Leave my PsyD program for another?

[smalltownpsych]

Missoula is awesome, and western Montana as a whole is gorgeous. Honestly, the Mountain West is so underrated.

Shhh! Don’t tell anyone about it. I moved to Wyoming for internship and this is just one example of what I would see in my front yard. We rented a cabin on two acres of aspen forest for 700 a month while we rented out our tiny condo in SoCal for 1200. It is a completely different lifestyle and we love it.

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[Sanman]

Shhh! Don’t tell anyone about it. I moved to Wyoming for internship and this is just one example of what I would see in my front yard. We rented a cabin on two acres of aspen forest for 700 a month while we rented out our tiny condo in SoCal for 1200. It is a completely different lifestyle and we love it.
View attachment 376001

My wife might have an actual heart attack if that was in our front yard.

 

[psydquestioning]

I don't know to what extent it happens now, but, for a long time, a lot of graduate school advice minimized the importance of location. Some of that may have been because many prospective applicants dismiss entire regions out of hand -- some here might remember a poster years ago who didn't want to go to "flyover country" -- but that may have encouraged applicants to discount how important location may be to them personally. That's not to absolve applicants of responsibility; at the end of the day, it's up to them to inform themselves as much as they can about how they're intending to spend the next 5–7 years. However, I think the volume of advice to go to graduate school at any cost may lead to some students not thinking as deeply as they should if giving up {X, Y, Z} for several years is worthwhile to them.

Yes. Not to minimize my lack of consideration, but any time I expressed concern over the location prior to attending, I was told by basically everyone that it does not matter and that I won’t care. I considered everything else from costs to the program reputation and faculty. I also reached out to current students.

If I were advising prospective students who were thinking about something like location, I would not tell them that it simply does not matter. I would ask them to consider how much it mattered and why.

This is all to say that there are other things to consider than just how good a program is. Mental health during the doctorate is important, both for ability to finish and just general life quality.

 

[Sanman]

I don't know to what extent it happens now, but, for a long time, a lot of graduate school advice minimized the importance of location. Some of that may have been because many prospective applicants dismiss entire regions out of hand -- some here might remember a poster years ago who didn't want to go to "flyover country" -- but that may have encouraged applicants to discount how important location may be to them personally. That's not to absolve applicants of responsibility; at the end of the day, it's up to them to inform themselves as much as they can about how they're intending to spend the next 5–7 years. However, I think the volume of advice to go to graduate school at any cost may lead to some students not thinking as deeply as they should if giving up {X, Y, Z} for several years is worthwhile to them.

Yes. Not to minimize my lack of consideration, but any time I expressed concern over the location prior to attending, I was told by basically everyone that it does not matter and that I won’t care. I considered everything else from costs to the program reputation and faculty. I also reached out to current students.

If I were advising prospective students who were thinking about something like location, I would not tell them that it simply does not matter. I would ask them to consider how much it mattered and why.

This is all to say that there are other things to consider than just how good a program is. Mental health during the doctorate is important, both for ability to finish and just general life quality.

There is nothing wrong with location being important and it can be a consideration. However, it think that consideration comes into play only after one has gained multiple acceptances. At that point one should consider location, friendliness of the program, training experiences, etc. However, I disagree that it is a great idea to do so before you have an offer in hand.

I once came across a man begging for money on the street. I agreed to help him get something to eat. He then insisted I go to the sandwich store across the street and purchase him a foot long Italian sub, soda, and chips. Excuse me, are you the beggar or the chooser in this scenario because you can't be both?! Same goes for applicants with a laundry list of wants and no acceptances.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

There is nothing wrong with location being important and it can be a consideration. However, it think that consideration comes into play only after one has gained multiple acceptances. At that point one should consider location, friendliness of the program, training experiences, etc. However, I disagree that it is a great idea to do so before you have an offer in hand.

I once came across a man begging for money on the street. I agreed to help him get something to eat. He then insisted I go to the sandwich store across the street and purchase him a foot long Italian sub, soda, and chips. Excuse me, are you the beggar or the chooser in this scenario because you can't be both?! Same goes for applicants with a laundry list of wants and no acceptances.

Or, at the very least, with the understanding that if location is very important to you and is going to substantially impact your decisions, it's potentially also going to significantly impact your ability to secure an acceptance and pursue the career. And there's not really a way around that.

 

[PsyDWannabe]

Missoula is awesome, and western Montana as a whole is gorgeous. Honestly, the Mountain West is so underrated.

Wait… Missoula is not just a fun way of saying Missouri? It’s its own place? Wow!




Lol.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Missoula is a cute town. I’d live there 100/100 compared to anywhere in the South.

 

[smalltownpsych]

My wife might have an actual heart attack if that was in our front yard.

Four years later my wife was petting them.