School Psychology

[frontbluntt101]

What does one need to be competitive for specialist graduate programs in school psychology?
Also, what are some good programs? Is there a list somewhere on this forum?

Thanks for any help.

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[probablyornot]

What does one need to be competitive for specialist graduate programs in school psychology?
Also, what are some good programs? Is there a list somewhere on this forum?

Thanks for any help.

Hey, I'm still learning how to navigate this entire forum and it's been a little hard finding stuff on school psychology. There's a school psych thread for PhD/PsyD which may still be helpful.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=606828

NASP offers a list of accredited programs here...

http://www.nasponline.org/certification/documents/NASP-Approved-Programs.pdf

If you're thinking of stopping at the specialist level, I wouldn't worry about APA accreditation, but NASP approval is important. If you come from a NASP-approved program, the transition to employment after you graduate will be much smoother.

As far as getting accepted, you should have strong letters of recommendation, a decent GPA and GRE score, and a great personal statement. I'm in a doctoral program, so research experience was helpful for me... I have classmates in the specialist-level program and they also had research experience as undergrads. Also, some had applied experience such as daycares, preschools, or anything where you're working with students. If you have applied experience with children with disabilities, that'll really help you. Also, anything where you've served as a leader will make you stand out. A big part of school psychology is being an advocate and making our profession and voices heard. If you can show good leadership skills and qualities, that can help a lot.

Good luck!

 

[lovable90]

I am wondering the same things. I would love to be a school psychologist but am worried about my chances of getting into a program. The private college I went to has only had 10 people receive 4.0 GPA's in over the last 20 years. That being said, their no GPA inflation policy has my GPA at only a 3.1. Will I even be considered? I still need to take the GRE and I have heard most students from my college do pretty well on it. The only research experience I have is marketing research, does this count at all? I have experience with kids coaching and tutoring. What should I be focusing on doing in order to get into a program?

Thanks!

 

[mcvcm92]

I am wondering the same things. I would love to be a school psychologist but am worried about my chances of getting into a program. The private college I went to has only had 10 people receive 4.0 GPA's in over the last 20 years. That being said, their no GPA inflation policy has my GPA at only a 3.1. Will I even be considered? I still need to take the GRE and I have heard most students from my college do pretty well on it. The only research experience I have is marketing research, does this count at all? I have experience with kids coaching and tutoring. What should I be focusing on doing in order to get into a program?

Thanks!

Specialist level school psychology programs are somewhat competitive, but much less so than doctoral level school psychology programs. Your GPA is still pretty good, so I wouldn't worry too much as long as you are able to do relatively well on the GRE exam. I think that having marketing research is better than having no research at all because research has similar aspects that span all different types of research (e.g., psych, biology, marketing). Just make sure that you express your interest in school psychology in your personal statement and interview. Oh and there aren't rankings for school psych programs, but NASP accreditation is usually the sign of a good program (not always though).