"Help me decide" mega thread

[manwelio]

I'm looking into applying to the General Psychology master's program through CUNY Hunter College because there is a professor there with a research lab studying some topics I'm interested in. I have a narrative as a former teacher with experiences with student mental health struggles as well as family struggles that reflect my desire to make this transition to a field where I can be more effective.

Can anyone here speak to experiences in the master's program at Hunter College (or another CUNY program) and the preparation for PhD programs? I'm specifically interested in volume of research experiences, resources provided by faculty and the program for gaining experience, and any stats on PhD success rates? Thanks!

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[elgaeCB]

Hi guys, my wife has been accepted into Indiana University, Temple University and UIUC for their clinical psychology PhD programs. She likes all of their academic curriculum and faculty, but feels that the research aspect of UIUC and IU are more suited to her area of interest. In terms of finances, all are offering decent stipends for their area (all are fully funded). I was wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation and could offer their insight. Thank you.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Postdoc applications advice!

I have applied for 9 primarily-research postdoc positions. I received 2 rejections (one was hard but wanted more experience with a specific analysis and the other was a long shot) and the rest have yet to make decisions. 3 who haven't decided are T32s, 2 are up for renewal this year and 1 of those is my top choice and I have a lot of reason to believe that if they got the funding I would have a slot (they got a great score but won't know for sure for 1-1.5 months and can't offer backup funding if they don't get funded). 3 non-t32s are more like project coordinator positions which are hoping to make decisions "soon". The last one has one slot and decides normally in May (which was not on the original job posting) and is more of a general "do your own research" type position.

The applications seem like a lot, but as Spring is nearing and my internship is ending in July, the question is, do I apply for more? Or do I just sit, very heavily, on my hands and wait, hoping that something comes through?

Have others waited for T32s in renewal before and how did you come to that decision?

You might want to bump an older thread about research post-docs or make a new one, as ppl reading in here will likely be looking at grad programs. Research post-docs are also a smaller set of regular posters.

ps. @JonSnow, @Ollie123, et al. would be good to ask.

 

[PsyD2019]

Is anyone here holding offers to Rutgers PsyD that they are thinking of releasing? Do you mind sharing what other programs you applied to that are higher on list, if so? Thanks!

 

[niceman]

Hi guys, my wife has been accepted into Indiana University, Temple University and UIUC for their clinical psychology PhD programs. She likes all of their academic curriculum and faculty, but feels that the research aspect of UIUC and IU are more suited to her area of interest. In terms of finances, all are offering decent stipends for their area (all are fully funded). I was wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation and could offer their insight. Thank you.

Congrats on the offers! This is a great situation to be in especially considering how competitive admissions are this year. It seems she's interested in clinical science training as they are all such programs. Research fit is definitely important as more students are held back by research than clinical work. If there are specializations/certain populations she has in mind, she can ask about practicum opportunities and internship placements as well. She can think about her career goals. Her goals may change so having a number of options in mind is also helpful. If she is interested in a career in academia, check/ask about her future advisors' productivity and student involvement in research/grant writing/publications.

 

[aspiringpsych101]

If anyone could provide feedback/any input /advice I would be greatly appreciative!

For this admissions cycle, I recieved 2 offers of admissions (1 PsyD and 1 PhD)

1. My first offer was for Indiana State University's PsyD Program (fully funded with a yearly stipend of 6,700)
and my
2. second offer was for ECU's Clinical Health Psychology Program (fully funded with a yearly 9 month stipend of 16,000)

With this being said, I am quite a bit torn as to which route will be best for an overall learning experience, while maintaining life balance, and having an abundance of long-term job opportunities.

Both programs are filled with incredibly receptive and welcoming faculty and graduate students. I also have very similar research interests with both of the programs, so this is not a concern of mine.
I did notice that students at ECU seem to be a bit more overwhelmed with their various roles and responsibilities (well-justified). While at ISU, the students definitely had a full plate, but their stress levels seemed to be slightly lower, possibly given that there is less of a research focus and more of a clinical orientation to the program (while still working towards a final dissertation). While both programs were welcoming, ECU felt a bit more intimidating and ISU felt a bit more like home. ISU's student's relationships with each other and the faculty member's were outstanding. They seem to truly care for one another, and provide continual support throughout the journey (small cohort of 9 students).
With this being said, both progroms do offer a collaborative environment.

I truly value being able to maintain my mental and physical health and well-being throughout these next 4-5 years. I feel that I must maintain a healthy balance within my personal life to perform at my highest professional potential. And I truly need a community that is supportive and not the least bit intimidating (already feel the imposter syndrome taking hold of me).

