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So, general practice? Also, just remember that Denver is about 1200 a credit hour before other associated fees. Looking a pretty big chunk of change you'll be paying back in loans. Also, I'd talk with other private practice folks about how their practice is changing due to healthcare changes. The trend in my area has been to get out of PP and into an AMC or other type of group.

Long story short, if those are the only two choices, I'd go with Adelphi for financial reasons, although both have match rates lower than I'd advise.

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So, general practice? Also, just remember that Denver is about 1200 a credit hour before other associated fees. Looking a pretty big chunk of change you'll be paying back in loans. Also, I'd talk with other private practice folks about how their practice is changing due to healthcare changes. The trend in my area has been to get out of PP and into an AMC or other type of group.

Long story short, if those are the only two choices, I'd go with Adelphi for financial reasons, although both have match rates lower than I'd advise.
Yeah Denver took credits but also was not willing to approve them before you accept. This made punching the numbers hard. I went with adelphi bc of money and also the advidor had good connections. I also thought a PhD might be better as far as variety with career paths? I am confused by the match rates cause Adelphi has a long history at mass General and Denver has its own sites
 
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I think the accredited match rates are about 80% for Denver and 70% for Adelphi. Both have larger than average cohorts.
Sorry last question... You are very helpful! - if you already have an ms in clinical psychology would this kind of debt and moving across country be worth it?
 
If the masters was license eligible, and I had zero desire to ever pursue teaching, research, or ever be employed at many state and federal jobs, I wouldn't do it due to the cost. Depends on what you want to do, many people who solely want to do PP therapy, probably don't need a doctorate. Just know that it limits your flexibility a good amount.
 
I think I know the answer but is it at all possible to change your mind about the program you picked this late in game?
 
Just out of curiosity would you guys pick the Denver PsyD or adelphi PhD?

DU is REALLY expensive. Also, the Denver area is saturated with psychologists. There would be a lot of competition if you were planning to stay there to set up your private practice. I'm in the counseling psych program at DU, which fortunately offers funding. When I interviewed, I was told flat-out to not plan on staying in Denver for internship or for my career (though landing a Denver internship is easier for GSPP students due to the captive internship consortium they have set up). Anyway, I would NOT go to DU without funding. It's crazy expensive, and you probably won't be able to stay in Denver long-term anyway.
 
DU is REALLY expensive. Also, the Denver area is saturated with psychologists. There would be a lot of competition if you were planning to stay there to set up your private practice. I'm in the counseling psych program at DU, which fortunately offers funding. When I interviewed, I was told flat-out to not plan on staying in Denver for internship or for my career (though landing a Denver internship is easier for GSPP students due to the captive internship consortium they have set up). Anyway, I would NOT go to DU without funding. It's crazy expensive, and you probably won't be able to stay in Denver long-term anyway.
Thanks! I wish I had known about the counseling program before applying as I bet it's great. I loved the Denver area so it was hard to pass up on but the other program at least offered some funding and was cheaper without funding to begin with. ...( nearly died when I saw it was 54k a year at denver) But I'm not a fan of Long Island but guess I should suck it up. Thanks for the advice!
 
Thanks! I wish I had known about the counseling program before applying as I bet it's great. I loved the Denver area so it was hard to pass up on but the other program at least offered some funding and was cheaper without funding to begin with. ...( nearly died when I saw it was 54k a year at denver) But I'm not a fan of Long Island but guess I should suck it up. Thanks for the advice!
To be a successful psychologist it really helps to be geographically flexible. I moved for internship thus securing a solid APA-accredited experience that led to a good postdoc position in that same area. Since then, I have moved each time for the two jobs that I have had as a licensed psychologist. Each time I was able to increase my compensation by about 75%.
 
To be a successful psychologist it really helps to be geographically flexible. I moved for internship thus securing a solid APA-accredited experience that led to a good postdoc position in that same area. Since then, I have moved each time for the two jobs that I have had as a licensed psychologist. Each time I was able to increase my compensation by about 75%.
Thanks ! This is the first move so it is difficult. Moving from south to north is also hard but hopefully will prepare me for future moves.
 
