No GRE Required?

[forbig]

I was wondering if anybody knew of any accredited PsyD or PhD programs that (a) don't require GRE scores and (b) what the liabilities of such programs might be.

Thanks.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[PinkSoil]

All I can say is that the school I was accepted to (Chestnut Hill College) will accept the MAT instead of the GRE. I believe that Immaculate is the same. They are both Psy.D. programs. Oh, also PCOM doesn't require any standardized test scores-- this are cognitive behavioral in orientation and you have to have a Masters Degree to apply to the program.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I was wondering if anybody knew of any accredited PsyD or PhD programs that (a) don't require GRE scores and (b) what the liabilities of such programs might be.

Thanks.

I wouldn't consider any program that didn't have this as a criteria, as it would be a red flag in my eyes. Programs use the GRE in different ways....some as a hard cut off for consideration, and others as just another data point. I know The Wright Institute uses them for outcome research and comparison, though not as a screening cut off for admissions....that is probably as close as you'll find for not having a direct effect on admissions.

I don't know of any program that doesn't require one, at least an APA-approved program.

 

[baylordude]

The Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago doesn't require the GREs. However, they do recommend taking them if you feel that doing so will enhance your application (i.e. compensate for a relatively low undergraduate GPA). I think the emphasis on Social Responsibility attracts many talented and compassionate applicants who are very much interested in legislation. In lieu of the GREs, the school requires an on-site writing sample that is somewhat extensive and does require some critical thinking. I found the interview to be up to par with university-based interviews. On a side note, if you're interested in neuropsych, they have an excellent specialization track that's designed in congruence with the standards set forth by division 40. I would definitely look into it.

 

[baylordude]

There is one more you might want to look into:

Alliant International University in Irvine, CA. I don't know much about it other than it probably doesn't require the GREs. With that said, I don't believe it's APA-accredited either. However, depending on what you eventually want to do, accreditation may not matter.

P.S. Adler is APA-accredited

 

[erg923]

Alliant International Univerity is the new improved name for California School of Professional Psychology. Although I'm sure it is possible to get adequate training there....their reputation is poor nation wide. I agree that not requiring the GRE would through up red flags for me in terms of the program and the quality of students these schools are getting.

 

[baylordude]

While red flags were the initial thought I had about Adler, I went ahead and went to the interview to test the waters. I must say that I was impressed with many of the students during the group interview. During the "get to know you" portion of the group interview, many of the folks stated that they were from rather presitigious undergraduate institutions (Dartmouth and NYU to name a couple). I think it's worth checking out. I wouldn't let superficial entrance standards impede on your decision to attend. If the school is a good fit for you and provides a rigorous education, what more can you ask for?

 

[Neuropsych2be]

Since I live 90 minutes from the school, I visited the campus of Argosy in Atlanta. One of the points made to me by the admissions/marketing person was that the GRE was not required and they used the MAT instead. I seem to recall their literature stating that as well. I don't know if the situation has changed or if it represents Argosy policy across the nation.

 

[Jon4PsyD]

I wonder if there is some sort of financial dealing/benefit between ETS and schools that require the GRE...?

Anyway...Adler is the only one I knew of. Most Master's programs are no longer requiring it, I wonder if doctoral programs will soon follow. But I agree with T4C they need something else as a measuring stick...

Jon

 

[forbig]

*MOD NOTE: I combined this thread with an existing one from <2 weeks ago. No worries, "GRE" isn't too short of a term to search for, so it wasn't easy to find. -t*

Hey. Is anyone aware of accredited PsyD or PhD programs that do not require the GRE?

 

[erg923]

Hey. Is anyone aware of accredited PsyD or PhD programs that do not require the GRE?

I know Alliant (CSPP) and some of the related 150K type schools don't. Their poor reps have been well documented here though. I really would be careful about schools that dont. I might ask myself why 99% of programs use it and this program doesn't? I would worry about the quality of students they were getting as well. GRE is just part of the game. Its not fun, but we all had to do it.
And didn't you ask this question before and get several responses?

 

[lakan]

doesn't take GRE into consideration when looking at applicants.

 

[MaddieMay]

No one will know all of them off the top of their heads, but you can flip through The Insider's Guide and find out.

