Alliant International University's Ph.D program?

[ExpressYourself]

Does anyone know the reputation of this school, or any info on the program in general...I found it a bit odd that there is no GRE score required, and 39 out of 156 were admitted. That's what the insider's book says, but I will double-check on their site.

I'm specifically talking about their Ph.D program and not their Psy.D program..apparently they have both.

Thanks.

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[Therapist4Chnge]

Does anyone know the reputation of this school, or any info on the program in general...I found it a bit odd that there is no GRE score required, and 39 out of 156 were admitted. That's what the insider's book says, but I will double-check on their site.

I'm specifically talking about their Ph.D program and not their Psy.D program..apparently they have both.

Thanks.

Which campus is this? I know Alliant has a number of sites, and the quality varies greatly.

-t

 

[ExpressYourself]

Which campus is this? I know Alliant has a number of sites, and the quality varies greatly.

-t

There's one in San Diego and I found another one in San Francisco. The San Francisco one says "Write an essay to explain why your GPA falls under 3.0, if that's the case." 😱 If you know the reputation of both campuses, that would be great.

I went to their site and I'm guessing it's a professional school because it's called "CSPP". I didn't know professional schools offer Ph.D's? 😕 Would that make a difference?

Whie I was looking through my insider's guide, I figured it would be a good idea to apply to a few back-up Ph.D programs that aren't as competitive as the others.

But let's say I happen to get rejected from other programs and only get into this school (just looking at all the possibilities), I don't want to make the mistake of getting a Ph.D from a school that's not even worth it.

 

[positivepsych]

Use the search function. There's a lot that's already been written about Alliant/CSPP on these forums. I feel, along with many others, that Alliant will let almost anyone in since they are a for-profit business, and has flooded the California market. There was a research study published a while back saying that the demand for psychologists in the state is full, if not overcrowded in metropolitan areas, and will only worsen in the future.

The big issue, on an individual basis, is that you graduate with 100-200k in loans, which will be burdensome for many years when you're making a low psychologists' income.

Furthermore, Alliant's match rates are poor, and it is difficult to get an APA-approved internship in CA coming from Alliant/CSPP, compared to a legitamate university-based Ph.D. program. There are people who have graduated from such schools on these very forums, and gone back to med school because their financial advisor pointed out that it would be easier to pay back the huge loans that way than continue as a psychologist.

It's just not worth it unless you're independently wealthy, in my opinion. And even so, I don't agree with supporting these type of schools, because they care more about their $$$ than being responsible to their students by only admitting enough people as there are internship spots/jobs.

 

[ExpressYourself]

Use the search function. There's a lot that's already been written about Alliant/CSPP on these forums. I feel, along with many others, that Alliant will let almost anyone in since they are a for-profit business, and has flooded the California market. There was a research study published a while back saying that the demand for psychologists in the state is full, if not overcrowded in metropolitan areas, and will only worsen in the future.

The big issue, on an individual basis, is that you graduate with 100-200k in loans, which will be burdensome for many years when you're making a low psychologists' income.

Furthermore, Alliant's match rates are poor, and it is difficult to get an APA-approved internship in CA coming from Alliant/CSPP, compared to a legitamate university-based Ph.D. program. There are people who have graduated from such schools on these very forums, and gone back to med school because their financial advisor pointed out that it would be easier to pay back the huge loans that way than continue as a psychologist.

It's just not worth it unless you're independently wealthy, in my opinion. And even so, I don't agree with supporting these type of schools, because they care more about their $$$ than being responsible to their students by only admitting enough people as there are internship spots/jobs.

Thanks..so it won't any different from the university that I'm attending right now....If I were to live there, I would have to take out even more loans. I guess it would be better to just stay where I'm at then go to Alliant.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

It is definitely something to go into with your eyes open. My general advice when looking at ANY programs is as follows:

