First day of classes for Fall 2005 students!

[psychapp]

Hey guys,

Just thought I'd touch base with those of us who went through the application process a year ago and see how classes are going for new clinical/developmental/social/etc. students in psychology!!

Post how you are doing--I'd love to hear from everyone esp. since we all spent so much time on these boards last year and earlier this year!!

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[Sanman]

Hey,
I' m doing well. The weather in Virginia is great right now. I'm am as busy as I ever wanted to be, but enjoying most of what I'm doing. It also helps that my class is great and we all get along and help each other. I honestly think that due the hard week we all had last week, going out and partying this past weekend was the most fun I've had in a little while. Grante, the alcohol didn't hurt either! Well, back to the ridiculous amount of reading and lit searches I have to do. Later all!

 

[PublicHealth]

Hey,
I' m doing well. The weather in Virginia is great right now. I'm am as busy as I ever wanted to be, but enjoying most of what I'm doing. It also helps that my class is great and we all get along and help each other. I honestly think that due the hard week we all had last week, going out and partying this past weekend was the most fun I've had in a little while. Grante, the alcohol didn't hurt either! Well, back to the ridiculous amount of reading and lit searches I have to do. Later all!

Wow! Sounds like fun! If you don't mind my asking, where are you pursuing your PhD/PsyD and what is your schedule like as a first-year student?

Thank you!

 

[cmuhooligan]

Things are also going well for me at my program, I love my class, we have bonded really quickly, and many of the older students love to go out with us too! Classes are going to be difficult, but more in terms of workload, not really content, at least in my opinion, the only negative is that i really wanted to jump into research, as in starting my own this semester, but i was really discouraged in doing so, i was told to just prepare for the thesis, and in following years i would have more time to have my own side projects, but as i want to pursue an academic position i really wanted to get a head start on getting some publications, but oh well, all in due time i supose!

 

[twiggers]

Hi all,

I'm already in my third week. So far so good. I've become immersed in my mentor's lab, going to assessments and observing, etc. I've already formulated an idea for my 1st year project, which I hope to expand into my masters. I'm currently doing lit searches for background info. on my subject (emotion regulation, temperament, parental sensitivity, self-regulatory behaviors, etc.), and having a ball heehee. I've started lit searches for the book chapter I'm co-writing this year as well. Our incoming class is quite large (about 19 for the whole psych department) and we all get along great. Have started a study group for stats, and a movie of the month club. Football season has started, and we've already won our first game. Overall I'm incredibly happy with my decision

 

[RES]

Hey everyone,

I'm about to start my 4th week of classes and I LOVE it!! My incoming class is actually really small, just 2 other people and me. The older grad students are awesome and have really been there for us and taken us in. The other 2 students in my class and I have all bonded very quickly as well. All in all, the students are all a very tight knit group. My advisor is awesome and I am about to really start getting into the research aspect. We're hashing out the final details of my first year project, and I'm really excited. I could not possibly be any happier and I know I made the right choice. Like others have said, it's A LOT of work, but it's all worth it! I'm glad to hear that others are happy with their decision and doing well. I can't believe it's already a year that we were beginning this stressful process and now here we are I wish everyone the best of luck and I hope we'll all post here every so often and kinda keep in touch with each other and posted on how our educations progress. Take care all!

 

[Sanman]

originally posted by PublicHealth

Wow! Sounds like fun! If you don't mind my asking, where are you pursuing your PhD/PsyD and what is your schedule like as a first-year student?

I'm in a PsyD program in Virginia. I won't mentin the name for the sake of anonymity, but you can figure it out if you're so inclined. Right now, I taking five classes, a oneday a week practicum, and a research assistantship. I'm pretty busy, but it isn't that bad. I guess its all in your attitude.

 

[PublicHealth]

I'm in a PsyD program in Virginia. I won't mentin the name for the sake of anonymity, but you can figure it out if you're so inclined. Right now, I taking five classes, a oneday a week practicum, and a research assistantship. I'm pretty busy, but it isn't that bad. I guess its all in your attitude.

