PsyDuck90

Which one is cheaper? They're both pretty psychodynamic and have about the same reputation. If all else is equal, is either giving you any sort of scholarship?

You can always move after if you really want. It is usually best to go with the program that you feel is a better fit for you, with sometimes considering cost of living, etc. Also, the logistics of moving on a student's stipend are not fun, and the support network of family and friends that you have built up may actually be helpful in navigating and coping with the stressors of academia. What is sometimes frowned upon is going to the same institution for grad school that you went to for undergrad, as it can signal that you weren't competitive enough to get accepted where you aren't well known and that you are limited in the different academic experiences if you keep working with the same mentor from undergrad through grad.

Decisions aren't solely those of the PI. I know that in my program, even though it's a mentorship model, the program needs to vote and then the graduate dean needs to approve before the offers can come through. There are a lot of moving parts outside of the faculty member's control you have to remember. Add on universities shutting down due to COVID-19, and I'm not surprised there are delays.

This may be a difference due to fields, but in my field, you don't ask people to be on your dissertation committee until you have passed comps and have pretty much outlined a whole dissertation project with your mentor (who is also your chair). Only then do you choose committee members who can add certain expertise related to your project. We start developing relationships with multiple faculty and think about who may be a good fit earlier on, but the actual approaching of faculty is done in the 3rd year.

I know a few places have reported how to cite a canceled conference. Here is one for APA style: https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/canceled-conferences Here is one for MLA style: https://style.mla.org/presentation-canceled-conference/ If your discipline uses a different method, I would do Google search for an example for that one.

I would probably lean towards school A. The outcome data, to me, is really important. It's safer to assume you will be the rule and not the exception in terms of how students fair for internship/licensure/etc. Also, while you don't get full tuition remission in School A, the funding is guaranteed and, while $6k is nothing to sneeze at, it also isn't a terrible amount, especially given the stipend coupled with your husband's salary for living expenses. It also sounds like it would be easier on your husband to not have to relocate and change jobs.

It's great that you are asking these questions early on. There are definitely certain things I would have loved to know at your stage. In clinical psychology PhD and PsyD programs, one of the final requirements for degree completion is a pre-doctoral internship. During the course of the program, you will have clinical experiences that will help you narrow down the specific populations/settings you would like to eventually work in, as well as let you develop your clinical skills. This all culminates into a final, year-long paid internship (which you want to be APA-accredited as well). These internships are unaffiliated with your program, and you must apply through a process run by APPIC. This process is similar to the med school residency match. You apply towards the end of the program and then interview at places. An algorithm than matches you to a site based on your rankings and the site's rankings. The hours of clinical experience you gain in this internship are your pre-doctoral hours. If you go to an APA-accredited or PCSAS-accredited clinical psychology program, you will be fine. There is some wiggle room in going to a non-APA and non-PCSAS accredited program, but you have to jump through more hoops and will not be able to work in many major hospital systems, such as the VA, or apply to the APPIC match and therefore not get an APA-accredited internship. You can find a list of all the APA-accredited sites here: https://www.accreditation.apa.org/accredited-programs PCSAS is a newer accreditation, and as of now, most programs with that accreditation still have APA-accreditation, but some, like UC Berkeley, are intending to let their APA-accreditation lapse when the current status expires. At the doctoral level, an internship refers to that formal process I discussed in my response to question 1. At the undergraduate level, that is still a training experience you get outside of your institution, but it is far less formal. A fellowship is a form of funding. Research is...research. It is the process by which scientists (psychologists included) try to answer questions related to their topic of interest. Research typically falls into 2 categories: basic and applied. Basis research is finding answers for the sake of finding answers, while applied research aims to answer questions within the context of a real-world application. Ideally, you would want to get involved in a research lab ASAP when in undergrad to gain more experience in the process. There's an app for that. Some people may use Excel spreadsheets and such, but many use a website called Time2Track. You basically just input what you did on certain days. This will all be explained in the doctoral program. Yes, you typically get help from multiple people. First off, there is a directory that lists all of the internships available and explains all the specific training opportunities. All clinical programs have a Director of Clinical Training who oversees the clinical training of students in the program. Your advisor/mentor will also assist you. If your program is a 4+1 (4 years on campus and 1 year of internship), you will be applying in the beginning of 4th year, so you have a long way to go before thinking about internship. Not all, but most. Also, not all funded programs mean fully funded, where you get tuition remission and a stipend in exchange for being a TA, RA, or working in some sort of administrative capacity (such as admin in the psych department). You will have to look at the specific programs to see what they offer. It's a safe bet that you will be fully funded at an R1 institution. and a pretty fair bet at an R2. You really have to look at the program to see the specifics. This is going to be based significantly on research fit. While in undergrad, try to get a sense of what you are really interested in studying further within the realm of clinical psychology. If you can gain research experience in that particular niche while in undergrad, that's awesome. If not, that's ok. You just need to be able to explain how what you have done connects to what you want to do. Also, it's ok if you change your mind halfway through undergrad. Additionally, while you want to practice in California, I highly suggest you do not limit yourself geographically to California-based schools. A. programs can tell if you are just applying because you want to be in the area vs. you have an actual interest in the school. B. Programs in desirable areas (such as California or NYC) have the most applicants, so they are even more competitive due to the geographic desirability. Also, your graduate stipend will go a lot further for living expenses elsewhere, so your quality of life will probably actually be better. You can always come back to California after you finish. Get involved in research and get good grades. When doing research, try to get products (posters, maybe even publications). Graduate schools like to see that you've presented research at a conference (local/regional are ok, national are better). This shows them that you were able to see a project through from start to finish and were more involved than just doing data entry. However, when you join a lab, you will be doing a lot of the grunt work from the start. Be reliable and show initiative, then you may get more complicated tasks. Also, working with a faculty member in research will help you get much stronger letters of recommendation. If you can do an undergraduate thesis, I would also do that. The last part is doing well on the GREs. Research. Research. Research. Maybe work at a crisis line for a bit. The types of clinical experiences available to undergraduates aren't really that clinical. The closest is the crisis line (suicide, domestic violence, at-risk youth, etc.). Hopefully I've answered all of your questions. Also, this is a great resource to read: http://mitch.web.unc.edu/files/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf Also, take this time to explore your interests. It's great that you have this goal now, and work towards it, but don't put the blinders on to other potential career paths as well. Think about why you want to be a clinical psychologist and think about other potential careers that also may offer similar benefits to what you want your day to day to look like.

