CaffeinatedCounselor

Looks like I may bump into both of you sometime in the future! Take care.

Decided to cancel my interview--makes no sense to waste both their time and mine. They were very nice about it.

I love the Baruch dept...I'm going to miss them. But I think that if I have aspirations for a PhD... which I am about 95% sure is the direction towards which I'm leaning, the research and teaching opportunities are much better at City than Baruch. So yeah I'm staying where I am. Good luck to you too lepetitfaon. PS. What department is an MA in Disability Studies in/what is the focus? That is such an interesting sounding program.

Thanks guys...after mulling it over, I made the decision. Going to CCNY to get another degree from the same department.

I don't think it makes you look unfocused/disorganized at all and it could help your application if your BA grades are not strong. I can see a progression from BA Psy to an MA in ECS and an MSW with a goal of working with children. What I will say, though, is the one-year MA may not be the best way to prep for MSW programs. With an MSW, because you have a BA in Psych (if you've done well) you have enough of an educational background--the new MA doesn't add much on that front. You want to prove your mettle in the field for MSW programs. Can you secure an internship or a job of some sort within the field that is related? Maybe BA-level caseworker positions? Some type of field work? Is there an adviser in your psych department who can point you to internships/fieldwork placements? Edit: Also, keep in mind that if you need your MA to boost your grades, you may not have any new grades by the time you apply for MSW programs if the deadlines are December-ish (although I think many have later deadlines). You'll also be applying to grad school while you are adjusting to a new program...which may or may not be something that you feel comfortable with. If they money is there, you could potentially use the one-year MA to gain a new professional network and land an internship that gets you to an MSW later. Does doing this MA get you to a dept. with more resources?

I am applying to Mental Health Counseling programs and was sitting on three acceptances. I also have a group interview tomorrow morning. I've decided that, from the three schools, there is one school I really really want to go to. From reassessing my whole reason for pursuing this degree, I realize that only one of the four campuses I applied to really would help me achieve all the goals. Is it bad form to cancel my group interview tomorrow morning because I know I won't be considering that school even if I got in anymore? The interview is less than 24 hours from now.

@El_Consejero You're not high jacking this thread your answer is really relevant and is helping me think through this too. I just declined Fordham about an hour ago--I can't afford it. I got about 3K a semester. I'm thankful but also very broke :(. Now I'm choosing between Baruch and City. The point that you bring up about MA vs. MSEd really terrifies me--Fordham was the only MSEd program I applied to so now, if my Brooklyn interview goes well, the choice would be between three MAs. I wasn't thinking enough about this when I applied because a PhD within the next 5-10 years has always been the plan. I like CCNY. I did my undergrad there (it was a BA/MA program...so I was actually also an MA student in the same department even though I was technically an undergrad). The program is small and my friends who went there are doing well (one has a private practice that's fairly successful). I am really into multicultural issues and mental health and there are at least 3 faculty members whose interests mesh with mine. With CCNY, I would look into teaching opportunities for both experience and supplemental income. I don't know if this is true for this coming semester (given budget cuts...don't get me started) but at CCNY there can be many opportunities for TA-ing. Just make sure you ask. When I was an undergrad, a lot of my friends TA-ed through their degree (they were mostly in the gen MA program with me and not the MHC program). PhD/GC students who are guaranteed funding under their contracts would be assured a position, but there are always plenty of opportunities for MA students to teach/TA. They would love you if you have the talent, experience, and interest. I have either taught or TA-ed a lot in that department since I graduated in 2012. I love the department, the faculty, the students, etc. CCNY is a place where, if you're willing to advocate for yourself, there are lots of opportunities. (Who were the faculty members you met, if you don't mind me asking? Feel free to PM me instead of putting that information out there on this thread if you would like.) For me it's really between Baruch and City. City has more of the research that fit my interests and more opportunities for research/teaching which, because I want the PhD, are important. I love the Baruch program though. If I wasn't planning on a PhD after this, that's probably where I'd go simply because I feel really really comfortable there. Hunter is a pretty good program--it has a fairly solid reputation for creating good counselors from what I've heard in the CUNY system (I did my undergrad at CCNY...was a BA/MA student and spent much of my undergrad years at Baruch). I wish I had applied.

