Need help deciding between two PsyD programs

[shoe22]

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Hello Everyone!

I have been accepted at two schools and having a hard time deciding between the two. I wondered if anyone had any advice on which is the better school, if it is between Florida Institute of Technology and the Adler School of Professional Psychology. I'm going for my PsyD in Clinical Psychology and have a holistic, Adlerian slant to the type of psychotherapy I would eventually want to do but also a strong interest in Neuropsychology. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!!!!

 

[nicu82]

hands down FIT is a better program. look at all the details, especially their class size and internship match rates

 

[terpskins10]

hands down FIT is a better program. look at all the details, especially their class size and internship match rates

Agreed. Even though it shouldn't matter that much, I think FIT has a stronger reputation as well.

 

[shoe22]

Thanks for the quick responses! My only concern with FIT was that there isn't much around there and would not give me as many opportunities or contacts for later use. Also, (though I know I won't be able to get out that much because I will be busy and poor) there isn't much around there culturally speaking. Do you all think that these should be a concern?

 

[PsyDr]

you're prolly not going to need local resources for alter use until your internship year, which will likely be in a different geographical location.

 

[funfunfun19]

I have been accepted into both CSPP and Florida tech and can't make up my mind. Despite the huge financial burden of either school, anyone have ideas about which has a better reputation?

Both have a health concentration and both cities have potential plusses and minuses...

 

[Hirschykiss310]

I definitely agree with Jon on this one. Melbourne is a VERY small town with not much going on. I visited the school for interview day and the students did say it gets boring. A city like Chicago would be a lot better for finding practicum opportunities (plus there’s a whole lot more going on and a whole lot more diverse). If you’re not up to spending $100 bucks on a Friday to go to Orlando it’s probably not the greatest place for you haha. Also, they accept a large number of students for their program (there’s between 20-25 a class). Some of the students have to travel to Orlando for the practicum and internship sites. They seem to have a pretty good forensic and child/family track but there weren’t as many students involved in the health concentration that I talked to. FIT is EXTREMELY expensive and not many student’s get a lot of financial help through scholarships or funding. They have a limited number of spots open for this and it seemed pretty competitive to obtain one. I cringed when I tried to figure out how much their 5 year program would cost me in the end. A few of the academic opportunities I was interested in are also hard to get a spot for your first year or two unless you already have a Master’s degree which I don’t. I will probably be accepting an offer at another program which offers more financial help as and it’s also a smaller class size! I hope this all helps and the best of luck to you!

 

[funfunfun19]

Thanks for all your help guys. Another question for me was about the numbers they told us:

FIT had about 100 applicants and are offering 20-25 spots.
CSPP had about 500 applicants and are offering 75 spots for the general track. Is a class of 75 too big?

Does this mean one is more competitive or just that Chicago is a prime location for PsyD applicants? Also, does anyone know what the competition is like for practicum in Chicago for CSPP students?


THAAAAANKS fellow nice applicants!

 

[shoe22]

I definitely agree with Jon on this one. Melbourne is a VERY small town with not much going on. I visited the school for interview day and the students did say it gets boring. A city like Chicago would be a lot better for finding practicum opportunities (plus there’s a whole lot more going on and a whole lot more diverse). If you’re not up to spending $100 bucks on a Friday to go to Orlando it’s probably not the greatest place for you haha. Also, they accept a large number of students for their program (there’s between 20-25 a class). Some of the students have to travel to Orlando for the practicum and internship sites. They seem to have a pretty good forensic and child/family track but there weren’t as many students involved in the health concentration that I talked to. FIT is EXTREMELY expensive and not many student’s get a lot of financial help through scholarships or funding. They have a limited number of spots open for this and it seemed pretty competitive to obtain one. I cringed when I tried to figure out how much their 5 year program would cost me in the end. A few of the academic opportunities I was interested in are also hard to get a spot for your first year or two unless you already have a Master’s degree which I don’t. I will probably be accepting an offer at another program which offers more financial help as and it’s also a smaller class size! I hope this all helps and the best of luck to you!

I agree that Melbourne is a small town with not much going on, which was one of my greatest concerns, but cost-wise both the Chicago school and Adler are waaaaaaaaaaay more expensive. On the whole I would say that FIT is on the average end from a tuition standpoint. At least from the PsyD programs I have seen.

 

[Hirschykiss310]

FIT = $9340.00 per semester. . . 11 semesters full-time residency required = $102,740 just in tuition + they charge tuition for internship.

While competition for practicum sites is stiff in Chicago, there are a lot more opportunities. Plus, to put it bluntly, Melbourne is a boring, expensive for its size, little town. CSPP is possibly more expensive. It all depends on how their semesters lay out and I don't really know either program.

I do think you'd be better off considering other schools.

You just have to think...Chicago offers more practicum opportunities and even with a larger class size, it probably wouldn't be as competitive to obtain one. I'm just saying, from personal experience that Melbourne is SMALL and it's also not a very well-off area which leads me to my next point. Jon Snow is right...Melbourne is quite expensive. I go to undergrand in a small town in upstate NY and the cost of living is nothing. It's the opposite there. I thought after visiting that I'd want to just flee NY and ejoy some nice weather but I actually changed my mind. After thinking about it and visiting all my schools for interviews I decided its more important to go to the better school with better internship opportunities (which is your ultimate goal anyway) and am probably choosing a school in the New York City area instead. The tuition is actually cheaper, and there's always something to do there anyway!

 

[Hoping4PsyD]

Hello All -

I'm really having a tough time making a decision between the PsyD programs at all of these schools. They are all pretty similar in class size, orientations and outcomes rates.

Does anyone have any advice or comment on the schools' reputations?

Would love to hear from anyone - especially current students!

 

[GCsurfer]

Melbourne is a little bit expensive, because it is right on the beach in Florida. When I was at FIT for interview day I was surfing in the ocean with only a bathing suit on, while everywhere up north was getting pounded by snow. The weather, the waves and the beach is a huge selling point for me! I thought that melbourne would be a perfect beach town for me to spend the next four years.

So if you go to FIT, invest in a used surfboard and you can have exersize, stress relief, and a fun social activity that is basically free after buying a used board.

This is all in addition to my being impressed with the program, faculty and current students at FIT.

 

[Hirschykiss310]

Melbourne is a little bit expensive, because it is right on the beach in Florida. When I was at FIT for interview day I was surfing in the ocean with only a bathing suit on, while everywhere up north was getting pounded by snow. The weather, the waves and the beach is a huge selling point for me! I thought that melbourne would be a perfect beach town for me to spend the next four years.

So if you go to FIT, invest in a used surfboard and you can have exersize, stress relief, and a fun social activity that is basically free after buying a used board.

This is all in addition to my being impressed with the program, faculty and current students at FIT.

Yea the weather is nice, but ultimately you have to remember why you're really there and that's for grad school which is basically the beginning of your professional career. It's truly difficult to really be able to have fun when you're in a clinical psyc program going for your doctorate. True, those options are there when you have time but the students did say they can't enjoy it as much as you may think they do.