PsyDuck90

I'm in psych, so different discipline, but I just honed in on what I'm most interested in. As long as your varied interests are somewhat interconnected, you shouldn't worry about pigeon-holing yourself. People very rarely study the exact same minute topic their whole lives. Also, what may help in putting things into more perspective for writing the SOP, think about what you want to do after you get the PhD. The degree is a means to an end. So what do you want to do as a career and how does this degree and studying this thing help you achieve that goal?

I mean, it doesn't hurt to apply. The worst thing to happen is that you don't get a call for an interview. However, if they specifically require a PhD, they may not reach out unless they have very few prospects.

So what is your end goal? Like, after you finish whatever program, what does your ideal job look like? What kinds of things will you be doing day to day?

Honestly, the only coursework PhD programs will care about is if you have the required pre-reqs which will be listed on their program site. These are usually stats, abnormal psych, theories of personality, etc. Other classes probably won't factor in much. Clinical psych PhD programs are very competitive. Research experience (and products like posters and publications) is what will make you more competitive.

Unless the program has rolling admissions, they don't look at them until the deadline. This may vary, but most of my programs had a December 1st deadline, and the application portals opened in September.

Typically, if letters are sent by actual mail, there needs to be a signature or stamp on the fold to show that it has been sealed. You can manually address and stamp the envelopes and provide them to your letter writers if you would like. Most programs allow for electronic submissions for LORs. The letter-writer is emailed a link where they upload the pdf.

I don't know what SLP schools only look at your last 60 credits. However, the way you calculate it is by finding the GPA weights for your school and doing the GPA calculations manually. Just Google "GPA calculation," and it will give you the formula.

As Troyyy stated, most PsyDs are not fully funded. The general idea is that PsyDs are more clinically oriented and PhDs are more research-focused, but that line has blurred a bit. PhDs fall on a spectrum of programs that are very research focused to ones that are more clinically balanced. With PsyDs, there is less funding, but some programs do provide it. With the closure of Argosy, one needs to be cautious in the type of PsyD program they choose. University-based programs like Rutgers and Baylor have a better reputation. You also will still do plenty of research. I am at a university-based PsyD and I spent a min of 10 hours a week in lab during the semester, not including any lab-related writing done from home. Do your research. Look for faculty that have research interests that match yours. Ultimately, research fit matters more than publication count and GRE scores.

Are you talking about a counseling doctorate or a counseling psych doctorate? Counseling and counseling psych are 2 separate fields. Counseling psych is what would lead you to the title of psychologist, versus a licensure for mental health counseling is a masters level licensure and the EdD in counseling will not allow you to become a licensed psychologist. Counseling psych, while somewhat different in it's overall philosophy, gives the same licensure as a clinical psych degree. Also, an MA in clinical psych is still an experimental psych degree. There is no masters level licensure for psychology (yet).

Do either of them offer funding? How many students go on to PhD programs? What kinds of job opportunities do graduates of the program have? I would especially want to know that one just in case you don't get into a PhD program. Is there access to childcare in that area? How are the schools? Basically, I'd want to know what your children's life would be like for that year. Also, how well will everyone get along in Amsterdam with just knowing English?

An MA in counseling won't really prepare you for clinical psych or counseling psych PhD programs. Counseling is a separate field. If you are really set on the PhD, you want to look for research focused psychology MA programs. An MA thesis is a start, but PhD faculty expect more than that from applicants with a master's degree. Another option is to just take a year to work in a research lab. There are paid research coordinator jobs out there. Rather than paying for an MA, you can get paid to get your research experience.

It probably would be up to the program and not specifically your advisor. All you can do is ask. They either say yes or no.

Go with the school you picked. If you want a PhD, the debt from Columbia probably isn't really worth it. The psych MA program has a bit of a reputation as a cash cow.

If you go for a non-clinical psych or non-counseling psych PhD, you are not eligible for licensure as a psychologist. There are respecialization programs, but they are costly and don't have the best reputation. Argosy was the biggest name in respecialization, so I wouldn't count on that as an alternate route option. If you feel like you may want the clinical license in the future, I would go for an APA accredited clinical psych or counseling psych program. APA accreditation is important because you cannot apply for internships through APPIC if you are not coming from an APA accredited program. This means you will have to jump through 6 million more hoops (on top of the hoops everyone else has to jump through) in order to gain licensure.

Haha absolutely not. I am getting married this summer and going on a 10 day honeymoon. Professors (for the most part), understand. I guess there may be some who are against free time, but I think those are the extremes.

I'm in my 1st summer of a clinical program. I think it may depend on your research lab. My advisor is having us work remotely on individual summer goals we've discussed with her. We will mostly have check ins via email but may have an occasional in person lab meeting if necessary and we have some in person data collection dates. A few people I know got summer jobs to be able to make some extra cash. TLDR: it seems to be less intense than the normal semesters but you may still have a few responsibilities.

While there can be questions about rankings, i think R1/R2/R3/not ranked is a pretty important distinction. If your goal is TT faculty, I think you will probably have an even harder time in the job market if you are not in an R1 program. Even if you only want to teach at a SLAC or R3 or something, those jobs still tend to go to the people graduating from R1s. Is this school you accepted an offer from an R1 or something else?

As long as they are for the same type of program (i.e. all clinical or all social, etc.) then there shouldn't be that much editing for your letter writers.

Can you retake them at a community college?

I agree with everything the above posters said. I just want to add: 1. Always try to see the physical unit you are renting. If they refuse, I would be hesitant as to why they can only show me a model and not the actual, available unit. 2. Living on campus may be a good idea if you don't know anything about the city. It gives you a year to figure out where the good neighborhoods are, where to avoid, etc. It may also allow you time to meet potential roommates in your program. 3. Reach out to your program director and ask if anyone is looking for a roommate. This is relatively common, and they should be able to connect you with someone who may have a room available.

That stinks, I'm sorry that your leasing agent messed up so bad. However, it may be a good thing. College towns usually have really good public transportation. A few people I know in various schools had their cars in grad school and still almost never used them because the bus was way easier than parking in the downtown area or by school. Hopefully, if you find that you do want your car, you can snag a parking pass after a year.

Aren't you going to Cornell? I've been to Ithaca, and I would never imagine there would be parking trouble there. That's almost bizarre. Is there street parking in the area? You could hopefully find street parking and then buy a parking pass later.

Reach out to your program director about housing. Ours recently asked us about current students looking for roommates because an incoming student asked. Other than that, just try to practice self-care. Being overwhelmed is going to be a pretty common feeling for the next few years, so just try to get in the habit of making time for yourself so that you do not burnout. Catch up on TV shows you love, take a bubble bath, see a movie with some friends, go to a yoga class, etc. These activities are just as important as anything else you have to do.

Would these 6 or more college courses in your subject area be in addition to the ones you have taken as part of your degree completion? I find it hard to believe that you have not completed 6 college courses in philosophy across your BA and MA and en route to your PhD.

Yeah, that sounds good. Penn State is an R1 state school with a great reputation. Their clinical psych PhD program has a great reputation.