Cog-Neuro Guy

I was curious to see if anyone knows anything about this program in terms of rigor, competition, admissions employability (industry, government and academia).

I saw a thread that was created for clinical psychology Ph.D. program applicants, I thought I would start a thread for those who have opted to go the Psy.D. route, whether it be for counseling, school or clinical psychology. I have applied to Nova Southeastern University's program (both the Ph.D. and Psy.D.).

Yes, Dr. Sven Kroener at The University of Texas at Dallas. Look him up, he is in the School of Behavior and Brain Sciences. If this is something you like, look into their M.S. in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience or the Ph.D. in Cognition and Neuroscience.

You should check out The University of Texas at Dallas, they have some great stuff going on there with music production, audio engineering, gaming, etc.

Overall...what is the acceptance rate (generally) for DrPH as well as a Ph.D. in public health? I know in clinical/counseling psychology they typically take on somewhere between 2-16% of applicants with most getting in with a 3.5-3.9 GPA and a 1100+ GRE.

I was a professional classical musician for 15 years, taught, played for several orchestras here in the US (Boston Ballet, Lyric Opera, Harvard, MIT, among others), I was a high achiever in music, got several fellowships to attend and perform at music festivals (academia's equivalent to a conference, but 10X more intense and longer). I had good letters of recommendation, I wrote a good statement of purpose, I showed a nice linear progression in my grades in undergrad.

I have several other factors that allowed me to be competitive enough to get into the M.S. program, but my GRE scores I posted are the correct ones in percentile format. From a lot of the posts I have read, getting into an MPH program won't be an issue, however the DrPH or Ph.D. is what I worry about. I would most likely focus in the behavioral health concentration in public health.

I have a dilemma that I wanted to reach out to this nice diverse forum about. I am currently a graduate student (M.S.) in cognitive neuroscience at a local state university (starting my second/ last year). Prior to this I obtained my B.A. in sociology with a minor in psychology from a decent state university here in Texas. I have been a graduate research assistance at a collaborating medical university for over a year with 3 posters as second author at some very well known national conferences in clinical neuropsychology, I have a manuscript I am second author on that is currently being submitted to a well read journal in clinical neuropsychology with additional posters and an additional manuscript in production. All the while I am also a psychometrist at the same university medical center I had been a GRA at. My research interests are pretty broad, but if I had to narrow it down, it would involve both sociological, psychological and the cognitive neuroscience of LGBT population and psychopathology. The research I have been assisting with has been interesting, but nothing I would get too excited about, often times I have to force myself to do something with a general lack in enthusiasm about the subject matter. However, the skills I am learning and the experience I am developing are invaluable, which is why I continue to do it. Ok...so, here is the kicker: a doctorate is my ultimate goal, I have considered several Ph.D. options in many disciplines that align with what I have discussed thus far (psychological anthropology, cognitive neuroscience, biological sociology, public health). I am finding that my interests really do align well within public health, especially the pursuit of a focused area such as the LGBT population and the sociological, biological and psychological aspects in schemata development and neuro-psychopathology. Would my interests here fit well with public health, if so, could I enter a Ph.D. or DrPH with my current M.S.? Would you recommend the MPH before hand or go straight for the doctorate? My stats: CGPA: 3.24 Major GPA: 3.77 Minor GPA: 3.66 Last 2 year: 3.75 Graduate GPA: 3.5 (and increasing with two more semester/ 18 more hours left) GRE: V: 16% Q: 3% AW: 80% I realize most people will encourage retaking the GRE, which is obvious, but for argument's sake, let's say it is a fixed variable at the moment and will not change. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

I am a second year master's student in cognitive neuroscience, I have spent my first year researching and doing psychometrics at another university medical school. With that being said, within my first year, I was able to get on as second author on three posters for NAN (National Academy of Neuropsychology) as well as second author on a manuscript that will be (hopefully) accepted in the Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology with another manuscript and posters currently in production. My first year as a master's student has been pretty productive, but I have no real direction in terms of what programs in non-clinical/counseling psychology I would want to apply to. Thus far, the research I have conducted has mainly been that for my mentor, on topics I have no really enthusiasm to research intensely, but do it for the experience and CV building. I want to apply to Ph.D. programs in psychology or cognitive neuroscience with an emphasis in neuropsychology-based research or social/personality cognitive neuroscience. Beyond that, I have interests in looking at the social cognition of LGBT people, especially personality schemata development of LGBT people, I also would like to study the cognitive neuroscience behind this as well. Alternatively, I would like to study psychopathology amongst LGBT people and the cognitive neuroscience of this as well. I feel a bit lost in terms of, how does one target applying to programs that may or may not have a professor who focuses on LGBT research in this capacity? Are my ideas too all over the place? If so, what is the recommended path to remedy this? At this point, I feel like I hate research many times because I am researching stuff I have no real interest in...it's nice to know, but not something I would see myself spending 5 years of my life immersing myself in.

