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I agree that your focus should be on getting more research experience since your undergrad GPA isn't a major deterrence. Publications should be your priority and it seems like you're willing to invest the time. Ideally your research experience should be related to psych since you are more likely to present at psych conferences and publish in psych journals. You can still articulate how transferable those experiences and skills are, but that will take you more time and take the PIs more time to connect them. You were also a psych major so you may need to explain why you switched to another field. It may only be helpful if you obtain some of those experiences in order to secure a research assistant/coordinator position in psych.

Definitely Wake Forest. Its general reputation is great and many of their students got into PhD programs. For big MA programs like NYU, where research is not a major requirement, students may have to seek out research opportunities themselves. Also some MA students may not have done a psych major in undergrad, which may give professors a pause as they need to be trained. Without a formal course for research participation (some undergrads do), how much time an MA student can invest in a lab can also be questionable. Typically labs communicate expectations clearly to make sure both parties are getting the most out of the research experience. I don't think NYU lies about the class size; their students likely choose to do different courses to begin with. For compulsory courses, they likely have multiple professors teaching them to maintain a small class size. Ultimately, research experiences/products are essential in applications for PhD programs, and Wake Forest seems to be able to offer more.

I would frame it as knowing your audience. There is still a lot of stigma within the mental health field, which is very sad. There are clinicians who are truly empathetic while there are some who are truly apathetic and skill-based in their approach to therapy. There are clinicians who struggle with mental health issues themselves while some have never had a clinically significant level of issue. It is important to remember that although some faculty continue to work in clinical settings, many chose a purely academic career (which is totally fine as many would make terrible clinicians). To the latter, inspiration may not be something appealing/sustainable, as research is more about applying the scientific method to investigate a question/hypothesis. Your examples are definitely kisses of death, but I would not say your case is in your favor as it was a childhood issue and you would be considered "being put in therapy" (even if you were the one who thought you needed CBT, your parents would have had to consent and thus they would be considered the ones dealing with your mental health condition appropriately). They also don't want your research to turn into "mesearch." As your SOI/SOP/PS is likely to be read by more than one faculty, it only takes one apathetic academic with no mental health history to kill your application. I know people who just went with it because they felt strongly that was part of them, but it is a safer bet to focus on what the faculty is looking for instead of what you want to convey. You can still be "professionally personal" even if you take that out. Good luck!

It depends on the state(s) you want to practice in. Most states require postdoc hours while some don't. Here is a list of states that don't require postdoc hours (so you can become a licensed psychologist with practicum and internship hours): https://www.apa.org/education-career/development/early/licensure/state-progress Internship hours (1500-2000 hours depending on the state) are typically counted by licensing boards separately from practicum and/or postdoc hours (i.e., you need X hours from internship and Y hours from practicums/postdoc to become licensed). In general, employers place more emphasis on postdoc than internship exp (unless you don't do a postdoc and start working straight out of internship) because at the postdoc level you are supposed to function more independently. You can also choose to (re)specialize during postdoc to acquire skills that are essential for your career goals to get relevant jobs. One thing that I should mention is if you want to become both an NCSP and a licensed psychologist and the programs you are considering about are NASP-approved and APA-accredited, you should check how their practicum/internship experiences are arranged. AFAIK, most of these programs try to fit in enough school experiences so you can become an NCSP before going on internship. But I know there are programs that don't give students enough school experiences (e.g., doing only one school placement) so students must get a school-based internship (or an internship with a significant school component) to become an NCSP, which can limit options.

School psych doctoral students typically do one placement in a clinical setting if they choose. Unless you get significantly more clinical exp in the other school (e.g., another year), I don't think it matters as much for the APPIC internship match as the majority of school psych Ph.D. students matched at APA-accredited sites (~70-80%). Also even if you do an APA-accredited school-based internship, getting a clinical postdoc is a lot easier as long as you are not geographically restricted. So if the public school's students who chose to go through the match were successful, I would say the debt-free option would make more sense.

What's your career goal? Internship match rates can be misleading in school psych doctoral programs since they may not require students to go through the match process. It is also important to use a student loan calculator and think about how comfortable your life can be when you pay back $700+ every month for 10 years.

