Widener PsyD Program

[cannotdecidewheretogo]

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone could speak to how good this program is (Current students, old faculty, etc)
It is pretty expensive (though I received a scholarship- 15% off first 3 years) and I am trying to justify if this possibly 150k degree will be worth it in the end. To be clear - I will not be in debt as my father is paying for it, but that does not make me feel any better if I can't do something successful with this degree.
I am interested in pediatric neuropsychology and would ideally like to work in private practice one day.

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[AcronymAllergy]

I don't think I personally know anyone from Widener. Looking at the %'s, they aren't bad. The match rate is good, although it's aided (or inflated, depending on your view) by the captive internship, which is a pro and a con. Licensure rate is 90%, which isn't horrible, although for a Psy.D. program, you wonder what's happening with the other 10%. Average time to completion is fine. Attrition is low.

The main downsides appear to be cost (as you've already said), cohort sizes, and that if the training isn't great, it's probably not going to get any better on internship (assuming you stay for the captive internship). I can't say anything about the quality of their neuropsych training or how their students do in this area, unfortunately.

 

[summerbabe]

I am interested in pediatric neuropsychology and would ideally like to work in private practice one day.

I also don't know anything specific about Widener. However, each program should be able to give you some tangible information regarding your career pursuits and whether these can be reasonably pursued, especially since you're picking up the tab.

Pediatric neuropsych will require training in settings where neuropsych is happening prior to internship (think local hospitals) to accrue hours and experiences.

If this program has established relationships with existing hospitals or neuropsych private practices in the Philly area, that would help. If not, you may experience more challenges in attempting to secure such training opportunities independently since nobody is required to provide training.

Lastly, my understanding (as a general practitioner) is that pediatric neuropsych is especially competitive based on supply and demand issues (more interested trainees and number of internship and postdoc training opportunities).

 

[PsyNeuro37]

Previously interviewed there almost 10 years ago at this point. Ultimately decided to go elsewhere because I was worried the captive internship would be a disadvantage for securing a neuropsych fellowship. I do remember they had a decent amount of neuropsych practicum and research experiences, at least back when I interviewed. Not sure if they still have a neuropsychologist as part of their PsyD faculty, but they did when I applied.

N=1, but I do know one previous graduate of their program who went on to attend a prestigious neuropsych fellowship and become a neuropsychologist. You should never make a decision like this off of a single anecdote though. Otherwise, I really have not run into a lot of graduates from their program. A lot of them seem to stay around Philadelphia/PA from what I was told.

 

[MiniLop]

On the plus side, Dan Yemen from Lifetime/Kid Dynamite/Paint It Black went to that program! That counts for something (to me)!

 

[DrCoal]

I've worked with many graduates from that program as well as supervised their students. I was impressed and I think its a good program.