I want to eventually get my PhD in Counseling Psychology. However, I plan to work a few years between getting my masters and my PhD in order to 1) knock out a LOT of debt that I have that would be impossible to handle on a PhD stipend, and 2) maybe start a family. Assuming I want to get licensed and do counseling in the interim (maybe in a school setting), would I be better suited getting an M.Ed in Counseling or a MSW?

I hear the MSW is better because the LCSW/LMSW designation is respected and there is also a lot of independence. But since my eventual goal is a PhD (and being a licensed psychologist), do the "independence" and insurance laws even matter?


Hey, I'm thrilled to hear you want to get a PhD. One bit of advice I would give, I'm currently a PhD candidate for a non-clinical psychology doctorate. It is very challenging a lot of fun but hard. I would advise not taking a break between your masters and PhD of more then a year. If you take time off for a career or family I can guarantee that you will never go back for your doctorate or if you do it will be 10 or 20 years down the road, there is nothing wrong with that if that is what you plan. Just something to think about! Good luck!
 
If you take time off for a career or family I can guarantee that you will never go back for your doctorate or if you do it will be 10 or 20 years down the road,

This is a silly statement.
 
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I would advise not taking a break between your masters and PhD of more then a year. If you take time off for a career or family I can guarantee that you will never go back for your doctorate or if you do it will be 10 or 20 years down the road, there is nothing wrong with that if that is what you plan.
As Erg said, this is silly. I had no problem going back after taking a few years off. In fact, my experience has been those those students who take a few years off (3-5) tend to be more grounded, know a bit more about what they want in life and from the training, and approach things far differently.
 
Can you elaborate? If working full-time as a university counselor, would I be relegated to only early morning/evening classes? Is this something I would apply for separately, or something I should negotiate after I get the first job? I understand it's not something super common within the SDN crew, but maybe someone has tips.

Your full-time position takes precedence. You work whatever hours have been negotiated and then you see what you can do after that. I see plenty of clinicians who teach evening classes at local universities, but it's more on your own time, after the hours of your full-time work.
 
Can you elaborate? If working full-time as a university counselor, would I be relegated to only early morning/evening classes? Is this something I would apply for separately, or something I should negotiate after I get the first job? I understand it's not something super common within the SDN crew, but maybe someone has tips.
UCC positions tend to be 8 to 5 type of positions, though I've seen lots that are 4 days per week.
 
Career question: Is it possible to work as a (full-time) psychologist in a university counseling center AND be a part-time faculty member (lecturer, adjunct, etc.)

Yes, but I think it will depend on the university. I come from a counseling psych background, and someone from the UCC taught some classes in my master's program. It wasn't every semester, more like one class/year. It didn't happen at all where I did my PhD, though. This can get tricky, not just because of scheduling, but also because even psych students need to access UCC services at times. You have to be careful not to have your clients in your classes!
 
Yeah, the person who taught occasionally in my master's program only taught master's-level classes that there were multiple sections of so that any students who were also former/current clients could still take the class with another professor. It would be much harder to do if you were interested in teaching at the doctoral level or in a specialty area where there's not another section and the course won't be offered again for another year or two.
 
I see. I was referring to teaching at the same university where you worked - something negotiated formally. Though I suppose they might not view that in a good light, since it looks like you're spread too thin?

As others have said, I'm not sure that the hours of a UCC job make adjuncting possible. Even if it did, I think I'd advise against this. I adjuncted at a local CC and ran into a few dual relationship issues working at our department clinic, which was not affiliated with the CC. Once I had to not do an intake because the client happened to be a student of mine, for instance. If I ran into these problems with a department clinic, not a UCC, and at a different school, imagine how often you'd run into it working at a UCC at the same school. To me, it wouldn't be worth it.
 
Thank you so much for your answers, everyone. I have one more hypothetical question: for practicing psychologists who want to also conduct research on the side... how is that possible? I've heard of clinical psychologists at teaching hospitals who also do some lab work, but how about more "practical" psychologists such as VA practitioners, UCC psychologists, or school psychologists? Do they volunteer to help with research at university labs? Or are you SOL since you can't really get grant money without institutional support?

Easy, we have IRB's and many of us are also affiliated with a local university. We also happen to have a readily available clinical population. Now, there is a difference in how much control we have over research sometimes. It's much easier to do retrospective research, but I've also been able to prospective stuff. Also, I've usually had at least a little time set aside in my week to do some research. Never been a huge problem to do about 10% time for me as a VA clinician. Really just depends on how much work I want to put into something rather than a lack of resources and opportunity. Plenty of those lying around.
 