Career prospects: Private practice, and or Hospital Setting working within an interdisciplinary team, and or a research facility.

Any advice or suggestions will be greatly welcomed. Thank you

 

[aspiringpsych101]

If anyone could provide feedback/any input /advice I would be greatly appreciative!

For this admissions cycle, I recieved 2 offers of admissions (1 PsyD and 1 PhD)

1. My first offer was for Indiana State University's PsyD Program (fully funded with a yearly stipend of 6,700)
and my
2. second offer was for ECU's Clinical Health Psychology Program (fully funded with a yearly 9 month stipend of 16,000)

With this being said, I am quite a bit torn as to which route will be best for an overall learning experience, while maintaining life balance, and having an abundance of long-term job opportunities.

Both programs are filled with incredibly receptive and welcoming faculty and graduate students. I also have very similar research interests with both of the programs, so this is not a concern of mine.
I did notice that students at ECU seem to be a bit more overwhelmed with their various roles and responsibilities (well-justified). While at ISU, the students definitely had a full plate, but their stress levels seemed to be slightly lower, possibly given that there is less of a research focus and more of a clinical orientation to the program (while still working towards a final dissertation). While both programs were welcoming, ECU felt a bit more intimidating and ISU felt a bit more like home. ISU's student's relationships with each other and the faculty member's were outstanding. They seem to truly care for one another, and provide continual support throughout the journey (small cohort of 9 students).
With this being said, both progroms do offer a collaborative environment.

I truly value being able to maintain my mental and physical health and well-being throughout these next 4-5 years. I feel that I must maintain a healthy balance within my personal life to perform at my highest professional potential. And I truly need a community that is supportive and not the least bit intimidating (already feel the imposter syndrome taking hold of me).

Career prospects: Private practice, and or Hospital Setting working within an interdisciplinary team, and or a research facility.

Any advice or suggestions will be greatly welcomed. Thank you

also side note: Greenville (ECU) is an adorable town with very low cost of living, while Terre Haute (ISU) is a not so adorable town with a relatively high cost of living lol

 

[summerbabe]

having an abundance of long-term job opportunities.

Career prospects: Private practice, and or Hospital Setting working within an interdisciplinary team, and or a research facility.

First, congrats!

I have zero firsthand experience with either program. However, based on ECU's program description, the emphasis seems very heavy on health behavior stuff so if you're interested in getting significant training interventions like trauma that don't fit in a primary care setting, you may have less opportunities pre-internship. But ISU also won't have as many opportunities for hospital-based training.

Clinical health training would likely make you very competitive for hospital-based jobs in the future but it might be less relevant for private practice-type settings and the types of problems that people may bring there.

From my personal experience, a supportive cohort/overall program environment is important but I personally found the relationship with my faculty advisor to be more instrumental for getting through school and that can vary even within a supportive program.

 

[prisonpsych2020]

also side note: Greenville (ECU) is an adorable town with very low cost of living, while Terre Haute (ISU) is a not so adorable town with a relatively high cost of living lol

...Terre Haute’s COL is *incredibly* low.

 

[underlabourer]

Anyone accepted into Duquesne? PM me if you want to connect.

 

[Spooky Student]

Hello!
I am lucky enough to have been accepted into two PsyD programs. Unfortunately, I'm having a tough time deciding, and am hoping some folks here might be able to give better insights. The programs seem roughly comparable on some fronts: COL in both areas seems relatively equal, both have excellent APA internship match rates, and small cohort sizes.

Now, for what isn't equal (from my perspective):

Xavier:

I have been thoroughly impressed with this program throughout the whole process. The attention I was given before and during the interview by grad students and faculty felt very personal and like they actually wanted to get to know me. The program has excellent training and practicum opportunities for my populations of interest (adolescents & young adults), and also has a specialization in serious & chronic psychopathology as well. I can obtain both pretty easily. They also have more guaranteed funding than Florida Tech (I've already been granted partial funding and am waiting to see if I get a TA position that would provide more). Everything I've been able to find implies the program has a strong reputation, and admittedly I got much better vibes from them than Florida Tech, but I attribute a lot of that to FIT's messy interview day. Grad students all seemed to genuinely get along and spoke highly of the culture and cohesiveness of the cohorts. Cincinnati reminds me a lot of my hometown (another mid-sized midwest city) and is closer to family than Florida Tech, but I admittedly am not super thrilled about staying in the midwest. It doesn't seem like a bad place, and would probably feel very much like home, but I'm tired of winter. However, I can't really produce other 'cons' for this program.

