sackofcrap

I would think that the social work degree would have a better employment outlook in general.

I would pick school A, only because you seem like that is really where you want to go.

This sums up my dilemma pretty well. The allure of NY is just so great. I don't want to feel like I'm settling if I go to Texas or like I missed out on some big opportunity.

Yeah, I don't think prejudice will be a big issue there, if for no other reason than that it is a college town, so people there will tend to be younger anyway. It's just a thought in my mind.

This is a big worry for me with Texas I know it won't be a big issue the first 2 year, but if I get placed somewhere far away for my internship, I am concerned. I have looked a bit and I know they have some public transit in the city that I am going to in Texas, but I also know that most students at the university I may be going to have cars. It will be a huge adjustment for me either way.

Well, at this stage, I know that both options will cause me to be in debt. This is not something that is a huge concern for me because it won't be a huge amount of debt either way. But St. John's will put me in more debt than Texas State because Texas State is just a much cheaper program. Even with financial assistance from St. John's. The allure of New York is pretty great. To me, it seems like a once in a lifetime experience to live in New York. I feel like the housing situation is the main sticking point right now.

So, I have been accepted to 2 programs and I am having trouble deciding which offer to accept. Both options have their personal pros and cons for me. I am driving myself crazy trying to make a decision, so I figured I would come here for a second or third opinion. At the end of the day, I will be making my own decision, but I want to hear what other people think, so cast your votes! University in Texas Pros -Off campus housing is easy to find and affordable -Cost of attendance is much cheaper Cons -Not as pedestrian friendly as NYC (I don't drive at the moment, never got a license, so this may be a problem. I can't afford a car) -Possible Prejudice (I am a minority, so I take it into account just in case. I don't think I will have a problem, but you never know) University in New York Pros -Opportunity to transition into a doctoral program (I am not sure I want to do this, I probably won't, but it is an option here if I do) -It's NYC (I have never been a person who is desperate to live here, but it is an iconic city. Can i pass up a chance to live in NYC?) Cons -Finding affordable housing seems impossible (I don't want to pay $1500 for a studio or 1 bedroom apartment. I don't really want to live with a roommate unless it is someone from my school) *On campus housing is really not an option for me. *The actual classes that I will be taking for the programs are pretty much equal.

In general, PsyD programs will train you more to practice than to do research. In fact, that is pretty much the whole point of why the degree exists. PhD programs are supposed to be about research. Some people were interested in psychology and had no desire for research and that is why the PsyD was invented. Now, in practice, we know that a lot of PhDs stop doing research pretty much immediately after getting their degree and open a private practice or whatever The point being, if you are going for practice over research, then the PsyD in general will be better than the PhD. As far as specific programs, I couldn't say. Also, your GPA alone will not bar you from being admitted. I have seen students admitted with a low GPA because they had all of the other things that graduate schools look for, so one component will not keep you out generally.

*Going to school. lol. Finishing my B.A. in May. *Then I am planning to work during the summer and try to save some money (since I will have a job that gives me free summer housing). Hopefully trying to get in better shape over the summer as well. Maybe dye my hair a different color as well, just because. *Then the daunting task of finding an apartment and moving to the city where I will be attending graduate school.

I can relate to all of this. Ever since I got accepted to grad school a few weeks ago, I have completely stopped caring about my undergrad classes. It sucked because at the time that I got the notification, I was working on an outline for a long paper and all motivation immediately went out the window . Now I have been accepted to a second program and I am trying to make my final decision and it is so stressful. The one program won't release financial aid decisions until April (for whatever reason), which sucks. The other program has given out some financial aid information, but it is in New York, so I just know that getting housing is going to be a nightmare. Plus, the programs themselves are just very different. So hard to decide

Are you saying you only got accepted to one program or that you got accepted to multiple programs and only one offered funding? If you only got accepted to one program all together (northeastern) and they offered you funding, I would say to go there. You say only few of the graduates go into academia, but you don't know if that's because only a few of the graduates want to go into academia. Maybe the majority of the graduates just want to go other things. That doesn't automatically mean that you can't go into academia or that you will specifically have a hard time getting into academia. If you got into multiple programs and only one offered funding then that might be a little bit more complicated. If those other programs have better turnout with getting their grads into academia, I might still consider it, even without funding. Students have been known to not get funding in their first year, but then they get it every year after that. Funding can change from year to year, so there is hope in that. You might not get a teaching assistant job the first year, but then you might get it the second year.