Yep, just remember that an APA accredited internship is a requirement for VA jobs where this is common. So, pick your grad school accordingly if you want this to remain option as an option for this particular instance.
 
I'd rec no more than two. They may "require 10hr/wk" but any opportunities you have beyond the grunt work is the most valuable and you'll want to at least give yourself the opportunity to take on additional work. As for breadth/depth…I'd try and pick two places that offer different experiences…one may be more data entry and the other may be collecting the data, etc.
 
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Hello,

I have made many mistakes in my life and walked down the wrong path. I was a strait A student until I decided to walk with the wrong crowd. After having a child I've decided to start college and continue to educate myself for the rest of my life, as research, study, learning and debating are passions of mine

I passed the entrance exams at CUNY and don't have to take any remedial classes (to everyone's surprise because I dropped out of school in the 9th grade). I was accepted into a 4 year senior college because my GED score is a perfect 4,000 so I wont have to be going to a 2 year college.

After meeting with the academic advisers they recommend that I take double majors of Psychology and Sociology. I've also been thinking about a BSW.

My original goal was a Psychologist or Psychiatrist. However after researching the licensing I'm not sure if I can get approval for a license to practice. I would like to stay in the mental health field so now I'm thinking Social Work or some form of Therapist or Counselor.

I have 1 class D paper felony (meaning I never went to jail for it) for bail jumping, convicted in 2004. A misdemeanor conviction for possession of drugs in 2008 and another misdemeanor conviction of assault in the 3rd (domestic court not criminal) in 2012.

Today I'm in the processes of being rehabilitated. I have completed anger management, parenting class and drug rehab at a Drug and Mental Health Center. I have not been diagnosed with any mental illness and the doctors are all routing for my success.

After receiving help for my mental well being and becoming productive, I now wish to help save the lives of other misguided people out there in NYC. I know for a fact that many intelligent young people have been conditioned to be failures in life and I wish to help as many as I can change.

Please help me decide what path to take to achieve these means based off the above information. I'm thinking;

Path 1: BA Psych/BA Soc, MSW (to find a job), Ph.D Psych (for research and scholarship)

Path 2: BA Forensic Psych/ CASAC-T, MA Forenic Psych, Ph.D Psych (clinical)

Path 3: BS Pharm Sci, MD (Psychiatry)

Path 4: BA Psych, MA Clinical Psych, Psy.D (clinical)

Please give me any advise or criticism, I need a much help as possible in understanding the decisions I make for my future.
 
After receiving help for my mental well being and becoming productive, I now wish to help save the lives of other misguided people out there in NYC. I know for a fact that many intelligent young people have been conditioned to be failures in life and I wish to help as many as I can change.

If this is your primary motivation, then you will be dissapointed and frustrated by both your patients and the mental health system. "Saving" people is not what we do. You are a guide with (scientific) tools, nothing more. This isnt surgery. If you want to "fix" or "save" people, you should become a surgeon or an ER doc. Or an EMT.
 
After receiving help for my mental well being and becoming productive, I now wish to help save the lives of other misguided people out there in NYC. I know for a fact that many intelligent young people have been conditioned to be failures in life and I wish to help as many as I can change.

I'm glad to hear that you found a way to get the help you needed and to envision a different life for yourself. But I'm going to let you in on an open secret: many psychologists get uncomfortable when they hear that a student's motivation to enter the profession is based mainly on their desire to help people who have encountered similar life struggles. It's not that having struggled makes you less fit for the profession - far from it. But when your main motive is to "save" people like yourself, rather than to understand or develop the science in a certain area, you risk leading yourself astray and, possibly, shortchanging the people you wanted to help.

It is true that sometimes we can use our skills to save people by way of preventing suicide, reducing risky behavior, etc. But in reality, a lot of people drop out of treatment or fail to benefit from it in the long term. When it comes to helping as many as possible, psychologists in direct service (ie, as psychotherapists) are not very efficient. Teachers, doctors, nurses, judges, nonprofit managers, and a host of other types of professionals can make a huge difference for many people too.