Congrats on the offers! What research experience do you have? Either clinical or developmental psych will require some research experience (better in the form of conference presentations or pubs) so it very much depends on where you are at and whether you need the extra year to beef up your profile. It is unlikely to generate any pubs within one year (especially if you plan on applying for PhD programs only a few months into the MAPSS program). As you mentioned, this MA is just a means to an end (PhD programs) so it doesn't matter as much in the future except for PhD admissions. Both are good schools for that purpose. As you don't have clear research interests right now, you can check if there are potential professors who you're interested in working with. Participating in their research will help shape your research interests when you write your statement of purpose in the future. I would also recommend that you write to MAPSS using your Wake Forest offer as leverage and see if you can get more tuition remission. They have done this in the past.

It very much depends on your career goals. As you mentioned that you prefer school psych, is that your ultimate goal to work as a school psych? If that is the case and neither program provides funding, applying to specialist school psych programs may make more financial sense. If the first program intentionally had late interviews and comes with a hefty price tag and poor reputation and student outcomes, that can be considered predatory, preying on applicants who want to get into a doctoral program seemingly without other options. However, you should know that you can always ask for more time to make a decision beyond April 15th. It is up to individual programs to grant an extension. It is not uncommon to be offered admission to a masters program instead. While it is good to be guaranteed an interview, I would try to get some feedback on your Psy.D. application to see what you will need to work on to get accepted next year. If that is something you can address in the fall semester (e.g., more research experience, research agenda, interview skills), it may be worth a shot, and you can always apply to other programs next year. I am from a school psych program and have seen this work out and not work out (which is fine as they get a specialist degree out of it). However, if a masters in MH counseling does not get you where you want to be, you may have to reconsider.

Where did you read that you could not receive an offer after April 15th? As applicants who have received an offer have until April 15th to make a decision, it is not uncommon for some applicants who have multiple offers to wait until the last few days before April 15th to decline their offers. Programs can definitely extend offers after April 15th. I encourage you all to read the resolution: https://cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution It is not only unethical but you will likely burn bridges, especially if you applied to specific advisors who work in the same area. You are the only one who can decide if the consequences are worth it. I agree with @mjk20 that you should find out where you are on the waitlist and take that into consideration while bearing in mind that waitlist movements vary across years (One year the top 4 candidates all declined their offers in my program when we usually get all our top candidates). Good luck!

This is tough and a decision only you can make. As others have suggested, it may not be an either/or situation. This is a tough situation. As others have suggested, it may not be an either/or situation. In addition to asking about a grace period for your current health insurance, university health plans can be good and may provide coverage for your surgery. I would check it out and see if it would be covered too so you could still get the surgery while in the program. If it is not covered, asking to defer is another option. It may not always be entertained but there's no harm in asking. This has been mentioned already but navigating physical health (and mental health that is closely related) can be a challenge when you are doing a PhD. Prioritizing self-care is good practice as a clinician in the future. This has been a particular competitive year so getting in this year means you are a competitive applicant, and there will be other opportunities in the future.

UF is actually in a college town with a very different vibe (it is surrounded by rural areas though). Having said that, research fit AND productivity are both important. You should check how productive your potential PIs are and how much doc students are involved in publications. Some labs have a more seniority structure, which means you don't get authorship until you're more advanced. It is also helpful to know if you get to be involved in other professors' research as your RAship may not be with your academic advisor all the time. Also, your PI's reputation trumps your program's reputation. Any external connection/collaboration depends more on your PI than your program. You should also check out their clinical experiences. I am from a research-heavy program but ultimately most graduates end up in practice (even those who were initially more interested in research). Having good clinical experiences will help you apply for internship in clinical settings if your goals change or if you want to consider academia in AMCs.

Realistically, even with an EdS degree with full credit transfer, a PhD in School Psych can still take 4 years to complete. APA accreditation requires coursework that is not typically in EdS degrees and can take an additional 2 years. Before applying for internship, you will have to pass a comprehensive exam and propose your dissertation (maybe also complete a master's thesis depending on the program). So a PhD in Counseling Psych for 5 years may not be a bad bet, especially if you want more clinical exp to prepare for a career in clinical settings.

