psych_33

Congratulations to everyone who has made it through the first round of selections!! I got my email around 1pm today and nearly had a heart attack! I'm hoping for more good news in April so I can actually have something concrete to say when people ask me what I'm doing after graduation. Haha.

Same here! I'm not excited for the long wait, but I hope it goes by fast. I'm also applying for a DAAD study scholarship right now, so it's almost like applying for two Fulbrights in a row. (so much stress!) Hopefully at least one will come through around graduation time in the spring though.That would be the best graduation present ever!! Best of luck to everyone who has applied!

Hello everyone, I'm working on my Fulbright application for study/research at LMU-Munich in hopes to enroll in their international Master's program in Neuro-Cognitive Psychology. I have a couple of questions that I'm hoping someone could help me with: 1) When writing affiliation requests to POIs at LMU, should I indicate that I am simply looking to enroll in the NCP program through Fulbright for a Master's, or should I propose a specific, detailed research project with the professor? (My understanding is that the study/research grants are typically for research projects, but they can be used for graduate study--I'm just not entirely sure if I should tailor my affiliation letter and statement to a specific project with a specific professor, or if I should just indicate experience and interest in neuropsych and studying at LMU in general. I have a wide range of research interests that align with the research conducted by faculty at LMU, so I could potentially see myself working with almost any of the faculty members.) I'm just not too sure how to approach the affiliation letters. 2) Does anyone have any tips in general on applying for Fulbright with the intention to enroll in a Master's program? I don't want to conduct a one-year research project in Germany and leave, I would much rather stay the second year to complete a degree with a thesis. (I know that Fulbright only covers one year, but that's not a big deal for me because I've saved up a few thousand over the past few years with plans to take a post-graduation month-long vacation in Germany next year anyways, so I could use that money and some additional support from my father towards the second year of my Master's degree instead.) 3) Do you think that recommendations from faculty who have received Fulbright awards will add extra weight to an application? Two of my recommendations are coming from past Fulbright scholar recipients; one of my German professors, who received a grant to go to Austria, and the other is a sociology/womens studies professor who I've been a teaching assistant for throughout the past year. Both are able to write strong recommendations for me, I'm just wondering if the fact that they received Fulbright grants will make any difference. My third recommended is a psychologist at the neuropsych clinic that I've been interning and conducting research at. I would appreciate any tips that you could provide for me. I'm really excited about this potentially life-changing opportunity!! I'm going to spend all of my energy throughout the next month focusing on finalizing and perfecting everything for my application

Thank you for your reply! I actually found more information about U of Tulsa's program this morning and decided it definitely wouldn't be a good fit for me regardless of any rankings (very few POIs + the college is affiliated with the presbyterian church and I'm not religious at all, so I'm not looking for a degree from a private religious university.) I know research match is the most important factor in admissions; I guess I have just been trying to do my grad school searches pretty much backwards for the past couple of months. (I've been looking up clinical programs online, then looking at the psych faculty in those schools and their research interests/recent publications.) I never even thought to go the opposite way as you suggested, even though that makes the most sense if I really think about it. It would probably save me a great deal of time if I looked into psychologists whose work I really admire first, and then for the colleges that they teach/conduct research at. I think I'll gather some scholarly articles that align with my interests and go from there. Thanks again for your reply, I appreciate it.

Could anyone suggest some good schools (preferably following the scientist-practitioner model) in the US or Germany that offer funded PhDs in clinical psych/neuropsych for me to look into? (I'm not applying until next year, but I really want to look into a lot of schools before I narrow down my list for applications. I don't want to miss anything in the process.) Specifically, I'm looking for: fully-funded PhD programs (type of funding offered doesn't necessarily matter--assistantship, fellowship, etc.) programs that offer neuro tracks/minors, or have good neuro faculty to conduct research with well-known programs that carry a bit of prestige programs that offer a great deal of research and assessment experience (I'm most interested in research, I really don't want to be a "therapist," I definitely wouldn't ever want my own private practice, but I could definitely see myself working as a clinical psychologist in an outpatient setting, similar to the place I'm interning at now.) universities that offer graduate student dorms/housing (I'll likely be going out-of-state and I would prefer to live as close to campus as possible. Grad dorms/housing would be a huge plus.) optional, but I would love to attend a good university located in a major city/urban area. I'm from a big city and I really don't want to be out in the middle of nowhere for 6-8 years of my life. Haha I know research interest is probably the single most important factor in admissions, so I don't expect any of you to "match" me to specific programs per se, I'm moreso asking for recommendations of well-known programs to point my grad school search in the right direction. Any information you could provide would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for taking the time to read my post!!