 

[socialcog]

I know Alliant (CSPP) and some of the related 150K type schools don't. Their poor reps have been well documented here though. I really would be careful about schools that dont. I might ask myself why 99% of programs use it and this program doesn't? I would worry about the quality of students they were getting as well. GRE is just part of the game. Its not fun, but we all had to do it.
And didn't you ask this question before and get several responses?

if you have your sights set on schools that do not require the GRE, you might as well take the GRE for the hell of it. You have nothing to lose if you bomb it....everything to gain if you do well on it (ie: apply to more schools with strong match rates).

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I combined this thread with an earlier one....it'd be worth it to read the older replies for more information.

 

[angrydragon]

I was wondering if anybody knew of any accredited PsyD or PhD programs that (a) don't require GRE scores and (b) what the liabilities of such programs might be.

Thanks.

As many mentioned already, Alliant/Argosy/Adler all do not require the GRE and not all campuses, but many of their (Alliant/Argosy) campus programs are APA accredited.

The general take on "raising a red flag" for schools that do not accept the GRE are understandable and quite likely warranted. However, I do have a slightly different stance on the matter. I personally do not believe the format of the GRE is the best in predicting how good of a graduate student you will be. Truthfully, how well you can memorize vocabulary words that truthfully, I do not believe 90% of the population ever uses (unless maybe if you are a english/literature major), is the best predictor of how good of a psychologist or grad student you will be.

I believe it was possibly Wright Institute that stated on their website that one of the reasons why they do not require or judge too harshly your GRE scores is because they do not believe that test scores are the only or most reliable means of gaging an individual's potential for success.

Trying not to be too biased, but I ultimately didn't score the best, I think it was a 940 collective. However, and not suffering from delusions of grandeur by any means here, I am confident that I can and will become a very competent and hard working psychologist who will strive to not only better myself but the lives of others I encounter. That being said...does my score on the GRE truly and accurately denigrate my previous statement?

Like so many things in life, it is what you make out of it. Well aware that CSPP/Argosy both have less than amiable reputations, but mostly from the academic world. I have several friends in Yale, Harvard and Columbia that have divulged to me that although those who excel, more than live up to our own expectations of what such prestigious schools mean, there is very high percentage of those who definitely fall short. This includes some faculty and program administrators as well.

Look at what the program offers in terms of approach, concentration, focus and if those things match your own personal interest for your future career, then pursue and be part of the group that has so much potential for success that it almost doesn't matter where you go. For interviews, don't rely so much on the "name" of your school because as fair interviewers, they really should be looking at YOU.

I realize this is a winded reply, hopefully you can rummage through all the unnecessary information and extract what you need.

 

[Epione K]

Antioch University in Santa Barbara also doesn't require the GRE. I interviewed here, and honestly wasn't very impressed at all. I think I'm literally the only person on this forum who interviewed here - I haven't heard it mentioned AT ALL! Anyway, it was for a PsyD, but their program is brand new, and it has yet to have its first graduating class, so it's not APA accredited (big downfall in my books). However, the city of Santa Barbara is so gorgeous that I momentarily considered attending this school solely for the location (which would be stupid, lol).

 

[toby jones]

MIT and Cornell don't require GRE's for Philosophy. They might require them for Psychology, though. Don't know if they have clinical psychology programs...

 

[PsyCoCo]

I agree that not requiring the GRE would through up red flags for me in terms of the program and the quality of students these schools are getting.

I would like to understand why people see it as a "red flag" when a school doesn't require a GRE score for admission. You do realize that GRE scores have NOTHING to do with the grad program quality, right?

I wrote a paper on the GRE my senior year as an undergrad. It is a very commonly misunderstood and misused test. It is ONLY designed to predict the likelihood of success during year 1 of grad school. It also demonstrates that you actually have verbal and quantitative skills. That's all it does. It is not an intelligence test or an assessment of the quality of your undergrad education.
Actually, research has shown that the single best predictor of grad school success is your undergrad GPA. (citations at home, BTW)

Yet, many school still mistakenly use the GRE as a measure of student quality.
That is not what it was designed for.

 

[psychometric]

I would like to understand why people see it as a "red flag" when a school doesn't require a GRE score for admission. You do realize that GRE scores have NOTHING to do with the grad program quality, right?

I wrote a paper on the GRE my senior year as an undergrad. It is a very commonly misunderstood and misused test. It is ONLY designed to predict the likelihood of success during year 1 of grad school. It also demonstrates that you actually have verbal and quantitative skills. That's all it does. It is not an intelligence test or an assessment of the quality of your undergrad education.
Actually, research has shown that the single best predictor of grad school success is your undergrad GPA. (citations at home, BTW)

Yet, many school still mistakenly use the GRE as a measure of student quality.
That is not what it was designed for.