An alternative to a helping career is to become gainfully employed in any field and then give your leisure time (as a volunteer, mentor, etc.) or your money to worthy causes. Give this some thought. Allow yourself to be a little selfish for a while. Wait to pay it forward. Do what fulfills YOU, try to be great at it, and then once you're great, figure out how to use your greatness to help others. By all means, take courses in psychology and sociology, but also enjoy everything else that college has to offer. If in the end you do decide to become a psychologist, don't do it because you want to make people better. Do it because you want to make psychology better.
 
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Hello Everyone,

As some of you guys may know, I am currently a undergrad sophomore psych student. I have finally narrowed down my future career choices down into three options but am having trouble figuring out which would givec= me more opportunities in the future. I have done some research on these choices but I am not sure which one is the most versatile in the future.

Option 1: Apply to Social Psychology PhD programs with the intention of working with professors who do research on work-life balance, leadership or group behavior. If I got this route I'd loved to be able to teach social psychology, research methods/applied statistics and intro to psych as a undergrad professor.

Option 2: Try to get into a Industrial-Organizational Psychology PhD Program and work with professors who do research on work-life balance, leadership and/or training/development. If I go this route, I'd like to be able to teach intro to psych, research methods/applied stats and I/O specific courses and possibly teach a few classes in a business school or department and also have the opportunity to do some consulting before being a professor.

Option 3: D0 a research-oriented masters in social psych (or a I/o psych masters) and get a PhD in either I/O or Social Psych to be able to teach all the classes I would like to teach while also consulting on the side.

Which one seems the most versatile and smarter choice to pursue?
 
Option 1: Apply to Social Psychology PhD programs with the intention of working with professors who do research on work-life balance, leadership or group behavior. If I got this route I'd loved to be able to teach social psychology, research methods/applied statistics and intro to psych as a undergrad professor.

Option 2: Try to get into a Industrial-Organizational Psychology PhD Program and work with professors who do research on work-life balance, leadership and/or training/development. If I go this route, I'd like to be able to teach intro to psych, research methods/applied stats and I/O specific courses and possibly teach a few classes in a business school or department and also have the opportunity to do some consulting before being a professor.

Option 3: D0 a research-oriented masters in social psych (or a I/o psych masters) and get a PhD in either I/O or Social Psych to be able to teach all the classes I would like to teach while also consulting on the side.

Which one seems the most versatile and smarter choice to pursue?

For the kinds of job functions and research areas that seem to interest you, an I/O Ph.D. would probably be most versatile.
 
For the kinds of job functions and research areas that seem to interest you, an I/O Ph.D. would probably be most versatile.

Thank you MamaPhD. I'm just curious, are I/O Psychologist hired a lot to teach undergrad psych classes like intro to psych, applied statistics or research methods? I would rather teach undergrads mainly and do advisement of undergrads and teach some graduate classes on the side.
 
Thank you MamaPhD. I'm just curious, are I/O Psychologist hired a lot to teach undergrad psych classes like intro to psych, applied statistics or research methods? I would rather teach undergrads mainly and do advisement of undergrads and teach some graduate classes on the side.

My impression is that most I/O faculty positions support master's and/or Ph.D. programs in I/O and therefore have a mix of graduate and undergraduate teaching duties. For these types of jobs it seems unlikely that you would focus predominantly on undergraduates. However, institutions that focus mainly on undergraduate study (e.g., small liberal arts colleges) sometimes hire I/O psychologists to teach courses and lead undergraduate research, in which case you may not teach any graduate courses. The specific situation you described above seems less likely.
 
Thank you MamaPhD. I just don't know if I'd like to teach graduate students as much as I'd like to teach undergrad. I am guessing since I haven't experienced graduate school yet that is why I don't think I'd want to teach graduate students. But who knows, that may change in the future.
 
So a quick background:
Standing: 5th year undergrad
Double Major: Psychology and Child & Adolescent Development
GPA: 3.9 psych; 3.6 overall (expect to have up to a 3.7 if I continue to get straight A's for the next two semesters)
Research experience: I'm currently in two research labs (a clinical child lab focused on parenting and at-risk populations, and a 30-year longitudinal study lab), each with multiple faculty directors. I have incurred 5 months in each lab as of now, and am currently working on my own scholarly project to submit to multiple upcoming conferences.
Clinical experience: I've worked as a clinical associate at a children's hospital for a year and a half, a semester-long internship at a non-profit organization working with at-risk children and families, and have additional experience working with children in an educational setting as a preschool teacher for 2 years. I'll also complete a 120-hour internship next semester in a yet-to-be-determined location, but closely related to my interests. (which brings me to...)
Interests: Clinical child, child maltreatment, child trauma
Goal: Ph.D. Clinical Child in a balanced program

Whew. Mouthfull.