1a. Is it APA accredited? (This is my bias, but....if the program isn't APA approved [The Canadian schools are not re-upping with the APA, so they need to be evaluated seperately], don't do it. Take another year or two, do research and get your #'s up, and re-apply to APA approved programs)
1b. What is its reputation?
2. What is the APA match rate? (Don't let them snow you with APPIC, APA is what separates the good/not so good sites) If it can't consistently at least match the national average (74.9%), I'd be concerned. Anything <65-70%, be VERY concerned.
3. What kind of split do you want (research/applied clinical)
4. What is it's research / clinical reputation? This is a BIG DEAL if you are thinking about academia. If you want to go that route, I'd STRONGLY suggest only looking at quality programs, because you'll be fighting up hill for most of your career if you don't go to a quality program. If you want to hang a shingle and do private practice, it may matter less.
5. Cost. Some schools cost a lot of money, others have full rides, but there are definitely pro's / con's to each. Investing in your education can payoff, but if you want to work part-time, at a community mental health place, or in academia....taking $150k in loans probably won't be a good idea.
6. Acceptance rate. I think the average acceptance rate is ~18% (I need to dig up the article that was done a few years ago on clinical programs, anyone know the one I'm talking about, it was posted here awhile back). Some top places are 2-3%, and other are 15-20%. If it gets 50%+....watch out. Though it is usually a self selected population, it still makes you wonder if it gets that high.

As for the professional school vs. traditional school.....do your homework. Generalizations are just that, so make sure to evaluate each school closely. There are some quality programs in each area, but it is up to you to figure out what you want.

As an aside, I don't want this to get into a prof vs. trad debate (there is another thread for that), so please keep this to Alliant spec stuff.

As for Alliant programs in CA....I have NOT heard good things, they tend to be more questionable. The chicago campus seemed to get decent reviews; there was a recent thread about it. There are a glut of programs in CA, and you should look around VERY carefully if you want to live/work in that area. Anything in the UC system seems to be very good, Stanford is obviously great, but after that my info get hazy.

-t

 

[ExpressYourself]

Therapistchange, thanks for the info.

You know I wish there were professors or someone who would want to go over this stuff when I was in undergrad. 🙁 I've learned a lot on this forum. I will admit that I didn't even know what the difference was between a professional school and a trad.school...😳 Not even Argosy went over that during orientation and advising sessions, but whatever. 😛

 

[Lunabin]

In CA the San Diego and San Francisco campuses are by far the best of the Alliant schools - however, the match rates are pretty scary, and unless you're willing to relocate (and risk not matching) for internship, then this probably isn't for you. There are only a few APA sites in the state making it very competitive with students from Stanford, UC Berkeley, and others nationwide. Most Alliant students leave the state for APA internships (and no, I don't have data on that - this is just from my own and peers experience).

If you want to email me backchannel, I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have about the programs.

 

[phoebusphrixus]

I concur: San Diego campus is the best, SF campus 2nd and all others are a disaster. I'm currently here at CSPP San Diego. Mixed review. Good ecclectic training, great professional development opps, but the classes are way too didactic, too big, and the students are rather inept..especially in the Psy.D program. Alot of your ground classes are shared with Psy.Ds and they make it unbearable. I think I sent plastic dummy into the office and they accepted it into the Psy.D program stating that it was a good listener😀
So if you go...it's the San Diego campus and the PhD program or it's not worth it al all.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I concur: San Diego campus is the best, SF campus 2nd and all others are a disaster. I'm currently here at CSPP San Diego. Mixed review. Good ecclectic training, great professional development opps, but the classes are way too didactic, too big, and the students are rather inept..especially in the Psy.D program. Alot of your ground classes are shared with Psy.Ds and they make it unbearable. I think I sent plastic dummy into the office and they accepted it into the Psy.D program stating that it was a good listener😀
So if you go...it's the San Diego campus and the PhD program or it's not worth it al all.

MOD NOTE: This is at least your 2nd or 3rd direct insult to Psy.D. students, which is a violation of SDN Policy. Further inflammatory posts will result in a suspension.

 

[PsyDGrrrl]

I concur: San Diego campus is the best, SF campus 2nd and all others are a disaster. I'm currently here at CSPP San Diego. Mixed review. Good ecclectic training, great professional development opps, but the classes are way too didactic, too big, and the students are rather inept..especially in the Psy.D program. Alot of your ground classes are shared with Psy.Ds and they make it unbearable. I think I sent plastic dummy into the office and they accepted it into the Psy.D program stating that it was a good listener😀
So if you go...it's the San Diego campus and the PhD program or it's not worth it al all.