Florida Tech:

Edit: It was brought to my attention on another site that FIT's EPPP pass rate is much lower than I had previously thought. I'll leave the post up as I decide if it's even worth still considering, but this has definitely changed things.

As I mentioned above, their interview day was messy, and I'm honestly slightly surprised I got in as I didn't feel like I interviewed as well as I did at Xavier. There were no 1-on-1 interviews, and the small group interviews we did have with faculty were limited and awkward. However, I did leave impressed by the faculty's work and the available training opportunities. At the end of the day I had a great cadence and connection with a faculty member and a small group of applicants - already made potential research partners! I have the opportunity to potentially pursue some very niche interests in research that I might not be able to at Xavier due to student demographics.

I definitely noticed less cohesiveness among the graduate students, and some where honest that parts of the cohorts get competitive due to limited practicum opportunities for forensic & neuropsych due to the number of students in those specializations. However, I'm not planning to specialize in neuropsych, and while I'm interested in forensic training I'm not sure I would pursue a practicum in it. The Child & Family grad students seemed much more like a cohesive group, though I did detect that training and practicum opportunities here are more focused on preschoolers and young children than Xavier's Child & Adolescent track. I definitely noticed a trend of the program's reputation pertaining to its assessment training, which is certainly important to me. Xavier of course provides it as well, but it seems like much more of a focus at FIT.

As I said above, there is less guaranteed funding for this program, and tuition costs are relatively the same. The big edge FIT has for me is the location. Melbourne appears to be the conglomeration of a lot of things I love, and as someone who is very sensitive to my environment, I want to make sure I go to school in a place I'd be happy. I'm tired of seasonal depression, to be completely honest. However, I'm not naive enough to let this be the driving force behind my decision, but it is absolutely keeping FIT in consideration. I'm in the process of scheduling trips to both cities to really get a feel for the school & location before I commit to either one.

In short, I think either program would set me up for a good career, but have different opportunities that would ultimately shape how my career looks. My ultimate goal is to be a private practice clinician, but I want the ability to conduct assessments and potentially do forensic psych work as well. Both programs satisfy these requirements, but in different ways.

Ultimately, I'm looking for some insight from people who might be more in the know than I am about the programs and how they prepare students for careers as psychologists, and also just their general reputations. Any insight is appreciated!

 

[niceman]

Hello!
I am lucky enough to have been accepted into two PsyD programs. Unfortunately, I'm having a tough time deciding, and am hoping some folks here might be able to give better insights. The programs seem roughly comparable on some fronts: COL in both areas seems relatively equal, both have excellent APA internship match rates, and small cohort sizes.

Now, for what isn't equal (from my perspective):

Xavier:

I have been thoroughly impressed with this program throughout the whole process. The attention I was given before and during the interview by grad students and faculty felt very personal and like they actually wanted to get to know me. The program has excellent training and practicum opportunities for my populations of interest (adolescents & young adults), and also has a specialization in serious & chronic psychopathology as well. I can obtain both pretty easily. They also have more guaranteed funding than Florida Tech (I've already been granted partial funding and am waiting to see if I get a TA position that would provide more). Everything I've been able to find implies the program has a strong reputation, and admittedly I got much better vibes from them than Florida Tech, but I attribute a lot of that to FIT's messy interview day. Grad students all seemed to genuinely get along and spoke highly of the culture and cohesiveness of the cohorts. Cincinnati reminds me a lot of my hometown (another mid-sized midwest city) and is closer to family than Florida Tech, but I admittedly am not super thrilled about staying in the midwest. It doesn't seem like a bad place, and would probably feel very much like home, but I'm tired of winter. However, I can't really produce other 'cons' for this program.

Florida Tech:

Edit: It was brought to my attention on another site that FIT's EPPP pass rate is much lower than I had previously thought. I'll leave the post up as I decide if it's even worth still considering, but this has definitely changed things.

As I mentioned above, their interview day was messy, and I'm honestly slightly surprised I got in as I didn't feel like I interviewed as well as I did at Xavier. There were no 1-on-1 interviews, and the small group interviews we did have with faculty were limited and awkward. However, I did leave impressed by the faculty's work and the available training opportunities. At the end of the day I had a great cadence and connection with a faculty member and a small group of applicants - already made potential research partners! I have the opportunity to potentially pursue some very niche interests in research that I might not be able to at Xavier due to student demographics.