So, I received a grad school brochure and a personalized letter from the University of Tulsa congratulating me on my accomplishments and research for my BA (it seems to be a recruitment letter for grad school, although I never contacted them for any information; in fact, I hadn't even heard of the university before receiving this letter. I wonder how they got my info? That's a little beside the point, though.) I'd like to ask a few questions (directed at anyone who is a current student at the university, especially psych students): 1) What's the University of Tulsa's reputation like? Is it known to be a good graduate school for psychology? (I know literally nothing about college rankings. A google search didn't necessarily help me either, there are a few sites with different ratings and I have no idea which is most accurate.) I just want to make sure I'm going to a school with a decent reputation, especially relating to psychology. I did see that their psych program is APA accredited--which is a must--but it's only been accredited since 1991 so I'm not sure how much of a reputation it has built for itself in comparison to similar programs. 2) What's the campus like? If you're a current student at the University of Tulsa, what would you say are the strengths of the campus? What are the worst aspects of the campus? (All I really know about the campus is that it has smaller class sizes, which is great!) I really want to know more though, especially how students feel about the campus and surrounding area. 3) Anyone studying clinical psych at the University of Tulsa: could you tell me a bit about the school and program overall? (Good things and bad things.) Specifically, I'd really like to know about funding availability (is your PhD fully funded?), major research areas, research opportunities, internships, and housing availability for grad students, etc. I've looked at the website and found a little bit of info, but I think it's better to hear from current students on this too. 4) Again, directed at the psych students: I read in the brochure that the clinical PhD follows the scientist-practitioner model and takes a broad approach to psychology--this is good, it's what I'm looking for, but I'm also realy interested in neuropsychology. Does the program offer a decent amount of courses, research opportunities, internships, etc. relating to neuropsych? 5) Not fully related, but, could anyone suggest some other good scientist-practitioner schools in the US or Germany offering funded degrees in clinical psych/neuro that I should look into? (I'm not applying until next year, but I want to look into a lot of schools before I narrow down my list to apply to. I have a decent list going already, but I want to keep looking. I'll probably start a separate post later for this too, but I figured it couldn't hurt to throw this question in here while I'm at it.) Any information you could provide would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for taking the time to read my post!!

Thank you, I know PhDs are in clinical with an emphasis in neuropsych, both WSU and UM-AA have clinical programs that allow neuro specialization. I'm currently working on research (not just for my honors thesis, but also to present posters at conferences, etc) and my internship is at a neuro clinic that places a heavy emphasis on research and they try to involve me in as many things as possible. Thank you for your reassurance that I'm on the right track.

I don't think you read my entire post. I explained why I picked those two programs (they're both great, in cities that I love, and I have siberian huskies that I don't want to leave behind/move out of state with) I also know they would be a good fit because I've looked up some of the current professors' research interests, and I like them all. (It's hard to find things I wouldn't want to study in psychology. I'm a true psych nerd. Haha.) I am definitely involved in my studies, I have had straight A's for the past three semesters, I just had a rough freshman year that weighed down a little on my GPA. Luckily, I still have this semesters' credits and my next 9 classes to factor in to my GPA before I graduate. I know the GRE is important, I plan on taking it after graduation so I can have more time to involve myself in preparing for it. Thank you for your comment.