And the funny thing is, there is no difference between who they admit as PsyD or PhD, and there is fundamentally no difference between the two programs except PhDs have an additional statistics class. Get off your high horse and wake up to the reality that a PhD from Alliant has no more weight than a PsyD.

 

[mewantphd]

Here is something I don't understand about the professional schools... if a person is willing to put down 5-6 years of their life into schooling why would they choose an institution that has questionable integrity? Isn't that like shooting your career in the foot before you even start? I dunno... I'd take the money to pay for one of those professional schools and do a post-bach to boost my gpa, get a ton more research/clinical experience, and apply to some well-funded phd or psyd programs...

I agree with others who say that these professional schools hurt the image of psychology as a respectable field. I don't mean this to sound inflammatory or like I'm attacking anyone... I just don't like the idea of these schools.

 

[MaddieMay]

I can only speak for myself, but I came to psychology in a much more roundabout way than others, with no BS in psych, so I had no advisor or fellow students or graduate students to tell me anything about the reps of professional schools. Getting In doesn't say anything about it either.

You don't know what you don't know. After attending Argosy SF for a year and getting a 4.0 I thought I was doing great. Then I got into a major car accident, put school in hold while I healed, and am ready to return this year.

After setting up interviews with two Argosy schools, I found this forum about a month ago and had my whole professional future turned upside down. Bloody hell. 🙂 But thank god I found this out now instead of a year from now.

I think part of the appeal of professional schools to the innocently ignorant is that the GRE is not required, honestly. It made sense to me that a whole lot of academic intelligence was great, but I questioned if getting people to want to disclose to you is something that can be taught.

I'm reading my new books: Insiders, and the ranking book published by the APA, and to avoid repeating threads, I'm also trying to master the Search function on this board (turning out to be the trickiest part of applying for school. 😉)

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I think part of the appeal of professional schools to the innocently ignorant is that the GRE is not required, honestly.

I think this is only the case for a couple places, as the vast majority of APA-accredited programs require the GRE. It would definitely be a red flag for me if they don't req. one.

Back in 2003 when I was reviewing programs I had no idea of anything, which is one reason why I really try and get information out there for people to decide for themselves what is the best course for them.

 

[MaddieMay]

Are the couple you're thinking of Argosy and Alliant? Neither require the GRE, and Argosy is for-profit and owned by Goldman-Sachs. 😱 Alliant is non-profit. From what I have heard, both have low standards and accept half of their applicants, and all of this = bad.

I have noticed that some private schools (Massachusetts, Denver U, Michigan, Wisconsin) call their PsyD programs "Professional Schools." So having the words "Professional School" in the title doesn't automatically make is a "diploma mill, pay-and-play, etc" program?

Denver and Wisconsin require the GRE, Mass and Michigan don't require the GRE. Would you say that whether or not a PsyD program requires the GRE is a good weeding-out tool?

How have others narrowed down their searches for a PsyD program?

 

[aequitasveritas]

Hi- I just thought I'd lend some credence here. I too am at CSPP San Diego and I must say I agree with Phoebusphrixus on this one from both my own subjective eval as well as the admission facts about what goes on in the program. They do not admit the same people with the same criteria for both programs. When a person has applied for the PhD program and has been denied admission they offer an admission to the Psy.D program as a second option. Moreover, I know this may not generalize to other Psy.D programs throughout the country but it certainly is true for CSPP/AIU.
Also, I agree- one should go to a funded program if possible...why the hell wouldn't you?! It's free and you'd have a name behind you. But if you can't- I'm happy with what I'm able to do here at CSPP San Diego. I don't think all campuses are equally as good, which is why I chose this one. But I digress...I hope I have proven that you can trust my objectivity since I told you to try to go to a funded research program if possible!!🙂 (I do think we have better applied training though- I had to slip it in there!😛)

 

[Psychmeout]

Hi- I just thought I'd lend some credence here. I too am at CSPP San Diego and I must say I agree with Phoebusphrixus on this one from both my own subjective eval as well as the admission facts about what goes on in the program. They do not admit the same people with the same criteria for both programs. (I do think we have better applied training though- I had to slip it in there!😛)

I live in California and although I do not attend CSPP, I have heard that the Ph.D. program is very different from the Psy.D. program (similar to what aequitasveritas has stated). The Psy.D. program is a joke. My friend dropped out of the program after the first year. She said that all the students do is sit around and talk about what they are going to do over the weekend. Ironically, she could not get into the Ph.D. program because her interests weren't "research-oriented enough" and the faculty felt that she would be better served by a Psy.D. program.