Now onto my question.

As I mentioned, I'm an RA in two different research labs. One is run by 4 research psychologists who have been researching for their entire careers, and are not clinically oriented (one is clinical but has only ever done research). The other is run by two clinical psychologists, one licensed, and is completely clinically oriented. We do neuropsychological assessments and collect physiological data, etc. The latter is definitely more my style, but the former is really great experience because they consistently get published.

When I talk to my advisers in each lab, they tell me I should be doing different things. One (research guy) strongly urges me to get my masters degree in order to obtain more research experience and says that I will not be accepted to any doctoral programs unless I do so. The other (clinical guy) says that I can take a year off after I finish my bachelors to continue researching without having to worry about the coursework of a masters program. He also says that some phd programs may look at a masters as a negative point on my application because they want to train their students the way they want to train them without having to undo someone else's training.

The year-off option sounds most appealing to me for many reasons, but I also feel that my interests more closely align with the professor who gave me that advice. On the other hand, the research guy has produced many students who were accepted to phd programs so I don't feel that his advice should be understated. However, when I told him that I was thinking of going the year-off route he told me I was making a HUGE mistake and that I will be throwing my chances away (yikes!) But the year-off option just sounds so nice! I'll be able to focus on researching and hopefully getting a couple co-authorships, and I'll be able to apply to phd programs without the stress of class. I'm also nowhere near ready for the GRE which is required for application to the masters program, and in addition, most of the phd programs I'm interested in report masters-holding students as the vast minority of accepted applicants.

But again, I don't think research guy's advice should be completely overlooked.

halp.
 
PreDrANB - My vote is to completely overlook it. Your GPA is strong and there's absolutely no reason you need a Master's degree. Work for a year doing research while you apply to PhD programs.
 
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Hi everyone, I am a masters student applying to clinical psych doctoral programs this semester (who isn't right) and I keep going back and forth on whether I should take a year off to retake the gre since apps are due in 5 weeks. Basically, I have a high GPA (3.8-3.9) from both my undergrad and masters both from good schools. I also have both pretty good research and great clinical experience but my GRE scores suck and I did not retake them over summer (very stupidly) and now really don't have the time to.

It was not a content issue, I usually score very high on English standardized tests and I even knew the math pretty well, but I couldn't finish the test no matter how fast I went and I just don't think I devoted enough time to studying for it either. my scores are a really bad representation, but it's 150 on verbal and 152 on quantitative. I am so worried that I am going to go through the trouble of applying in the midst of all my work right now only to get rejected just based off my dismal GREs. UCSB is my dream school, can anyone tell me if I shouldn't bother applying because those scores will cut me off or if it is just ok enough to maybe get me an interview because of the rest of my application?
 
Not an application question, but somewhat related. I'm trying to land a university counseling center internship at the masters level. I hear horror stories about how it is super competitive and have posted several times asking for advice (thanks to those who have answered). I now have some GREAT job opportunities and wanted to know - given my desire to work at an UCC starting fall 2016 - which one(s) I should accepted:
  • Mental Health Technician at an eating disorders clinic for adolescents
  • Mental Health Technician at a BPD clinic for adult women
  • Resident Advisor for an English learning / International college (that is, the college population is made up entirely of international students who attend the college purely to study English)
The RA position would definitely allow me the most direct contact with college-age individuals, but it is a pretty big commitment. The MHT positions would give me more clinical practice (even if it's just milieu, at least I'm working in a clinical setting). Which would you choose and why?

Hello,

I completed an internship at a college counseling center and worked at one my first year out of school. I sat in on interviews for new hires as well and so while I am not an expert I can tell you what they seemed to like about candidates. :)
1) Clinical experience working with college age individuals- Since we seemed to have a lot of depression and GAD, we looked for people that had also worked with those disorders. We also use a lot of short-term treatments such as CBT and mindfulness was big so we liked if ppl had experience with those. Ask around at the counseling centers you are interested in ...what disorders to they treat the most?
2) Research experience RELEVANT to college population- I had actually done some research on therapeutic techniques for working with college students so that helped.
3) Flexibility and ability to engage in more than just individual counseling- college counseling is a job with a lot of variety. It involves some outreach programming, student advocacy, workshops, and consultation with campus officials.

