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athlete2academic

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    School Psychology, Ph.D.

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  1. I don't have any input on those schools, unfortunately. In terms of GPA and GRE scores, the application process is holistic. As long as you do not have something that makes you negatively stick out (very low GPA, terrible GRE, unfavorable letters of rec., etc.), you're going to get at least a look. The key is to have something that makes you positively stick out, obviously. That can come from scores, sure, but letters are rec. are a heavy component as are writing materials. I have heard of students getting an interview based solely on their personal statement; if you sound interesting, determined, and genuinely make the faculty want to meet you, you are going to get an invite. My GRE score was not a strong point (308) of my application, but I got interviews at 8/9 places I applied to and I KNOW it was because i put an enormous amount of work into my personal statements (not generic, specially tailored to the school and POI, explicitly stating why I wanted to attend that school). Shoot me a DM if you're interested in specifics. Happy to help. I wouldn't classify it as mandatory, but I really can't hurt you, you know? If you're interested in their work or something specific about the program (i.e. specific enough to where the graduate coordinator may not be able to answer), reach out to them. Don't be pesky, but if you have a genuine interest in the program and its components (practicum placements, training model, etc.), make that shine through in your email. So, again, not mandatory, but it might just give you a leg up when faculty are sifting through those 100's of applications...
  2. Hi all. Glad someone started this thread for 2016. I gained a lot of insight and encouragement from the 2015 thread (las application cycle). I was successful in getting into a number of schools and am now attending my top choice as a first year Ph.D. student. That said, I am happy to help anyone who is applying this year. I can also offer my perspective as a first year student. My program does not have a terminal M.A. or Ed.S. program, but I can still give pretty specific feedback about the application process. Feel free to ask me anything in this thread and/or send me a message privately if you have questions about specific schools. I applied to 9 top-tier programs all over the country and was lucky (?) enough to get interviews at 8 of them. Also, just wanted to comment on the above post. This is my personal opinion, but I really (REALLY) disagree with this. While it is absolutely true that you can become a school psychologist (or work in another applied setting) with only a M.A. or Ed.S. degree in School Psychology, there is so much more value in getting a Ph.D. than just having "Dr." in front of your name. The poster was right in that if want to get a degree and get to work ASAP, sure, get the M.A./Ed.S; but there is a reason why some of the best School Psychology programs in the country do not have terminal M.A. programs. They send a large number of students into academia, but just as many into applied settings. From my own practicum experience (DISCLAIMER), I have shadowed a number of school psychologists, some with a Ph.D., some without. The practitioners who took 5/6 years to study School Psychology (Ph.D.) as opposed to 2/3 (M.A./Ed.S.) have a much better understanding of case conceptualization, diagnosing children, and the implications of that diagnosis, among other issues. Again, I would never say that those school psychologists with only their M.A./Ed.S. degree are not well equipped to do their job. They certainly are. But would you not expect that those students who stayed in graduate school for twice as long (twice as many classes, twice as many clinical hours, twice as much practicum experience, etc.) to have a better understanding of many of the central issues surrounding the mental health needs of kids? Again, this is just my two cents. Definitely not saying that those people with their M.A./Ed.S. are not prepared for the issues they face. In fact, most of school psychology is made up of those practitioners; they are the lifeblood of addressing kids' mental health needs in school. My intent is not to dissuading you from getting these degrees. But if you still don't know much about the difference (empirically) of getting a M.A./Ed.S. vs. Ph.D., take a closer look at it and consider your options. There are several current graduate students on this forum that are more than happy to answer questions about this issue. If any current students have any response to this, too, I would welcome that. Hope this helps.
  3. I am a little confused as to what you are asking. In terms of funding for graduate school, most Ph.D. programs will have some sort of plan in place for funding their students (keyword: most). For M.A. and Ed.S. students, I hear that can be, and often is, drastically different. So, for M.A./Ed.S. students, I can only assume that most are paying out of pocket...? Perhaps current applicants and students could better attest to this (I am a Ph.D. applicant). I know there are external scholarships available for graduate students in psychology, but I have never met a student who is (fully) funded by one of them. Me personally? I was lucky enough to secure funding for four years. Again, clarifying your question may encourage better, more precise answers so that you can get the information you are looking for.
  4. I did this. A school moderately high on my list got back to me very quickly after the Dec. 1 deadline. I committed to their interview. My top school offered me an interview a week later (the interview date was the same day), so I withdrew from the original commitment and went to my top pick. The first school was not upset, but then again I withdrew for "personal reasons." Need not specify a reason if you do not have to. In sum, "rude" or not, I would make the decision that best benefits you.
  5. This. Thanks for lending a hand. My apologizes for not having all the information.
  6. Sorry, just passing along the same bit of information that I heard at several different interview days. For what it's worth, I was at doctoral interviews, not M.A. or Ed.S.