I have to admit that the Ph.D. program appears to have a better reputation; however, I would be leary to attend any CSPP school because of the horrible reputation of the Psy.D. program. At my university, everyone assumes that CSPP only awards the Psy.D., which is unfortunate for the Ph.D. students.

 

[maddiemouse]

i also am looking into alliant. I have heard that cspp has a good rep but wasnt sure if alliant did. I was looking at the psy d program but was concerned that it was not apa approved. anyone know anymore about psy d programs that would be apa approved in southern california?

 

[maddiemouse]

Any advice on the irvine campus at alliant for the psy d program?

 

[apumic]

check out the various university-based PsyD's in CA (Alliant is a PROFESSIONAL program, despite its name). There are a number of them scattered around CA, including a Community-Clinical one in La Verne (U of La Verne), Stanford's PGSP, and a number of religious schools that have been quite successful in training clinical psychologists w/ specialties in spirituality and psychology and related areas.

 

[maddiemouse]

thanks for the advice... I will look into those programs. 🙂

 

[greensky]

Alliant programs are APA approved

 

[Jolie2533]

I am a student of AIU and I attend the Los Angeles Campus. I must say that these posts are very disappointing.
I am in the Psy.D program and was accepted not because I didn't 'qualify' for the PhD program or because my GRE scores were not impressive. For a student, with hopes of becoming a clinical psychologist, the PsyD program fit me best. Period.
Many programs are no longer requiring GRE scores- because most have learned that the GRE score does not adequately measure a students ability, nor does it assess their aptitude as a graduate student.
For the first year PsyD and PhD students are in the same class room, learning the same material. It is only during the third year do our courses drastically change (i.e. PhD students take an extra statistics or research course).
AIU is an APA accredited school- that means that it has fulfilled the requirements that any other APA accredited program (UCLA, Stanford, etc). To be accredited as APA, an institutions curriculum has to meet a certain standard. And AIU has met that standard.
Just because a school is entitled a 'professional school' does not automatically mean that it is a diploma mill. And for anyone that truly believes that, you need to do more research than just 'word of mouth' or your own assumptions. There are many diploma mills out there, but CSPP is not one of them. Especially just because of the title of 'professional' school.
To the many of you wanting to inquire about the integrity or reputation of the program itself, maybe you should contact students and/or alumni- and not strangers who base their decisions off of assumptions or ratios instead of experience. Or maybe you should schedule an appointment to go to the school and make the decision yourself.
I am unsure about the other campus', but the LA campus is a great school, that has fulfilled every expectation I have had. Of course, with any institution, it will vary based on students and/or professors in each school or program.
I currently work at counseling services in a large university here is LA, and before I made my decision about schools to apply to, I spoke to many of the psychologists who have worked in their field for years. Some were graduates of a professional school and others of larger institutions (and scattered all over the US). Regardless of where they attended, they all agreed that an APA accredited school is the best way to go (for obvious reasons). Aside from that, the point I'm trying to make is that regardless of where they went to school (assuming that they are all APA accredited and higher ranked institutions), that was not the deciding factor as to the job they were able to get. They are all highly paid, highly motivated individuals, with and equal number PhD's and PsyD's.
The posts claiming that PsyD students are not as good as PhD students is repulsive. For years, the idea that a PsyD is not as good as a PhD has been ingrained in societies minds, possibly because of ignorance.. But I see that the PhD students on this forum have proved that things have not changed.

 

[nononora]

For a student, with hopes of becoming a clinical psychologist, the PsyD program fit me best.

How do you know this and where do you know this from? Many PhDs are practicing clinical psychologists.

Many programs are no longer requiring GRE scores- because most have learned that the GRE score does not adequately measure a students ability, nor does it assess their aptitude as a graduate student.

How many exactly? When will we start seeing the Ivy Leagues shelve the GRE requirement?

