I found it..

[FutureClinPsyc]

Oh My God!

I just found my dream school!

http://www3.widener.edu/Academics/S...sychology/Joint_Degree_Programs_/PsyD_JD/403/


I have always wanted to be a lawyer, but I love psychology so much more. At this place, I CAN DO BOTH. Oh my god! My dream school. lol.


I must find more info about this school. Anyone who has applied before please speak up!

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[positivepsych]

Widener, like other "professional schools" such as Alliant, CSPP, Agrosy, etc. are more like businesses than universities.

They want your tuition money and don't care about your career prospects. PhD/JD? why not do a PhD/JD/MBA? They'll encourage you to do anything that makes you take more credit hours and pay them more in tuition.

Caveat Emptor.

 

[irish80122]

The Drexel/Villanova one is pretty good. I am pretty sure Denver University (very good school IMO) has one as well.

 

[PsiKo]

Widener, like other "professional schools" such as Alliant, CSPP, Agrosy, etc. are more like businesses than universities.

They want your tuition money and don't care about your career prospects. PhD/JD? why not do a PhD/JD/MBA? They'll encourage you to do anything that makes you take more credit hours and pay them more in tuition.

Caveat Emptor.

I agree - watch out for professional schools.

However, there are other Law-Psychology programs out there. For instance, Drexel has one. Try googling it...

I don' t know the first thing about the programs at Widener, which proves absolutely nothing except that before you allow the raspy baritones of the Greek Chorus here to spook you away from even considering it, consider contacting the program's alumni affairs department and see if you can get the names of a few graduates from the combined program who would be willing to share their experiences with you.

Here's another worthy suggestion: If you have access to ProQuest's Dissertations & Theses database poke around and see what you come up with. Read the Dedication and the Acknowledgments sections and see if that helps give you a feel for the school environment.

Don't be dissuaded by the effete doom-and-gloom psychologistas here. The school may very well be worthy of your consideration.

 

[FutureClinPsyc]

I don' t know the first thing about the programs at Widener, which proves absolutely nothing except that before you allow the raspy baritones of the Greek Chorus here to spook you away from even considering it, consider contacting the program's alumni affairs department and see if you can get the names of a few graduates from the combined program who would be willing to share their experiences with you.

Here's another worthy suggestion: If you have access to ProQuest's Dissertations & Theses database poke around and see what you come up with. Read the Dedication and the Acknowledgments sections and see if that helps give you a feel for the school environment.

Don't be dissuaded by the effete doom-and-gloom psychologistas here. The school may very well be worthy of your consideration.

Hey,
Thank you so much for the reponse. I love these type of responses with not only information, but with information that is useful, and a way that is helpful in finding it. Now if only I get could get more replys like this to accompany others questions also. It seems the Psychology section is dead on here, or a cat has everyones toungue.
I searched wikipedia, and got some alumni's, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widener_University

Thanks again!


Also, while I am on the subject of schools. Is Phoenix Online a good school to get a bachelors degree from? I was considering this while doing undergraduate at a local university. I was considering trying to get a Bachelors in criminal justice, or something, or maybe another area of interest. Anyone know of any other online university's?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

The Drexel/Villanova one is pretty good. I am pretty sure Denver University (very good school IMO) has one as well.

I think I looked at DU back when I was applying to programs. From what I recall, it was a good program....the reason I didn't apply was bc the market is flooded in CO, and a big reason I wanted to go was to build local connections while still in school. I think it is a great place to live....but so do a lot of other clinicians.

-t

 

[irish80122]

Unfortunately so. I am a native Coloradan and while I would love to go back, I don't know if that will be in the cards for me. I do want to go on to a career in academics and I just don't know what the odds are of finding a job there. It is a great place, however.

 

[mpino]

from what i understand, widener is an extremely well respected psyd program, at least in the northeast...it does tend to lean towards psychodynamic therapy which may disuade some people from attending..
this is a very old ranking but widender is listed with only 6 or 7 other psyd programs
http://www.socialpsychology.org/clinrank.htm

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Unfortunately so. I am a native Coloradan and while I would love to go back, I don't know if that will be in the cards for me. I do want to go on to a career in academics and I just don't know what the odds are of finding a job there. It is a great place, however.

Unfortunately because of the glut of psychologists (and the quality of life...which is GREAT there), the avg salaries are lower there than other places. I have two friends (lawyers) who live out there, and they willingly traded $ for the quality of life.....and love it.

I'm hoping to move to NoCal and get similar things, but a higher salary. We'll see.

