Where to take pre-reqs in DC?

[PizzaButt]

Hi,

I'm a non-traditional, second career, 30-year-old, married prospective PhD clinical psych applicant, and I need to get my pre-reqs done in DC, where I live. However, I'm new to DC and am not sure where I should take them. I'm thinking UDC, GW, Georgetown or American--or somewhere else? Anyone have any advice for me?

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[ny1020]

but when I needed to take pre-reqs here in NYC, I just went to the websites of different schools I knew of, looked at the class schedules for the next semester (summer and fall schedules should be up by now) and just picked the school that had the class I needed at the time I needed. I work full-time, so I was restricted in my options.

 

[PizzaButt]

Yeah, that's what I did when I took my pre-med pre-reqs, but I'd love to get info from people on good professors, etc. Plus, it seems like there's a pretty big variation in courses at the different schools. Some schools have abnormal psych as a 100 level; others have it as a 300-level. So I'm confused as to what to do about that. Different schools have different 100 level course--for some, it's developmental, for others, abnormal. I'm confused about what I should be taking, because some of the schools I want to apply to in the Insider's Guide say "psych major or equivalent" so I'm not sure how to approach this given the "equivalent" part.

 

[LadyInRed]

There's also Northern Virginia Community College, which you might want to take a look at...

 

[LadyInRed]

Oh, and Catholic and Marymount.

 

[Pembleton]

I'd look into Univ of MD too.

 

[PizzaButt]

Is anyone an undergrad in DC or have any experiences with these schools?

When I did my post-bacc it was very helpful to talk to people to figure out which school was the best one to do the pre-reqs at. I'd like to do the same in this case too.

 

[LadyInRed]

Besides quality of the courses, which definitely varies between NVCC and Georgetown, two other things to keep in mind:

1) The cost of your courses. Your previous posts indicated that you're interested in taking a lot of classes. As an out of state person taking classes at NVCC or UDC, that would cost you around $800 for a class. Georgetown and GW would cost you around $3000 for a class.

2) How much do you want to put into the application process? At GW and Georgetown, if you are taking a good number of courses, you need to apply and then be accepted. At UDC, UMD, or NVCC, you fill out the application, pay for your classes, and don't have to wait for an acceptance to the school for the semester. Also the application processes at GW and Georgetown cost a decent amount of money, as opposed to the others.

 

[PizzaButt]

Thanks Lady in Red.

I know--I've been looking at course catalogs all day and getting depressed when I'm seeing $3000 for a class at some of the private schools. I don't think I can afford to take out that much in student loans. B/c as a non-psych major, I need to take probably between 3 and 6 classes just to get accepted somewhere. $800 per course is a lot better than $3000.

But at the same time, will programs look unfavorably at the community college thing? I mean, I know that when you apply to med school, they want the courses taken at a 4-year institution. Is it the same with PhD programs? Or will they understand that for a non-psych major and working adult, one needs to take them at the cheapest place?

Which would be better for a cheaper school--UDC or NOVA? I'm concerned that CC classes will be super hard b/c they might be weed-out classes. Anyone have experience with CC classes?

 

[psychanon]

I think NOVA's probably a better school than UDC, to be frank, but grad school's might not know that. I don't think CC classes would be hard. If you're a MD or VA resident (or even if you're not), I'd do UMD-College Park or George Mason. Cheaper than the private schools, more reputable than the public schools. Plus, they both have good faculties and clinical psych programs.

 

[liliofthevalley]

Hi there,
i took some of my prereqs in DC at American University because i was a grad student there. I took a developmental(grad course) and Psychopathology(grad course) and i really liked both of them.

BTW... let me know what classes you have taken because you don't need as many as you may think. Psych is a second career for me too.... and i got into programs without that many courses.

Make sure that you get research experience.... i think programs are really interested in your ability to complete PhD work.

 

[sunkyst11]

i would definitely look into taking classes at the university of maryland. i live in virginia, but my roommate is taking 3 pre-med classes up there, and somehow as a continuing studies student in the dc metro area she able to get in-state tuition.

 

[PizzaButt]

I have only taken one course....intro to psych as a freshman 10 years ago!

That's it.


So I need a bunch more, depending on the school, but at a minimum stats and abnormal, right?

So I need to take at least those two and probably a bunch more. My first choice PhD school is U Vermont, and it says in the Insider's Guide "psych major or equivalent." Equivalent probably means like 6 courses or so. Or even more.

Anyhow, I'm new to DC and don't know the reputations of some of these schools. I looked into U MD's residency requirements and it looks like you have to be a MD resident to get in-state, which I am not.

 

[spyspy]

E-mail UVermont and ask them what courses they require. They might be more specific.

A psych major here is 12+ courses.

 

[MasonPrehealth]

If you're a Virginia resident, a lot of people go to George Mason to finish off their work. And it is really inexpensive.

 

[deleted176373]

I have only taken one course....intro to psych as a freshman 10 years ago!

That's it.


So I need a bunch more, depending on the school, but at a minimum stats and abnormal, right?

So I need to take at least those two and probably a bunch more. My first choice PhD school is U Vermont, and it says in the Insider's Guide "psych major or equivalent." Equivalent probably means like 6 courses or so. Or even more.

Anyhow, I'm new to DC and don't know the reputations of some of these schools. I looked into U MD's residency requirements and it looks like you have to be a MD resident to get in-state, which I am not.

I wouldn't worry so much about the reputation of the undergrad program as much as I would worry about the opportunity to get research experience with someone associated with the area you want to work in.

Usually the minimum includes abnormal, research methods, stats, and you'll want either cognition or sensation and perception. You'll find that to complete the work you'll need about 36+ credit hours of psychology classes. Some school apps list desired courses.

You might find schools that accept the Subject GRE in lieu of a psychology major (quite a few do.) Good luck!

Mark