  7. For brevity, APA accreditation means that a program has met very rigorous, specific standards outlined by the APA. If I am not mistaken (I heard this figure at several different interviews over the past three weeks), only four School Psychology programs are both APA and NASP accredited. There is definitely something to be said for having APA accreditation, though, as far as the quality of a program is concerned. Several profs. I consulted with prior to the application process urged me to apply only to programs that are APA accredited, mostly because it is near impossible to secure an APPIC internship in your fifth (or sixth at some schools) year when coming from a non-APA accredited school. If this is not something important to you (the APPIC internship), then I would not worry about it at all, especially if the programs are NASP approved. As far as asking them about their lack of APA accreditation, go for it. It shows that you're interested and invested in your future and want to make sure you're getting a high quality graduate education. You might even find that the two programs you applied to are actively involved in the accreditation process. Hope this helps.
  8. Easy answer: it varies. How quickly the faculty meet to discuss applicants after interview day is the major issue. I have gotten an acceptance as quickly as three days after the interview. For one school, I was notified two and a half weeks after, too. It just depends.
  9. I'll bitch about this too - the lack of communication part. Had the same problem but roles were reversed. As a general rule: barring some unforeseen, catastrophic event in your life, respond to the emails of those who are trying to help you. Also, unless you're an astronaut, you're never "too busy."
  10. Sorry, didn't know that. My mistake. I received interview invites - then was later accepted - at my top four schools. Didn't make financial sense for me to travel across the country to interview at my backups.
  11. I declined interview invitations from the School Psychology program at Northern Illinois, Northeastern, & UC-Riverside. Random information, but it may apply to a few applicants who were waitlisted or have yet to hear back.
  12. It rained during the campus tour portion of an interview I attended last week (huge campus). Nearly all of the women wore flats & heels with no socks (they wore skirts with blazers, to give some input to the above few posters). When we got back, the female graduate students immediately started to hand out band-aids for all the blistering heels. Being the only male, I didn't have this problem Nevertheless, I can't imagine all schools being this hospitable, so you may want to throw a few band-aids in your purse just in case.
  13. Hey Mallorye, You're asking good questions - the type of questions you need to be asking to ensure that you're successful for your interview(s). A little background: I'm currently a senior in undergrad and I've attended 2 of my 7 interviews thus far. One was at a program that strikes a good balance between research and practice; the other was at a large research-oriented program that aims to put most of its students back into academia. While both interviews were similar in more ways than one, they were also very different in terms of atmosphere, questions, and just general "vibe." I don't know where you applied, but I'll try to illustrate my experience as best as possible. My preparation wasn't too extensive, honestly. With the exception of my PoI, I didn't pour over each faculty member's work (although I did know enough about it to where I could discuss it competently). I put together a list of questions that I felt like I could be asked and made sure I had a response. I also put together two separate lists of questions I would ask - one for faulty, the other for current students. As I learned, you can find out more about the day-to-day musings of the program from students rather than faculty (and both places I have interviewed have encouraged asking as many questions as needed and recycling questions across faculty and students to make sure there's some consistency). As for specific questions, I was asked pretty generic things: strengths/weaknesses, what would you be doing if not pursuing graduate school, how to you expect to be successful in graduate school, etc. You should have good answers to these questions because they are to be anticipated. The more difficult questions came from particularly inquisitive faculty who have at least a partial hand in the research that's appealing to me. "Many programs do x and y like we do; why did you apply here to study this?" Always, always, always have a distinct, precise reason as to why you chose to apply to the school you're interviewing at. Any ambiguity when answering that question can really hinder your chances of getting it. After all, this is the next 5-6 years of your life; why should they admit you if you don't know exactly why you want to be there? The vibe of both interviews was very conversational-esque. I've been told by multiple people that faculty want to admit people they can "hang out" with for the next 5 years. That's helped me during my interviews. So, in other words, don't be uptight. Focus on relaxing and having a good conversation about something that's meaningful to you. If you're at an interview, chances are that you're surrounding by smart, intellectual people. Embrace that. Obviously I can't speak to the preference question because I am not a current student, but I find it hard to believe that faculty don't anticipate meeting specific people based off of prior interaction, breadth of work, strength of application, etc. That last thing I'll say is this: at both interviews, faculty made it very clear that if you're here, we have a vested interest in your future in this program. Not everyone will get in, obviously, which is more an indicator that maybe you weren't the right fit for the program than it was you were unqualified. In fewer words, understand that if you're at the interview, you deserve to be there. I hope this helps! If you want to speak more about it or have specific questions about other components of the interview, please feel free to DM me and I will absolutely give you my two cents. Best of luck to you!
  14. All are School Psychology programs: U of Washington - 2/6/15 Northern Illinois University - 2/12/15 & 2/13/15 Northeastern University - 2/6/15 University of Arizona (past) - 1/16/15 University of South Carolina - 1/23/15 Louisiana State University - 1/30/15 or 2/2/15 University of Houston - 1/30/15
  15. I am currently sitting in the Atlanta airport waiting on a connecting flight. Once I reach my destination, a graduate student has agreed to pick me up and let me stay at their apartment for the two nights I'll be in town. This is my first interview, but all but one of the other five I have agreed to attend will I be staying in a hotel. I was advised by grad students I had previously worked with to always accept the offer to stay with students while interviewing. All of them have been incredibly helpful and accommodating while arranging plans via email, so I can only assume that will stay the same while they are actually hosting me. It's also a great way to get an insight into their lifestyle while being able to ask them questions at virtually any point during your stay. Good luck!
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