Depending on how the school's admission process works, it can mean recommending to the committee (it's a departmental decision) or the college where the department is housed (basically a formality as the college issues the official acceptance and takes the departmental decision as is). If your PI is the one with an external grant, basically she has the final say. If your PI's funding comes from the department, there are typically two scenarios. 1. Your PI is assigned funding this year. She is allowed to choose a student they want. 2. It is a departmental decision and applicants are rank-ordered at the faculty meeting. Your PI's recommendation will still push you up. However, as she was already planning first year projects with you, I would assume that she can actually choose you. It is always safe to wait til the final confirmation/acceptance letter but congratulations!

Missing data is not uncommon on NASP's program information page. Though they didn't report how many students were accepted (the students they gave offers to), you know 13 first-year students accepted their offer and chose to attend. The odds are still better than the other schools you're applying to.

I agree that research skills are transferrable and as long as you get something out of either options (posters/publications), it will fill the gap in your application. Another aspect you would like to look into is whether you have strong LORs. Going to 3 different schools may have impacted your connections with faculty who can write strong LORs that can speak about your strengths in a personal and professional way. A master's program would definitely give you access to more faculty while a research job tends to help more in terms of research productivity. I wouldn't worry too much about GPA as your psych GPA is decent already. Not having posters/publications is likely to affect you much more than your average GPA.

The current accreditation process allows programs to be accredited, on contingency, before the first cohort of students graduate. This status is typically given within the first year after the first cohort has been admitted (i.e. probably sometime in 2021/2022). The program can only be fully accredited after the first cohort graduated, but graduating from an accredited, on contingency program means you graduate from an accredited program. There is always a risk but it is pretty low given UC Irvine's reputation and resources so I wouldn't worry about it. One aspect that a new program struggles more often is arranging/assisting in clinical experiences as they may not have established connections and it takes a lot of work to coordinate this. However, this can also be the case without a dedicated, organized DCT in established programs.

I completed a master's conversion program but not in the UK as a non-psych major. I would recommend that you plan backwards by researching counseling psych PhD programs you are interested in. AFAIK some counseling psych programs prefer/require applicants who have done a master's with counseling courses, which are not covered in a conversion. This may guide your decision in whether a conversion program suits you best or if you need to do additional coursework to fulfill those pre-requisite course requirements. It is also important to try and get a poster done or your work there published as presentations/publications are also important components in PhD admissions. Good luck!

They have really big cohorts and there are only some funding opportunities. Avoid if you want to get into a fully funded program.

I am sorry about your dad's passing. It must be difficult to navigate the process by yourself when you were going to have help. Your goal appears more aligned with the roles of school psychologists who conduct psychoeducational testing and often coordinate accommodations in schools. Psychometricians are used in other contexts (e.g., administering tests under the supervision of neuropsychologists) and may not require an advanced degree, depending on their functions. You can find more information about what a school psychologist does and school psych program information at the National Association of School Psychologists website: https://apps.nasponline.org/standards-and-certification/graduate-education/index.aspx Getting into a PhD program typically requires some to substantial research experience so your competitiveness depends on your experience. An MA in general psych is usually considered to be a springboard for PhD programs that ask for more research experience. The psych PhD programs at UC Merced and Riverside are research degrees and not eligible for licensure. UC Riverside does have a PhD in school psych though. Grad school acceptances are made separately so what you describe will not happen.

I know of a clinician who completed a PhD in philosophy and then a PhD in clinical psychology, but it was a huge commitment in terms of time. You are right about considering other less costly/time-consuming options (e.g., MFT, MHC, and I will add social work) to become a therapist. Based on the settings you want to work in, and if your primary goal is to provide therapy, becoming a master's-level therapist may not be a bad idea. A PhD in clinical psychology is probably only necessary if you are in very specialized sub-disciplines (e.g., neuropsych assessment). Having said that, if you have read other posts, some successful applicants got accepted without that much research experience. It may not be the norm but there are professors who are willing to "take the risk." Very often, the qualifying paper(s) and dissertation are major hurdles for students who are more interested in clinical work and research to graduate. You may need to convince the admission committee of your genuine interest in clinical psychology instead of the awakening of the abysmal prospects of philosophy majors (some of them also switch to law school). You have some nice plans to fall back on so if you can spend the time and money for applications, you can choose to apply this fall. You may want to target programs/faculty with very strong research matches though, especially when there is likely less funding and more competition in this application cycle.

