PhD clinical psychology

[dvinhphongdl]

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Hello everyone,

Is it worth it to pursue a phD in clinical psychology considering all that schooling, costs (even if you luckily get yourself into a funded program), efforts?

I am prepared to put all of my efforts into keeping my GPA up, gaining research experience, taking standardized tests,… But moneywise, I am sure that I cant stay in this game in the long run. I am financially supported by my parents through college but after that, it’s all on me. So on best-case scenario, if I succeed in getting into a fully-funded program, can I even struggle financially with the stipend? With a quick google search, I found that salaries for licensed clinical psychologist isn’t that great either considering the rigorous process.
Plus, I am an international student in the US, so I am wondering whether these fund waivers and stipends( extremely important to me) apply to me.

I would really appreciate any of your input to help this confused college freshmen.

 

[SmallTownPSY]

If you get into a fully funded program, I really don’t think income is an issue as long as you realize that you’re a graduate student and can’t spend an exuberant amount of money on things you don’t need. I have a wife that stays home with our kids and we are able to support ourselves just fine on a fully funded program stipend. We have to buy store brand everything, but I can’t imagine not being able to live off of a fully funded program stipend, especially if you’re single.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Australianrugbyplayer]

Hello everyone,

Is it worth it to pursue a phD in clinical psychology considering all that schooling, costs (even if you luckily get yourself into a funded program), efforts?

I am prepared to put all of my efforts into keeping my GPA up, gaining research experience, taking standardized tests,… But moneywise, I am sure that I cant stay in this game in the long run. I am financially supported by my parents through college but after that, it’s all on me. So on best-case scenario, if I succeed in getting into a fully-funded program, can I even struggle financially with the stipend? With a quick google search, I found that salaries for licensed clinical psychologist isn’t that great either considering the rigorous process.
Plus, I am an international student in the US, so I am wondering whether these fund waivers and stipends( extremely important to me) apply to me.

I would really appreciate any of your input to help this confused college freshmen.

I am a 74 year old retired Psychologist in CA.

I have seen this question many times as it is an honest attempt to obtain helpful information. It may surprise you, but I would say no.
I knew exactly what I wanted to do as occupation as earlier as age 8. It was my way of entering a world of Philosophy which had all the answer--for me.

No one could stop me. You have to have some confidence during this trip. Any questions, I'll answer. And would I do it again, No.

 

[psych.meout]

I am a 74 year old retired Psychologist in CA.

I have seen this question many times as it is an honest attempt to obtain helpful information. It may surprise you, but I would say no.
I knew exactly what I wanted to do as occupation as earlier as age 8. It was my way of entering a world of Philosophy which had all the answer--for me.

No one could stop me. You have to have some confidence during this trip. Any questions, I'll answer. And would I do it again, No.

But aren't grad school and the career lifestyles of being a psychologist substantially different now than when you went through them?

 

[foreverbull]

Make sure you talk to mentors and people who know the field well before you go into it so you have a sense of what you will do with your degree and a realistic view of what it will be like.

I went to school alongside a handful of international students, and they had more issues with financial aid (issues with delays) than the rest of us, but still managed. However, you might want to also consider cost of living in the cities you want to live in to attend the Clinicial or Counseling doctoral program. Even a fully-funded program in a city with a high cost of living may not be enough to cover everything; it REALLY depends on cost of living, so research the programs you like AND the cities they're in to get a sense of the real costs.

 

[psyched2graduate]

I went to a fully funded program in a low cost of living area and still would have struggled financially had I not had family support. The later years of the program are particularly expensive (internship apps, internship interviews, moving for internship, flying back to defend your diss, postdoc interviews, moving for postdoc, etc).

 

[psyched2graduate]

I went to a fully funded program in a low cost of living area and still would have struggled financially had I not had family support. The later years of the program are particularly expensive (internship apps, internship interviews, moving for internship, flying back to defend your diss, postdoc interviews, moving for postdoc, etc).

Other things I didn't consider are fees/expenses not covered by your tuition waiver (e.g., summer student fees in the case of my program), travel to practicum sites, and conference expenses.

 

[foreverbull]

Other things I didn't consider are fees/expenses not covered by your tuition waiver (e.g., summer student fees in the case of my program), travel to practicum sites, and conference expenses.

Not to mention extra money for internship interviews, moving costs, and extra money to cover expenses not covered by salary during internship (I had to pay internship credit hours per semester tuition while on internship).

 

[WisNeuro]

Hello everyone,

Is it worth it to pursue a phD in clinical psychology considering all that schooling, costs (even if you luckily get yourself into a funded program), efforts?

I am prepared to put all of my efforts into keeping my GPA up, gaining research experience, taking standardized tests,… But moneywise, I am sure that I cant stay in this game in the long run. I am financially supported by my parents through college but after that, it’s all on me. So on best-case scenario, if I succeed in getting into a fully-funded program, can I even struggle financially with the stipend? With a quick google search, I found that salaries for licensed clinical psychologist isn’t that great either considering the rigorous process.
Plus, I am an international student in the US, so I am wondering whether these fund waivers and stipends( extremely important to me) apply to me.

I would really appreciate any of your input to help this confused college freshmen.

If you really enjoy it, yes. If you're waffling, probably not. The cost thing is not an issue if you do it right. I was fully funded, no family support and made it through with 0 debt through grad school, internship, and postdoc. As for salaries, widely variable, I'd check out various salary surveys. APA has one (slightly dated) and some of the specialties release their own. Many of the salary figures out there do not match what I see in my circle of colleagues. We are well above the median, although none of us are from diploma mill programs, so that may play a role.

 

[singasongofjoy]

Only if it's really really the type of work you want to do. I can't speak to the international experience, but I do know people who got through my fully funded program in a low-cost-of-living city without any more than 5k in loans- so it is possible - but in order to do that there are a lot of sacrifices that many people are not willing to make by that time in their life (low cost of living city, living with roommates in cheap housing, cutting way back on going out and eating cheap, continuing to drive and learn how to repair a junker car, etc)- because as has been said above the latter years are especially pricey (internship interviews, moving, etc). So if you're waffling, it's probably not for you. Find out more what the career entails and figure out if it would be worth the several years of financial/quality of life sacrifice to make it out without loans. If there is something else that you would like to do equally well as yoru future vocation, I would probably do that.

 

[Meteora]

To make the decision even harder for you, financial costs can be different (usually more expensive) if you're an international student. I am in a fully funded program with a stipend, but one of the international students has a couple of additional or more expensive fees as well as other associated costs of living. The stipend is unlikely to be enough to live super comfortably, unless you live in a cheap area or have some prior savings.

 

[dvinhphongdl]

Thank you everyone for your super helpful inputs.