I thought it was weird that Fordham didn't do any interviews. What degree are you planning on doing concurrently at the GC? I love the Baruch department too--I didn't do undergrad there but I spent a lot of my undergrad years there because of an REU after which I didn't leave because I loved it so much. I just came out of a CCNY interview yesterday (where I did my undergrad) and realized that if I get an acceptance there it would be a good place for research that fits my interests. So, now, I really don't know anymore. I'll just wait.

I was wondering--how much does the reputation of the school matter when it comes to a degree in Mental Health Counseling? I applied to Baruch, Fordham, CCNY, and Brooklyn. So far I have been accepted to Baruch and Fordham and I have interviews at Brooklyn and CCNY (no idea how those will go yet...but I'm still in the running.) I like Baruch's department--I feel very much at home on that campus and really like the faculty. I also love the fact that the program is tiny and the people I know who've gone there have been very happy with their decisions in the past. Also, for the issues I'm most concerned with, there are two faculty members who would make excellent mentors. Overall, I just like the tight-knit, supportive, and organized nature of the program. It also helps that I can also pay for Baruch with no (or almost no) loans. Fordham, however, will require that I take out large loans even if I get a partial grad assistantship. I'm worried about paying the money back on a counselor's salary. The commitment to a grad assistantship will cut into time I would rather spend interning (I've contacted a potential practicum site that works with my population of interest and will start volunteering soon), teaching (I'm an adjunct now), or in a lab connected to something I care about (I would like to do research as a volunteer for a while). Also the program doesn't feel as warm and supportive as Baruch does and I think I want that at this particular point in my training because I'm expecting counseling training to be emotionally intense. I do like the faculty at Fordham too, though. The biggest worry I have with Baruch is I wonder if Fordham will help me get better internships than Baruch. Moreover, the research opportunities at Fordham seem great...but I can make them for myself at either Baruch or CCNY as long as I put in some extra effort (I'm affiliated with CCNY currently and think that I could possibly join a lab if I ask). I don't know. Is the debt worth it for Fordham? Are the internships worth it? Are there any advantages to Fordham over Baruch that I'm not thinking about at this point? I know this probably matters, but, career wise I'm torn between working at non-profits, private practice, and maybe a PhD later to go into academia (sounds scattered...I promise it's not we can save that rambling for another day).

Hey, congrats on the interview for CCNY! I still haven't heard yet . When did you hear about the interview and did you hear via email or phone (or both)? Are you coming on to campus or will you be doing this via phone/Skype (I see you're in Karachi)? If you're coming on campus, and they're doing what they've done in the past, you should be interviewed by two people one-on-one. (I'm from CCNY and if the same people are doing the interviews as last year...these professors are REALLY nice, warm people...so be yourself!) From what I know, CCNY doesn't do group interviews. I was asked some of the following questions at Baruch this week (and at an earlier group interview): 1. What are your career goals? How do you see this degree fitting into your career goals? 2. What are some of the special challenges that face mental health in the South Asian community? (I am Indian, and I am specifically interested in working with this population.) 3. What are some of the emotional challenges that worry you about embarking on counseling training? 4. Do you see yourself working in an institution or in private practice? Mostly, all the questions I had to answer were very specific to my application. Make sure you remember what you said in your personal statement (not that that's hard... you wrote it )--I was asked to expand upon some of the things I said. I would say, be as comfortable as possible with being able to explain why you want/will need this degree, and what your strengths and weaknesses are. Good luck!

Hey EastCoasting, I realize I'm digging up a zombie thread here, but do you know which CUNY campus the clinical psych masters is in? I would like to take a look at the curriculum, but am having trouble finding it.