Still having thoughts of medical school? Several of my clinical psych friends have confessed to me that they thought a lot about medical school when on their clinical (vertical) teams discussing clients with complex medical/psychological symptoms. Two of them left their programs to apply to medical school. They often said that psychology training leaves much more to be desired in terms of understanding the human condition and psychopathology. What are your thoughts?

 

[Sanman]

Well, I haven't had any regrets so far. Right now I'm completing a practicum at a rehab hospital with many patients having medical and psych issues. I really like the way the staff works together. Honestly, I sometimes feel happy to have not gone that route. I really wouldn't want to be in charge of some of the more difficult patients we see, I'm exhasted enough at the end of the day just having deal with them for a few hours. I wouldn't want them stuck on my service. I must admit that neuropsych is different from the severe psychopathology in some other arenas, and we are somewhat left to our own thing. Feelings might be different for psychologists who have to work with psychiatrists and may be overuled in certain circumstances. The psychologists I worked with have had to fight with and psychiatrists to take patients off medication and the like, but it is not as often. All in all, I'm pretty happy with what I'm doing. I feel that while I get respect and have responsibility, the fact that I am not ultimately responsilbe is fine. It makes my life less stressful at the end of the day and allows me to forget about work. I think I prefer simply being a consult, otherwise I don't know if I could not worry about outcome of my patients when I'm not there.

 

[sunny22]

Hi folks!

After a month of moving chaos -- my stuff didn't get here, my apt wasn't ready, they lost my car (!!), etc. -- I am finally hear and settled, and immersed in classes and research. I am enjoying my program (and the weather!), but I am hoping that things will calm down soon.

I am loving the people, the classes and the material, so feel good about my choice! The only thing I am not enjoying so much is my TAship, but I gotta pay the rent!

*sunny22

 

[PublicHealth]

Well, I haven't had any regrets so far. Right now I'm completing a practicum at a rehab hospital with many patients having medical and psych issues. I really like the way the staff works together. Honestly, I sometimes feel happy to have not gone that route. I really wouldn't want to be in charge of some of the more difficult patients we see, I'm exhasted enough at the end of the day just having deal with them for a few hours. I wouldn't want them stuck on my service. I must admit that neuropsych is different from the severe psychopathology in some other arenas, and we are somewhat left to our own thing. Feelings might be different for psychologists who have to work with psychiatrists and may be overuled in certain circumstances. The psychologists I worked with have had to fight with and psychiatrists to take patients off medication and the like, but it is not as often. All in all, I'm pretty happy with what I'm doing. I feel that while I get respect and have responsibility, the fact that I am not ultimately responsilbe is fine. It makes my life less stressful at the end of the day and allows me to forget about work. I think I prefer simply being a consult, otherwise I don't know if I could not worry about outcome of my patients when I'm not there.

You're doing a practicum in your first year of graduate school? What exactly are you doing--assessments, therapy? I was under the impression that clinical psychology students don't do practica until their second or third years. Could you provide some more details regarding this practicum experience?

 

[LM02]

You're doing a practicum in your first year of graduate school? What exactly are you doing--assessments, therapy? I was under the impression that clinical psychology students don't do practica until their second or third years. Could you provide some more details regarding this practicum experience?

Most programs are structured so that, at the beginning of 2nd year, students begin to take on therapy cases through practica. However, several programs have assessment practica in the first year, and still other programs actually start psychotherapy training in year 1 (e.g., University of Georgia clinical psych does this).

In my program, we did an assessment practicum in the spring of year 1 (i.e., diagnostic, personality, and cognitive), and then started psychotherapy training at the beginning of year 2.

 

[mayab]

I've just finished my first week of classes as a first year Masters student in School and Clinical Child Psychology. My supervisor and professors are all very supportive and friendly and our class is small. So I think we will build some excellent relationships over the next 6 (!!) years.

I must admit that my assessment course is causing some serious anxiety. We were going over the course outline in the first class and it was like reading a foreign language with all the WISC-IVs and WPPSI-III etc

So if any other students have any tips for getting through similar assessment/psychometric tests, please do share