anon143

@fuzzylogician Thanks for the reply and I'm glad it worked out for you! I assume you still list the masters school on your resume? Do you just write "candidate" and the years? Or do you actually write "incomplete" next to it? And yes, I should probably let my PhD program know I don't plan on completing the masters.. I have a feeling they won't care.

Hi everyone, I'm starting a Clinical Psychology PhD program at the end of the month. I've been debating whether it's worth it to finish a Master of Liberal Arts degree (Psychology concentration) from Harvard Extension School. I'm going to get a masters en route to the PhD anyway (hopefully, if all goes well) The adviser is not easy to work with, and there are many students who agree with me. There is only *one* adviser for all of psychology, and she appears to have limited capacity in understanding certain research domains. Which is understandable, given that her adviser role at this unusual program is different from the usual MA/MS thesis path. (How can there be only one adviser for all psych students who are likely interested in many different topics?) But basically, she has been a roadblock. I proposed a study that utilized a pre-existing dataset, and she called it the "reverse" way of getting to an idea.. which I do understand, but I know PLENTY of students use already-collected data for masters! Then, I proposed another idea but it turns out is just a bit too complex. So that one is partly my fault, and definitely something for me to keep in mind for the future reg my PhD Anyway, this back and forth and trying to develop a proposal to her liking spans almost two years. Is it even worth finishing this degree? It would be nice to keep the Harvard email address, attend the huge graduation, and have a degree I worked very hard to get.. I had hoped to be significantly on my way to getting the Masters by this point, but I got in a PhD program without it, so will affect me in the future? Are there are any other good reasons for me to complete it? Thanks!

@MarineBluePsy I thought about finding a roommate, but even then it's definitely a pricey area for a PhD student. I'm keeping my options open.. maybe even making a deal with classmates to use a couch a few nights a week; potentially a mutually beneficial arrangement where they get a little bit of "rent" and I don't have to make the drive! No uni housing unfortunately (just for undergrads). Thanks again for the two cents.

Thank you very much for taking the time to share your thoughts! @MarineBluePsy To expand just a bit, we haven't been renting because we save a ton of money with our currently fabulous commutes. We have rented a place together before, when we lived in a different city and needed to. He actually works in finance and his firm belief is that renting is a waste of money if you don't "need" to. Rent money could instead be mortgage money, put towards owning your own property. I appreciate all the advice about the commute and having office space. I will try to get him to better understand what being a PhD student will really be like.. I think he's just clueless about this world! Well, he has said that if we don't get a house in a year or so (after we actually marry and being w/ our parents will then be weird), then we can settle with renting. Of course, that will still be one year as a miserable 1st year, but maybe I can suck it up. There's an older student in the program who commuted 1.5 hours a few days a week for three years. She said it was awful but doable. So with that in mind, one year is fine.. @cowgirlsdontcry I'm supposed to have registered, but I actually missed the first orientation because half a year ago I planned a vacation for that very week. Then I took my time because of these second thoughts.. Also, I'm not sure if it's different for English PhD? But in CP most/all of the classes for 1st years are the same and there's no issue with classes being filled up. Again, thanks much!

I accepted an offer for a Clinical Psychology PhD program to start this fall 2017. The program is one of the few with a neuropsychology concentration in my area. Unfortunately, I didn't receive the best financial package-- though it's doable. The faculty at the R1 university where I currently work urged me to accept the offer because nonetheless it's a good program and they know my future advisors (research fit is good). So I accepted because it was the best offer I got all-around, and also at this rate I'll be almost mid-30s if I graduate on time. I had limited my apps locally for my fiancé, who was planning to buy a house around here. My fiancé will have to help me with finances and he doesn't mind at all. However, I'm having second thoughts now for a few reasons. The housing market in our expensive locale recently rose to where you have to pay half a mil for a crappy house. So now he wants to hold off, which means I'd have to commute ~1.5 hours for school while living with my parents a bit longer. Fiancé has had to commute 1.5-2 hr for full-time work and says it's do-able. BUT is it really possible as a FT student who will also have research and externship responsibilities??? The major downers I'm looking at are: horrible commute through a major metropolitan area, not an easy highway drive; if it were I think I'd be fine but the traffic, various bridges, and through city streets will be stressful living with parents (which is a cramped house; I wouldn't have sufficient space to sprawl out and work as I do best, and our sleep schedules are very different, meaning I might be driving extremely tired [dangerous] and be a zombie in classes..) cost (partial tuition, lost wages by not working)-- again, fiancé doesn't mind paying, but his money is basically my money (as he says) and we could be using that $$ for other things Should I suck up this imperfect situation and plunge ahead with what I already committed to do anyway? Also, of course I wouldn't be happy about telling everyone I changed my mind, but I'm also not so concerned with my potential advisor- the program allows students to choose labs during the 1st couple months and I know other students will be picking his lab. (He also didn't email me back when I told him I was accepting! Strange, though I know he's not great w email in general) And there are ~15 incoming students.. which confirms the program being more like a PsyD model. Alternatively, now that I know I won't even live with my fiancé, should I try a second round and include programs around the country with solid, better funding? I don't mind being long-distance for a few years.. though that might be weird because we'll be married next year. That's also like spitting my fiance's generous offer back in his face, and I know he wouldn't want me to move. Additionally, if I apply again, who knows whether I'll even get any offers. 1 or 2? Any thoughts appreciated . I'm most likely going to stick with the program, but if anyone has any wisdom, feel free. I hate to be so conflicted before even registering for classes!