While I do not know based on what you said which will hit on these the most I hope this at least guides you in some way:)
 
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Hi everybody-


I'm in a pretty unique (and crappy) situation and would love any feedback/suggestions ect.
I'm currently in my third year of (Apa accredited) Psyd program and I'm considering transferring.

Some background--

I am a first generation student (Native Alaskan) with several Learning Disabilities. I am significantly dyslexia (so please forgive the typos!) and have mild ADHD but I also have a extremely high IQ. Additionally, I have a genetic Illness Cystic Fibrosis- which is extremely well managed and has had minimal impact on my academics thus far-

With accommodations being met, I've been able to do exceptional academically- I started my undergraduate degree at Landmark College ( a college aimed at helping students with LD'S) got my Associates in psychology- 3.87- Class president.

Transferred to an elite east coast college- graduated with BA in psychology, completed 2 senior thesis's, with a 3.9 gpa.
I also worked a local psychiatric hosp. as a "mental health aid" - ie running groups, direct pt' care. (while in college) and strong faculty ties/letters of rec. The only thing missing was much/any research experience. Due to my disability, readings/writing takes me longer when compared with my peers and in order to have such a strong academic record I had to work almost double time.
My first round of applications to Phd Programs in Clinical Child Psy and Clinical--- I didn't get in to anywhere--- (I mostly think it was due to my Cover letters--- )
I spent the next year trying to gain more research experience but struggled to find much in the rural area in Alaska. So I ended up working and co-creating a program that helped Native families who were at risk of loosing there children (Due to abuse/neglect/drug/alcohol) to child services-
Providing therapeutic support, parenting skills, family therapy ect- Lots of great hands on experience.

So now you know a little bit of background-
I've been struggling in my current school pretty much since day 1. The school has no-disability support what so-ever. Even getting something as simple as a "note taker" was a struggle and often not possible for all of my classes. I realize this now that i should have transferred right away- but I didn't and began to try figure it out on my own.
Most professors have been understanding and accommodating (without the help of the "office") with a few exceptions. While I have several strong ties with professors and staff-- none have been able to talk with me/for me to the Dean about the lack of accommodations and it's impact. The dean has little to no empathy for the problem and has stated " maybe we should put on the schools website that we are not suitable to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities" (and yes I know what he is doing is illegal- but bringing a lawyer into the mix just seems like such a mess)

I've been currently paying out of pocket for my academic accommodations. Not to mention the lack of cultural respect and understanding- Basically- it's been a bad bad fit for the entire time, and caused me so much stress.


Why am I thinking about transferring NOW...
Because my clinical practicum (at a psychiatric hosp) was abruptly ended. My supervisor quit, of whom I had a good relationship with, and her replacement decided to eliminate my position due to my disability. She expressed that the " time it takes to accommodate you vs the work you produce isn't equal, you have to understand this is a cost benefit analysis" (I have all of this in email forms)
Several attending psychiatrists- a fellow, as well as one of the medical directions offered to supervise me and help with accommodations ect. She refused and now I do not have a practicum.
There is (pretty much) no way I can get a prac. now in the middle of the year --- and so my dean suggested I work on my dissertation.
Beyond being able to get enough clinical hours and loosing this entire year--- I can't go to the didactics/case conferences/supervison and will have to essentially redue my third year. And explaining the gap-
Also- the faculty who agreed to be my chair with has expressed a possible need for early retirement due to a health condition...

When talking to peers in other Phd/psyd programs, there experience seems significantly different. Including a peer (who is in a top 10 phd program) who also has similar struggles - his experience has been the exact opposite of mine.
So I figure since I'm already loosing a year- potentially my chair- I should apply to other programs. I know it's never really done but I feel I have to give it a shot- if there is a chance that I could be in a better program then I am alright taking more time to do it.

I just can't tell how realistic it is- my feeling that it's so unrealistic.

