I´ve been accepted to University of Indianapolis, Widener University, and University of Indiana at Pennsylvania (IUP) PsyD programs. I think I´ve narrowed down to deciding between UIndy and Widener. Does anyone have some insight you´d be willing to share, whether or not you are a current student/alumni?
I´m really attracted to the opportunities that Widener offers to specialize, certificate tracks, and dual-degree options (I´d like to do the PsyD/MBA). The captive internship is a huge plus in my opinion, until I read some negative perspectives on forums here. Apparently some view it as a sign that students are not trained well enough to be succesful in the national match process, while I viewed it as a reflection of the program´s history and long-standing relatinships with local internship sights. I´d love to hear more opinions on this.
On the other hand, I felt very at home at UIndy, my conversations with professors felt more personal, and overall I felt more "wanted." I know these things are a bit superficial and shouldn´t weigh as much into my decision as the program itself. UIndy does not offer as many specialization/certificate opportunities as Widener, but they do offer a child psych track that I would be pursuing at either program, and they have a tad bit smaller cohort.
Thoughts/opinions/help?
Please let me know if you are a current student or alumni, as I would love to chat with you further if you don´t mind!
Thank you for your help!
In my opinion, you are not considering the most important factors. Certificates/tracks/etc. are generally just marketing-- good training starts with a rock solid generalist foundation and you "specialize" through your practicum and research experiences (and later potentially internship and postdoc). While you may assume that if they have the certificates they will definitely offer the kind of experiences I just mentioned, there are many other programs that could get you to the exact same end goal.
The factors I would consider are:
1) APA accredited match rate (not APPIC). Captive internships are often (though not always) viewed as you described-- created due to insufficient ability to place students on a national level. That said, some can be really great-- its really tough to say but know that you will be managing that perception (true or not) when you apply for fellowships, jobs, etc. I do not think it has anything to do with long standing relationships with local internship sites-- many programs and labs have informal "pipelines" where they send their students. For example, when I was in grad school there were 2-3 internship sites that my program placed someone at for several consecutive years.
2) Cost and potential for funding - also factor in things like cost of living. I do not have any loans from graduate school but I have loans approaching but still less than what a typical PsyD program would cost from undergrad. I am a prof at a state school and my husband has an even higher earning job. Please DO NOT underestimate how much a $1k/month+ student loan payment affects your life! I often see people cite loan repayment programs (which have their own issues)... but I can offer another perspective. We make too much for any of the income-based relief and even though we "make too much" $1k is still a
real burden monthly.
3) Cohort size - smaller cohorts = more individualized attention, training, and opportunities (e.g., not competing with 32 other people for the one spot at the practicum you'd really like). Your professors know you better and can speak to your strengths and areas for growth to ensure you are on the right path.
4) EPPP pass rate AND licensure rate-- this is especially important to me when looking at PsyD programs. I tend to be a bit more lenient with PhDs because there is potential that people are in research careers and never bothered to get licensed... with a PsyD I expect to see super high rates for both of these.
http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.asppb.net/resource/resmgr/EPPP_/2016_Scores_by_Doctoral_Prog.pdf
I can't answer all of these questions (like about funding or practicum opportunities) but from the publicly available data :
http://www.iup.edu/psychology/grad/clinical-psychology-psyd/admissions/outcomes-data/
IUP offers lower instate tuition (if you qualify) has a 100% EPPP pass rate a 99% 10 year licensure rate, great APA match rates for the last 2 years *BUT* lower than I find acceptable (~60s) for previous years, cohort sizes of 9-15.
Widener -
http://www.widener.edu/academics/schools/shsp/psyd/studentadmissionsandotherdata.aspx
Higher tuition than IUP; licensure percentage around 94% with first time EPPP pass rate of 93%; APA match rates of 100% though see my previous comments on captive internships; recent cohorts 25-35 (larger than I prefer.. remember cohorts of 25-35 x 4-5 cohorts at a time, many competing for the same practica, research opportunities, etc. )
U Indianapolis -
http://www.uindy.edu/applied-behavioral-sciences/psyd/admissionsandoutcomes
tuition is hard to calculate (they present it per credit hour and I'm not about to go digging to see how many credits you're expected to take per semester); 2016 EPPP pass rate of 97% with licensure rate of 82% (low in my opinion for PsyD); has APA match rates above 80s in the last 3 years, but again lower than I find acceptable before that. Cohort sizes were 20-29 in the last couple of years (larger than I prefer).
Funding, practicum sites, and research opportunities are a big piece of my final answer but if I had only this info to go on, I'd go IUP. I know you said you were leaning against them but objectively their class sizes and EPPP rates are the best and their recent APA match rates in the past few years are solid. This is far more important than tracks or certificates.
Good luck!
