Switching or Withdrawing

[Psychadelic2012]

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I'm in a counseling psych PhD program that I LOATHE. There are no words for how much I hate it. This has been a dirty trick where they lured me in with the promise of opportunities to fulfill my goals, but it is extremely unlikely to happen. I have a licensable masters and I don't see how this program will get me anywhere beyond my current degree. I'm now considering either switching to an experimental program at my school (starting in fall) or withdrawing mid-semester so that I can move on with my life.

Has anyone here ever switched to an experimental program? What implications will this have for my future career in research (academia or industry)?

Alternately, will having "W"s on my transcripts during my last semester brand me for life? What if I decide to apply to another doc program in the future? Will it look really bad?

Please feel free to PM if you'd rather.

 

[psychstudent5]

I know the feeling. I think switching vs. withdrawing depends on your long-term career goal. If you want to do research, then the experimental program may be best. Although, I don't know much about experimental programs. I do wonder about the political ramifications of switching. Is your phd program housed in psychology where the experimental psych program is? Because I would be mindful about the faculty taking it as a slight or experimental faculty being wary about your commitment.

Re: W on transcript...Some employers do ask for transcripts, but in my experience, they're not looking at them meticulously. However, the W may get their attention. I would be ready to explain the reasons why you have W. Now, if you decide to apply for another doc program, in all honesty, it would be a problem. Perhaps not for every program, but I do think it will be noticed and you would be asked about it. Have you considered finishing out the semester to avoid this as potential hurdle?

I hope this helps some.

 

[Psychadelic2012]

I know the feeling. I think switching vs. withdrawing depends on your long-term career goal. If you want to do research, then the experimental program may be best. Although, I don't know much about experimental programs. I do wonder about the political ramifications of switching. Is your phd program housed in psychology where the experimental psych program is? Because I would be mindful about the faculty taking it as a slight or experimental faculty being wary about your commitment.

Re: W on transcript...Some employers do ask for transcripts, but in my experience, they're not looking at them meticulously. However, the W may get their attention. I would be ready to explain the reasons why you have W. Now, if you decide to apply for another doc program, in all honesty, it would be a problem. Perhaps not for every program, but I do think it will be noticed and you would be asked about it. Have you considered finishing out the semester to avoid this as potential hurdle?

I hope this helps some.

Thanks for the reply. The two programs are in different colleges. I honestly don't care too much about faculty in my current department being slighted, because I've asked and asked for what I want and I'm not getting it. What I realize is that I just want to do research. I don't need or want the clinical training, given my current credentials and career goals. I want to hurry past all of this and get to a research postdoc, but even if I could skip all of the icky clinical stuffy, the resources aren't even here to get me to that kind of postdoc. I do worry about the new department thinking I wouldn't commit, as I would with another doc program, but I just have to be honest because I cannot continue here.

As far as sticking out the semester, it's a matter of realizing that you've come to the peak of how utterly miserable you are and wanting it to be done so you can move on. I really don't want to work these 60 hour weeks, with no days off, doing something I hate when I know I don't have to. I have good reason to believe it will get worse when I inform them that I'm leaving (and why), even if it's at the end of the semester.

I don't even know that I'll apply again. I'm too old to go through this same thing again, and there's no guarantee that I'll find a program that fits me. The thought of going through applications again, spending the money to apply and travelling for interviews, and moving AGAIN is unbearable. I'll be 40 before I know it and going to school with people nearly half my age. No thank you to that!

 

[cara susanna]

You're interested in research, right? Can you collaborate with the experimental psych faculty? That's what I did (granted, we are in the same dept so it's much easier here).

 

[weeblewobble]

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this.

Are you friendly with any of the experimental faculty? Could you feel out the possibility of either collaborating with them while staying in your current program (like cara suggested) or moving over to their lab before making any official announcements to your program?

 

[Psychadelic2012]

Yeah, I already have. I have an amazing match with one professor who wants to take me on--she says she wished I would have applied there when I first contacted her when I arrived. I'll be applying. I would collaborate while in the program, but I hate my program so much and it's so time consuming with redundant clinical work, it's just not feasible or desirable.

 

[cara susanna]

In that case, I would just put it as your maybe not loving clinical work as much as you thought you would--emphasize training differences/goals versus not liking your program.

 

[Psychadelic2012]

Well, yes, that's definitely true and having a master's degree and studying the same exact thing over and over doesn't help. I'm not going to go into detail about why I hate my program, but it's more than just a preference toward research and against clinical work...I don't want to be identified .

I'm still interested in perceptions of the job market for a masters-licensed clinician with an experimental PhD, if anyone has any. Maybe it's not quite as marketable as a clinical psych PhD, but probably more so than an experimental PhD with absolutely no clinical ability/licensure, right?

 

[erg923]

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[AcronymAllergy]

Well, yes, that's definitely true and having a master's degree and studying the same exact thing over and over doesn't help. I'm not going to go into detail about why I hate my program, but it's more than just a preference toward research and against clinical work...I don't want to be identified .

I'm still interested in perceptions of the job market for a masters-licensed clinician with an experimental PhD, if anyone has any. Maybe it's not quite as marketable as a clinical psych PhD, but probably more so than an experimental PhD with absolutely no clinical ability/licensure, right?

It might depend on the types of positions to which you're applying. I could see it being a boon for research-oriented positions that are perhaps looking at clinical factors, although you're likely to compete with clinically-based PhDs for those spots. For academic spots, I'm honestly not sure. Perhaps masters programs would be salivating over the option to have a methods instructor who holds a clinical masters AND a research doctorate?

You'll just need to make sure that your research and stats training are spot-on, and (as T4C has mentioned in the past) perhaps begin developing some unique skills now that could be useful down the line, such as programming in various stats and computer languages, database development and management, experience using the equipment you might like to research with (e.g., fMRI, EEG), etc.

 

[cara susanna]

Would you have a licensable clinical Masters though? I thought most PhD programs don't give you those.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Would you have a licensable clinical Masters though? I thought most PhD programs don't give you those.

I could be wrong, but I think Psychadelic might've had the masters prior to beginning the PhD program...?

 

[cara susanna]

Ohh, I see. In that case, never mind 🙂

 

[Psychadelic2012]

I could be wrong, but I think Psychadelic might've had the masters prior to beginning the PhD program...?

Yep.