AIU is an APA accredited school- that means that it has fulfilled the requirements that any other APA accredited program (UCLA, Stanford, etc). To be accredited as APA, an institutions curriculum has to meet a certain standard. And AIU has met that standard.

Everyone who obtained a driver's license had to meet a standard. Does that mean everyone who has a driver's license is of equal driving ability? APA accreditation means you have met APA's minimum standards and in no way speaks to the quality of a program.

To the many of you wanting to inquire about the integrity or reputation of the program itself, maybe you should contact students and/or alumni- and not strangers who base their decisions off of assumptions or ratios instead of experience. Or maybe you should schedule an appointment to go to the school and make the decision yourself.

A reputation is by definition how someone or something is perceived in the public eye. And the public consists mostly of strangers.

Aside from that, the point I'm trying to make is that regardless of where they went to school (assuming that they are all APA accredited and higher ranked institutions), that was not the deciding factor as to the job they were able to get. They are all highly paid, highly motivated individuals, with and equal number PhD's and PsyD's.

I think your sample might be a little limited as it consists of successful psychologists in a large university counseling center. All the collective SDN public is trying to say is that choosing a professional school may put you at a disadvantage. Great psychologists can come from professional schools and crappy psychologists can come from PhD programs, but to "succeed" as a professional school graduate may require more work yes? Not to mention the financial debt that's placed on your shoulders.

The posts claiming that PsyD students are not as good as PhD students is repulsive. For years, the idea that a PsyD is not as good as a PhD has been ingrained in societies minds, possibly because of ignorance.. But I see that the PhD students on this forum have proved that things have not changed.

Where are these posts claiming that PsyD students < PhD students? No frequent posters I know of say anything remotely close to that. I'm glad you had (or are having) a great experience at the LA Campus of AIU but surely if a funded option had been available, you would've taken that instead. You had your reasons to choose CSPP and no one's discrediting you - the negativity towards professional schools is not a personal attack.

What it comes down to is that funded PhD and PsyD programs are available but people still pay through their noses to attend a professional school. Perhaps location and/or academics was a factor... who knows? All we are saying is that if someone is able to attend a funded program then they should choose that over an unfunded program. If they don't/can't then they should be prepared to work harder to succeed to overcome the at times uninformed stigma while paying off their financial debt for years to come.

 

[Essi]

I am new to this forum so hi everyone : ) My situation is a little unusual and not having many places to go to for information, any advice would be much appreciated!

I am a US citizen but haved lived in the UK all my life (except last year when I lived in LA for a little over a year). I am intending to move to LA and live there permanently so I have decided it's better to do grad school there rather than in the UK where my qualifications wouldn't translate to the US (and where there is no such thing as a PhD in clinical psychology - only a PsyD).

Obviously I would like to go to a funded school like UCLA but it seems like I would have very little chance getting in there (even though I did work there when I lived in LA and have contacts there). I think it is off-putting that my UK education is unfamiliar and it seems like there isn't really a way to convert my grades into a GPA...so I have looked into doing the Clinical Psychology PhD at Alliant CSPP LA and was wondering how good a school it is and whether a PhD from there is regarded highly enough to get a good job at the end of it? I have a campus visit planned there in a couple weeks when I will be in LA but obviously this is the type of question that I wouldn't get an objective answer to if I asked them!

I also wondered about the structure of the course? Is it normal for people to have a part time job while they complete the PhD? If so, can you do this in all years or just the first couple? Do you find your own work (be it relevant to psychology or not) or do they help you find it? If you do an internship (assuming you can get an APA-approved one), do you do that for a full year and receive a stipend for that year?

In terms of the application process, I think I will take the GRE test as it will be a good thing to have in case I apply to other schools etc. and although Alliant place little or no emphasis on it, perhaps it would help to support my foreign application and provide some evidence of my academic ability as my UK grades would not make as much sense...although they must have admitted people from countries outside the US before so there must be some procedure in place for this.

In terms of getting in - does anyone know how likely it is at Alliant? I have the APA 2009 book which seems to say it's around 50% but I wondered if anyone knew about the success rate for international applicants?