I definitely noticed less cohesiveness among the graduate students, and some where honest that parts of the cohorts get competitive due to limited practicum opportunities for forensic & neuropsych due to the number of students in those specializations. However, I'm not planning to specialize in neuropsych, and while I'm interested in forensic training I'm not sure I would pursue a practicum in it. The Child & Family grad students seemed much more like a cohesive group, though I did detect that training and practicum opportunities here are more focused on preschoolers and young children than Xavier's Child & Adolescent track. I definitely noticed a trend of the program's reputation pertaining to its assessment training, which is certainly important to me. Xavier of course provides it as well, but it seems like much more of a focus at FIT.

As I said above, there is less guaranteed funding for this program, and tuition costs are relatively the same. The big edge FIT has for me is the location. Melbourne appears to be the conglomeration of a lot of things I love, and as someone who is very sensitive to my environment, I want to make sure I go to school in a place I'd be happy. I'm tired of seasonal depression, to be completely honest. However, I'm not naive enough to let this be the driving force behind my decision, but it is absolutely keeping FIT in consideration. I'm in the process of scheduling trips to both cities to really get a feel for the school & location before I commit to either one.

In short, I think either program would set me up for a good career, but have different opportunities that would ultimately shape how my career looks. My ultimate goal is to be a private practice clinician, but I want the ability to conduct assessments and potentially do forensic psych work as well. Both programs satisfy these requirements, but in different ways.

Ultimately, I'm looking for some insight from people who might be more in the know than I am about the programs and how they prepare students for careers as psychologists, and also just their general reputations. Any insight is appreciated!

Congratulations on the offers! It sounds like you have already considered different factors in your decision. As far as EPPP pass rates are concerned, you can also see that FIT may not have prepared students well for research (not your focus anyway) based on their scores, but ultimately 91% of their graduates became licensed so it would seem most of them passed on their second attempt (or more). Like you said either program will provide enough experience in conducting assessment. Whether you can confidently and ethically conduct certain kinds of assessment very much depend on your training experiences. So this is something to think about whether these programs can provide that. This is more about practicum/internship training than the PsyD program.

I have had limited experience with Xavier while working in Cincinnati, but I appreciated Xavier's program's organized approach to reaching out about practicum experiences and organizing them. Faculty seemed to take on students from any clinical psych programs in the area without specific preference, which is a good sign. And I would say that having access to one of the largest children's hospitals in the country allows you to get trained on a lot of different evidence-based treatments. The only time I met with an FIT student was in a group interview. I wasn't impressed but that's n=1.

It's important to be happy in a city for 5 years, but how happiness looks like is very personal. For example, does no winter and more things you enjoy doing in FL outweigh a more competitive cohort, being further away from family, and less opportunities to work with your preferred population? It is totally possible for you to enjoy working with young kids, and you really never know until you try it. Also, if you don't do a forensic practicum, it's highly unlikely for you to get into forensic psych down the road. It's a great idea to visit both cities to get a sense of what they look like. People also say Cincinnati is more of a city to live in than a city to visit. I can't say I agree but YMMV.

 

[singasongofjoy]

I'd certainly take the additional EPPP info you got into account as you weigh decisions. The biggest potentially red flag for me in your description though was the competitiveness of the cohort. Grad school is stressful enough without that **** - you need to have a cohort you can lean on. That was a big factor in my decision making - I did not want to go somewhere I would be competing against my friends for prac training. In my case, a collaborative cohort led to ease of splitting up e.g., creation of study guides etc for classes, research, proofing each others' dissertations, relying on each others' strengths in turn just because (many thanks to those who let me talk thorough my methods and analyses since that didnt' feel like my strongest point; I traded editing and brainstorming other things), help with totally revising my thesis at the 11th hour (never depend on working with a large state agency when you are on a timeline) etc that i hear others at other places I interviewed did not get. I can't imagine getting thorough those years without that support; in the end graduation felt like a group accomplishment (though that may be heightened since other aspects of my particular program at that time were bordering on toxic) and several of us collaborated on pulling together internship info and planned our travel together as we applied for the same programs. I think I would have slowly withered inside without that kind of social support so far from home. Another question I would ask is how many years on average until people go onto internship. And my favorite question to ask everyone - what was it that surprised you the most about the program in your experience there so far (or one positive surprise and one not so welcome surprise).

 

[TheReindeer]

Help me decide!

Hello, I've been accepted into 3 PsyD programs; University of Indianapolis, Spalding University, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP).

