The opinion that captive internships provide worse training is another of the biased opinions on this board. It's an idea with face validity because trainees who choose the captive internships often have no other options. However, I am not aware of any research demonstrating that the training is worse. (Note: I did not attend a captive internship so I am not speaking from personal experience.)
The thing this board often gets wrong, in my opinion, is ignoring the fact that something like half of all new psychologists every year come from "disreputable" programs. So it's just not accurate to assume that a "true" psychologist comes from a scientist-practitioner PhD program. The horses are out of the barn. Sometimes it seems like the old guard on this board have an almost willful ignorance of diverse paths to licensure as a clinical psychologist.
I feel sorry for the legion of PhD students across all disciplines who trudge through years of graduate research training only to find that there is no tenure-track job at the end of it. This problem is obviously not specific to psychology. It's a scandalous pyramid scheme.
The only thing this board really nails, in my opinion, is that taking on huge debt has major consequences.
Yeah I'm not buying that bias because in this instance, Adelphi's program is APA accredited. I could see that coming from one that isn't, but it is. They saw the issue with competitive internships and tried to help the issue by making an APA accredited option. I expect that the match rate for Adelphi is on the relatively lower end of the spectrum, not because people aren't matching cross country, but because they're only applying to internships in NYC. (I talked to a friend in the doctoral program at City College and she said she never heard of people having to move all over for internship. This is not a norm in the NY area, we stay here.)
But that being said, I would probably apply to internships in some of the areas I listed earlier of wanting to live in (Coloardo, Utah, Oregon, other north-east states). My point was I just don't want to move for a doctoral program somewhere, move again for internship, and then all the rest of the potential moves.
And TT isn't my goal or really my expectation... I'd be totally satisfied with an Assoc. Lecturer position, doing practice, and working on clinical qual & case study research with the occasional quant study thrown in. I don't expect a TT, and anyone who does at this stage in academia is honestly stupid in my opinion. Those jobs are disappearing.
I did projections on the debt from the studentloans.gov calculator, in addition to salary comparisons, and looking what after tax the salaries are in this area. I don't have all the exact interest rates but I guestimated what mine are so far and what they will be if I have like half unsubsidized half grad plus. The payments are manageable to me.
I think for me the thing beyond the debt is, I'm gunna have to once more go back to school and waitress crazy hours just to pay rent. I don't know if I can do that again knowing how much debt I'm also tacking on in the process...it'll make me feel so bitter.
But either way whether I go back to school for education, or SW; it'll be the same thing. At least another 2-3 years of going to school and working. And I'll still take on more debt (albeit less than if I go to this program), but will have a lower salary at the end of it with less career opportunities.
I guess I'm just not seeing for me, much of a difference in finances or quality of life between the different options. The only biggest difference is maybe a year or 2 of my time.
And I expressed that to them and they both sort of said well, then it becomes a question of which career options will make me feel more fulfilled in the long run.
I actually turned down the opportunity to stay involved in the New School because my mentors wasn't a good fit. If I stay involved and re-applied this cycle I would have gotten into the program probably with good funding (better than Adelphi), because everyone that applied got in this cycle. But I just couldn't imagine another 4 years with those people. So. I've made decisions already based on fit over funding..
Today is the day I have to submit my decision..they attached a form with the offer asking about your financial situation is now and would be in the program; and talking about some instances were increased funding is available (merit, financial needs, etc). So I really laid it all on the line here. I said the only thing holding me back is cost, and an increase in funding would make a difference. I'm not going to get full and a stipend I know that, but anything to help knock that debt down would make me feel better.
I just see that number floating in my brain all weekend: 200,000 (what I'll have from all my debt if I do this) and it honestly freaks me out. Everyone in my personal life is telling me I'll be able to pay it off and it'll be not that different than if I was a teacher or social worker with 100k debt, except for once I do pay it off as a psychologist my take home salary will boom and I will feel more fulfilled.
I'm hoping to hear back that there might be increased funding, we'll see.
My mom and dad says worst comes to worst I should just accept and if I change my mind before school starts then whatever, so be it. I don't know if that's the best idea but lol i guess if I don't go there and end up leaving the field it doesn't really matter and hey, what do you expect from a for profit PhD program?