While I have good grades, significant experience, strong recommendations
- I have pretty low GRE scores
- still limited research experience
- most of the applications don't have a space in which I could address why I am wanting to transfer-

Additionally, I feel conflicted about directly addressing my Learning Disabilities. While my cv shows many poster presentations/talks at conferences about LD- as well as attending Landmark College. I honestly think that my only chance in getting my application seriously looked at is if a faculty or someone associated with the school is able to speak to my unique case.


These are a few of the programs I'm considering---

The New School
Utah State University
University of Denver Psyd (and Phd- I know it's such a reach)
De Paul University



So help me decide...? :S
 
So I figure since I'm already loosing a year- potentially my chair- I should apply to other programs. I know it's never really done but I feel I have to give it a shot- if there is a chance that I could be in a better program then I am alright taking more time to do it.

If you do decide to withdraw, a transfer to another doctoral program is probably not a viable option. However, it might be possible to take a master's at your current institution and re-apply to another program. At least you'd have something to show for your studies to date.

When applying to a new program, all anyone can ever go on is the strength of their own record. You have the GPA but you lack the GRE score and the research experience. These factors probably mattered more than your cover letter in your previous round of graduate school applications. The good news is that both of these can be remedied.

This is a good opportunity to think through how you will realistically balance your self-care/therapy needs, training needs, and disability accommodations to emerge at the end of your training as an autonomous professional. Of course you'll want to vet the disability services programs at each institution you are considering so that you don't find yourself in a similar situation.
 
DU is REALLY expensive. Also, the Denver area is saturated with psychologists. There would be a lot of competition if you were planning to stay there to set up your private practice. I'm in the counseling psych program at DU, which fortunately offers funding. When I interviewed, I was told flat-out to not plan on staying in Denver for internship or for my career (though landing a Denver internship is easier for GSPP students due to the captive internship consortium they have set up). Anyway, I would NOT go to DU without funding. It's crazy expensive, and you probably won't be able to stay in Denver long-term anyway.

Hello,

I am very interested in the DU counseling program but I see tuition without aid is crazy. Does the program offer good aid to most people admitted? Thanks!
 
Hi there,

This is a decision between masters programs, but I hoped someone could help me with my decision.

I was recently accepted at Illinois State for their Clinical Counseling Psychology program, with a GA that covers tuition and provides a small stipend. It's a two year program that requires a thesis, and provides a method for licensure should I desire it. However, my interests are more with research and I plan on going on to get my doctorate.

I also received an acceptance from the Teachers College at Columbia. I know a lot of people bash the program, but the prospect of working with Dr. Bonanno was too good to pass up. I also received a 18,000 scholarship and a work study that will cover tuition for the first year. I will also apply for administrative fellow positions that take additional price off the tuition. As for the second year, I have to assume that little funding will come and that I would have to take out loans and apply for external scholarships.

I emailed Dr. Bonanno yesterday and he responded the next day, which I was surprised to see. He said that he has a lot of masters students in his lab, doing various tasks. He also allows masters students to access the data he has collected to do their own projects if they desire it. He couldn't offer any guarantees, but he couldn't see why I couldn't be a part of his lab in the coming fall. It was a really nice email, and he offered to show me his lab should I visit the campus.

So, what do I do? Do I take the chance to go to New York with a great professor, but go into debt my second year? Or do I take the offer from Illinois State, that requires a thesis, the cohort is much smaller, and has one or two professors that I could see myself working with? The living situation couldn't be more different, as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for any and all advice.

I have several friends who went to TC. The chance to work with lots of great researchers doing really cool things at an ivy-league institution is the best thing about TC. However, I hope you really like research. Everyone I've talked to who attends TC have articulated that there is a very strong "research culture," but if that is what you want it'll be fine.

Cost of living is something you really should consider. TC is very expensive, my friends have upwards of 100k in loans. Living in NYC is very expensive, that is another consideration to make. TC also does not have a MA thesis, but an "integrative project" which could even be a lit review.

It's a tough decision, both schools have different pros and cons. Sometimes when I've had to make a really tough decision, I've made a literal chart of pros and cons, and then made value-rankings of each item and then compared them that way. Maybe that sounds silly to people, but doing that from the very process itself kind of helps you cognitively work through what variables are the most meaningful to you. Best of luck, let us know what you decide!
 
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