PsyDuck90

Helping the victims how? If you want to work with victims/survivors in a clinical/therapeutic capacity, you need to have a degree that will lead to a clinical license. A criminal justice or criminology PhD will not get you there. You can get a master's level license, but then you wouldn't really be set up for the research end of it. In order to achieve both parts of this goal, you would have the most success with a clinical psychology PhD. The program itself doesn't need to have a forensic emphasis, but finding a POI who does this type of research is important. Also, your interests are still fairly broad. Victims of what kind of crime? Intimate partner violence? Human trafficking? Gang violence? Robbery? Before you go down a path, maybe take some more time to really think about what you want your day to day to be. Then, do a search for people in that role. What kind of credentials do they have? Also, if you can't find anyone who does exactly what you want to do, that also tells you that maybe your dream job isn't really feasible. It's often difficult to find a clinical position that allows for some research time outside of academic medical centers. You may have to ask yourself whether you'd want your days to be spent in a clinic or doing research, as it may be hard to get a 50/50 split.

You can always just block out the name/address of the other school. The date probably doesn't matter.

I would go with option C. Clinical psych is very very competitive. There is no magic number for years/months of research experience. However, admissions committees only play attention to what you have at the time of admissions because that is the data they have. More important than the amount of research experience is the quality of research experience. Most notably, they want to see you have presented posters at conferences (regional are ok, national are better) and maybe even have your name on one or more publications. All research experience is not created equal. Doing data entry is very different from helping with grant writing, research design, etc. As far as LORs, make sure to forge strong connections with some faculty before graduating. I was out of my master's for 3 years when I applied to clinical psych programs, but I had developed good relationships with my thesis committee over my time there, so they were happy to write me good LORs even years later.

How comfortable are you in walking in those heels? No one will think you look dumb. If anything, they will assume you either changed into them or that you didn't pack multiple shoes (most people pack light). If you really don't think you can walk in those heels outside, see if you can get a cheap pair of rain/snow boots at a Walmart or something to wear outside and then change into the nice shoes when you get inside.

I wouldn't. Unless you just won a big grant or a first author publication, I doubt that would really move the needle.

How close are you to finishing? I know there's no guarantees for how long a dissertation may take. It sounds like you've put a lot of hard work into this PhD already. Will you be ok with just walking away from that? Do you feel you may resent your partner in the future because you gave up your dream for him?

If you want to pursue a PhD, research is king, and it is also very hard to get that experience through an online program. Also, letters of recommendation and networking are important, which is also difficult in an online format. Honestly, I would strongly consider holding off and trying for more traditional, brick and mortar programs next go around.

I agree with everything Modulus said. I just wanted to add one thing. If you are really certain of your decision, declining the interview may also open up that slot to someone who may have been waitlisted for an interview. So if you would be going just for the sake of going and not really considering it, I would opt for reaching out. I don't think it would burn any bridges. I would phrase it something like this: "thank you so much for the interview opportunity. However, I have recently been offered acceptance to a different program and will be committing to that offer."

The only type of financial aid offered for graduate students through FAFSA are loans and work study (which I'm assuming isn't applicable for an online program). You may be eligible for private scholarships that you'd have to search for. Schools typically have a few they give out, but online programs do not provide funding as often, to my knowledge. I guess the question is, what is the average income for people with this degree and how does that relate to the amount of debt you would be in by the end (for instance, would you be $100k in total student loan debt for a job that pays less than that per year?)? Is it possible to maybe postpone grad school and apply for more schools next cycle that provide funding? I'm in a totally different field, but I would also imagine that biomedical sciences would include labs that would be difficult to integrate into an online format as well.

I have never heard of double-sided being a no go. And honestly, if that's what the interviewer gets irked by, then I can only imagine how horrible they would be to work with on a regular basis.

Definitely up your GRE and try to get more research products prior to applying (posters/pubs). I would also encourage you to think about what you want to do career wise. Clinical neuropsychology sets you up to do assessments/cognitive rehab and work with patients in a clinical setting as a licensed clinical psychologist. Cognitive neuroscience is a purely academic degree and will not allow for the clinical licensure. Make sure you know the endgame before applying as that can definitely change your decisions about programs.

Check out the "Interview Tips" thread on here as most of your questions can be answered there. While I didn't interview at Rutgers, I am at a PsyD with a similar research emphasis. Make sure you are equally prepared to speak about both research and clinical experience, as well as what your goals are post graduation. I was also asked why PsyD (versus a balanced PhD since most go into clinical practice). Also, why Rutgers? Make sure you can speak to your professional goals and how this program in particular is a good fit for you. Also, yes, wear a full suit (whether it's a skirt or pants is up to you).

They are not supposed to ask you questions about things like this. So, unless you disclose your marital status, they will have no idea that you're even married unless they happen to see the wedding ring.

I think that should be good. I would pair it with neutral pants, shirt, and accessories and let the blazer be the statement piece.

What kind of green? A dark, muted green yes. A bright lime green, no. An unbuttoned black blazer is definitely fine.

I wouldn't classify jeans as business casual. Slacks and a blouse would be your best bet. Sweater really depends on the sweater.

Black flats are my go-to.

Yeah, the vast majority will be in their early to mid 20s. I'm about to turn 30 as a 2nd year, and I am one of the older people in my whole program. One thing to consider about age is opportunity cost. A doctorate takes 5-7 years to complete, at which time you make next to nothing. Early career psychologists start out at around $75-80k once licensed. If you are starting this process at an older age, this may delay your ability to save for retirement and start a family (especially for females). This is just something to consider when factoring the career change. Plus, it isn't uncommon to have to move at least once during the process if pursuing clinical especially (grad school, internship, and post-doc are all possible moves).

Wake Forest in North Carolina has a funded masters, William Paterson University in NJ offers funding to some students, but I don't believe all, and College of William and Mary in Virginia does as well. If you search, this question has been asked before. I'm sure there are others but those are the ones I remember off the top of my head.

Interesting, I guess California is an exception. Most clinical psych masters around the country are not license eligible since psychology does not have a masters level license option (except for certain people who were grandfathered in in some states, and there is some talk of the APA getting into the game). Social work, Marriage and Family Therapy, school psychology, and counseling are the specific fields that oversee masters level clinicians, so those are the good bets depending on what you wang to do. However, it's important to always do due diligence when choosing a program, but it's good to know that some clinical psych programs are license eligible.

This is another great option. If therapy is your primary goal, a master's level clinical license is another way to achieve that goal. However, as a side note, a masters in clinical psychology isn't a license-eligible degree. Only mental health counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy (MFT) masters degrees lead to licensure.

It really depends. As Clinapp2017 said, for clinical it really is an exception rather than the rule. The school I did my masters at has a very sought after PhD program in a very desirable city, and they put a cap on the number of alum/current MA students they would even interview for the PhD program because they wanted outsiders.

I don't believe so. I've only ever heard of them calling when they know the individual personally.

Have you tried applying to programs before? Even with your final year grades, if your other stats are good and you have good research experience, I don't think that would absolutely tank you. Or maybe you can do a masters to show that you are capable of graduate level work.

I'm sure it's possible, but most people I know who go the neuropsych route also do research within that. However, neuropsych research is pretty broad and can be integrated with a lot of other things such as affective disorders, trauma, etc. To be competitive for neuropsych internships, you need to have a very strong understanding of neuropsych research, be very familiar with neurobiology, and have A LOT of assessment hours.