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Are they still in bed with the Amen clinic and have a director who writes a nearly identical recommendation letter for every student that comes out of there?
D
deleted1239971
Hi,
I inquired on that subject and did not receive an answer. This topic is largely why I’m considering withdrawing.
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I can't speak to the last several years as I have been out of intern/postdoc app review since I jumped into private practice, but the neuro apps from here were not highly regarded in my circles. There's been a steady decline in quality over the last couple decades here.
Back in the day NSU’s reputation was better, but btw association w the Amen Clinic, bloated class sizes, and rising costs, the quality has fallen off. It used to be that students could be successful despite some of the known drawbacks.
i graduated from there ~15yrs ago, and back then a student could piece together a more competitive training experience by seeking out certain mentors, participating in more research, and showing productivity through presenting and publishing. The goal was to separate yourself from the rest of the cohort so you’d be more competitive for internship and fellowship. I was one of those students who landed a top-notch fellowship and was recruited to an R1 AMC, but I had to proven myself at each step in the process. Coming from a PsyD program, I was the exception on internship and fellowship.
Knowing what I know now, I should have only looked at fully-funded programs or gone to an MD / PhD program like I had originally planned on doing.
i graduated from there ~15yrs ago, and back then a student could piece together a more competitive training experience by seeking out certain mentors, participating in more research, and showing productivity through presenting and publishing. The goal was to separate yourself from the rest of the cohort so you’d be more competitive for internship and fellowship. I was one of those students who landed a top-notch fellowship and was recruited to an R1 AMC, but I had to proven myself at each step in the process. Coming from a PsyD program, I was the exception on internship and fellowship.
Knowing what I know now, I should have only looked at fully-funded programs or gone to an MD / PhD program like I had originally planned on doing.
D
deleted1239971
Hi,
Thank you for a thorough response. Your hesitations reflect mine. Congratulations on a 15 year career!
For context, I’m a master’s level therapist somehow turned researcher (CI on two projects with < 1 year of funding remaining) at an AMC in the Southeast US. A former professor, now at Nova, recommended I apply. Frankly, I applied blindly, was accepted, and now am hesitant to hang my reputation on the school.
My initial take--given what you've said about yourself, you probably have what it takes to be successful regardless of where you go to school. I haven't directly reviewed applications from Nova in a few years, but if you take it on yourself to go above and beyond, the program may get you where you want to be. Nova's reputation nowadays probably won't do you many favors, but I don't think it's so poor that it's going to actively tank your career.
Ultimately, it's a matter of what path best sets you up for success, which depends heavily on what you're wanting to do with your doctorate/why you want to go back to school. There's also the cost, which along with cohort sizes would be the biggest deterrents for me.
I would hope that even if they do still maintain clinical/research relationships with the Amen clinics, you'd have the option to decide on your own whether you'd want to train there as opposed to somewhere else.
Ultimately, it's a matter of what path best sets you up for success, which depends heavily on what you're wanting to do with your doctorate/why you want to go back to school. There's also the cost, which along with cohort sizes would be the biggest deterrents for me.
I would hope that even if they do still maintain clinical/research relationships with the Amen clinics, you'd have the option to decide on your own whether you'd want to train there as opposed to somewhere else.
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Sanman
O.G.
Given your current position, what do you hope to gain by getting the PsyD? Most people go get the PsyD and take on the debt hoping to get the job you already seem to have.
I was in a similar position to you when I when I applied for doctoral programs. The first pass I applied to some unfunded Psy.D. programs (in addition to PhD programs) and I accepted an offer but became similarly skeptical about cost vs. benefits of the reputation of school and debt vs. just being in a psychology doctoral program. I talked with many of the faculty about my concerns (all of whom had PhDs) and none of them could convince me that I wasn't making a mistake. I ended up rescinding my acceptance and applied for PhD programs the next year and received multiple offers. I ended up taking the offer with the most generous funding package.
I would start networking with Paid in my area of publishing, and then approach those in fully funded programs about a deal. But I’m more Machiavellian than most
I know people who graduated from Nova. They are good clinicians, but man are they drowning in student loan debt.
A former coworker and friend of mine graduated from Nova in the late 2010s. She ended up as the director for a doctoral internship program at a UCC, which was her goal. She said the program got her what she needed (the letters and the documented clinical experiences related to her desired job) but it wasn’t amazing. If you want to do neuropsych she does not recommend. She has a lower debt load due to family assistance but says it is still very much a looming shadow.
