Help! Application Advice!

[az_zulu]

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Hi. I'm preparing the application process for acceptance in Fall 2007. I'm interested in developmental disabilities or special needs (especially autism)and would like to do research in that area with children and families (ABA therapy with the children and stress and coping skills with family members). I plan to apply to 15 to 20 programs in Clinical but I'm also planning on applying to a few School Psych PhD as well. The reason for this is, I'm quite interested in the inclusion of special needs children in mainstream classroom and managing the educational plans for these children.

My question is: Do you think it is odd for someone to apply to both Clinical and School Psych PhD programs at the same time? Does anyone see any disadvantages to doing so?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[joetro]

I don't think it's a problem at all, especially if they are at different schools. No one needs to know, and I'm sure lots of people apply across programs. Good luck.

 

[JatPenn]

Look at Ted Carr at Stony Brook and Sandra Harris at Rutgers as potential advisors (if they are taking students).

 

[Psyclops]

My question is: Do you think it is odd for someone to apply to both Clinical and School Psych PhD programs at the same time? Does anyone see any disadvantages to doing so?

Thanks in advance for your help!

I do no think it is odd, but it may have disadvantages. But let me see what the others think abou this oopinion. During your interviews you may get asked where else you applied. This is a perfectly valid question for them to ask, so you shouldn't feel like it's an invasion of privacy. If you answer with a bunch of schools that seem allover the oard they may think you lack focus. I was asked this question in an interview and when I told them the professor who asked went through and named all of the people to which I had applied. I said I was impressed and he said, don't be. Those are the people you should have applied to if you are truly interested in what you say you are interested in. That was basically the entire interview. If I had said a bunch of schools all over the board it may not have gone as well. But maybe this is an isolated incident. and your interests might gain more focus as time approaches the fall. Anyone else run into this?

 

[MsAnaF]

I do no think it is odd, but it may have disadvantages. But let me see what the others think abou this oopinion. During your interviews you may get asked where else you applied. This is a perfectly valid question for them to ask, so you shouldn't feel like it's an invasion of privacy. If you answer with a bunch of schools that seem allover the oard they may think you lack focus. I was asked this question in an interview and when I told them the professor who asked went through and named all of the people to which I had applied. I said I was impressed and he said, don't be. Those are the people you should have applied to if you are truly interested in what you say you are interested in. That was basically the entire interview. If I had said a bunch of schools all over the board it may not have gone as well. But maybe this is an isolated incident. and your interests might gain more focus as time approaches the fall. Anyone else run into this?

i had the same experience at one interview. the professor asked where i had applied and named each of the profs i was interested in working with, and he was right.
i don't think it will make or break the interview, but you should be prepared to explain why you applied to a variety of programs. i think explaining that you are interested in children with developmental disabilities and some school psych programs offer this type of research is valid.

 

[PublicHealth]

Hi. I'm preparing the application process for acceptance in Fall 2007. I'm interested in developmental disabilities or special needs (especially autism)and would like to do research in that area with children and families (ABA therapy with the children and stress and coping skills with family members). I plan to apply to 15 to 20 programs in Clinical but I'm also planning on applying to a few School Psych PhD as well. The reason for this is, I'm quite interested in the inclusion of special needs children in mainstream classroom and managing the educational plans for these children.

My question is: Do you think it is odd for someone to apply to both Clinical and School Psych PhD programs at the same time? Does anyone see any disadvantages to doing so?

Thanks in advance for your help!

http://web.uconn.edu/psychology/Faculty/Fein/Fein.html

 

[az_zulu]

Thanks for everyone's advice so far. Most if not all of the schools I plan to attend have a prof whose interests are very close to mine. However, I'm not sure if they are all accepting students yet. Does anyone know how to go about emailing a prof. to find out if they are taking students the following year? What should the email entail and when is a good time to send it??

 

[Psyclops]

Thanks for everyone's advice so far. Most if not all of the schools I plan to attend have a prof whose interests are very close to mine. However, I'm not sure if they are all accepting students yet. Does anyone know how to go about emailing a prof. to find out if they are taking students the following year? What should the email entail and when is a good time to send it??

It is most likely too soon for them to know, they still haven't started wrking with their new students. But, you must e-mail them as the fall semester gets underway. I would defenitely do it in late september early october. This is a must do. You don't want to waste your time applying if they aren't taking anyone. You are ahead of the curve, you are getting a good and early start.

If I could do it again I would e-mail the professors in late summer and tell them a little about myself, and also that I was very interested in the work they were doing, you should have read some of their stuff so you can ask a couple of well informed questions, and then ask them where they see their research program going over the next few years. (Irealized I changed from I to you in that last sentance kindof akwardly) Hopefully you can start up a little of a dialogue with them. Then you can ask them later in the sememster if they plan on taking anyone, and they should recognize your name come application time.

remeber to be polite.

 

[clinpsychgirl]

I have a friend going to Hofstra's combined clinical/school psych PhD program. It might be worth looking into.