Undergrad schools

[Nickp8500]

As far as getting into a doctoral program for psychology, to what extent does your undergraduate school play into acount, I live in michigan and was planning to go to Uof M because i figured its one of the best, after speaking with my professor, she informed me that it doesnt play that big of a role and if i wanted to go to western michigan, and pay less than half of the tuition it shouildnt really be a big deal. any suggestions to how true thta is.

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[Quynh2007]

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[bigmood]

I feel like it matters to some extent, particularly with networking. You'll see later on that you apply with, interview with, and lose spots to people with the same or worse credentials than you but because they went to a great school, they get more points. Fair or not (and it could be fair because "better" schools are often tougher), it happens. However, you should be where you want to be because you may have to work a little harder to stand out, but it is not out of the question.

 

[joetro]

I think it matters somewhat based on school. One school I interviewed with, everyone I was up against was from a top public or private school. (I'm just talking about people interviewing for my person). At another school, it was more regional (i.e. people were coming from a lot of schools in that state).

I also think that it might not just be about the school you went to, but everything else that comes along with it. So if you are at a top 20 school, maybe you are also more likely to have high SAT scores which could translate into high GRE scores, a solid GPA, etc. It may not be just about the school itself but all the stuff that could be correlated with it.

 

[Nickp8500]

thanks guys, ill be more specific, i live in michigan, i am pondering going to U of M, which is a very high ranked school, and being that im a transfer student, not that difficult to get into, and Western Michigan, its in the top 100, but nothing special and far from ivy league, my delima lies in the finances, its over ten grand a year to go to michigan, and about 4 to go to western, does it make a difference worth paying that much more money. im sure its individual, in my case il have to pay for my own school for teh most part, and have to take out loans.... thanks for your help so far

 

[perfektspace]

thanks guys, ill be more specific, i live in michigan, i am pondering going to U of M, which is a very high ranked school, and being that im a transfer student, not that difficult to get into, and Western Michigan, its in the top 100, but nothing special and far from ivy league, my delima lies in the finances, its over ten grand a year to go to michigan, and about 4 to go to western, does it make a difference worth paying that much more money. im sure its individual, in my case il have to pay for my own school for teh most part, and have to take out loans.... thanks for your help so far

If you think going to U of M will give you significant advantages vs Western Michigan then it may be worth it. Perhaps there is a particular aspect of Michigan that directly suits your needs/interests? I'm guessing your transferring from a 2 year college (?) and in that case the financial burden wouldn't be too bad for your last 2 years.

If your going on name alone then I would save your money. They are both good schools.

 

[Nickp8500]

thank you again, yeah that was part of my question as well, from my understanding, most undergraduate psychology is universal, where as grad schools, really have their own direction that could be completly different thatn another, research vs praction based, behavioras vs psychoanalytical, ect, where as all the undergrad courses and correct me if im wrong, are pretty much the same, so if you say there both good schools, i assume just go to western, i guess my question is , are undergrad schools cirriculium pretty much the same of do they differ, like grad programs. thanks

 

[clearcolor]

If you plan to get involved in research labs and/or do your own research projects, UofM might make a big difference. Basically, the prof who will supervise and mentor you at UofM will also write your recs and try to help you with grad school. If you pick a supervisor whose research interests match yours, then his/her rec carries even greater weight because you may be applying to work with his/her colleages for grad school. Specifically, your UofM supervisor might recommend that you apply to certain schools because the supervisor might actually know the prof at other schools very well due to similar research interests.

Alternatively, if you pick a supervisor whose research interests dont match yours (cause there are only so many prof available and research interests change in undergrad), the prof at UofM may still be more likely to have a greater presence in the field then at the school in Western Michigan. This isn't the case with all schools, but from my understanding, UofM has an amazing psychology grad program with more prominent researchers than the other university.

On another note, at one of my interviews at a very highly regarded clinical psych research program, all 10-15 interviewees were from top 20 schools. That was strange though and only the case for 1 of my maybe 5 group interviews. However, at another school, when I looked at bios of grad students working with the mentor I wanted to work with, all her students came from really good undergrad schools.

And, on a final note, I ended up going to a grad school where my mentor had no connections whatsoever with my undergrad rec writers. I'm sure my undergrad helped to some extent, but not everyone in my grad school lab came from a top undergrad.

 

[slickvic]

so would you say that U of M is research orientated, do undergrad schools differ in their practice vs research primary orientation, as do grad schools,

 

[clearcolor]

I would say undergrads can't really be clinically oriented because you cant do clinical work throuogh the psych dept. as an undergrad. Some undergrad educations involve more research than others, but there is no clinical/research distinction like in grad school.

 

[bigmood]

certainly, i am biased (having gone to a small school), but i feel like it is more about the work you do and not the name of the school you attend. you can go to nothing school, usa and still make a name for yourself, which is respectable. from the sound of it, you are way ahead of the game by thinking this much about it this early on, so i am positive you are a good student. don't pile up debt in hopes that a big name will help you (you will be a poor grad student sure enough). just do the work (and a little extra) and do it well. it pays in the end.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

The school name may help a bit for very strong programs, but I think it has more to do with what you choose to do with your undergrad education, in regard to research, practical experience, publishing, etc. I went to a small liberal arts college, with the intent on working closely with faculty on research. I received great supervision, and that went a long way for getting a great education and strong recommendation letters. Would it have mattered if I went to a large university...probably not. I think it depends on your interests. My research was much more exploratory in nature, and not something that would have benefited from being at a larger school. If I designed a large study, a larger school would have been more helpful.


I don't think anyone expects you to know what you want (it will probably change 3 times in college), but if you have it narrowed down...take a hard look at the programs, contact some faculty, and see what you can find out. Many times, professors are more than willing to talk with you about undergrad involvement.....but PLEASE do research before calling. Have an idea of what they do, because it will show that you care enough to do a bit of leg work to be informed. You don't need to love what they do, but be aware so you can ask questions like, "I heard you are doing research in XXXXXXXXXXX, would an undergrad student be able to get involved with your research?" or possibly, "I know you do XYZ research, and I'd like to learn more about the research process, what kind of things can I do at (school) to accomplish that?" Or..."what kind of opportunities might an undergraduate student have in the psych dept?" Sometimes you can get involved with the graduate program....you'll do stats collecting, lit reviews, etc....but those are all important skills to learn, and anything you can get your name on as a contributor....bonus.

Short answer: Go where you think you will get a solid education, with an idea of how you would best be able to utilize the school's resources.

-t

 

[tabularasa]

Why wouldn't you consider Michigan State? We're a big on research and if you are going to choose UofM because of the name, then you're missing out on a lot. The psych department here is pretty good.

 

[JockNerd]

Would you really want to go somewhere where your prospective advisor cares more about who you know than what you know? What's going to happen when next year a student who worked with a BIGGER name applies? You get left behind in the dust?

Students who go to bigger-name schools can often get hooked up with a super-productive, well-known prof. That's not really favoritism, that's them getting a ton of spectacular work done.