university of virginia??

[dru101]

Does anyone have any information about the quality of the uva (not curry) clinical psych phD program...anecdotal or otherwise? is anyone currently going there that is comfotable sharing their experience?

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[ktwallis]

speaking of university of virginia - i can't find a good description of the difference between the Curry Phd in Clinical Psychology and the UVA Psychology graduate school Phd in Clinical Psychology. I know that the Curry School offers a certification in school psychology. Is there anything more specific??

Thanks!!

 

[psychanon]

The Curry program is housed in the (Curry) School of Education, and I think it has a more clinical and more child oriented focus. I don't know this firsthand, but my understanding is that there's not much interaction between the two programs. The psych dept program is research-oriented and has a more prestigious faculty. Overall, the program has a great reputation. Not sure how much more i can tell you...maybe someone else knows more.

 

[butterfli73]

During my interviewing process I had a lot of experience with both programs there. The program in the psych dept is a great program, very reputable, and is very research focused. It has pros and cons like any program and it depends on your fit with it.
The Curry program is more clinically focused, with more of a focus on children and families. This is from the Curry website and I think it's accurate.

Both our program and the psychology department's program are APA-accredited doctoral programs designed to train clinical psychologists who can combine scientific inquiry with clinical practice. We encourage you to learn about the clinical psychology program in the Department of Psychology directly from their website and admissions materials. Generally speaking, our program provides many opportunities for research and practice related to children and families, and we have special interests in work with schools. We also focus on adult and forensic populations. Most (62%) of our graduates seek careers in a diverse set of mental health service organizations including hospitals, medical centers, schools, and primary health care practices, working with children, adolescents, and adults.

I would say if you are more interested in research, go with the psych dept, and if you are more interested in practice, go for Curry. Also if you are interested in school psych it is a good program. I don't know if stipend will matter to you at all, but Curry does not give much of a stipend to its students. I got this info from the frequently asked questions section, and if you haven't look at those at each school I would do so, they are usually very helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions about these programs, I'll help if I can.

 

[dru101]

During my interviewing process I had a lot of experience with both programs there. The program in the psych dept is a great program, very reputable, and is very research focused. It has pros and cons like any program and it depends on your fit with it.
The Curry program is more clinically focused, with more of a focus on children and families. This is from the Curry website and I think it's accurate.

Both our program and the psychology department's program are APA-accredited doctoral programs designed to train clinical psychologists who can combine scientific inquiry with clinical practice. We encourage you to learn about the clinical psychology program in the Department of Psychology directly from their website and admissions materials. Generally speaking, our program provides many opportunities for research and practice related to children and families, and we have special interests in work with schools. We also focus on adult and forensic populations. Most (62%) of our graduates seek careers in a diverse set of mental health service organizations including hospitals, medical centers, schools, and primary health care practices, working with children, adolescents, and adults.

I would say if you are more interested in research, go with the psych dept, and if you are more interested in practice, go for Curry. Also if you are interested in school psych it is a good program. I don't know if stipend will matter to you at all, but Curry does not give much of a stipend to its students. I got this info from the frequently asked questions section, and if you haven't look at those at each school I would do so, they are usually very helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions about these programs, I'll help if I can.

butterfli73,
i noticed on the website there was an explicit attempt to stress the program's focus (UVA psych dept... not Curry) on practice/research hybrid. you noted that uva was heavy research...any ideas? also, is charlottesville (sp?) racially diverse? my wife is indian and last thing i want to do is make her move to a hick town with little tolerance for bi-racial relationships...assuming i will get in, which i will probably won't! we all have to dream!
thanks for the help.

 

[butterfli73]

butterfli73,
i noticed on the website there was an explicit attempt to stress the program's focus (UVA psych dept... not Curry) on practice/research hybrid. you noted that uva was heavy research...any ideas? also, is charlottesville (sp?) racially diverse? my wife is indian and last thing i want to do is make her move to a hick town with little tolerance for bi-racial relationships...assuming i will get in, which i will probably won't! we all have to dream!
thanks for the help.

Dru, as far as the website's research/practice, I did not think that the actual program stressed practice nearly as much as research. In fact the professor I was interviewing with said that she has been trying to get them to stress it a little more, but she said that if you plan on going into private practice, it is definitely not the place for you, they pretty much breed professors. I did like certain aspects of the way their practicum was led, but it is very definitely much more research oriented. (I think the Insider's Guide gave it a 6 when completely research oriented is a 7 but I'm not sure and that was the 04/05 issue).

As far as the racial makeup of charlottesville, because it is largely a college town, it's not nearly as "hick" as somewhere further south and in the middle of nowhere. It's also only about 2 hours away from DC. I'm not the best person to ask since I was only there for my interview and did not get to see the city much outside the campus, but at least as far as graduate students there that I met, there was a lot of diversity. But if that is something that concerns you and you start to really consider UVA later, that is something you should ask a current student.

 

[dru101]

Dru, as far as the website's research/practice, I did not think that the actual program stressed practice nearly as much as research. In fact the professor I was interviewing with said that she has been trying to get them to stress it a little more, but she said that if you plan on going into private practice, it is definitely not the place for you, they pretty much breed professors. I did like certain aspects of the way their practicum was led, but it is very definitely much more research oriented. (I think the Insider's Guide gave it a 6 when completely research oriented is a 7 but I'm not sure and that was the 04/05 issue).

As far as the racial makeup of charlottesville, because it is largely a college town, it's not nearly as "hick" as somewhere further south and in the middle of nowhere. It's also only about 2 hours away from DC. I'm not the best person to ask since I was only there for my interview and did not get to see the city much outside the campus, but at least as far as graduate students there that I met, there was a lot of diversity. But if that is something that concerns you and you start to really consider UVA later, that is something you should ask a current student.

thanks for the info butterfli...you have been very helpful!
i know this is a subjective opinion, but i would like to hear your thoughts about clin psych programs/psych field. i have been researching quite a bit lately and continualy find discouraging information from a variety of sources about the value of a phd in clin psych (poor salaries, limited prof jobs, folding private practices). a lot of this is seemingly mirrored in this forum. i know there are countless factors that play in to the benefit of the phd, however, for someone who wants to be a professor/clinician isn't this (phd)the only option? opinion?are you happy with your decision thus far?

 

[joetro]

If you want to be a clinician, you can do so with a Masters or a PsyD; if you want to be an academic, you need a Ph.D. You can of course work in labs with a BA, but you won't be calling the shots.

 

[alienarms]

butterfli73,
i noticed on the website there was an explicit attempt to stress the program's focus (UVA psych dept... not Curry) on practice/research hybrid. you noted that uva was heavy research...any ideas? also, is charlottesville (sp?) racially diverse? my wife is indian and last thing i want to do is make her move to a hick town with little tolerance for bi-racial relationships...assuming i will get in, which i will probably won't! we all have to dream!
thanks for the help.

Hey-I just noticed your question about Charlottesville and wanted to share my opinion. My BF is from VA and we've been to C-ville a few times; he also has a close friend who bought a house there two years ago. It really seems like a great town; the people and atmosphere are pretty laid-back. It's not a "hick" town at all-more of a city than a town, althought not as big as the Eastern cities I'm used to! And it is racially diverse; UVA is a big school and that area is pretty diverse in general.