-t

 

[perfektspace]

I wouldn't put too much stock in some earlier comments. Widener offers one of the better Psy.D programs, although not in the league of Baylor and Rutgers. The Insider's guide lists that 42% receive full tuition remission and assistantship. That's better than the vast majority of professional schools (otherwise...$$$). Although the idea of being a psychologist and lawyer may sound alluring it doesn't make any sense unless you a specific career goal in mind.

 

[50960]

If you think Co has a glut of psychologists wait until you get to Northern Ca. I actually make more since I moved to Co than I did in Ca, and with alot less stress, traffic etc...

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

If you think Co has a glut of psychologists wait until you get to Northern Ca. I actually make more since I moved to Co than I did in Ca, and with alot less stress, traffic etc...

Really?

Ideall I'd like to land in a prescribing state....but who knows. I'm doing this for my quality of life, not money.....so it is very much up in the air.

-p

 

[psychanon]

Widener, like other "professional schools" such as Alliant, CSPP, Agrosy, etc. are more like businesses than universities.

I don't know too much about Widener, but I know it's not a professional school in the ilk of Argosy, Alliant, etc. It's a real university, with undergraduates and a law school and a real campus and all that. It's not for-profit, and according to its website it was founded in 1821. It's definitely not a top-tier university, but I would not go so far as to lump it with corporate "universities" like Alliant et al.
That said, I have no idea how good their program is.

 

[50960]

I plan to get my license in NM, DEA # etc, and fly down there to do some specialty work in psychopharm. CO is alot closer to NM than Ca.

 

[Psych98]

Widener, like other "professional schools" such as Alliant, CSPP, Agrosy, etc. are more like businesses than universities.

They want your tuition money and don't care about your career prospects. PhD/JD? why not do a PhD/JD/MBA? They'll encourage you to do anything that makes you take more credit hours and pay them more in tuition.

Caveat Emptor.

I just want to clarify any confusion about Widener's Psy.D program being "more like a business than a university." It is the second oldest Psy.D program in the country. The first Psy.D program was started at University of Illinois in 1968 and closed in 1980. It is clearly a university-based program like Rutgers.

I've attached a link for anyone who might find it helpful regarding the intial Psy.D programs at Widener, Baylor, and Rutgers:

http://www.apa.org/monitor/jan00/ed1.html

Regarding the opinion that they only want your tuition money, while the cost of a Psy.D program is certainly higher than a Ph.D, 3 of my 5 years of tuition at Widener were covered by my practicum and internship stipends (I graduated 9 years ago).

Clearly, there are many strong opinions about the Psy.D/Ph.D issue. I am the daughter of a Ph.D experimental psychologist who has always been supportive of my decision to pursue a Psy.D. Perhaps there are regional differences in this debate? I'm only asking because I have always stayed on the East Coast and have never had the experience of having someone put down my Psy.D - I've always felt respected and supported by Ph.D's. I'm new to this forum and I realize that there are many complex issues and points in the Psy.D/Ph.D debate but I think if people are going to make negative statments about certain programs, they should, at least, be accurate in their statements.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Great post!

-t

 

[Duckygirl]

Oh My God!

I just found my dream school!

http://www3.widener.edu/Academics/S...sychology/Joint_Degree_Programs_/PsyD_JD/403/


I have always wanted to be a lawyer, but I love psychology so much more. At this place, I CAN DO BOTH. Oh my god! My dream school. lol.


I must find more info about this school. Anyone who has applied before please speak up!

FutureClinPsyc-
If you decide at some point that perhaps you want to skip the law degree, but want to study psych and the law, here are the listings of schools in the Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology 2006/2007 Edition:
- George Washington University (PsyD)
-Iowa State University (Counseling)
-Loyola College of Maryland
-University of Arizona
-University of Florida (Counseling)
-University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- University of St. Thomas (Counseling)
-University of Southern Mississippi (Counseling)
-University of Wyoming.
I don't know if any of these programs actually offer a joint degree or not. I also know that sometimes the IGGPCCP sometimes lists schools under specialties that aren't necessarily a specialty or aren't available anymore. You have to do a little digging into each school's faculty and programs descriptions. If I recall correctly, I think that Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine's clinical program also offers a specialty in psychology law and policy. I could be wrong about that.

If you want to connect with people who have previously applied to Widener- try searching this year's interview and acceptance threads- I know we had people saying they were interviewing and maybe even deciding to go there. Good luck!

 

[DVKitten]

Widener, like other "professional schools" such as Alliant, CSPP, Agrosy, etc. are more like businesses than universities.