Hello fellow forum people, I am seeking those who were accepted, will be attending or have been attending the Ph.D. program in Cognition and Neuroscience. I am actually in the master's program and wanted to connect with those who will/have/had been in the program.

Bump: Anyone going into the Cognition and Neuroscience Ph.D. program?

Psy.D. student do research. Your dissertation or doctoral project (depends on the program) will require you to be savvy in SPSS and constructing a research project whether it be original or meta-analysis. Also, several programs do provide and encourage students do independent research. The same could be said about several Ph.D. programs that are relaxed in their research component.

I would have to say I would disagree with some of the posters in here in regards to viewing the Psy.D. in such a poor manner. With a caveat, the better Psy.D. programs typically are housed within a university whether it be part of a department or its own "school" within the university. The most important factors to consider are APA-internship match rates, licensure rates and attrition rates (after factoring the cost, most range between $21-41,000 a year, it just depends). Cost is something to consider, however, after that variable is considered, if you want to pay for your degree to practice, make sure your money is spent wisely on a reputable Psy.D. program and not one that just produces mediocre graduates. Some programs you may consider are Baylor, Rutgers, Loyola University of Maryland, Nova Southeastern University, Widener University just to name a few. Their stats are pretty good and their placements of employment are nice. To provide some "evidence" or "professional opinion" which comes from my mentor whom is the past president for APA Div. 40 (Clinical Neuropsychology), the Psy.D. is a great fit for those who really do seek to be a clinician, practice within a hospital, clinic or private practice. You should also consider your patient populations you want to work with as these are also important when considering a Ph.D. or Psy.D. program. Nova Southeastern University is the main public psychiatric provider for the greater Ft. Lauderdale/ Miami area. They have at least 60 internship sites that allows you to gain experience with virtually ANY population you seek to test out and treat. Again, while it is expensive, you are paying for a good product so to speak. I will be applying to 4-5 Psy.D. clinical psychology programs, 3-4 Ph.D. counseling psychology programs and 1 Ph.D. clinical psychology program. Also, a topic that most people don't discuss; if you have less than stellar GRE's or a lower GPA, Psy.D. programs are more "accepting" of these variables due to the fact that you are paying for the education and they know the animosity that is thrown towards Psy.D.'s in general. Basic economics. If you can't see yourself doing substantial amount of research, 5 years will be rough. Another factor to consider is the National Health Service Corp. (http://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loanrepayment/). Roughly, 4500 spots are given to primary health care clinicians a year. (dental, mental, physician, nurse pract.). Roughly, you are paid $50,000 a year in salary and an additional $30,000 is paid to your federal or private student loan lender(s) for every year of service. So, that is roughly a net value of $80,000 in pay, ($50,000 to take home, $30,000 is applied to your loans by the government). If you do this for 9 years, $200,000 in loans are paid off. Again, lots of people jump to conclusions about the costs associated with it (which is important), but not many people are mentioning or recognizing the potentials and support provided for those who want to provide psychological care via a Psy.D.

I think this is a good idea. I would email a lot of psychology Ph.D. programs essentially trying gauge them about the GRE and my background, and for the most part, most of them gave you a typical, bland response that is generic, only a small percent actually said "you seem like a great fit, I am looking for someone like you."

I had mentioned I wasn't looking for top programs. It's interesting, I exclusively research neuropsychometric properties in how they can better account for brain-behavior relationships. With that being said, I know that these standardized tests really do not provide (by itself) the best predictor for someone's success in college. It's main purpose is to cluster large samples into anticipated quartiles to make an inference, etc. However, when considering other aspects such as the dedicated 15 years as a professional musician whom played for several major orchestras, studied at one of the leading conservatories of music and switched career paths to the social and behavioral sciences...the GRE cannot account for these specific variances as demonstrated in my background. The ACT/SAT along with the GRE are measures of how one is going perform in their first year of graduate school. There have been plenty of courses and subjects within a course (like cognitive psychology) that I cannot stand nor would want to come across again, but I did persevere and made A's. So, the idea that the GRE is gauging someone's ability to overcome adversity is also not well represented in that perspective. Not to get this thread into a "GRE is unfair" debate, I am simply saying, given the evidence I have provided with the intentions of applying to schools that are NOT "top" programs, would I have a decent chance for a program? Surely the statement of purpose and my references have to account for a good chunk of the application, which is where they will find plenty of examples of hardships endured and overcome, diversity, innovative thinking processes, etc.

