Leaving program

[zupa]

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Hi all, I could use a little advice on how to proceed with my particular situation. I am a second year student in a fully-funded clinical phd program right now and due to a sick family member am going to have to leave the program to return home (about 1200 miles away). I will not have completed my Masters as of when I leave and have been told by my program that I can not take a leave of absence. So, I feel like I'm stuck just abandoning the program. There are a few well-regarded psyd programs within a hour of my home, so I'm thinking of applying to them and transferring my credits. How realistic is this? I was wondering about the issue of switching from a phd to a psyd and if anyone thought this would create a problem?

Somewhat further complicating my situation is that my mentor, the training director of the program, and I do not get along. I am not planning on asking her for a letter of recommendation for my applications. There are other professors in my phd program who I know will write me good letters of rec, but do you all think it will look badly that I don't have one from my mentor/dir. of training?

Thanks for any/all help and opinions!!!!

 

[Hope4Grad]

Hi,

First of all, I'm sorry that you are in this situation and that one of your family members is sick. The good news is that I think - as long as you can get positive LOR's and some are from your current program (they don't all have to be and probably shouldn't, in order to show a long-standing pattern of good work and strong involvement in the field), have good grades, scores, and essays (i.e., you are a strong applicant) you will be fine. I am a 2nd year student at a top-tier university-based PsyD program, and I know a lot about what it takes to get into these programs.

I would recommend that for your essay, however, that you emphasize your interest (if it is there) in doing clinical work. The admissions committee will most likely be sensitive to the idea that you are switching to a clinically focused program and not continuing with your research focused training. They will want to know why, and "because I had a sick family member and this program was geographically convenient given my circumstances" will not fly. You are going to have to prove to the admissions committee that you are passionate about doing clinical work in order for them to give you one of their spots over another equally qualified candidate. In order to do this, you should have a track record (data) to back up this supposition.

In sum, don't do the PsyD for geographical reasons. If you are doing it because you want to that's great, but a PsyD is not "settling" or what you do when you can't get a PhD. It's a different kind of degree and different training. Just go into it with your eyes as wide open as possible and only if you can embrace the training model - or forever incur the wrath of your peers and faculty if you are lucky enough to get in.

 

[Pragma]

Oops double post

 

[Pragma]

Are you sure about the leave of absence? How long are you requesting to leave for? I know my program granted leaves in a couple of cases due to medical issues. But if you can't give them a timeframe perhaps that is the issue.

For a variety of reasons, doing a local PsyD might not be the best option. I find the above comments to be helpful. But it is interesting...usually PsyD graduates spend a bunch of time trying to explain how their degrees are the same and how they have plenty of research training.

I would try to work with your program to be sure about not having a leave option. Things like this happen sometimes and perhaps there is a way they can put your funding to the side and wait. If not, then I would seriously consider your career goals before pursuing a PsyD. If you do...be sure how "well regarded" these programs are and be prepared for not having many of your credits transfer.

 

[zupa]

I don't feel that I would be "settling" to go to the psyd programs that I am thinking of, during my first round of apps I applied to both phd and psyd programs based on their fit with my interests. Both are university based and have some level of funding and frankly I don't feel that I will have a need to defend my choice to go to a psyd program versus a phd program. I do have a significant amount of research training, including multiple pubs, but my main interest has always been being a clinician. My current program is very balanced in the way of research and clinical work. The main reason that I am choosing to focus on the local psyd programs (local is a city with 1.5mil people) is because the few phd programs in the area have no faculty with my area of interest, and my interests are very well defined.

There is absolutely 100% certainty that I can not take a leave of absence. I would not even consider leaving if I could stay, but the dean of our dept. assured me that it is not an option.

Hope4Grad, thank you for the ideas about the essay. Focusing on how my clinical work is my priority is a great idea!

 

[PhDToBe]

I don't feel that I would be "settling" to go to the psyd programs that I am thinking of, during my first round of apps I applied to both phd and psyd programs based on their fit with my interests. Both are university based and have some level of funding and frankly I don't feel that I will have a need to defend my choice to go to a psyd program versus a phd program. I do have a significant amount of research training, including multiple pubs, but my main interest has always been being a clinician. My current program is very balanced in the way of research and clinical work. The main reason that I am choosing to focus on the local psyd programs (local is a city with 1.5mil people) is because the few phd programs in the area have no faculty with my area of interest, and my interests are very well defined.

There is absolutely 100% certainty that I can not take a leave of absence. I would not even consider leaving if I could stay, but the dean of our dept. assured me that it is not an option.

Hope4Grad, thank you for the ideas about the essay. Focusing on how my clinical work is my priority is a great idea!

Have you consulted with a lawyer or someone high up in the university to make sure that their prohibiting you from taking a leave of absence is not illegal?

 

[JWPoods]

I am interested to know about transferring between phd programs. Is it possible to transfer from one to the other? What if I got my masters at my current phd program, and transferred to another program across the country after? Would I be able to start at the masters level, and finish up the remaining years? How does this work?

 

[Pragma]

I am interested to know about transferring between phd programs. Is it possible to transfer from one to the other? What if I got my masters at my current phd program, and transferred to another program across the country after? Would I be able to start at the masters level, and finish up the remaining years? How does this work?

It is rare and probably not a likely path for most people. If I were faculty in the program you wanted to transfer to, I would question how much we could trust you since you are abandoning your other program. There would have to be a very compelling reason and probably a very solid letter from the mentor you are ditching.

I'd also note that institutions might not accept all of your credit if you were able to successfully transfer. You may end up doing additional work, or taking electives to make up for some credits. You may have to essentially start over with the first years, depending on how your institution models things.

 

[cara susanna]

The only times I've heard of people successfully transferring is when their mentor left for another program and they followed him/her.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

The only times I've heard of people successfully transferring is when their mentor left for another program and they followed him/her.

Ditto. Any other transfer that might have occurred (at least ones that I've heard of) essentially involved the student having to largely start over. At the very least, the doctoral program is going to require that you take a set number of hours at their institution in order for them to be able to grant you a degree.