Does anyone have any thoughts on their programs. Looking at their student data and outcomes, they seem similar to me but I might be missing something. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[psych.meout]

Help me decide!

Hello, I've been accepted into 3 PsyD programs; University of Indianapolis, Spalding University, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP).

Does anyone have any thoughts on their programs. Looking at their student data and outcomes, they seem similar to me but I might be missing something. Any help would be appreciated!

If they're similar then go with the one with the most funding.

 

[PsycIntern2021]

To be honest, I don't know anything about University of Indianapolis or IUPS' programs but can say that Spalding produces great psychologists. They are well respected in Louisville and there are many practica options in the city. But, I agree with @psych.meout to go with the most funding. The debt is no joke.

 

[neurotic_cow]

Hi all, I am currently interviewing with PsyD programs and would like to ask for your advice in order to make an informed decision later.

The schools that I am interviewing with are:
Indiana University of Pennsylvania,
Yeshiva University/Ferkauf School of Psychology,
William James College.

Since I am an international students, I am not able to take out student loans, but luckily my parents will help me pay for my tuition. I looked through the statistics of all three schools and many previous threads, and right now I like Yeshiva the most, since I prefer city life, and the training outcome seems good.

Does anyone know about the reputation of these three schools? I am also very interested in hearing about any personal experience related to these programs. Any comments are welcome! Thanks a lot!!

I went to IUP so I am a bit biased, but I always got remarks while interviewing about how "good" our program's reputation was. I can't speak for what it's like now but I definitely feel like I got a good education and all of my cohort-mates and I have felt well-prepared. We do very well in the match each year and our licensure and EPPP pass rates speak for themselves. Happy to share more about my experiences in a private message if that would be helpful!

 

[PsyD1]

I wouldn't consider Widener based on cost alone. I don't know much about WPU's program, but the only information I've gotten was negative, to say the least. I think Kean would be the best option out of these. I know several competent practitioners who have gone through Kean's program.

Hi, I am currently looking at Kean and was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about what you know about the program. Thanks so much

 

[mypointlesspov]

Hi, I am currently looking at Kean and was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about what you know about the program. Thanks so much

I honestly don't know much about the program itself.

 

[psych430@]

Hello all, I would really appreciate some advice on what route to go, and what I should do during my year off. I just graduated with an BS in psychology- 3.43 GPA overall, and 3.55 GPA in psychology.
Currently, I am volunteering as research assistant and working as a ABA Behavioral Tech (pays the bills)
My overall goal is to do research and get my PhD in social or experimental psychology but also debating clinical psych. I am not really interested in doing therapy but am willing to give it a try.
I am not sure if being a behavioral tech is really going to count as clinical experience, would it be more helpful with getting into a PhD program if I work as a research assistant and simultaneously continue being a volunteer?
I didn't get any research experience as an undergrad- due to covid and I was an out of state student so I was constantly jumping back and forth between states.
I am unsure if this year off will give me enough experience to get into a PhD program, or if I should try to get my MA in Psych first.
I have read the forums on pros and cons for a masters or PhD but am still unsure what the best fit for me is. Should I chase my PhD right away, or would I benefit from going for my MA in psych and trying to work with that, then applying for PhD school afterwards?
Any and all advice would be really helpful! Thank you!

 

[summerbabe]

My overall goal is to do research and get my PhD in social or experimental psychology but also debating clinical psych. I am not really interested in doing therapy but am willing to give it a try.

There are probably more clinical psych folks on this board versus academic psych folks.

What type of research are you doing currently? Are you likely to get published as a result? If not, I don’t know if you’ll be competitive for a research PhD.

My hunch is that you’ll need to have built a robust CV to be competitive and some folks use a research focused MA program to accomplish this goal.

An MA would likely also help you for a clinical PhD if you end up changing your mind but a clinical PhD is going to be very different than a pure research PhD.

 

[chicandtoughness]

If you are not interested in doing therapy don’t do a clinical psych PhD. You’d have to do several *years* of therapy and assessments just to get the PhD, plus the 1 year full time internship. I would do the PhD in experimental or social or cognitive or whatever non-clinical subfield aligns best with your research interests.

Given your lower GPA, the recommendation is typically 2-3 years of full time research coordinator work (could you look for full time jobs?) or an MA where you can produce. 1 year is not really enough because it doesn’t give you the time to really see a project to completion and publication.

Do you have the link to the postbac research job listings? (I can find it later if not - on mobile now)

The ABA experience is interesting but does not get you closer to either goal of research PhD or clinical PhD. Productive, full time research experience >>> all else.