Galia said:
Thanks everybody!
I am pretty aware of CUNY's funding / tuition situation however having trouble relating program's caliber on educational quality and competitive 'scales'.
Because of cheap tuition and occasional assistanships etc. it is obviously a better 'deal' than typical Psy D program. (or non funded PhD that charges $20-30,000 a year tuition). Question is where it stands in the other 'rankings', even approximately.
I have also been accepted for next fall into Queens clinical neuropsych program, but I decided to take another offer. I work at NYU med center and I have contact with current Queens students on practica and their supervisor. One student has just completed internship interviews at Yale, Harvard, and NYU Med and matched at her first choice, NYU Med center.
When I was interviewing at clinical programs I talked with the chief of neuropsych at NYU epilepsy center and he had very good things to say about the students from Queens. He said they have an exceptional understanding of neurological physiology and pathology, and that they make excellent clinicians. The only limitation they seem to have is a lack of solid psychotherapy training, which won't be a problem if you are more interested in assessment and research. However, as a clinical psychologist, you should have solid psychotherapy skills. This is why they are bringing in a new clinical director who will work to make the program stronger in this area. They will be applying for APA accreditation for the first time in the upcoming year or so and they will most likely attain it because of their committment to strong training.
Queens is heavily focused on research and has an intensive curriculum in neurological processes. I opted for a clinical neuropsych program with comparable training and full-funding, but I respect any clinical neuropsychologist who comes out of Queens. More importantly, internships and post-doc sites recognize Queens' excellence. In addition, you have a myriad of opportunities for training in the NY metro area.
In terms of which neuropsych programs are are most competitive, it seemed to me through the application process that any program that has a neuropsych specialization is going to be extremely competitive because it is a field gaining serious momentum as psychology turns more toward integrating clinical psychology and cognitive neuroscience. I think the primary question for any applicant is what type of neuropsych you want to pursue (e.g. aging, child, TBI, etc.) and apply to schools that have the resources (i.e. clinics, hospitals) to train you in your area of interest, and of course have faculty who match your research interests.
Hope this helps!