can call myself a first year, etc. because then I don't have to think....I have been in school since (2007) or that I'm not finished until (2012....orr whatever the math is, lol thats why I am not an accountant)! :eek:
 
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