PsyDuck90

You could also get free boxes from stores. They usually have tons of boxes after deliveries (I'd avoid food stores, but places like liquor stores or Home Depot or something). Just go in and say you're moving and are hoping if they have any boxes. They may have some or tell you "our next shipment is on x day, come then." I have never paid for moving boxes. Worst case, you drive around back of some malls and grab a bunch of boxes you see out by the dumpsters.

If you search around this forum, there are some comments that have been made about TC. I don't know from personal experience, but I've read from many on here that the MA programs really serve as cash cows for the university, as they bank on their ivy league name. I've also heard that there isn't a lot of research experience, and you have to fight for any, which is a key factor in getting into a clinical psych PhD program. Ask the program how many students are admitted each year (the bigger the number, the worse the fighting for resources) and how many of those people place into PhD programs afterwards. Honestly, PhD programs won't really care too much about MA level clinical experience because they like training a clean slate, so I wouldn't let that factor into your decision too much. Overall, the debt should be a big factor. Clinical psychologists don't make that much money overall (not doctor money anyway) and the pay is low for a number of years. And on top of the hefty tuition bill, as someone who has lived in NJ/NYC my whole life, is very expensive. Also, some of the top MAs for placing students into fully funded PhDs are fully-funded themselves (William and Mary and Wake Forest being the most commonly cited but there's a thread in the Psych forum that someone recently wrote up a list). If a program is investing in you, it cares about your success. If they are slapping a large price tag onto a program and admitting tons of people, they aren't usually as invested. Good luck!

You may not care about this now, but when planning for things such as a growing family and retirement, that extra time spent in school can add up. What would the benefit be to do the MA and then apply for PhDs? PhDs are very competitive, and getting in 1 year may not necessarily guarantee an acceptance the next. Some of it is your CV and skills, and another is who is if your faculty of interest is taking a student that year, if they have funding, how you stack up against all the other applicants that cycle, etc. There are many unknowns in the process, so I guess the bigger question to consider is what advantage you get from holding off on the PhD and going for the MA.

The rank of the MA program would be more important than the school overall. Neither of those programs are big names in the forensic psych world so I wouldn't really put one above the other in terms of name alone.

I would go with the PhD if offered. In the long run, it will save you time and money. Most PhDs don't transfer over a lot of MA credits, and the cost of being in school for additional time will definitely have an impact on your earnings potential in the long run.

I would definitely do the option with research. Unless it's a license eligible masters in counseling with a focus on forensics, a forensic psych MA is purely an experimental degree. If you cannot do a thesis/research, there is very little you can do with that degree once done with it. A non-licensable masters is typically a stepping stone for doctoral studies.

Given the cost difference, I would go with Rutgers. It has a phenomenal reputation around here. I've worked with tons of Rutgers MSW grads over the years, and they were all extremely competent as social workers and clinicians (those who had the LCSW). Actually, I've known plenty of people from Rutgers and Columbia, but I actually haven't met anyone with an MSW from NYU.

I can't speak to your field, but I would significantly weigh funding as a major deciding factor and how far that funding goes when looking at cost of living. If you can complete a program with less debt and less stress in terms of covering rent/living expenses, that will also allow you to focus more on your studies and internships, etc. That being said, I'm assuming being in DC or NYC probably provides more internship/networking opportunities than College Station, TX for international affairs.

Yes, the advice you got about pursuing full-time RA positions is accurate. Research experience, with posters and publications, is one of the biggest factors in getting into a PhD program.

It's definitely a tough call. You could see if you could still get some sort of research at UCI and at least get a poster or something because research products (conference posters and talks and pubs) are some of the most crucial aspects of applications for PhD and reputable PsyD programs. I guess it would all depend on if there were potential research opportunities through UCI and how long it would be before you could have the opportunity to pursue an in-person program.

If you want to apply to a forensic oriented PhD in the future, I would definitely recommend you seek out an on-site forensic psych masters if possible, especially one that has a thesis option (a quick look at the UCI website says that you do a capstone instead of an empirical thesis, which is a little bit of an orange (not quite red) flag). Forensic psych is a very small world, and if you have research experience in the forensic psych field with known researchers, that will go a long way into getting into quality programs.