That is an insane amount of money for a masters program. I would go with either shooting for funded programs or go for the cheapest option possible that requires a thesis to graduate. If you want to stay in the NYC area, check out CUNY programs. They are high quality will a cheap price tag. You don't want to be saddled with tons of debt for a stepping stone degree. Better yet, try to find a paid research assistant position.

Do you think this information will drastically change their admission decision? I'm in a different field, so it may vary, but my instinct would be that it wouldn't really have an impact. If you're applying for Fall 2020, it's unlikely for you to have that much more experience from this job before you start the program.

This is a possibility depending on how long it takes. I'm in my 2nd year. My university just moved to online distance learning. We meet via a Zoom-type thing through Blackboard. It sucks, but it is what it is. If you're an international student, I would plan for this 14 day quarantine just in case. Better safe than sorry.

Both can practice independently. On a clinical level, psychologists have a wider scope in that they can conduct assessments (outside of measures like the Beck Depression Inventory, which masters level clinicians can use). I think there may be more psychologists working with severe and persistent mentally ill than masters level clinicians, but that door isn't entirely closed either. Overall, a PhD is a more versatile degree, but if you know you just want to do therapy, the MA will get you out of school faster so you can do your thing.

The distinction between the two is minimal unless you're aiming for TT faculty positions after graduation. If so, R1 may give you the better edge.

Most of the time it is loans and/or support from family/spouse. The debt-load is a very real thing to consider, especially in a high cost of living area such as NYC.

12-15 credits is the standard number of credits that people take. To stand out, most students do outside activities such as research relevant to the field.

One question I have is what you intend to do job-wise with the degree after you complete it. Unless it is forensic mental health counseling, there are not many jobs available for a masters in forensic psychology (I have one from a pretty well-known school, so I'm speaking from my own experience lol). Also, the year the program was started isn't always a great indicator of reputation. The faculty teaching and opportunities are a larger factor. For instance, 1 draw from my program was that you can do research affiliated with the FBI through a connection the university had with the FBI. Also, numerous faculty have been called as expert witnesses for high profile cases. If you want to private message me, maybe I can help you better, as I understand the hesitation to post more specifics on a public message board.