I believe they actually use it to sort out numbers of students that would be too many and would be imploding their program. It is therefore the laziest and coarsest of all strategies , not understanding the applicant pool at all , just sorting for a quick result. Students are so much more than GRE scores. The system is just broken, despite the many replies to the contrary we will see after this comment.

 

[dd123]

Ottawa U (in Ontario, Canada) doesn't ask for GRE, because it's a bilingual school, so the GRE would not be available to francophones (I think that's the reasoning). Hence, it might follow that the francophone universities (in Canada) might be the same: U Quebec? i think there's a few others...if you know/want to learn french.

note that you don't need to know french to get into Ottawa U.

 

[helga]

Oise's (ontario instute for studies in education) at u of toronto has a child clinical school psych program that is accredited by CPA and apa that doesn't use gre scores

 

[FionaGirl]

What about Fielding? Has anyone interviewed there? They require no GRE I believe.

 

[apumic]

Oise's (ontario instute for studies in education) at u of toronto has a child clinical school psych program that is accredited by CPA and apa that doesn't use gre scores

Unfortunately, the APA has made their accred. pretty much meaningless by accrediting just about any school that will pay their dues....

 

[thewesternsky]

Unfortunately, the APA has made their accred. pretty much meaningless by accrediting just about any school that will pay their dues....

I'm not sure if you meant to reply directly to the OISE comment with this-- I thought the school/clinical program was fairly high-quality? They seem to have quite selective admissions standards OTHER than the GRE, for instance, and seem to provide decent funding....

 

[apumic]

I'm not sure if you meant to reply directly to the OISE comment with this-- I thought the school/clinical program was fairly high-quality? They seem to have quite selective admissions standards OTHER than the GRE, for instance, and seem to provide decent funding....

I'm not that familiar with the program, so I was mostly making the point that simply b/c a program is accredited doesn't mean a whole lot. However, by the looks of it, they place an extraordinarily low number of their graduates in accredited internship sites at less than 19% (possibly the most important criteria in a good program since it gives a very strong indication of the way other professionals view graduates of the program). Generally, if a program is placing less than about 60% of their graduates in APA/CPA accredited sites, I would definitely think twice about attending that school, since if you go there and get to the end of your Ph.D. education, apply to internship and don't match to any APA (or CPA) accredited sites, what will you do? You can certainly choose to attend an unaccedited site; however, it is well-known that choosing that path is likely to close many doors down the road. (In much the same way as attending an unaccredited doctoral program is going to close doors.) With that in mind, I would instead suggest the OP simply work on getting those GRE scores up and applying to programs that require the GRE. Finding excellent programs that are exceptions to the rule seems to me like a fool's game.

 

[helga]

This year is the first year that OISE is requiring its students to apply for APPIC accredited internship sites- before that most students stayed in toronto and arranged internships at the school board or at hospitals with a few choosing to enter the APPIC match process. I know a number of OISE students and work currently with a few OISE graduates who are fully licensed and did not have issues getting licenced.

Its not super research oriented but it is well respected in Canada.

 

[Neuropsych2be]

What about Fielding? Has anyone interviewed there? They require no GRE I believe.

I am a student at Fielding and they do not require the GRE.

 

[bpsych]

New School for Social Research doesn't require the GRE, but you have to do your M.A. first and then must have a 3.5 GPA at the end of the M.A. to be eligible for consideration into the PhD program. APA accredited and only accept PhD students from M.A. pool of students.

 

[Thrak]

New School for Social Research doesn't require the GRE, but you have to do your M.A. first and then must have a 3.5 GPA at the end of the M.A. to be eligible for consideration into the PhD program. APA accredited and only accept PhD students from M.A. pool of students.

It should be noted that New School doesn't fully fund you, either. They do give scholarships, though.

I was accepted there, but already had an MA in General Psych. They do have a program where they may recognize a MA from another program, but they don't evaluate that for a year. I was looking for a degree in General or Social, so I wasn't going for that.

I got into Rutgers' Social program, so it was moot anyway.

 

[terpskins10]

It should be noted that New School doesn't fully fund you, either. They do give scholarships, though.

I was accepted there, but already had an MA in General Psych. They do have a program where they may recognize a MA from another program, but they don't evaluate that for a year. I was looking for a degree in General or Social, so I wasn't going for that.

I got into Rutgers' Social program, so it was moot anyway.

I must ask, what was your impression of NSSR? On paper they sound awesome.

 

[Thrak]

I must ask, what was your impression of NSSR? On paper they sound awesome.

I have a friend who earned her PhD in Clinical there, and she was quite happy. As someone who never had any intention of going into clinical, my perspective should be taken with a grain of salt.

Overall, I was put off by the attitude of much of the institution during the open house. There was a large information session which hosted people who were looking at NSSR for all types of degrees, not just Psychology. One of the things that one of the deans or directors said during the presentation to the group was essentially "Higher education costs a lot of money, don't complain about the cost." Granted, a good portion of the audience may have been seeking masters degrees, but that's still a hell of an attitude to take.

As for the Psychology department, there were a couple of faculty members I matched pretty well with, but the whole "you get accepted into the masters program, and if you're good enough you get accepted into the PhD" struck me as a bit of a scam, to be honest with you. I'm sure there's some logical reason for running it that way, but let's say for whatever reason it didn't work out with me. Now I have two MAs in Psych, and a good amount of debt. It's a big cost for an uncertain benefit.

The "advanced standing" option also bothered me, in that they would not evaluate MA credits/degrees for advanced standing until after you enrolled. Yes, the same is true for Rutgers, where I am now. The difference is if Rutgers doesn't accept my MA credits, I'm still funded. It's just more time to work on my research. At NSSR, it means thousands of dollars of additional debt.

NSSR tends to attract people from a more varied life and age background, which is good. I would not have been the only entering student over 30. And, y'know... being near Union Square is pretty cool (less so now that Zen Palate closed). But truthfully, my enrolling would have been dependent upon a) not getting into any of the other programs I applied to, b) some kind of overwhelming scholarship, c) pre-enrollment assurance that I'd be given advanced standing, and d) a virtual guarantee I'd be automatically accepted into the PhD program upon satisfactory completion of the prerequisite MA courses. The financial outlay would have just been too much otherwise, considering I'm not going for clinical.

I realize this may sound a bit arrogant, but I felt my scores and cv were solid enough to get me into a fully-funded program. If I didn't get in that round, I'd try again a year later with a modified strategy. If that failed, I'd take it as a sign and pick a new direction in life. I love psychology and I love psychological research, but I wasn't about to saddle myself with debts it would take me a couple of decades to pay back. Not starting at 31. I'm risk-adverse.

 

[terpskins10]

I have a friend who earned her PhD in Clinical there, and she was quite happy. As someone who never had any intention of going into clinical, my perspective should be taken with a grain of salt.

Overall, I was put off by the attitude of much of the institution during the open house. There was a large information session which hosted people who were looking at NSSR for all types of degrees, not just Psychology. One of the things that one of the deans or directors said during the presentation to the group was essentially "Higher education costs a lot of money, don't complain about the cost." Granted, a good portion of the audience may have been seeking masters degrees, but that's still a hell of an attitude to take.

As for the Psychology department, there were a couple of faculty members I matched pretty well with, but the whole "you get accepted into the masters program, and if you're good enough you get accepted into the PhD" struck me as a bit of a scam, to be honest with you. I'm sure there's some logical reason for running it that way, but let's say for whatever reason it didn't work out with me. Now I have two MAs in Psych, and a good amount of debt. It's a big cost for an uncertain benefit.

The "advanced standing" option also bothered me, in that they would not evaluate MA credits/degrees for advanced standing until after you enrolled. Yes, the same is true for Rutgers, where I am now. The difference is if Rutgers doesn't accept my MA credits, I'm still funded. It's just more time to work on my research. At NSSR, it means thousands of dollars of additional debt.

NSSR tends to attract people from a more varied life and age background, which is good. I would not have been the only entering student over 30. And, y'know... being near Union Square is pretty cool (less so now that Zen Palate closed). But truthfully, my enrolling would have been dependent upon a) not getting into any of the other programs I applied to, b) some kind of overwhelming scholarship, c) pre-enrollment assurance that I'd be given advanced standing, and d) a virtual guarantee I'd be automatically accepted into the PhD program upon satisfactory completion of the prerequisite MA courses. The financial outlay would have just been too much otherwise, considering I'm not going for clinical.

I realize this may sound a bit arrogant, but I felt my scores and cv were solid enough to get me into a fully-funded program. If I didn't get in that round, I'd try again a year later with a modified strategy. If that failed, I'd take it as a sign and pick a new direction in life. I love psychology and I love psychological research, but I wasn't about to saddle myself with debts it would take me a couple of decades to pay back. Not starting at 31. I'm risk-adverse.

Wow, thank you for so much info!

 

[greensky]

The NRRS has done just that to students before. One of my friends had a degree from NYU (an MA in psych) and they would not take her into the clinical psych program unless she did an MA their. So she agreed and paid the crazy amount of tuition, and then when she applied for the PhD program, they rejected her. She had a lot of clinical and research experience at the time as well. She asked them why and they said she was "rough around the edges and perhaps not suited for clinical work"....Who the heck are they to say that to a student?

I agree that the whole get an MA here before applying is a scam. Furthermore, they only give out one full scholarship a year, and most students have to take out at least a 18500 loan each year.

The NRRS thinks they are like Columbia or NYU, and they do not even have a library. I feel that many people go here if it is their only option, and if they "have to be" in NYC. Also, their PhD in clinical is more like a PsyD because their clinical students do not have a whole lot of publications, and most want to have only private practice.

I earned my MA in general psych at Hunter College (soooo much cheaper) and am now applying to doctoral programs.

So, everyone please be warned about NSSR!

 

[bpsych]

The NRRS has done just that to students before. One of my friends had a degree from NYU (an MA in psych) and they would not take her into the clinical psych program unless she did an MA their. So she agreed and paid the crazy amount of tuition, and then when she applied for the PhD program, they rejected her. She had a lot of clinical and research experience at the time as well. She asked them why and they said she was "rough around the edges and perhaps not suited for clinical work"....Who the heck are they to say that to a student?

I agree that the whole get an MA here before applying is a scam. Furthermore, they only give out one full scholarship a year, and most students have to take out at least a 18500 loan each year.

The NRRS thinks they are like Columbia or NYU, and they do not even have a library. I feel that many people go here if it is their only option, and if they "have to be" in NYC. Also, their PhD in clinical is more like a PsyD because their clinical students do not have a whole lot of publications, and most want to have only private practice.

I earned my MA in general psych at Hunter College (soooo much cheaper) and am now applying to doctoral programs.

So, everyone please be warned about NSSR!

I am currently in the program at New School...and a few words about it. It's a great program, and the faculty is quite impressive as well...Howard and Miriam Steele are known throughout the world for the research as is Dr. Marcel Kinsbourne.

In terms of the girl not getting in, they make it very clear that admission is not guaranteed and many schools also have to consider whether or not they feel someone is ready to be a clinician. If they don't feel someone will make a good clinician then its pretty likely that the interviewer of externship positions will feel the same way.

This is why school's hold interviews, and while some may reject you in a mass email, NSSR offers you constructive criticism with the option to reapply the following year. However, this is why people apply to more than just 1 school, even though they will accept 16/40 applicants you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket.

And you can't really compare them to Columbia or NYU as NYU does not have a clinical phd and Columbia has not had a stable run with their clinical program.

We actually have 5 libraries, Fogelman being the one dedicated to Social Sciences.

There's no catch to completing the M.A. and transitioning into the Ph.D. except that in order to apply you must have a 3.5 GPA and show that you have established solid relationships with faculty and are interested in doing research....nothing in life comes for free.

In terms of requiring you get your M.A. there...the first 2 years of any PhD program is theoretically the M.A. degree. If you have your M.A. in psychology from one school and apply to others very few schools will take more than 6 credits of previously earned classes at the M.A. level toward their PhD program (hence they are also making you earn your M.A. through them first).

At NSSR when you transition from M.A. to PhD you already have the first 2 years of course work done and are starting hospital rounds and applying for externships within the first semester.


A lot of the research that goes on at NSSR is very large, longitudinal, and international...so many studies are still in the works which explains why students aren't punching out publications. Beyond that I am really not sure where you got your information regarding most students desire to be clinicians and not being involved in research. Unless you happen to know every student enrolled in the program I think that is a pretty bold assumption on your part.

However, they do you connect you with many opportunities outside of the university and at this point I already have done 2 publications with large hospitals in the area via New School connections.


Everyone will have an opinion about a program, but its one of those things where if you fit there, you fit, and in the long run thats what matters

 

[compassionate1]

I've spent my first and last semester , this past fall, at NSSR and decided to leave.

