New school not only doesnt guarantee funding but makes you do their MA first, and then less than half the MA students are chosen to continue on for their PhD program.
Theres also very little funding for their MA program, and they recently switched it so that you cannot earn increased funding for your second year in MA based on good grades etc in first year.
Pretty sure they also only offer full funding to 1-2 students per year for PhD, and they're nearly always the racial minority students. They're not need based by any means. Getting into and getting funded for their PhD is completely dependent about kissing ass and competitiveness for 2 years and luck of the draw with diversity funding. There is clique sabotaging behavior from your fellow MA students, and even upper PhD students who tend to be "informers" for the faculty on which MA students are worthy. Every day in your lab for 2 years is an interview for the PhD and people literally behaving like Blair Waldorf in gossip girl while faculty are totally complicit if not encouraging of the atmosphere.
Too many ppl get accepted to their Ma program and think and act like they've gotten accepted to their PhD and that's not the case for more than half the MA applicants. You're not applying to their PhD. you're applying to their MA, and then will apply to their PhD after you complete that. So just be aware of that before you consider going.
They've also lost their connection with mt sianai for clinical training externship during the PhD and have moved to captive. They're under review for accredditation soon? and went through a few year gap of mot having a history and systems teacher, and were trying to pass that required course by encompassing history in all other classes ? Dunno how well that will go.
Also becuase it's an expensive program, the professors entice applicants. Other programs its abnormal for them to reach out, new school you'll probably receive loads of enthusiastic begging calls and emails from 2-4 staff. They'll do that even if they're going on sabbatical the year you're accepted.Probably because they're informed by the school that the program needs X number of applicants to milk money from so they entice ppl heavily during application process and then generally completely change their tune once school year begins.
Honestly,it's not a good program and very few graduates go on to academia as well. Career afterward is basically dominated by new school alumni cliques and connections across Manhattan and I dont know how well candidates place and match for jobs and such outside. And I can vouch that out of all the people I know who didnt get into their PhD program after completing their MA, none did afterwards. At least not clinical phds in psych, many had to and chose to pursue other careers.
Out of the people who did go onto their PhD, they generally hated the program. Happy they got to get the degree they wanted but miserable in the program overall.
Lastly, the program is full of Ivy league legacies going "black sheep", wives/fiance's of lucrative finance men,and rich internationals who generally arent worried about funding. Generally, if their husbands/fiance's/boyfriends arent funding their expensive Manhattan lifestyle and schooling, their parents are. Many wont admit it, but it eventually comes out. If you're not one of those, they will outcast you and it will be extremely difficult to fund the program and live in the tri state area
You also wont be and shouldn't be living in NYC. You need to live outside NYC and commute unless someone else can pay for a 3k a month apartment near school. And by outside NYC I mean an hour out in bronx, brooklyn,queens, LI, Jersey,etc. Becuase anything else is going to be well over 2k a month.
As for not being rich and making it through the program ? You'll need a part time job to pay for your life, loans should only go to tuition. That will be difficult to manage with the focus required to be a student they deem worthy to get into their PhD. Even if you go to 4 lab meetings a week and do well in classes and on an MA thesis, they'll notice you being tired or taking extra time for assignments etc cause of work. They'll realize becuase their PhD is unfunded you will have to continue working outside the whole time and most likely won't think you can handle it, even if you managed during the MA.
They will choose someone who can afford to be 100%committed over you. They are aware of the impact SES plays in the whole thing and quote stated to MA students in a PhD application meeting "When students who arent as wealthy have to work outside school to supplement income and cannot make themselves as invaluable to their lab as others, and as such it becomes an issue of wealth begets wealth, but unfortunately we dont have anything to address that"
They're aware of the issue, and dont care and dont really plan to change it and are more than fine running a program on the basis of "wealth begets wealth"
If you chose not to work during the MA you'll easily double the amount of loans you need to take for tuition. Double if you live extremely modestly. Triple if you live an average lifestyle.
I really cant in good conscience recommend the program to anyone.