Sorry for asking so many questions but I don't know who else to ask and obviously I don't want to embark on the long application process for nothing, or indeed spend all that money getting a PhD there (despite being eligible for financial aid, I would still be broke and would need to work to support myself) only to find out that it is not a good enough school to get me a job at the end of it. It would be really helpful to hear from people like Jolie2533 who are at CSPP now and could tell me what it's like : ) I will gladly share any info about UK training if anyone happens to want to know!
Thanks again.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I can't speak to all of your questions, though I can answer your internship question....

If you do an internship (assuming you can get an APA-approved one), do you do that for a full year and receive a stipend for that year?

A 1-year (typically 2000 hour) internship is required for licensure. The gold standard is APA-accredited, though they also have APPIC-accredited, as well as state level accreditation (California is the state I'm most familiar with). Anything less than APA will be limiting in some way, so definitely shoot for APA.

As for pay, the vast majority of internships are paid, though they don't pay well. I believe the average pay is ~$18k, though some settings pay more. The armed services pay VERY well, though you have to enlist. The federal prisons also pay very well ($45-$50k?), particularly in CA. Everything in CA is more competitive, much like NYC, Boston, and FL. The VA seems to pay between $19-$24k, which is better than average but still not great.

Some people take unpaid internships, though most program do not allow their students to do this. It is bad for our profession, but because of the disparage between applicants and spots, some make that decision (if able).

 

[LaLuna123]

I'm sure larger universities are used to foreign applicants, although I have no idea about smaller professional schools like Alliant, Argosy et al.

If you do well in the GRE, I doubt that many will care if they can't make an EXACT conversion of your grades. Anyway, if you did your undergrad in the UK in psychology, you'll probably have taken much more psychology classes compared to the average US psych majors. Don't assume that a degree from abroad is necessarily a detriment to you, it could even make you seem like a more interesting applicant.

I did my undergrad in the UK, however, I did a MA before my PhD in the US. I'm assuming schools I applied to paid more attention to the MA grades, so I'm not sure whether they worried too much about converting my UK transcript.

Do you have any research experience? That's very important for PhD applications. I would definitely take the GRE and apply to a bunch of different schools. Many professional schools tend to have a not so stellar reputation... Although that doesn't mean that most graduates are unemployed.

 

[Essi]

Hi. Thanks for your helpful responses. I will definitely take the GRE then apply to a whole bunch of schools and fingers crossed I will get in somewhere. That's good to know you can get paid internships and as I have a lot of experience working in prisons and forensic settings already - I would love to get an internship in a federal prison.

I do have a quite a bit of research experience - about 4 years since my undergrad degree. I am a research assistant now in a clinic in north London which provides long term psychodynamic psychotherapy to people with problems of sexual deviance, perversion and violence (most who have already served a prison sentence). My job is to conduct several research projects assessing the efficacy of therapy, look at differences in offending patterns, improvements in psychiatric symptoms and assessing different therapies for more specific personality disorders etc. Plus a seperate project looking into different types of violence in psychopathic and non-psychopathic offenders which I am conducting in UK prisons. So I hope that would be enough to get me in. I guess if I only got into Alliant I would still go there as I want to move to the US soon and I don't think doing the PsyD here in the UK would end up being very useful to me.

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[psychmama]

Essi, you sound like you have some really god experience. I'd go ahead and apply to the widest selection of schools you can tolerate geographically. I bet you'll do well in the application process. Good luck.🙂

 

[Essi]

Thanks - that's really encouraging - I need to hear things like that! It's much more daunting applying to another country but fingers crossed! I'll be sure to let you all know how I get on. Thanks again : )

 

[lizziebiz]

I've read on here that some of AIU's campuses are better than others. I applied to the PHD Clinical program at the San Fran campus...can anyone who knows tell me how it is? Or how the campuses are different/better/worse?

 

[hamsterpants]

I have nothing to add about Alliant or professional schools in general but I live in San Francisco. The Bay Area is VERY expensive and your loans will likely be higher just to cover basic living expenses. I work full time and still find making ends meet hard sometimes. I actually would hesitate to attend a fully funded program here due to cost of living and am hoping to attend a program in a more affordable area.

