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psyd1234

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Based on EPPP pass scores (75% Hartford vs. 94% Xavier) and APA-accredited internship match rates (88% for Hartford vs 100% for Xavier), Xavier has the better stats.
 
This will be one of the most important decisions you make as an adult so cost should 100% be factored in.

I think reputation (which is subjective) is less important than whether a program can reasonably help you with your specific career goals.

I went to a solid but rather unknown fully funded PhD but my mentor and the structure/local training opportunities were able to set me up for my career.

I turned down an offer to a place with a 'better' reputation (faculty had way more pubs/citations, higher stipend and more student support for things like conference funding, university with significantly higher endowment) but it was the right choice for me because students from each program had different internship/career trajectories amongst other things.
 
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You have to consider who your mentor will be. I chose the university with a really good overall reputation and a higher stipend, but my advisor turned out to be severely mentally ill and just cruel. It was miserable. I regret not going to the school with the lower stipend in a less desirable locale with the advisor everyone (supposedly) loved.
 
Therapist4Chnge said:
Xavier, by quite a bit. Just my 2 cents.
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Agreed. I believe that they provide funding as well.

While you think cost may not matter, it does. Now it may not matter to you if you have parents footing the bill. However, funding means that the university has skin in the game. They are invested in your success or they wasted money. The flip side, many for-profit schools just want your money and care very little about your outcomes.
 
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Sanman said:
Agreed. I believe that they provide funding as well.

While you think cost may not matter, it does. Now it may not matter to you if you have parents footing the bill. However, funding means that the university has skin in the game. They are invested in your success or they wasted money. The flip side, many for-profot schools just want your money and care very little about your outcomes.
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Especially if you are considering the mercurial world of loan repayment programs.
 
If you aren't considering cost, hopefully that's because you are wealthy or have a benefactor. If you are paying with loans I would put cost near the top of the list.

If you really don't have to worry about money, I think there is a reasonable argument for prioritizing location. Grad school is tough, and if you depend on your family and friends, having supports nearby is valuable. Flying to and from Xavier will add up quickly in terms of time and money.

I am guessing that you are headed for a clinical career. Obviously if you are thinking research and/or tenure track, then fit with mentor matters quite a bit.

Ultimately there is no right answer. Unless you are considering going into massive debt. That's probably not a good idea.
 
I've worked with some Xavier students and saw no red flags. I worked with one Xavier student more closely who became a strong clinician.

Also, Cincinnati is a great city with a relatively low cost of living. Good arts and culture, nice nature, decent food selection, not too much traffic. Many of my friends who have lived there and moved away want to move back, eventually. I would, too.
 
silverway said:
I've worked with some Xavier students and saw no red flags. I worked with one Xavier student more closely who became a strong clinician.

Also, Cincinnati is a great city with a relatively low cost of living. Good arts and culture, nice nature, decent food selection, not too much traffic. Many of my friends who have lived there and moved away want to move back, eventually. I would, too.
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And Hartford is bleak. Downtown after 5pm is like an apocalypse movie- mostly empty with no life except some incoherent, shambling, pajamafied husks of what used to be people. Some nicer towns in the general area, but still east coast level (e.g. high) COL. Looking at U.Hartford program outcomes, looks like relatively low attrition rates, which is good. However, am I the only one who thinks it's a bit odd that in the section on "number/percentage of students in past 2-10 years that are licensed psychologists" it says "currently updating data"?
 
Just looked at Xavier outcomes. Attrition rates hover at about 20%, which is not good. ~1 out of 5 students who begin the program don't finish, presumably after investing at least a year of time. Looks like the do offer funding for first few years at least. I'd be very curious as to why so many students leave the program, especially if funding is available.
 
ClinicalABA said:
And Hartford is bleak. Downtown after 5pm is like an apocalypse movie- mostly empty with no life except some incoherent, shambling, pajamafied husks of what used to be people. Some nicer towns in the general area, but still east coast level (e.g. high) COL. Looking at U.Hartford program outcomes, looks like relatively low attrition rates, which is good. However, am I the only one who thinks it's a bit odd that in the section on "number/percentage of students in past 2-10 years that are licensed psychologists" it says "currently updating data"?
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I just want to echo the bleakness of Hartford in the evenings. I spent a week there and trying to find food after 5 PM wasn't the easiest. It was a ghost town.
 
I can only speak to the pediatrics side of things. Clinically, the students and faculty from Xavier that I have interacted with are stronger than those from Hartford. Xavier's students are also looked at favorably when applying for practicums in the area. Many faculty at Cincinnati Children's virtually don't distinguish between UC, Miami, and Xavier, so it is easy to get training in different clinics if you're interested in pediatrics, which helps with securing the internship you want as Cincinnati Children's is a brand name.

Things may have changed, but Xavier didn't provide funding to all students in their 2nd to 4th years, so it's a competitive process to apply for a GA/RA position. I hate both cities, but Cincinnati is more affordable and has a better food scene. Although Cincinnati is diverse on paper, it is very segregated and gentrified, and the -isms are the worst I have seen and experienced in a big city and in the medical setting.
 
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