MA/MS Mental Health Counseling: TC Columbia or GSE Upenn?

[Xiaomeng]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Decision Time!

I'm an international student and I've been admitted to both Teachers College, Columbia's Mental Health Counseling program and Upenn GSE's Counseling and Mental Health Services.

Upenn gave me a merit scholarship(did not mention the exact amount of money) for one year, full time and TC didn't offer me any money for two years full time.

I want to become a licensed mental health counselor after graduation and I would also consider a doctorate program in counseling psychology or clinical psychology. (Plus, I found myself a little bit interested in psychoanalysis, if this need to be took into consideration when making the final decision.)

That being said, which program has better education quality/reputation/recognition and is better for me?

Any insight or advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I'll let others who are more knowledgeable chime in as to the reputations. But I would say ultimately, I would probably make the decision based on the scholarship (i.e., I would choose UPenn), if it's a decent amount and would tip the cost of attendance in UPenn's favor.

 

[Xiaomeng]

I'll let others who are more knowledgeable chime in as to the reputations. But I would say ultimately, I would probably make the decision based on the scholarship (i.e., I would choose UPenn), if it's a decent amount and would tip the cost of attendance in UPenn's favor.

Thank you very much! It turned out that Upenn gave me $1000 as merit scholarship. Not a very decent amount 🙁.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Ah, so yeah, that might not really affect the decision. You could still try comparing the projected overall costs of attendance, though, to see if there's a significant difference.

 

[Xiaomeng]

Ah, so yeah, that might not really affect the decision. You could still try comparing the projected overall costs of attendance, though, to see if there's a significant difference.

I would definitely do that. Again, thank you very much!🙂

 

[flowchase]

I would definitely do that. Again, thank you very much!🙂

I agree that total costs of attendance should be taken into account. I have colleagues who graduated from both programs and they appear to be well-trained. Not sure about Upenn's class sizes, but TC's is huge from my understanding (80-100 per cohort?) so you might get lost in the crowd easily unless you actively participate in research, which you should if considering a phd in clin/counseling psych.

Do also note that for Upenn's prog, you would need to continue with the 2nd year in Professional Counseling to be eligible for LPC (vs the 1 year full time you mentioned).

 

[R. Matey]

I knew someone who went to UPenn program and really liked it before going on for a counseling psychology PhD. I’ve also met people from TC at various conferences/interviews. Both programs seem solid. So really, finances are probably the bigger consideration.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk