grad29

I didn't apply for any PhD programs, but when I was applying/searching for M.S.Ed and Ed.S programs I did see a few PhD programs that recommended/required you take the psychology subject GRE (so it does happen here and there); although, like you said, most seem not to be interested in it. I personally decided to take it when I applied to my programs, but my situation may have been a little different than what's typical. I had a few bad grades in my undergraduate classes, had been rejected from a school psychology program I had applied to the year prior, and had been out of school for 5 years, so I thought it would help improve my chances of being accepted somewhere and give me a bit of a refresher of what I learned during my undergrad. Only one of the 8 programs I applied to recommended that students take it, so I did. I ended up sending it to the other programs as well since I scored a 710 (in the 80th percentile), so figured it wouldn't be a bad idea. All of the programs except one I was eventually accepted into. I would say if you are applying for PhD programs that it doesn't hurt to take this test, even if they don't mention it on their website. Now if you are scoring a 320+ GRE, majored in psychology, have a 3.75+ cumulative GPA, interview well, have good references, and a well written letter of intent, etc...then it probably isn't necessary as you are pretty much at that point guaranteed acceptance to most PhD school psychology programs; however, as that type of resume is few and far between, I think it would benefit the majority of potential applicants more than they think it would. If you do take it and don't score above a 700 (which is what's considered a "high score") then you may not want to send it to programs as it may do more harm than it will good. If you don't get accepted anywhere, you may ask yourself: "Would have I gotten accepted into a program had I taken it?".

They are probably asking if you have any other offers because they want to make sure you get into a program. If they have 3 people they are interested in and 2 of the 3 people say they have other offers, but 1 person says they don't, they may choose that person over you. If I was in that position, I would lie and tell them I don't have any other offers.

No way ha, seriously? I can only imagine how badly I would handle this situation.

I was also flat out rejected from Milwaukee as well. They didn't say anything about my application file being incomplete though. Out of the 8 programs I applied to (Milwaukee, Minnesota-Moorhead, Eau Claire, Whitewater, Stout, La Crosse, Minot State, University of Kentucky) I received 2/2 acceptances to the places I interviewed (both ~15% acceptance rates), 2/2 acceptances at places that didn't have interviews, and 3/4 interview invites (which I didn't end up attending because I had already been accepted into a program that had everything I needed). So 7/8 programs expressed interest in me, the only school that didn't? Milwaukee. A 157V/155Q/5AW GRE (lower end for PHD programs though), 710 psychology GRE (79th percentile), cum laude psychology graduate, USAF veteran, being a male (which actually does help I think), and 4 years of experience working with special needs children, adolescents and adults (as a group home manager, troubled youth counselor, and direct care staff) wasn't good enough for a phone call. They didn't even have to invite me over for an in person interview since they offer phone interviews to students who are too far away ha. You would think they would at least say "hm, let's give this guy a phone call to see what he's like". I don't know maybe they only considered some of the applicants that weren't accepted into their PHD program for the MSEd/EdS...who knows. Oh well - their loss, right?! (it was also at the bottom of my list anyways). #bitterfeelings

I did my undergrad (psychology major) at Saint Cloud State. I don't know much about the I/O grad department, though. If you have any questions about the city or the school, psychology department, different professors, etc.. I may be able to help you with that. My strongest reference came from one of the main psychology professors there

Um, work? I work two full-time jobs. I sleep 2-3 hours about half the week. If you think all you can do is 40 hour weeks, think again. If you push yourself you'll be surprised what you're capable of.

Congratulations! Now you can take a big sigh of relief. It's well deserved. I think that's really awesome that a few programs are even offering to cover the cost of tuition. None of the Masters programs I applied to had funding as an option, so that's pretty cool you were able to find a few that did. Nice job. I'm just excited that I found out I have about 12 months of military benefits left that I didn't think I did, so I'll be saving around $12,000 more than I thought I would myself. Then I pay in-state tuition when I was originally thinking I'd be paying out of state, which is another $1,500 or so - so instead of shipping out $30,000 for the program I'm now paying $16,500, which is hardly anything. I also decided to live in a $400 apartment with 4 other roommates instead of a $600 1 bedroom apartment by myself, which will save $4,000 off my cost of living expenses too. I guess all the hard work paid off! You mention "you don't even know if I'll succeed in grad school, even though I'd like to think I will". I feel very similar. I think that's common for students to doubt themselves. It's intimidating to visualize myself being a school psychologist, but I believe as you go through the classes and gain more practical experiences, by the time the internship year is finished it'll come on much more natural. It's just a matter of throwing yourself in the mess and absorbing as much as you can. Good luck to you in graduate school...you'll do great!

