PhD/PsyD Clinical Psychology as an International

[ri0t123]

Hey guys,

I'm currently in my 6th semester studying Psychology in Vienna and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to do my PhD in California. Since I'm not working at the moment (but planning on starting soon), funding plays quite a big role. Therefore i would like to gather some broad information about the situation as an international PhD applicant. It looks like most of the grad schools offer the opportunity to work as a teaching assistant or reasearcher or something in order to remit the tuition fee etc.. However, other sources mention those jobs are very hard to get, is that true? The thoughts of going abroad are stuck in my head since quite a while and first of all I need to assure that I'll be able to carry the financial burden. I also found out that I only need to pay "non-residence supplemental tuition" for one year since I'm able to become a resident of California after this year, right? So if you have any tips about which university is particularly "international friendly", funding in general, costs of living in certain areas or something similar, I would really appreciate your words.

Cheers

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[Icculus8]

Is there any particular reason you are so set on California?

 

[ri0t123]

Well I travelled there quite a lot and have the long time goal of settling down in California. Anyways I just started my research some days ago and if it turns out much easier/cheaper to start in a different state I'm cool with that too.

 

[ri0t123]

Bump

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Restricting yourself to any one geographic location, particularly one as popular as California, is going to make things very difficult when it comes to doctoral study in clinical psychology. Professional schools have proliferated in CA for that very reason, and those are the places where funding is going to be exceedingly hard to come by (if it's available at all). Conversely, at more traditional doctoral programs, tuition remission and a stipend is usually guaranteed as a part of your admissions offer. This is why such programs only take a handful of students--that's all they can afford in terms of both funding and training resources without sacrificing quality.

Your best bet is going to be first identifying professors/programs that offer clinical and research experiences in line with your interests, as "fit" with the program is generally more important than just about any other factor when it comes to admissions. After that, you can begin narrowing down your programs of interest. Quite honestly, if I were applying to clinical psych programs nowadays, I wouldn't geographically limit myself at all; that is, I'd be open to just about anywhere in the country.

 

[MCParent]

What AA said; where you train doesn't have to be where you settle down.

I was an international student in the US during grad school; I got the same funding deal as everyone else at my funded PhD program. I had to pay slightly higher fees of what was not remitted as I always had out-of-state fees (I think I paid about $800 to other students' $400, per year, is my recollection).

I don't think you ever get to become a resident of the state during school, unless Cali has something different than Florida did, or the law changed. You'd be an F-1, nonresident alien, the entire time you're in training.