OH MY GOD. I am freaking out. Just got my acceptance email from St John's. I am dying. So excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, on the phone she kind of made it seem like I was accepted (without outright saying it), but I don't know how common that is in interviews. So we will see on Monday. Congrats to you though!

So, I had my interview today for St. John's. It did not go nearly as badly as I expected it to, so that's a plus. The person I talked to told me that I would know by Monday or Tuesday of next week if I have been accepted. I guess I will be waiting anxiously until then!!!! Counting down the days. And still waiting to hear about financial aid from my other school, although they sent me a letter saying they would be making those decisions soon... whatever that means! And I just found out that I got hired for the summer job that I wanted, which took a lot of weight off of my shoulders. So now we play the waiting game, for admissions results from st john's and financial aid offers from both.

If it's what you love and want to do, does it really matter if people say you aren't a 'real psychologist?' Second of all, if you become an educational psychologist, you will be licensed, just like all of those other psychologists. You will be a real psychologist. You can open your own private practice or whatever it is that you want to do, just like those other psychologists.

You can get a stafford loan that covers 20k. There is also something called a PLUS loan. With the PLUS loan you are able to cover your entire cost of attendance. https://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/plus

Has anyone here actually received an acceptance from St. John's University for school psychology M.A.?

I had never heard of this before, although I had heard something about being able to be licensed in some states with just an M.A., but never learned any specifics. Anyway, I looked it up online, and you are correct. I even found the application. http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/docs/dpl/boards/mh/ednewapp.pdf I'm curious if this would mean that you would only be officially licensed as an educational psychologist in Massachusetts or if this would allow someone to practice elsewhere as well.

I am also interviewing next week. Good luck to you as well. This is my top choice school, so I am really hoping to nail it, but I am comforted by the fact that I still have Texas even if I don't do well. That takes the edge off just a bit.

Well, I managed to set up a time for my interview with St. John's. I am doing a phone interview. I am terrified. I have been perusing their admissions data, which hasn't been updated since 2011 It shows that that year for one campus they interviewed 40 and offered admission to 31. So that would give me about a 77% chance of getting in. Then, for the other campus they interviewed 5 and inexplicably offered admission to 7. So that would give me a 140% chance of being let in. I don't know what to make of these numbers. Interviews are scary

It matters to me and I do find it a bit rude, but I can also understand where they are coming from. Some people are interested in multiple things and maybe one of those things takes slightly higher priority, but it doesn't mean that they don't care about the other thing as well. I try and look at it as just a person having multiple interests. I think people (myself included) may take issue with the use of a term like backup because it feels degrading. It feels like the other person thinks they're better than you. It also sucks to think that somebody who views this as just a backup may get accepted to a program when somebody who dedicates their entire heart and soul to it may be rejected from every school they apply to. So, yes, I can see how someone would get upset.

Interesting. I was only just accepted, so I haven't received any word on any type of funding from them yet. You have to apply for assistantships specifically by department there, so I won't know anything definite yet. I haven't even seen a definite cost of attendance or gotten my official admissions packet in the mail yet.

I would like to know these answers too as I have just been accepted to Texas State University!

I will be moving for graduate school one way or the other. Currently, I live in a dorm, so I don't own very much to begin with. I am tentatively planning to just pack all of my stuff in a few suitcases and fly with it. Everything that I have that is too big to fit (such as pillows or my cheap microwave) can pretty easily be replaced once I get there.

I would just email them once. I am in a similar boat, since I only applied to 2 schools and I just got accepted at one and don't know about the second one yet. I plan to let them know once i hear from school 2 and decide what to do.