A few psy.d schools im looking at (also regarding GREs)...

[tears for susan]

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If anyone has experience with the following schools, please contribute some of your insight. Im having a hard time finding out what psy.d programs are the best, as such rankings are multi-dimensional, so depending on who you ask, you tend to get varying feedback. Still, personal anecdotes are important. The only statistical ranking information i have found on psy.d programs had poor sample sizes, but if anyone knows of other reports, please send my way.

The following schools are all APA-accredited. Im especially interested in knowing if the ones that dont require the GRE are good.

-Alliant international uni, san francisco ("GRE is required for IR"- what does this mean?)
-California institute of integral studies (CIIS), san francisco (GRE not req'd for admissions, but to be taken post-admission for record purposes)
-The chicago school of prof. psych, chicago
-Pacific University, OR (GRE not req'd)
-The Wright Institute, CA (gre not req'd for admission)
-John f kennedy university, CA (GRE not req'd for admission)
-George fox university, OR

Im not looking at schools that dont require the GRE because im scared of what i might get on it when i take it, its coincidence that i happen to be looking at ones that dont require it. I am looking at mostly west-coast because i feel more comfortable here. Granted you shouldnt select a school based on location, but i really do believe that things like climate and culture will affect how well i perform in school. I consider myself a good student, i currently maintain an overall gpa of 3.81, and have alot of expeirence doing research for profs, TA'ing, internships, etc. I am somewhat worried about how i will fair on the GRE though.

Ok well i know this post is rather obstuse, but any information helps. thanks!

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I believe The Wright Institute still req. the GRE for research %'s, but it isn't used in the admissions process. YMMV, as this was from 5-6 years ago.

 

[PsychBiker]

First off, download Powerprep and see how you fair on the practice GREs http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/...nnel=d687e3b5f64f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD If you dont do well, study and try again. Even if you still dont do well, with your gpa I would say if you got at least 1000 overall on the GRE, almost every PsyD would give you an interview.

Most of the PsyD programs you mentioned are good. I would stay away from the Alliant programs (except maybe the Fresno location) and Argosy. Thats my opinion, I am sure many would agree and disagree. Pacific and George Fox are good in general. However, Pacific is really expensive and George Fox wont consider you if you are not Christian (I asked them). Wright Inst is nice if you are interested in Psychodynamic, however their APA match rate isnt so good. Same goes for JFK, but most of the California schools do better on CPA match rates for internships than they do for APA.

Bottomline, take the GREs anyways and you might surprise yourself.

 

[erg923]

The Alliant schools have quite the poor reputation. Some are better than others, but I would stay away from the bay area ones. Trust me, my clinical supervisors talk about programs and the quality of their students. Wright is good, but its still pretty psychodynamic. JFK has a marginal rep in the area and CIS has a eastern philosophy slant. Not saying thats bad, but it's outside the mainstream. My opinion is that, overall, the PGSP-Stanford consortium provides the best resources and quality of training for Psy.D in the bay area, or all of CA for that matter. But the price tag...OMG..... Although I'm sure you CAN get good training at the professional schools, a good rule of thumb is that the university based Psy.D. programs are better if you can get them (less debt, more scholarly faculty on average). They are certainly less hit or miss in terms of overall quality than many of the professional schools.

 

[cara susanna]

Just take a practice GRE from Power Prep. It sucks but it won't kill you. I must have taken about twenty practice tests by now...

 

[Psiguy]

Just so you know, Pacific University does require a GRE score from within the past 5 years.

 

[deleted176373]

I consider myself a good student, i currently maintain an overall gpa of 3.81, and have alot of expeirence doing research for profs, TA'ing, internships, etc. I am somewhat worried about how i will fair on the GRE though.

Ok well i know this post is rather obstuse, but any information helps. thanks!

Why don't you study for and take the GRE like the rest of us. Yes, we all had horrible anxiety regarding our GRE's but this will not be the last time you experience it, you will have the same concerns over the EPPP. If you are planning on applying to schools that don't require the GRE, why not take it and see where you land... You might be pleasantly surprised and that could impact your school choice in the end... If you take it and do miserably those schools that don't require the GRE will still not require it. So you have NOTHING to lose!

Back to how to select a school, you should consider four things in your selection process.

1. What is the placement rate for internships (CAPIC, APPIC, APA) and how many students are placed at funded sites.

2. What is the pass rate for the EPPP for students graduating from the program. Better programs prepare you better for your licensure exams. Plain and simple. People may argue that this is not the case, but this is a part of your professional requirements, so it's important... it's the psychology equivalent of passing the Bar.

3. What has been the percentage of students becoming licensed in x number of years. You want this number to be high, also attrition rates from various programs speak volumes about the academic atmosphere.

4. How much debt will you accrue from pursuing your training. This is important since it will affect your net earnings for many years. While it's great to pursue the profession you love, it makes no sense for you to have a net income that is lower than some auto mechanics with 4 years on the job flagging hours. Median for an auto mechanic with 4 years according to salary.com for SF Metro market is $60k per year. Median for a psychologist is $93k per year... subtract the $1800 a month to pay off 150k over 10 years at 8% and you have a situation where you are only making a little more than a mechanic with 4 years experience and an ASE certification.

Of course, in the long run you will eventually come out on top... but it's gonna take a long time (10+ years) to get there and that's only after you have a license!

Just some things to keep in mind.

Mark

 

[tears for susan]

Just to clarify, i am going to be taking the GREs and am currently studying for them.

Thanks for the tips everyone- if you have anymore, keep them coming my way.
The one thing i am still not savvy about is finding relevant statistics for schools (ie. APA match rates, attrition, pass rate for the EPPP, etc). Maybe i am just not searching hard enough but the school's websites and info packets they send me dont seem to provide that information. Even if they did, it would probabaly be biased in some way, like only mentioning the areas they excel in. So where does one get unbiased statistics on the school's programs as mentioned above?

 

[deleted176373]

Just to clarify, i am going to be taking the GREs and am currently studying for them.

Thanks for the tips everyone- if you have anymore, keep them coming my way.
The one thing i am still not savvy about is finding relevant statistics for schools (ie. APA match rates, attrition, pass rate for the EPPP, etc). Maybe i am just not searching hard enough but the school's websites and info packets they send me dont seem to provide that information. Even if they did, it would probabaly be biased in some way, like only mentioning the areas they excel in. So where does one get unbiased statistics on the school's programs as mentioned above?

California EPPP statistics:
http://www.psychboard.ca.gov/exams/2...071231eppp.pdf

APPIC statistics:
http://www.appic.org/match/5_2_2_match_about_statistics.html

APA accredited match rates and CAPIC match rates were not listed online that I could find. I would probably track down someone like Dr. Norcross who has been studying this for years to see if he had any stats.

Of course they don't provide those stats, then you would be an informed consumer and probably a little concerned about the rosy picture they are painting. Real life is not quite so pretty as many professional schools attempt to present it. Still there are some excellent Psy.D. programs out there, your job is to separate the wheat from the chaff.

APPIC rates are important because they give you a feel how respected the training is by sites employing the interns. Alternatively, it could recognize less selective applicants or applicants that are less geographically bound, but for the most part that is not the case. Although some might like you to believe this as an excuse, it would follow that schools like UCLA, UCSD, USC should not have 90+% placement rates. Professional schools in CA start from a low of well below 40% to well above 80%. JFK is at 47%, Pacific in OR is at 75%, Rosemead is at 84.5%... Which would you rather attend?

Mark