3.5 GPA in the M.S. at the moment, with 6 hours as Pass/Fail research credit and 12 hours being for a letter grade so far. This was my first year in the program. To be honest...I am not wanting to touch the GRE again, I simply cannot bring myself to study for it nor could I justify making myself do it (despite my goal of the Ph.D.). For what it's worth, if they are worried about my quantitative abilities, I took two statistics courses in my undergrad and got A's in both. I will be taking two graduate level research methods courses this coming year in which I hope to also be in the A range. If they are worried about my abilities to function within my first year of graduate school, considering I spent my entire undergrad studying society and stratification and next thing you know I am learning the cellular mechanisms involved in neuropharmacology, I would say I have a good aptitude for learning new material .

I completed my B.A. in sociology with a minor in psychology at the University of North Texas. After graduating, I applied to and have been attending the M.S. in applied cognition and neuroscience program at UT-Dallas while also being the direct research assistant for the chief of psychology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. I am considering applying for some sociology Ph.D. programs this coming fall, however, I am wanting to gauge my "worth." Undergrad School: UNT Overall Undergrad GPA: 3.22 Major (Sociology) GPA: 3.77 Minor (Psychology) GPA: 3.60 Last 60 Hours GPA: 3.73 GRE: Q and V are both <50%, AW is a 4.5 (78%) I have 3 posters being presented at the National Academy of Neuropsychology this November as a second author on all of them. I am a second author on a manuscript with my mentor at UTSW and will be completing at least 1 manuscript with a neurologist this summer and possibly another manuscript with my mentor before this fall. I was a classical musician for 15 years, my first year of undergraduate studies was at a music conservatory which really dented my academic record (these were all music-related courses FYI). I completed my core requirements for a B.A. at a local 2-year college here in Texas and transferred to UNT where I completed my B.A. I am not considering any top programs (just being realistic). My interests within sociology are economic sociology, LGBT communities and theory. I have not yet made an exhaustive list of programs. I may apply to my alma mater (UNT) or TWU (these aren't even ranked programs from what I have been told). Any ideas, thoughts?

I can identify with your feelings in regards to starting your first year in a graduate program. Honestly, it has made me question a lot of what I enjoy and don't, my possible career (or lack of one). I worry a lot...something that has followed me from childhood. Use this summer to rest up do something fun, maybe keep up on some research (if you like it). My finals are this week, so I am excited to get this done. I have learned that certain topics and courses in my program I really do not like, which is a shame because I generally was fascinated with cognition...but I love the neuroscience courses the most at the moment.

I would add that one doesn't receive a Ph.D. in clinical neuropsychology - the degree itself would be conferred in clinical psychology with somewhere around 30 universities (give or take a little) providing an embedded "track" in which you can take courses in clinical neuropsychology, neuropathology, clinical neuropsychology assessment, etc. Your undergraduate background sounds great, so I wouldn't worry. I would focus on getting a good deal of clinical neuropsychology research and clinical experiences as this will set you apart from your competitors. I am sure you have heard the saying before; you would be trained first and foremost as a general clinical psychologist with an add emphasis in neuropsychology secondary to your general practitioner skills. Courses provide one avenue to become competent, however, an integration of a good deal of research (posters, manuscript), peer-reviewing manuscripts with your advisor and even providing neuropsychological assessments in a clinical setting would put you in a higher tier than those who completed some behavioral neuroscience and/or psychobiology courses during their undergrad. Hope this sheds some light. Good luck!

Correct; the master's program does not provide funding. A handful (1-3) student may receive a $1000-1500 scholarship for one year, but as far as funding (i.e. tuition remission, stipend) this does not exist in the program at the moment.

Fort Worth is about 20-25 minutes west of Dallas. Living downtown anywhere in the DFW metroplex can be expensive. If you are looking for low cost apartments, I would recommend places 10-15 minutes away from Fort Worth. Funny enough, it is cheaper to live in Denton (which is where the main UNT campus is). Mapquest: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=unt+health+science+center+fort+worth+tx&ie=UTF-8&ei=rZ4CU7WxCOifyQHTkICAAg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ

I went there for my B.A. It is an awesome campus, it sits next to TWU within a typical small-town environment. Denton is a very hip town...plenty of places to shop, eat, etc. There are plenty of campus buses (they just got new buses in 2012). Many new buildings, some departments are well known, some are not. However, I see you will be attending the MPH program (?). The MPH program is housed and the degree itself is conferred from the University of North Texas Health Science Center, which is in Fort Worth, Texas. Fort Worth is a medium-sized city, really awesome food scene, arts scene.