Hello everyone, I'm currently a senior getting ready to graduate a year from now. I'm not actually looking to apply to grad programs for about another year or two, but I'm looking to get an idea of what schools could be a good fit for me right now. I'm really interested in WSU and UM-AA for grad school, but I know these can be insanely competitive programs, so I'm wondering if anyone on here is in either program that could offer insight as to whether I stand a slim chance of getting in or not. Here's all of my "stats" for background: Academic information: Undergrad institution: UM-Dearborn Major: Psychology; Minors: Music & German. Current GPA: 3.4 (should be higher by the time I graduate; I got all A's this semester, they just haven't been added into the system/calculated into my cumulative GPA yet, and I have about 9 more classes to take and I've gotten the most difficult courses out of the way already) When I graduate, I will graduate with a BA in psychology, with honors (having completed my own research project for an honors thesis.) Work/research experience: I currently have a research internship at the UM Health Systems psychiatry-neuropsychology section (my supervisor/mentor there also graduated from WSU, so I could potentially get a great letter of rec from her.) They also want to hire me after I graduate, hence why I'd like to wait a year or two before applying to grad programs, in order to gain more research experience working at UMHS and build up my resume a little. I also use SPSS a great deal at my internship, which is a plus. I'm also currently a teaching assistant for a well-known tenured professor at UM-D for his psychology internship seminar course. My duties as a TA include: contacting internship sites, placing interns, doing site-visits, and grading the interns' assignments. I'm also currently a supplemental instructor, meaning I attend lectures of psych and soc courses that I've already taken, take notes like a model student, and hold two hour-long sessions a week for students to come in and review. It's not really relevant, but I also manage our campus radio station and I have been working there since January of 2010. Also, not extremely relevant, but I'll be teaching German to middle-school children at UM-Dearborn for UM's Gulo Gulo program next month. Grad school/career interests: I'd like a PhD in clinical neuropsychology. I'd love to end up being a pediatric neuropsychologist, but I'm open to working with all age ranges, I just prefer children. I'm a neuropsych nerd though, I'm interested in all things neuropsychology, so I'd honestly be happy to attend any institution that has a great neuro program, I'm just leaning towards WSU and UM-AA because they're both good programs in great cities that I love. (I honestly do not wish to go to grad school outside of MI because I have two amazing siberian huskies and I wouldn't want to move and have to leave them behind with my mom, or take them with me out-of-state and have them be home alone while I'm gone at grad classes all day.) So, anyone in either program that could offer insight? Is there anything I should be doing in preparation for either program that I might not be doing? Anything in particular that could give me an "edge" as an applicant? I do plan to take the psych GRE even though it is optional for both programs, and I also wish to retake the regular GRE next summer because I didn't have much time to study before I took it the first time around and I was sick the day I took it, so it was brutal and my scores came out barely above average. I also plan on contacting professors of interest about a year or so from now, but not quite yet since I won't be applying for a year or two and professors may go on sabbatical leaves or they may not be accepting more students by the time I apply. Anything else I should be doing? Do you think its possible that I have a chance at either program? Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I would really appreciate your feedback!

Thank you for your reply! I checked out Gallatin and it seems really awesome (especially since they don't require GRE) but I really wish they had a PhD track. Do you happen to know of any grad schools that have dual-degree programs, where I could pursue a PhD in psych and an MA in music therapy? If there is something like that out there, all of my problems would be solved. lol

Hello everyone, Sorry if the title seems confusing. Although it might sound crazy, I am seriously considering pursuing all of these things. Of course, I am not opposed to narrowing it down and only pursuing one or two of them, but I have a lot of questions and I would really appreciate some advice. If you are serious about offering me advice, please take the time to read this entire post, as I am trying to give as much background information as I possibly can to give you a better understanding of where I'm coming from. I'm a Psych major with minors in German and Music and I expect to graduate with a BA in Psychology with honors next spring. I currently have a cumulative GPA of 3.45, which should bump up even higher before I graduate since I've already taken the most difficult courses for my degree. I currently have a research internship at a psychiatry-neuropsych unit and I'm also working on developing a pilot study for my honors thesis involving music and psychology. I'm also a "SI Leader" in Behavioral Sciences at my university (for those who don't know what SI is--SI stands for supplemental instruction and it's a group study program where students attend classes they've already taken, take notes/act as a model student and hold two weekly study sessions for review.) That's pretty much about all of the psychology experience that I have. (No publications, no fancy conferences or poster presentations, etc.) Aside from my (very little) psychology experience, I have also mentored at-risk preschool children for a year and I have been working for our campus radio station, which I now manage, since the beginning of my college career. Being that I'm not very experienced in psychology and I have so many other interests, I'm really having a hard time figuring out my plans for grad school. It's not that I haven't looked into schools for the things I'm interested in, it's the exact opposite: I've looked too much and I'm having a hard time trying to narrow my enormous list down to figure out which graduate schools I would be a good fit for. I'm really hoping someone on here can help me out with some advice and/or suggestions for good grad schools after hearing about my goals and interests. Here are my interests: Psychology: I'm mostly interested in neuropsych, but honestly, most of the field fascinates me. I could see myself as a clinical neuropsychologist, but I've unfortunately learned that clinical programs are among the most competitive psych grad programs. Because of this, I have been considering leaning more towards focusing on research as opposed to clinical work. I'm still worried about how incredibly competitive graduate applications to psych programs are though. Without publications and extensive experience, I don't feel like I'd stand much of a chance competing against hundreds of other students that have more experience and better GRE scores than I do. Music Therapy: I've played guitar, piano, and various other instruments throughout my entire life. I'm very familiar with the field and could see myself practicing music therapy for the rest of my life. The only problem is that my BA will be in psych, not music, so I'd have to enroll at an institution that either has an equivalency program, or admits non-music degree applicants (such as NYU-Steinhardt or Leslie University, but both of these programs are only Master's degrees.) I have looked around and as far as I can tell, there aren't any PhD programs in music therapy that will admit non-music degree applicants. TEFL: This is my most recent idea and it grows on me more and more each day. My German professor recently recommended a summer program where I could go to Germany the summer after I graduate to teach English without needing any teaching certification. I really like the idea and thought it would be even better if I pursued TEFL and/or ESL certification to open doors for more than just a summer opportunity in the future. This is something I could possibly do in the year before I go to grad school. My questions/concerns (what I'd like your advice on): -If you have pursued graduate education in any of these areas, could you tell me about your experience and/or possibly recommend some programs? I'd be extremely grateful to anyone that could recommend good grad schools for any of my interests, or a combination of them, especially if you think they might be a good fit for me. I'm definitely not opposed to dual-degree programs, etc. I also wouldn't mind studying abroad in Germany, however, sadly, I have heard that Europe's 3-year PhD model tends to be looked down on in the States due to lack of practical experience in comparison to our PhDs here. What I want in a grad school: most importantly, I'd like to walk out with the least amount of debt possible. I really want to get into a grad program that has decent funding! (One major reason I won't rule out studying in Germany--tuition is always paid by the state!) Next most important thing to funding: I want to go to a school with a good reputation and a certain amount of prestige. (I don't expect to get into Harvard or anything, but I would at least like to attend a school that looks impressive on my resume.) -If I could somehow get into a funded psych PhD program, would it be logical for me to complete that program and then enroll in a Master's in Music Therapy, or would it be weird that I pursued a PhD before a Master's? (I really want to be a board certified MT and a psychologist, I just have no idea how to go about doing it. I thought that since getting funding for a Master's can be an issue, maybe I could attempt to pursue the funded PhD degree first, establish myself in the field a little and save some money, and then go back for music therapy.) Is this a weird plan? Do you have a better suggestion? -Would it be a better idea to just take on a little debt to pursue the Master's in MT first and then apply to psych PhD programs? Is it possible that having the Master's in MT could give me a slightly better advantage in the PhD applicant pool? -What would you do in my situation? Honestly--I appreciate any sort of advice, but the best advice comes from people who try to put themselves in others' shoes. Give me your honest opinion; if you were me, what would you pursue, how, and where? I would genuinely appreciate any advice that you could provide. If you have any questions for me, please let me know. Thanks in advance to everyone who took the time to read through this post, and extra special thanks to anyone who offers advice.