Online programs usually don't, but if they do, it would most likely be online as well. As someone who has an MA in forensic psych, I would caution it's probably very difficult to get much research experience via an online program. If you don't mind me asking, what's your end goal/motivation for getting this masters?

You can respond and politely express your gratitude and that you have to consider all offers. If this is for PhD, most universities have an agreement of the April 15th deadline. A university will typically not rescind an offer of admission as long as you make a timely decision.

What's the specific topic you were asked to write about?

For your first question, the 20 hours is more or less an estimate of your workload. The professor you are working for should really be keeping track of all the work he/she is asking you to do. This may vary, as I've heard of people working less than 20 hours a week and much more than 20 hours a week. For the other 2 questions, I may be incorrect, but it sounds like the program would consider a TAship to cover 50% of your tuition/stipend and 1/4th TAship is less work but also probably less money/tuition remission.

You're definitely in good shape. I would echo what Fantasmapocalypse said in that you should try to get some posters/publications in before you apply. You didn't specify what type of psych program (clinical or purely experimental such as developmental based on your interests), but clinical is a bit more competitive. An MA is often good if you are unsure if you are ready for grad school and want to test the waters or if you have to make up for a poor undergrad GPA (which is not your case). If anything, you would best be suited by taking a position as a lab manager/research coordinator for a year or 2 between applications if it doesn't work out next application season (get paid instead of paying for courses that will most likely not transfer). Overall, if you can make a big push for a few research products ASAP before you apply then you should be in good shape. Just make sure that you look for programs with a good research fit, ask for strong letters of recommendation, write a solid statement of purpose (SOP), and try not to restrict yourself geographically as to not limit viable research match options.

Based on your name, I'm assuming it's an MSW program. I know many people who have worked full-time while pursuing an MSW. Even full-time, masters level degrees usually allow for time to work. PhDs are usually tougher because of all the added research requirements and funding is usually tied to working as an RA or TA. I would also try to limit the loans as much as possible (I know they are hard to remove altogether) because loan interest can rack up quickly and MSWs aren't always the highest earners. PSLF is a crapshoot given how many people have been denied for it thus far, and you don't want your overall quality of life to suffer afterwards because of heavy student loan payments.

They would probably give you a generic response, as they wouldn't want to look like they promised anything. What kind of feedback did they give you about your application? If the comments were related to a low undergrad GPA, then a Masters may be a good way to combat that. If the feedback was that you need more research experience, then you may be able to get more without paying money for it. So yeah, I would look at it in terms of how will the masters improve your application and if you can accomplish this without shelling out a bunch of cash to do it.

My MA program did so, and I know of other people in other programs with similar "unwritten rules". The rationale they gave is that they did not want to appear biased towards their own masters students, so they would only interview a max of 2-3 current students who had applied for the PhD. Again, it could strictly be a psych thing (or a thing in my manor metro area), but it definitely happens so it's something for people to look out for.

Many programs are against academic incest and will advise their students to go elsewhere for their continued graduate study. This may be field specific, but at least in my field that seems to be the norm. The doctoral program attached to the masters I attended was actually more stringent in who they would interview from the masters students who applied to continue on than they were for outside applicants. OP, if you are considering this route, ask someone in the department how often masters students who apply get into the PhD program.

I would say the best way to improve your chances is to follow the feedback that they gave. If you choose to reapply make sure that you have addressed those concerns. Getting a masters from them will probably not increase your chances of getting into that specific program.

I would limit the amount of times you contact them. You asserted your interest, but they need to wait for offers to be rejected, which can be all the way until April 15th. No contact from the program usually means that there is no news.

You definitely don't want to spend a lot (most professors are not allowed to take gifts that are more than a "token"). A coffee mug from the university you were accepted to or something along those lines and a thank you note are more than sufficient.

A counseling psych program should also give you training in assessment and diagnosis. Look at the course list and student handbook for the counseling program. In practice, counseling psychology and clinical psychology are very similar. Note: there is a difference between a doctorate in counseling and a doctorate in counseling psychology. I'm assuming the program is counseling psych?

Have you seen posts for your progran on the results page? If not, they may not have sent out decisions yet. You can send a polite email to the admissions person (I wouldn't email the POI) asking if they can give you an update on your application status.