The Ph.D. program is an extension of the master's program in terms of coursework. You would be taking classes with master's and doctoral students from cognition and neuroscience, communication disorders, psychological sciences (all of the BBS department students). In terms of funding, I know that Ph.D. students are typically granted a TA-ship as well as an RA-ship (at some point). Some doctoral students have established careers at known companies such as Raytheon, Texas Instruments, etc. Depending on why you selected to attend the UTD program, and your research interests, you will be amongst a very diverse crowd of doctoral students. In terms of ranking...I am not sure how they rank unfortunately. I often try to evaluate our program against others such as Rice, or UTSW, UT Houston, etc. and end up coming to the conclusion that UTD is very flexible in terms of coursework, research opportunities, course schedule, but lacks in a defined "funding package." One downside I find is that there is no real definition of career projections, job placement, etc. from graduates of the UTD program (either in the master's or Ph.D. programs). The faculty are numerous and all focus on varying projects at varying off-campus facilities (Center for Brain Health, Center for Vital Longevity, etc.).

Sorry for the delay folks....I posted and forgot this thread To answer the first question(s): 1. The program itself is very diverse, meaning, if you are in the program to focus mostly on cellular aspects of cognitive neuroscience, that is fine, someone else (like myself) may be in the program to focus on neuropsychological research. Not one person in the program is identical or with the same goals as the next person. This can be good or bad, you could judge that. The student body itself (just providing a very subjective interpretation from my own interaction and talking to others in my class about their opinions)...many people are there to really research. If you are looking for a school that provides nurturing, "let's talk about how you feel" interactions...I have not seen this yet, and frankly, it is not practiced amongst the faculty and students (at least what I have experienced thus far). Classes are good: I came into this program with absolutely no experience in research, neuroscience or cognition (my undergrad was in sociology with a minor in psychology). I would recommend a course sequence to provide a good foundation (systems -> cellular -> neuroanatomy -> cognitive science -> cognitive psychology, etc.). I have found that the systems neuroscience class really kicked our butts into gear to be prepared for many neuroscience classes. 2. The professors CAN be easy to talk to....but it depends (psychology's life story). Some professors are very traditional in how they approach research and how they lecture (a large proportion of these professors came from Yale, Duke, Stanford, etc.). I find that many of the newer faculty members are VERY approachable in the class setting, outside of class and even to have a general non-academic conversation (i.e. about Netflix, etc.). Also, your personality depends on how you will experience and evaluate the program. I initially came into the program seeking a heavy cognitive neuroscience foundation to prepare me for future doctoral studies in clinical neuropsychology. As you take classes and interact with a wide variety of professors, I suggest you be open to your "end goal." 3. As far as research lab experience....I was the odd ball out in my cohort. I got married in July of 2013. Right before I got married, I had reached out to a prominent neuropsychologist at UTSW to see if I could solely work and research under him. I went through some phone interviews, in person interviews and even came back the day after our wedding so I could attend a symposium at UTSW that my future PI would be on the panel talking for the day. I initiated all of this on my own...I brought it up to my program advisor and administrator to really enforce my direction I wanted to take in my studies at UTD. I am currently in my second semester at UTSW researching and love it. The point to this statement is, if you have the independent drive to want to learn something...email a professor you like (or several professors) and tell them who you are, what you are looking for and see if they are willing to meet with you (that really is how simple it can be). As far as rotations...I am not aware of such things, however, you should be able to collaborate with other faculty members and labs within the department. I am actually in the early stages of talking to my neuroanatomy professor who studies aging and neuro-imaging techniques for her research; I am considering joining her lab if my schedule permits it and if I feel it would be a good risk to leave my position at UTSW. Like I said, constantly evaluate your direction you want to go into. It's fine to come in with an initial plan, but I would be open to what paths might unfold before you. 4. Look at the previous statement for research collaboration. My personal evaluation is; the classes are good so far, some that are taught by the more traditional faculty members may or may not click with how you would prefer to learn such a vast amount of information in a pretty subjective field in comparison with other natural sciences. Also, if you want to take a class and are told you can't because you may not have a pre-requisite: this is a common problem that many students are experiencing, and it is very frustrating. They admit a wide variety of students with undergraduate degrees in neuroscience, English, computer science, business, sociology, psychology, history, philosophy, etc. Frankly, if you completed a sociology degree, one can expect that you didn't exactly cover functional neuroanatomy while talking about social stratification. The curriculum is very diverse; some students who really like the cellular aspects of neuroscience can really focus on just taking courses in such disciplines. When I first started the program, I attempted to get into at least 3-4 labs (of varying backgrounds I might add). It was met with stand-offish comments from some faculty members, some flat out didn't respond back (which is also a big issue with many faculty members at UTD). In context to the situation, they have a lot to do, they just don't teach. Again, these are all things you should weigh into your decision, possibly talk with other students to see if my statements have any validity to them or not. If cognitive neuroscience, or neuroscience in general is EXACTLY what you want to do, you are a perfect fit for UTD. I hope this helps.