Suffolk

[nietzschewept]

Can anyone give me their opinion of Suffolk. I got accepted to the PhD program but I don't feel like I got a good feel from interview day and I wasn't able to make the social the night before. Any info would be a great help. Thanks!

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[guarinis]

How did you find out you had been accepted?

 

[nietzschewept]

I got an email and then my POI called to talk because we didnt have a chance to meet on interview day...

 

[Anon15]

Can anyone give me their opinion of Suffolk. I got accepted to the PhD program but I don't feel like I got a good feel from interview day and I wasn't able to make the social the night before. Any info would be a great help. Thanks!

I also interviewed at Suffolk and was offered admission. Of all the schools I interview at I was least impressed by Suffolk. A couple of points that turned me off 1) the lack of funding; 2) having to TA for an extended period of time; 3) the fact that not too many of their profs are well published 4) how "young" the program is.

It just wasn't a good fit for me. That certainly doesn't mean it isn't a good fit for you. Personally (just my opinion) I think Suffolk is an attractive choice and receives lots of applicants due to its location. It's similar to BU receiving 600+ applications each year. Is BU the best clinical program in the country? No. Is Boston a cool place to live? Yes. Just my 2 cents.

 

[LadyInRed]

A friend of mine graduated from there last year. She absolutely loved it. She found the research to be exactly what she wanted to do and said that the students were fairly social so she got along well with her cohort. She got her first choice internship at a highly prestigious university as well. The one downside is that she is now $140K in debt. But when I asked her if, in retrospect, she would have gone elsewhere, she said absolutely not, so it was worth it to her.

 

[Fishball]

I'm hesitated about accepting the offer too, as what Anon15 mentioned about not too many profs are well published and lack of funding. However, this is the only offer I got so far, and I am not optimistic about getting other offer this year. I'm wondering if I should try again next year and see if I can get into other programs.

Having said that.. there are many things I like about suffolk: the neuropsychology specialization with variety of courses available, harmonious atmosphere (based on the interview weekend), and the location.

Anyone has other thoughts about thier neuropsychology specialization? Do you think it's good?

It's so tough to go through the application process... and I really don't wanna do it all over again next year. Plus, with my credentials, I am not optimistic about getting into higher ranking programs. However, it's a big decision, and i don't wanna make a wrong one just becoz i slack about applying allover again...

Any thoughts on that?

 

[nietzschewept]

Hi,

Thanks everyone for responding. I have the same concerns as you all mentioned. It is a young program and the funding isnt great. Im also concerned about the internship rate...on interview day they seemed to brag about the 92% match and I can't stop wondering about the person who doesn't get matched..why didn't they? How can I be certain I won't be that person?
But, it is also the only school I have gotten into so far and so I am in a similar position as Fishball wondering if I should hold out and reapply or head to Suffolk next year despite my apprehensions.
How do we make this decision?
Since it is a young program and hasn't been prolific in its research thus far, it does not carry the reputation of other schools, but does reputation really matter? Is a PhD not a PhD after all?
For me, there is a professor who is doing research that I would definitely like to be involved in, so Im very torn...
More thoughts?

 

[psychey]

Hi everyone,

I was in the same position as most of you are last year. That is, I was only accepted at Suffolk. I spoke with like five faculty members there and I was still unsure. I ultimately turned down the offer and applied again. I just wasn't comfortable with the idea of going to a program for 5 years that I was unsure about. I wasn't really excited to apply the second time but I did it. I got into my top three choices this year and I am very happy with my decision to wait. That being said I know there are a couple of faculty members at Suffolk who are skilled at grant writing and would make great mentors, so it depends on who you would be working with. Good luck with the decision!

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Im also concerned about the internship rate...on interview day they seemed to brag about the 92% match and I can't stop wondering about the person who doesn't get matched..why didn't they? How can I be certain I won't be that person?

I think as long as you have a program that places at least 80-90%, it shouldn't be an issue...unless you are a bottom of the ranking kind of student. There is some unknown factors in the match process.....but if you do it right, you should be fine.

-t

 

[nietzschewept]

thanks T that is helpful to know...but how do you "do it right?"

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

thanks T that is helpful to know...but how do you "do it right?"

I think people need to have a range of choices for their sites. For instance, I'd love to land at a top hospital, but I understand all of my 'ideal' places are highly coveted, and if I only choose to interview at them, there is a chance that even if I do great on the interviews....i'm everyone's 3rd, 4th, 5th choice...and I don't get chosen by ANY of them. If I spread out my choices and go after some top level placements, some mid-level placements, and a couple safety placements...I'll probably have a better shot at getting placed. The balance is the hard part, and even then....it isn't a clear cut process.

-t

 

[KillerDiller]

I am also weighing Suffolk as one of my options for this application season. I'm leaning towards going despite the lack of funding. (No, I'm not independently wealthy). I felt very comfortable at the interview and liked all the members of the faculty I met with very much. I also felt I had a good rapport with the grad students there. In fact, I already turned down an offer from another program because I felt Suffolk was a better fit in terms of lifestyle and research. It's still a hard decision, though. I'm on the wait-list at a third school and am trying to decide whether I would prefer that more financially stable and established program over Suffolk.

For what it's worth, I think the fact that Suffolk is such a young program means that you can sort of take it in any direction you choose. Maybe you also get out what you put into it. For people who need structure, this may not be that attractive. For those who are very self-motivated, however, this could be a very good thing.

 

[LadyInRed]

For what it's worth, I think the fact that Suffolk is such a young program means that you can sort of take it in any direction you choose. Maybe you also get out what you put into it. For people who need structure, this may not be that attractive. For those who are very self-motivated, however, this could be a very good thing.

From what I've heard, that's exactly right. The people who do the best there are the go-getters (but I guess that's true to some extent everywhere).

Anyone has other thoughts about thier neuropsychology specialization? Do you think it's good?

Edith Kaplan is at Suffolk and she's really well known. If you get the chance to work with her, that would be pretty awesome and would probably really help you in terms of getting a top-choice internship placement.