 

[lizziebiz]

I just got invited to an interview for the PHD Clinical Psy at San Fran. Anyone know what this process is like and how many people out of the number who applied get invited? I read something about how they are group interviews...?

 

[erg923]

What's your plan for paying back 150k+ in student loans on a 50k salary.......

That is to say...be careful🙂

 

[JockNerd]

What's your plan for paying back 150k+ in student loans on a 50k salary.......

That is to say...be careful🙂

Well, clearly if you're making 50k you can pay off a 150k loan in 3 years. Easy.



...there are people who believe that.

 

[deleted176373]

Well, clearly if you're making 50k you can pay off a 150k loan in 3 years. Easy.



...there are people who believe that.

Well it sounds good from Mom and Dad's basement.

Mark

 

[greensky]

I just got invited to an interview for the PHD Clinical Psy at San Fran. Anyone know what this process is like and how many people out of the number who applied get invited? I read something about how they are group interviews...?

I interviewed there last year. They were very nice and the interview was not very stressful. I was interviewed by two professors and they mostly asked about my reserach experience, as well as clinical interests.
I think most people who apply get an interview. They have many more PsyD applications and they will also be at interview days. There was not really a group interview, but more of an info session with Q and A...I ended up getting in but not going due to the cost. I was offered a 10,000 dollar scholarship, but the SF area is so expensive and I could not really justify paying that much for tuition (even with the scholarship). I was also a little conerned about their APA internship match rate. I ended up in a counseling program which I like so far. Good luck.

 

[ExpressYourself]

Much has changed since starting this thread a few years ago, but if anyone else finds it useful..go for it.

 

[progter]

Much has changed since starting this thread a few years ago, but if anyone else finds it useful..go for it.

did you ever enroll at alliant? if so, how did it work out?

 

[psychadelic1988]

Hi everyone,

I am somewhat new to this forum and I just recently did my interview at Alliant-SD for their PhD program and it went really well. I came out of there with a really good feeling about the school (even though the structure of the school is horrendous). Besides getting an interview at Alliant, I have managed to get into two MA programs at CSUN and Pepperdine. I really want to attend Alliant because I can't handle 2 years of MA and then 5-6 years for a PhD, I don't have the time, money, nor brain cells for that. I want to know from those who have attend Alliant, what they thought about the school and if they're pleased with their decision. My main concern is getting into an APA approved internship in CA, but I feel that if a student goes above and beyond, he/she can definitely accomplish that task, after all, it's not impossible.

Any feedback on the program or school in general would be helpful.

Thanks

 

[erg923]

Well keep in mind everyone wants an internship in CA. Its a desirable part of the country to be in. Getting an APA internship in CA is slim, just because of the numbers game. Most ph.d students (about 90%) have to move out of their state for the internship year. Its just the nature of the beast....

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

The #1 reason people don't match is geographic restriction. I'd be wary of setting myself up to stay in CA for everything. I think a more realistic chance at getting an APA-acred internship is to apply nationally, and then move back to CA for post-doc. CA is going to be incredibly competitive because of the number of people who want to live there.

 

[Franklphile]

Does anyone know if it is possible and/or likely for someone in CSPP San Diego's clinical PsyD program to transfer over to their PhD? I would imagine it might be possibly after the first year, since there is a lot of overlap.. but don't really know.

 

[psich]

Does anyone know if it is possible and/or likely for someone in CSPP San Diego's clinical PsyD program to transfer over to their PhD? I would imagine it might be possibly after the first year, since there is a lot of overlap.. but don't really know.

As far as I know, transferring is generally discouraged.

 

[psychadelic1988]

Does anyone know if it is possible and/or likely for someone in CSPP San Diego's clinical PsyD program to transfer over to their PhD? I would imagine it might be possibly after the first year, since there is a lot of overlap.. but don't really know.

During my interview, they had mentioned that they DO allow PsyD's to transfer over to their PhD program. So I would say that it is very likely, but there might be a catch that I'm not aware of.

 

[psychadelic1988]

Does anyone have more information that they can provide me with about the PhD program at Alliant, San Diego campus? Maybe some advice that they can give me beforehand and what to expect? Also if there is anything that I can do in the beginning years to help me get a great spot at a predoc internship? I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks!

