Question on Taking Courses for Admission Requirements

[redumbrella]

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Hi all -

I'm interested in either a M.A. in Counseling Psych or a Psy.D. My B.A. was in Poli Sci from UNC-CH and I took no Psych courses other than Intro to Psychology. I really want to take some undergrad and possibly grad psych courses to get those 15-18 course hours that it looks like many schools prefer applicants to have, as well as make sure this is the right direction for me before I really start spending even more time and money.

My questions are - does it matter if I take the courses at a different institution than were I got my B.A.? I'm not in the same geographic area anymore so I don't have much of a choice but I'm wondering if admissions thinks it looks funny. Also, should I try to take all or most of the courses at one institution instead of taking one course at 3-5 different places? Does anyone know if admissions cares about that at all? I'm leaning towards taking all that I can at the local public university (UMass Boston) and then taking a course here or there (Harvard Extension, various public U's online) if UMass doesn't offer what I really need to take to get prepared.

I haven't been able to find information on this in anything I've been reading about applying and admissions requirements so any help is really appreciated!

 

[michalita]

If you're in the Boston area, I suggest taking at least some of the classes at Bunker Hill Community College ($300/class if you're a Mass. resident). Harvard Extension is pretty intense, just to warn you, but that is also another option, especially for evening classes. Mass Bay also offers classes but I wasn't all that impressed. Also check BU's Metropolitan classes.

I did the same thing in terms of getting some credits towards psychology post-BA, and it was at three different institutions, and it didn't seem to matter at all. I think they're just more interested that you have the background, the knowledge. It's harder to get recommendations from those profs, but if you're not looking for that from them, I can't see how it would hurt you. I'd say just try to get your classes as inexpensively as possible. Stick to undergrad to lower the cost 🙂

I would also recommend volunteer or part-time work in the field/working with the the population before venturing towards a master's degree to get a really good idea of whether or not you want to do this. Studying it and doing it are quite different.

Hope this helps!

 

[redumbrella]

Great advice, thank you! Going to BCC was my first instinct due to the huge cost difference but I began to wonder if admissions would prefer seeing that I took classes at a university. But it seems like that isn't really the case, which is great news. I definitely want to get some volunteer and PT work under my belt too.

 

[lithium88]

michalita, thanks for the tips. Would anyone happen to know about some schools in Southern California? I did my BA up in Northern California, but now I've relocated to Socal, so I'm still weighing my options between CCs or Cal State or state universities (like UCLA?). Thanks in advance!