I had several reasons for being dissatisfied. I am not going to enumerate them all now but the bottom line is that I saw what was happening to people all around me and did not want to end up like them.

I think that while there are some good professors in this program and I liked some of my fellow students, the stress level was way too high. While other programs weed out applicants as part of the application process, NSSR admits a great number of people ( Of course there is $$$$ involved, and the level of funding is poor), and then cannot take care of them. So what next? They do everything in their power to weed out people who are already in the program, by making things more difficult than they ought to be and by providing little or no support. There is little mentoring ( I have heard that from people years 4 and 5); there is a huge disconnect among the various parts of the program, so that students get lost in bureaucracy and never know who to turn to when an issue comes up.For example, when I inquired at the department about the possibility of doing a work-study, I was told to contact financial aid, but when I called financial aid, I was sent back to the department... Even exiting the program was not a simple matter. I had to run around like a headless chicken between offices to ensure that the spring classes I had already registered for, were indeed dropped ( = so that I would not be charged for them!) People were taking meds in order to be able to deal with the anxiety that the program elicited. ( I was tempted to "borrow" some from friends to survive finals week, but overcame that temptation. I did fine anyway and "graduated" the semester with a 3.85 GPA).

Orientation day seemed taken entirely from a survival episode. About seventy-five of us were sitting in one small room, where the student advisors were orienting us. Then, we had to meet with them individually, in order to register. Since everyone wanted to meet with them that day ( so that they do not have to come back again another day just to register), you had seventy-five people who wanted an appointment with the three advisors present. The advisors wrote their names on the board and put fifteen minutes blank time-slots underneath. The mission was to get to the board in a timely fashion and write your name before all the time slots were taken. When someone wondered out loud, how did they propose we go about it, the answer was: "Well, this is your first survival task"...

As for GREs: I think the program does require it, EXCEPT for international students and people with life experience ( I think it meant five years out of school, but I can't remember exactly). I did not have to take the GREs. I thought that was fortunate. I was wrong. Now I've lost not just the spring semester but a year and a half. ( It was too late for me to apply for next fall, since I did not have the scores). I am going to start all over again but it is not going to be easy. At least, I did not come all the way from out of state, or some other country -- like many people have done, exclusively to attend the program, only to be disillusioned: To complete two terminal years with a useless M.A degree and an enormous debt... My heart goes out to some of those who chose to stay. I hope they do get admitted to the doctoral level. I had a good chance of "making it" to the next level but I decided it was not worth it for me and that there got to be a saner way to become a psychologist. The end does not justify the means and the process does count. At least to me.

Sorry for the negativity in my very first post on this board. I hope to have some more joyous news to share in the future.

Compassionate 1

 

[FranklinR]

I've spent my first and last semester , this past fall, at NSSR and decided to leave.

I certainly appreciate your point of view. The MA-PhD transition does seem particularly stressful.

It seems like most of the specific criticisms you make are about registration, though, not about classes or professors or opportunities. I have no doubt that they're bad at registration (many schools are), but how were the classes? Did you try to build rapport with professors and fail? Did you try to get involved with research and were prevented?

I'm not defending New School; I'm asking for specifics that go beyond registration trouble and rumors from PhD students.

 

[greensky]

I currently know a few MA students at the school, and although they stand a chance of getting into the PhD program, the professors create a lot of stress around the issue. One professor even said look around you, there are 55 of you and 15 slots in the clinical program, so many of you will not make it. He said that getting in depends on your classmates doing worse than you. This to me does not seem healthy. The friends I have who go there are all on anxiety meds.
Furthermore, one friend constantly complains about the size of her classes. There are often times not enough desks for students, and you have to get there 20 minutes early to get a good seat.
As far as professors, many are great and like someone else said, very famous, but you have to compete with other students to get to know them. The entire process seems like a reality TV show. If you really want to get an MA first, you should look into Hunter College (CUNY). It has a great name and is a lot cheaper.
I am not trying to discourage you, I am trying to warn you. Maybe the NSSR is thr right place for you...Just be prepared to deal with massive amount of stress and uncertainty.

 

[compassionate1]

OK, just lost an entire response, by accident ( typing on a new laptop and not used to it). Will have time to respond at length on Sat. night. For now, just acknowledging your thoughts -- Franklin as well as GreenSky.

Compassionate1

 

[compassionate1]

deleted.