 

[SHFWILF]

As a practicing Psychologist, and a graduate of CSPP-LA, I think it might be helpful for people to know the history of the school.

In the middle and late 70's, CSPP was graduating Ph.D.'s in extraordinary numbers. The academic instruction was very spotty at best, but the field placement experience was generally very good.

However, the number of students being graduated soon began to upset the people who were already in practice, and they pressured CSPP to stop graduating so many people (most of whom were passing the then-very-easy licensing exams). This presented a problem, since CSPP was at that time totally tuition supported, and to not admit students would be to lose income.

The school attempted to solve the problem by kicking out students in the very last part of the program, using a variety of mostly invalid and frankly unethical excuses. In this way, they hoped to collect as much tuition as possible while relieving the pressure from the practicing community.

Many of my classmates were kicked out and wound up at USIU in San Diego. I myself was nearly a victim of this strategy, except that I hired a lawyer who basically scared them into leaving me alone...

To say this was a horrible and traumatizing experience is to understate the obvious. I lived for 10 months not knowing if I would ever receive my degree while simultaneously working on my dissertation (no Psy.D back then). To this day, I have a very bad taste in my mouth regarding CSPP - they have clearly improved, but at the end of the day, what matters to them is money. That said, the clinical experience is VERY good.

They are not the gatekeepers anymore; it's now the Board of Psychology who administers that all-important set of licensing exams. Frankly, I wish they would make them more difficult. I have run into too many incompetent Psychologists in the last 10 years. I also wish that we could completely do away with the unaccredited schools that take people's money and teach nothing of value.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

They are not the gatekeepers anymore; it's now the Board of Psychology who administers that all-important set of licensing exams. Frankly, I wish they would make them more difficult. I have run into too many incompetent Psychologists in the last 10 years. I also wish that we could completely do away with the unaccredited schools that take people's money and teach nothing of value.

CA is in a unique situation where they have an overwhelming number of programs and students who either are from the CA area or stay in the CA area after training. Some view it as a state issue, but allowing poorly trained psychologists to be licensed makes the profession look bad. The fact that CA allows a mechanism for students to be licensed in their state, while also opening them up to the opportunity for licensure problems in other states is irresponsible. There is too much money to be made at the state level for there to be a "National" licensure, but I wish all of the states established the same standards.

 

[aequitasveritas]

To the potential applicants of professional schools.

So here's my advice, such as it is.

1. Do you have the grades to go to a fully funded program?
Yes?...end of conversation. Go. There really is no excuse to not go to a funded program unless you're independently wealthy and can afford CSPP or PGSP. The only caveat is that you should consider widening your range of clinical theory and exposure when in a research program since it can be a little myopic.

2. If you are not able to gain entrance into the university-funded programs:
Again...can you afford $200,000 in debt. yes, 200k is the AVERAGE debt coming out of a professional school.

Is your admitance denial due to legitimate reasons? If you're grades and aptitute are below a certain level (requires more discussion obviously) then this might not be the field for you. That's sometimes a hard truth but a truth none the less.

We are not aware of where life will take us 3 or 4 yrs from your application date. You may want to gain admittance more than anything into a clinical program right now. Ok, good. But 4 yrs down the road you might find yourself in a relationship you really care about (which requires money), broke, in 200k debt (which destroys your ability to apply for a mortgage), and facing a saturated clinical economic climate..

So check yourself and your ego if you are rejected from a university. This might not be the field for you. Now, clin psych has become a little overly rigid with research programs and admission as well as clinical myopia but that's best saved for another thread. I'm just promoting some healthy skepticism.

I think another good topic for a thread is: what does the US academic system at large do to address clinical ed problems including:

1. The (relative) lack of applied training at research based programs
2. The lack of funding and financial abuse present at the applied programs. (BTW-look at applied-style University programs like Rutgers or Adelphi...VERY expensive).

It seems that a paradox exists. What would we do with law schools that only taught legal research? So we do need applied programs. But, what happends when the means of acheiving the clinical degree outweighs the end itself?

Long post so thanks for reading.

AV

 

[edumo]

Do not go to this school it is going to become a school like University of Phoenix. A fake school that are giving out to PhDs to anyone. It's quite offensive. SAVE YOUR MONEY and go to a real university!