schoolpsychic

Haha. Yeah, I did not get the best impression of the other interviewees that day, either. I really liked the first and second year students that we interacted with, though. They were all very friendly and helpful in answering questions and providing a good picture of the program. I definitely would have appreciated interacting with the faculty more, but they were busy with interviews for the majority of the day. I really did like the professors that I had a chance to speak with. The email correspondence I've had with the faculty and one of the current students have been very prompt, friendly, and helpful, as well! How was your interview inappropriate?? Mine were all very professional. MSU puts it's money into the Ph.D. programs. That's how they get published, highly ranked, and funded. Sadly they are given priority over the Ed.S. students, but I can't really blame them for it. I'm sorry you had such a negative experience there. I'm just happy they fed us that delicious pizza at the end of the day!

Thanks for the info on apartments! I decided to accept the offer from Ball State. It's official. The great apartment-hunt begins now.

Toasterazzi, thanks so much for the info on Ball and Muncie. Carnivals during finals sound absurd but fun. What do these carnivals consist of exactly? I've been looking at single bedroom apartments near Ball State's campus. Ideally I'd like to be able to bike to school every day (at least when it's not blizzarding outside like it has the past three months this winter), which is totally possible given the affordability of apartments so close to the university. Do you have any recommendations or suggestions for places to live? I'm assuming you shared housing with friends, given the amount you paid for rent. Their recreation facility is apparently also free/ included in tuition which is pretty cool. I would totally take advantage of that. I remember the Michigan State students during interview day talking excitedly about the two days per year that their rec center was free to use.

I really appreciate the feedback from y'all. I don't think this is making my decision any easier, though.. haha. At this point I'm thinking that flipping a coin might actually be the easiest way to decide!

Hey y'all! So I am at a bit of an impasse between Michigan State University and Ball State University's Ed.S. School Psychology programs. Both are accredited by the NASP and would guarantee me a job after graduation. Here's the situation: I was accepted into BSU and went to their visitation day over a month ago. I really liked the program there. The professors and students were all very friendly and professional, the classes I sat in on seemed good for the most part, and the facilities were nice. BSU's education department (where school psych is housed) is ranked number 81 in the country, at about the 65th percentile. The assistantship that they are offering me is fantastic. Basically, it pays nearly all of my tuition plus a $9,000 per year stipend. Locationally, BSU is in a very uninteresting area. It's in Muncie, Indiana, which is a pretty podunk town. This would translate into a cheaper cost of living, though, and I would have no problem finding and paying for a single bedroom apartment on the stipend. It's an hour away from Indianapolis where I do have friends and family, too. I had my interview at Michigan State about a week and a half ago. I was pretty set on going to Ball State prior to seeing MSU's program, but visiting their program has changed my mind. Their educational psychology department is ranked number 7 in the nation, and it was clear to me why. Their program prepares students for where school psychology is headed. They have an ecological systems approach (changing the culture of the schools, rather than just working with individuals) and are focused on early interventions (pre-kindergarten). The impression that I got from the current students and faculty is that their program is much more rigorous than BSU's, which I believe would make me into a better school psychologist. MSU is located in East Lansing, which also isn't the most exciting city in the US, but is definitely more interesting than Muncie. I also have friends and family within an hour or two of Lansing. MSU is offering me no funding whatsoever. They do not have any grants or assistantships to offer students in this program, and any other assistantship opportunities through resident life or other departments are extremely limited and competitive. From what I understand, the job market for school psychologists is in high demand currently, so I would have no problem finding a job once I graduated from either program. Basically it boils down to this, do I choose a program that I think is amazing but would leave me in $50,000+ of debt, or should I choose the program that is above average and will leave me with little to no debt whatsoever. I have many specific interests in anti-bullying, early intervention, developmental disabilities, and other things that I believe I could further explore at either institution; but I'm not actually interested in doing research at this time (which is why I'm pursuing the Ed.S. and not the Ph.D.). My main question is whether the better education is worth the debt that I would incur, or would it be stupid to pass up an opportunity for a free education from BSU? Does anyone know how much of a difference that it may make in the long run? The third year of the school psychology Ed.S. program is a yearlong internship in which you work closely with a practicing school psychologist in a school. I believe that this experience would be very similar in both programs; and from what I've heard, you learn more in this third year than the first two years of your education combined. Does anyone know what impact that the university one graduates from has on the job outlook as a school psychologist, in the short-term and the long-term? Down the road I may want to pursue my Ph.D., and I think that the education and connections provided at MSU would definitely help me get into a better program. I have friends and family supporting me in both directions (mostly based on how close they'll be to me if I choose that school ). Any advice or insight would be appreciated from current school psychologists, school psych students, or anyone familiar with Ball State or MSU's programs (or anyone else who has anything helpful to say!)! Thanks!