 

[psychometric]

I wonder if there is some sort of financial dealing/benefit between ETS and schools that require the GRE...?

Anyway...Adler is the only one I knew of. Most Master's programs are no longer requiring it, I wonder if doctoral programs will soon follow. But I agree with T4C they need something else as a measuring stick...

Jon

Yeah, quality interviews would be a measure, such as in many other countries.

 

[KillerDiller]

Yeah, quality interviews would be a measure, such as in many other countries.

By the time applicants get to the interview stage, their GRE scores cease to matter much.

Or are you suggesting that schools should interview all of their 250-400 applicants each year? That would entail ignoring the needs of the students that have already been admitted to the program. My mentor is busy enough as it is.

 

[compassionate1]

It is a problem. And until someone comes up with a solid substitute for the GREs, they are likely to stay in the game.

It's been proven that the GREs are a rather a poor predictor for actual success in graduate school ( and if I am not mistaken, Robert Sternberg supports that view).

Personally, it bothers me to see that some of my brightest students ( I teach Psychology undergrad) do not stand a chance to get addmitted to doctoral programs due to being less than wonderful standardized testers. I do not have a solution for it but it is certatinly an issue that I wish programs would address.

Last semester, when I was in school, I encountered quite a few people who did well on their GREs but were still struggeling in the program; while I had no GRE scores ( and do not usually do very well on these types of tests) but had no problem keeping up. I am sure that I am not the exception to the rule. GREs, in my opinion, do not measure intelligence or graduate school readiness. All they do measure is your ability to do well on a specific test called GRE...

Just my 2 cents,

Compassionate1

 

[eva10127]

Is NSSR a competitive school? I'm interested in the General Psych Masters there. From the Graduate Schools in Psychology book, they listed minimum GRE 400 for V/Q and a 3.0 minimum?

 

[cara susanna]

You can find programs, even PhD ones, with low or no GRE requirements. It's just a matter of searching really thoroughly.

 

[bpsych]

Is NSSR a competitive school? I'm interested in the General Psych Masters there. From the Graduate Schools in Psychology book, they listed minimum GRE 400 for V/Q and a 3.0 minimum?

The publication/citation ranking system puts them somewhere in the mid 50s as far as PhD programs go. The reason the requirements are listed as so low is because they don't require the GRE's for admission into the Master's program. You must have at least a 3.5 GPA to transition from the M.A. to the PhD

 

[FranklinR]

The publication/citation ranking system puts them somewhere in the mid 50s as far as PhD programs go. The reason the requirements are listed as so low is because they don't require the GRE's for admission into the Master's program. You must have at least a 3.5 GPA to transition from the M.A. to the PhD

To be clear, though - you have to have a 3.5 to apply to transition to the PhD program. If you get a 3.5, you're not guaranteed to make it in to the PhD program, even if you successfully complete the MA.

 

[micjman]

In response to schools not requiring GRE's

Here are some APA and Non-GRE schools in CA
JFK University-Pleasant hill
Fielding Graduate institute- Santa Barbara
(Alliant- CSPP SF. SD. Fresno. LA. more?)
Phillips Graduate institute in Encino
University of La Verne
Argosy University (Orange Campus, SF Campus)
The Wright Institute
Antioch University in Santa Barbara (APA by October of this year)
(PH.D available through Alliant and Fielding? unsure about Wright)
The vast majority of these programs are Psy.D's and all are for the most part are unfunded I.E. $75,000- $160,000 before living expenses.
If any of you attend or attended any of these programs and would like to share your thoughts with me I'd be interested. In particular, Antioch in Santa Barbara and JFK U. Thanks!
Hope this info helps

 

[cara susanna]

Again, unless you totally bomb the GRE, I don't think you really have to worry. I didn't have the greatest score and I got interviews. If you want to attend those programs for other reasons, that's great, but don't sell yourself short. I know it's really scary to read people's scores on here and hear about 1400 GRE people getting rejected, but all you need to do is make that first cutoff.

 

[GradStudent87]

This is somewhat related but not totally related to this thread, but I got turned down by doctoral programs and will likely attend a Masters program first.I don't think the GRE's were the main reason I didn't get into doctoral programs but they were one of my weak areas. My question is do you feel that having a masters degree and showing you can excel in graduate school will negate the importance placed on the GRE's? I would really like to avoid having to retake them at all costs as I would much prefer to focus on psychology work then on preparing for the GRE again.