As mentioned above, you can state your external funding at different stages of the application. If you reach out to potential PIs before applying, you can mention that in your interaction and see if there are different procedures. Admission policies vary; some admissions are entirely program decisions while in some other programs individual PIs may have more say in that. Alternatively, would you consider programs in the UK or Australia? Even at top universities, funding can be scarce so they provide more flexibility to PhD students. Some may not require coursework to begin with (expected in previous studies). There are international students who work in their home country and only fly to the UK and Australia for more intensive supervision in addition to virtual meetings from time to time. It typically takes these students longer to graduate as it can be difficult to balance a full-time job and a PhD (which some people consider a full-time job), and some do not end up graduating. But it seems with your experience it may not be a problem.

It's unclear whether she does not have sufficient subject knowledge or advisory skills. Giving good feedback is something that needs training, which may not be something she was exposed to. There are definitely professors who can get by through collaboration with others without contributing much. If she's this laid back, you may need to push her and send her reminders from time to time. My advisor is terrible at keeping up with emails too so I just need to check in with them if they don't respond after a period of time. It can be frustrating. My cohort members joked about how I have been advising myself but as I decided to stick with them, I just have to accept that there's more I can do in order to graduate. So it sounds like the student who left was looking for what works best for her. Like you said, some students may not be able to stay productive unless their advisor stays on top of things and pushes them. You seem like driven enough to motivate yourself but looking for additional research experiences that others are getting in the program. If your advisor is cool with it and this is something you really want, hopefully you'll be able to identify a lab and advisor that makes for you.

I'm sorry this is happening to you, but it seems that you've already identified different directions you can go about it. And what decision you make is pretty much based on what you prioritize. My first suggestion would be to find out more about what happened with the senior student who left your supervisor. Culture within a department varies but it is not uncommon for someone to switch advisors. Just that some students may be worried about possible repercussions. Although you can choose your dissertation committee, you may not be able to choose who assesses you for comps for example. Finding out how your supervisor responded to that student's switch can be helpful. In terms of supervision style, it sounds like you would like your supervisor to be more hands-on, but it seems that she might not be that helpful even if she was more hands-on. Is the research project you are working on in her area of expertise? If it is not, it is common for supervisors not to know it all, and they may refer you to people who know more about that area for consultation or co-supervision if possible. However, I've also seen professors whose competence is questionable. As you mentioned, a downside is that you are not learning as much from her, but an upside is that they are not demanding. Volunteering in another lab is a useful strategy. You can use it to fill the gap in your research training. If you do well there and decide to switch advisors later, it will also be a smoother transition. However, workload does add up as you spend more time on practicum/externship so that is something you should consider too. Based on your experience, I'm not surprised that the other senior student in your lab is unwilling to help you when he may be struggling just like you without enough guidance. It sucks not to have that mentorship but that's not something you have control over. You can possibly experience a "real" research team/lab if you decide to volunteer in another lab. As you ultimately want to practice, you may want to think about how much time you are willing to spend on research training. While it is extremely helpful to be able to understand and/or do advanced research, it'll take time and efforts. You're entering your second year so you have more wiggle room to consider these different factors. Good luck!

Second this. I had a colleague who entered a Psy.D. program and realized it wasn't a good fit after a year. They left the Psy.D. and did an MSW instead so she can focus on therapy.

That's a tough decision to make and it comes down to what is more important to you and what your career goals are. Feel free to PM the school names/PIs and see if I can provide more specific information. I wouldn't place as much emphasis on licensure outcomes because school psych PhD students may not necessarily pursue licensure as a psychologist and instead apply to become an NCSP only. Some programs also tend to focus on training researchers who have no interest in pursuing licensure (although increasingly faculty positions require/recommend licensure). You may also want to consider practicum opportunities available. Some programs encourage getting clinical experiences for one of the practicums to increase chances of matching to an APA-accredited internship (although it remains more difficult for school psych compared to clinical/counseling psych). Is summer coursework required throughout all 3-4 years for School A? Worth considering if you want to do some other activities (e.g., just relax, do research, work at a summer camp etc.)