They want your tuition money and don't care about your career prospects. PhD/JD? why not do a PhD/JD/MBA? They'll encourage you to do anything that makes you take more credit hours and pay them more in tuition.

Caveat Emptor.

I would have to disagree. I interviewed, and was accepted into Argosy. The admissions process was not easy, and money seemed to be the last thing on their minds. I was even offered a $3000 scholarship (more than I was offered at other schools), and had a GREAT experience. I would recommend people look into the school for their Psy.D program (just my 2 cents).

 

[thewesternsky]

I would have to disagree. I interviewed, and was accepted into Argosy. The admissions process was not easy, and money seemed to be the last thing on their minds. I was even offered a $3000 scholarship (more than I was offered at other schools), and had a GREAT experience. I would recommend people look into the school for their Psy.D program (just my 2 cents).

I don't mean to be overly critical, and I'm glad you got into a program you're happy with. I'm sure that the admissions process was competitive. However, is a $3000 scholarship really going to put a dent in things when you're paying $83,000 in total tuition for your program, plus almost $1000 in supplementary fees each semester? Argosy (and any school that does not provide full funding) is concerned about your money. As in, they want it. And they want lots of it.

 

[RayneeDeigh]

I'm also under the impression that Argosy schools vary greatly in the quality of their education, depending on which "branch" is being considered. It could be that Dallas is one of the better ones (I honestly have no idea).

 

[DVKitten]

I don't mean to be overly critical, and I'm glad you got into a program you're happy with. I'm sure that the admissions process was competitive. However, is a $3000 scholarship really going to put a dent in things when you're paying $83,000 in total tuition for your program, plus almost $1000 in supplementary fees each semester? Argosy (and any school that does not provide full funding) is concerned about your money. As in, they want it. And they want lots of it.

Well at $3000 per year that isn't so bad nor is $850 per credit. Maybe it's just me; Argosy doesn't seem too equal blood sucking. Lets face it, if you want an education for free your out of luck at most schools. I don't mind paying for the PhD after my name at all... even if I wont make LOADS of money. If you're smart you will invest (I have a GREAT financial advisor). This PhD is an investment in yourself... so I see it as worth $83,000 hell... even $100,000 Ill makes it back, and move on.
In fact... lets look at it this way. Ask yourself, "Am I in this to make money or help people?" The reason why I wanted a PhD was so that I can HELP people through the therapeutic process, not drop the ball half way through a session, and have to pass someone off to a more 'qualified' person.

 

[Ollie123]

Lets face it, if you want an education for free your out of luck at most schools.

Just curious what you mean by this?
Unless you're talking about undergrad. I think the vast majority of us going for a doctorate are going for free or as near-free as makes no difference (I pay I think around $1000 for my first year and $500 for other years but then I get paid about $18,000 on top of that - I know plenty of others with an even better deal than mine).

I agree with you on the whole money-making aspect of psych, I decided against entering a much more lucrative field than this one (contract law) because I wanted to help people. I'm just not sure where people get the idea that paying large sums for grad school is inevitable. True at many schools the stipend isn't "quite" enough and people take additional loans for living, but I came across VERY few schools that charged full tuition to its grad students in the grand scheme of things.

 

[JockNerd]

Lets face it, if you want an education for free your out of luck at most schools.

I also don't follow this. I'm being paid to go to grad school. Actually, I'll make more than I made while working in any year of my undergrad. Every one of the 13 schools I applied to--including my safety schools--gave tuition waivers and some form of stipend or assistanceship to 100% of incoming students.*

This PhD is an investment in yourself... so I see it as worth $83,000 hell... even $100,000 Ill makes it back, and move on.

I prefer to have others invest in me


*Edit: I forgot--one US school only gave half tuition waivers. The two Canadian schools I applied to also don't waive tuition, but it's about 1/10 or less of what US tuition is anyway, and both gave large stipends to students.

 

[DVKitten]

Ok, Ill leave it alone. Maybe it's just me. I am leaving a job where I get paid well over $150K to go to school. I was not offered full tuition scholarship anywhere so... maybe Im not as smart as the rest of you (but I did graduate with a 3.97...oh well) . I was offered a position as a research asst. (that will cover the rest of my tuition). I still feel lucky.

 

[perfektspace]

In fact... lets look at it this way. Ask yourself, "Am I in this to make money or help people?" The reason why I wanted a PhD was so that I can HELP people through the therapeutic process, not drop the ball half way through a session, and have to pass someone off to a more 'qualified' person.

Be still my bleeding heart.

How about both. If I can't make a good living (i.e., return on the investment of my time spent earning a PhD) then I am going to need some help for myself pretty soon.