Hi all,
Can any recent PhD graduates provide me with perspective on the program, both academically and financially? Are there no funding options for PhD students?
Here is my 6yr update.
I think fit is really important. Everyone has their own criteria....I was concerned with some of the average completion rates of some of the PhD and PsyD programs, as well as having access to solid training in my areas of interest (in addition to another 5-6 things).
Fit is still very important. I think their average completion rates are about the same, so not really an issue bc the length of completion is what it should be for a program.
I just missed out on a couple of my top choices, but the year-long wait to re-apply to those programs wasn't worth the funding difference (which is definitely a consideration for most, but I'm going back into consulting, so the $ wasn't a big deal for me; I should have it paid off in ~5-7 years.)
This was short-sighted on my part. I ended up really enjoying working in academic medicine, but I'm not pulling in $200k+ like I would as a consultant, so I am very much stuck with my student loans. See below....
I think the Nova training is excellent, and I think overall it produces very good clinicians.
The training
can be excellent, but it is very much dependent on your mentor and practica placements. I sought out mentors and it worked out in the end, but there were some frustrations along the way, mostly what I'd expect from a larger program. Others in my cohort ran into more difficulties and had a really rough time with their practica options. If the program was smaller then I think the practica opportunities would be more consistent, but during my time there the practica experiences were a complete crapshoot.
We do well overall with [internship] placement %,
Not so anymore. When I started I think the program was right at the APPIC match average (76% or so). That was the lowest of the programs I considered, but it was high enough that I didn't think it was a problem. Since then the numbers have trended down....significantly. Knowing what I know now about the importance of securing an APA-acred internship, I would never consider any program that didn't match
at least 80-85%. Almost all of the good jobs require an APA-acred internship these days, so not having one is a HUGE problem. Matching anything less than 75% should be a big red flag for any program.
The biggest knock (besides poor funding) is the size....which in some areas really helps, but in others it hinders. They are cutting the incoming classes each year (as of last year), which is a step in the right direction.
They restructured how they tracked the Ph.D. and Psy.D. classes, but they did not reduce the Psy.D.cohort size in any meaningful way. Every year I was there they said they would cut down on the cohort size so the current students would have more resources, but it never happened. I had to fight for all of the good research opportunities, far more than colleagues of mine did at their programs. I was floored to hear friends got handed data and opportunities to write a manuscript from it.
My clinical practica experience wasn't horrible, but it was still less than ideal now that I know how other programs function. The NYC programs have turned practica placements into a bloodsport over the past 6-8 years, so they are generally a bad comparison. However, the vast majority of other university programs should not have any problems placing their students into high quality placements. It was my experience the NSU struggled with finding quality sites for everyone. Maybe that has changed in the years since I graduated, but the cohort size and poor economy make me think that would be very difficult to do.
There is a large base of research here (both PsyD and PhD), and you can get access to some great projects. I've done research in a couple of areas, and have been able to present at major conferences and publish.
This was still true while I was there, however the
required research and statistics training is not sufficient on the Psy.D. side of training. I was actively participating in research throughout my time there, so I had the opportunity to receive additional research and stats mentorship. If I didn't do that extra work I'd really be lacking in some of the fundamental training that I use on a weekly basis now. I have had to put in a significant amount of work in the years since to broaden my training and feel more confident with handling larger projects.
Nova also has an on-site clinic that hosts a range of faculty run programs, and it provides a major source of research and practicum placements for our students; on and off site practicum experiences are available.
I believe this is still true, though I don't know anywhere there now so YMMV. My off-site practica experiences were generally good, but I know some people who were not happy with the quality of their sites. It is probably a bit of a Hit and Miss scenario.
With the Vail model (PsyD), there are very few fully funded programs, so cost should be considered. PhD programs get most of the funding because of the research grants, though while pursuing your PsyD there are still opportunities for TA, grad assistant, and scholarships.
Yes and no. I was able to secure RA and TA positions during my time at NSU, but they were not sufficiently funded (lacked a true tuition waiver....so I still had to pay for most of my credits). The lack of true funding is a HUGE issue at NSU. I believe I paid around $615/credit hour when I started, and now it is $915/credit hour, which represents a 30%+ in the past 9ish years. The increase translate to roughly $35k
MORE just in tuition, which is ridiculous.
In retrospect, I wish I would have found SDN sooner...since I have found out about some great PhD programs that I didn't even consider when I initially applied to clinical programs back in '03.
Knowing what I know now (and being almost 4 years into repaying my loans)....there is no way I can recommend NSU. The debt back then wasn't worth it, and it is definitely not worth it to me at the current cost. The faculty are definitely a strength of the program and some of the mentorship is still excellent, but the cost and cohort size are just ridiculous.
. To answer your question, yes this year they are expecting to offer 8 to 10 spots with 100% funding ( tuition only I think). Dr.Lewis (director)told all of us during the last meeting of the day that it was the second year Nova had ever offered funded spots for their Phds. If I would've known this few months prior to submitting my app I would've worked a lot harder towards reaching out to faculty, especially some of which I had already met during my MS program. I guess hindsight is 20/20 though and now I should really just accept it, move on and do some soul searching to see if their PsyD program is a good option for me.