Hello everyone, I have lots of questions that I'm hoping you could answer. I'm in my final few semesters of undergrad and I'm trying to figure out options for continuing my education, but it's somewhat complicated in my case because I have multiple aspirations. I will graduate with a BA in psychology and completed minors in both music and German, and I wish to tie all of those areas together in my future career. I ultimately wish to become a certified music therapist and simultaneously conduct research in psychomusicology and psycholinguistics once I finish all of my schooling. I also wouldn't mind teaching at the university level or practicing psychology on the side, but I want the emphasis of my career to be on music and psychology. The problem is, I'm not sure of the best way to get there in terms of graduate school. Does anyone have any experience working in psychomusicology or music therapy? If so, what degrees did you obtain to get there? Are there any good schools or degree paths you'd recommend? I'm also trying my hardest to find a program that waives graduate tuition. I'm aware that there are some out there that pay your living expenses and/or provide stipends for grad students. Are you familiar with any? In case you need all of my "stats," I have a cumulative GPA of 3.4, which should be even higher once I graduate (had a few tough semesters) and I am a part of the psychology honors program at my university, so I will have to conduct my own research and complete an honors thesis over the next year and a half. I also recently obtained an internship in a neuroscience facility where I will have the opportunity to work alongside music therapists that assist aphasia patients. I feel like I am doing the right things to build up my resume for grad school, I just don't know where to go. I have contacted Eastern Michigan University to request more information about their post-bac equivalency certificate in music therapy but I haven't heard back from them yet. Their website states that applicants should have a degree in music for the certificate, however, my institution did not offer a music major, so I settled for a minor in music. I do play two instruments (guitar and piano), I can sight-read, and I am pretty familiar with theory, so I have met most of the music requirements, I just need a few more classes to fulfill all of them. I noted that in my request and asked if it is still possible to enroll in the certificate program if I complete the additional requirements. If they are willing to accept me into this program, I plan on enrolling after graduation, however, I need to figure out backup plans in case they won't accept me. That's where I'm lost. Do any of you know of any good graduate schools for both music therapy and psychology? Or even specifically, psychomusicology or music psychology? I'm wondering if I should pursue a dual degree in both fields, or if I should just get my MT certification before going on to pursue a PhD in psychology. I have no idea though. I have been staring at a computer screen for hours looking up schools and various degrees and I've given myself a headache. I'm hoping that someone on here has experience in these fields, or knows someone that does, and can help me out with my questions! Thanks for taking the time to read this, and extra thanks in advance if you reply!