I've been out of school for 5 years, but am going back to graduate school this Fall. My school lasts 2 years. It's unfunded, so I'm paying out of pocket, which means I am trying to figure out ways to cut costs where possible. I can't decide whether or not I should get a 1 BR apartment/studio for myself or rent a small room in a house with 5 other students. The former is obviously more expensive, it'll be about $7,000 more for me over 2 years (after utilities, $600 vs $325 for 24 months), yet I wonder how living with 5 other students in a house will be. I've lived on my own for the last 7 years, so am used to having my own private space. I am concerned whether it will be quiet enough! I keep tossing the idea back and forth in my head. I'd be sharing a kitchen with everyone and a bathroom with one other person. I'm 27, so I'm guessing I would be the oldest of the people living there. It's just odd working a full-time job for 5 years and then coming back to being a student. It's a bit of a culture shock and I really don't think I'd be able to tolerate being around a bunch of undergraduate upperclassman who are still in the play beer pong every weekend phase. Does anyone have any bad or good experiences living in a house with so many other students?

If there's one word I could come up with that includes basically everything, it's preparation. Preparation, preparation, preparation. Prepare applications early! Prepare for interviews by coming up with sample questions/responses, reviewing the program, figuring out what you're going to wear, getting enough sleep, a good breakfast, exercise, coming up with LOTS of good questions to ask current students and faculty, etc...Start preparing for GRE and/or subject test early. It took me literally a year to apply to 8 programs, go through interviews, and get accepted into a program. Lots and lots of work. If I hadn't started preparing so early I'm not sure if I would have come out alive. Good luck at your interview!

Also you got waitlisted, so stay positive! I see you have two acceptances already and perhaps even more options on the way!

Obviously paying in-state tuition is the best case scenario, but I'm pretty sure in most states you can establish residency after one year, so that second year you would hopefully be paying the in-state rate. Out of state tuition is usually double the rate of an in state resident, which means the out of state programs would be about 33% more altogether. So instead of paying $30,000 you'd be paying $40,000 (plus cost of living) - expensive yes, but not too much more. Then there are things you may be able to do to make that first year cheaper, like enrolling in less credits for the first 12 months. Or you could save money through things like working twice the amount you normally would have during a summer break, living cheaper than you would have during your paid internship year or even first year of employment to put more money towards student loans, working more between now and then, etc...So that $10,000 extra you're spending can be made up in other ways. I would have honestly still attended an out of state program if I needed to and would have done a combination of the above...if of course they'd give me both degrees, had good employment/internship placement, and the cost per credit of in state students was below, or very close to, $500. Also some states have weird residency rules for the purposes of tuition, so you may want to look into the state statutes of the program you are thinking of or talk with their financial aid office to see if you may qualify for something funky. Like for me, I was planning on paying around $50 more per credit through Minnesota's reciprocity with Wisconsin for the first 12 months until I found it unnecessary because I was already considered a resident under Wisconsin law, since I graduated school 10 years ago there and my parents were current residents. So some weird law I happened to fit in gave me a discount.

I think their position is totally reasonable. It would be very strange supervising someone who you previously provided therapy to. It would be difficult maintaining a professional relationship with that person, whether or not it's technically against the code of ethics. Mayne you were unaware that this therapist worked at the school you were applying to or you had chosen this field after having her services, but if it were possible perhaps you should have taken that into consideration before selecting her as your therapist. Lastly you say this is the only certified program that teaches what you want to study. You didn't mention the focus of study, but I doubt that a certified program is the only program of certification of that kind in the country.

Not exactly, it was $47 more per credit for Minnesota residents than for Wisconsin residents. I took the advice of Rising Star and contacted financial aid office. They said based on me graduating high school and having parents who were residents I will be given in state tuition rates. Would have gotten them the 2nd year regardless, but the first year I will now save $47 x 35 credits, or $1,645! Now if I can just qualify for the post GI Bill I will be on cloud 9.

Perfect! Very interesting and thanks. Pretty shocking some people have over $300,000 in student loan debt with things like art history PhDs.

Maybe a personal question, but I don't see this talked about much (probably for that exact reason). However after speaking with current students at interviews I believe it's one of the most overlooked things by grad students. I'm just curious how I may compare to fellow psychology undergraduates. Other sections of this forum that deal with money include lots of other fields, so since the majority of us are psychology undergraduates, I figured it may be interesting to post here. So if you don't mind answering these 4 questions, or just the ones you feel comfortable with: (1) How many student loans do you have? (2) Are you/how much are you paying through loans for graduate school? (3) How much credit card debt and savings do you have? (4) What is the average salary for people currently employed in your area for your field? I'll start (I should mention I've been working full time since 2012) (1) $15,100 (2) Not funded (may get ~$10,000 from post 9/11 GI Bill if I qualify), ~$29,000 in program costs + ~$12,500 in cost of living (3) $0 credit card debt, $5,000 savings (4) $65,000/year