PsyHike

Thank you, that's good advice!

Hi everyone, I am a first-year counseling psychology Ph.D. student, and I'm looking to try to publish a paper I wrote with a peer. My program does not adhere to the advisor model until around the third year, so I'm currently on my own. I have one published article that was done with my Master's thesis advisor, so this time I am trying to begin to understand how to navigate the sea of publishing. I guess the most important issue right now is figuring out which journals charge for publications (the journal in which I published previously did not charge any fees). If the fees (publication, post-processing) exist, are they usually stated outright on the journal website, or should I reach out to the journal? I also greatly appreciate any advice on how to figure this publishing thing out as a graduate student. Thanks!

I studied by going over the intro to psych book ("Psychology", 8th ed. by Gleitman, Gross, & Reisberg; I rented it from Amazon for the length of one semester) chapter by chapter and supplementing it with Kaplan GRE psych book. After I finished the material, I did the full length tests from Kaplan and the ETS practice test, trying to mimic the conditions of the test (i.e., taking it roughly at the same time as the test would be, with the same restrictions and minimal distractions). I took the exam twice with several years in between, using only the Kaplan book and ETS material the first time. The addition of the intro to psych book definitely helped my score the second time around.

Counseling Psychology Ph.D. at Fordham University ? Very happy that my third application cycle is finally over.

Hello everyone, So I am currently leaning toward choosing the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program at Fordham University. Unfortunately, I couldn't find more information about the program from people who have first- or second-hand knowledge of it. I have spoken to a couple of first-year students, but their experience is limited, and there were no opportunities to speak directly to more senior students. Can anyone shed any light on this program? I am particularly interested in how research-productive the students can be and how supportive is the program regarding clinical training since it seems to be done exclusively through externships. Thanks in advance!

I agree that it's a personal preference. I learned to love online classes and prefer this format to others. As you mentioned, it also depends on the curriculum that is offered that semester. Either way, this thing will either be resolved by the Fall semester or the program will find ways to accommodate students, as externships/internships placements are doing right now.

Sure, but I doubt the pandemic will stay here for 5 years, so there will be lots of opportunities to meet them when most of the people are healthy Sending you positive vibes during this anxiety-provoking time!

Unpopular opinion here, but I actually love online classes. Have had several of those in the past as a student (during both Bachelor's and Master's) and TAed for some of the online classes. Especially for the first semester of the first year of the program, which is usually didactic anyway, I think it's fine. Besides, I think it will largely blow over by the Fall semester anyway.

It's been two+ weeks since I've been waitlisted at my top choice. I know it's a bit too early for the waitlist panic (most offers will get released somewhere at the beginning of April), but I can't help feeling anxious, hopeful, grateful, and dejected. In the end no one will care if I got into the program off the waitlist or not, but for now I strongly feel the "You're not our first choice, we'll maybe let you know if we need you in the future if our first choice falls through" vibe, which makes me a bit rejected, to be honest. It's not rational, I understand that I will also reject the other offer if accepted off the waitlist here, but the mix of feelings is difficult to get through, especially considering that it's my third cycle. That's it, just thought it would be an appropriate place to vent.

I got MA in Forensic Psychology prior to pursuing PhD. Definitely enjoyed my program a lot and connected with several fantastic faculty members. This connection led to publications, RAing, TAing, and more. So I think it strengthened my application overall. On the other hand, this is not an applied degree, and I virtually cannot do anything with it. If I were to do it again, I would get a MA in Forensic Mental Health Counseling at the same school – that way you can at least have some income while waiting between rounds of Ph.D. application. Also, if you apply to Counseling Psychology Ph.D. programs, some waive a significant number of credits if you have Master's in Counseling/Counseling Psychology. Just my two cents.

Has anyone heard back from Fairleigh Dickinson Clinical Ph.D. post-interview?

Thanks for the advice! Obviously it’s a personal decision, I wish you luck in your process!

I will do that if necessary. First I wanted to hear the collective wisdom on the subject

I fully understand that maternity can push back my graduation and plan to graduate perhaps later than my original cohort. Honestly I prefer to take several months completely off rather than Skype into classes when my brain is a sleep-deprived, mangled mess. It is, of course, a personal preference. Would you say it's better to ask the potential advisor about students who have been in the same boat (again, I'm not even sure if they will know such students)? The program did not provide students' info separately, so the other option is to find current students on LinkedIn and cold email them.

Hello everyone, I received an acceptance offer to a Ph.D. program that I may attend (still waiting for answers from others). I am an older applicant, so I'm trying to understand how my life will look like in the next 5–7 years. I will most likely have a child during that time, so I sent a question to the admissions office re leave of absence, specifically maternity leave. Their answer included a referral to the standard medical leave of absence form (that does not mention the length of a possible leave), as well as a referral to speak with my advisor and professors, and: "Although absence is understandable, professor can penalize your grade or fail you after two absences in one course. If you must take a prolonged leave of absence, your plan of study must be adjusted and your year of graduation changes." So what I would like to know is if the school even considers a maternity leave during the Ph.D. program as an option. There are Title IX rights, of course, but I would like to go through the process peacefully, if possible, when it comes to it. Should I reach out to my potential advisor with this question? Should I ask her for referrals to students who have become parents during the degree (if they know of such students at all)? I appreciate any and all advice. Just trying to understand if this program is willing to work with me while I complete my degree. Thanks!

Hello everyone, I've started to prepare for my upcoming interviews, and at least one of them will involve a large group discussion with faculty and a separate large group discussion with current students. These will be followed by individual interviews with various faculty. I'm a bit concerned about coming up with original answers and standing out in a group of 20+ students, especially considering that I'm not super assertive (will have to kick it up a notch for the interviews). What questions are better asked in a public vs. one-on-one format? In general, what are some tips for succeeding in a group interview? Thanks!

Counseling Psychology Ph.D., sorry for misleading information in the first comment

Overall for the 2011–2019 period the internship match rate is 81%, although it has been 100% since 2017 (all accredited for that time period). Their self-reported licensure rate is 79%, although it seems that at least some of the students and faculty continue with research while engaging in clinical practice under their counseling license acquired during a Master's degree that they received before Ph.D.. Of course I might be wrong.

Hi everyone, So I have an interview to one of the counseling Ph.D. programs in March. When looking more into the program, I noticed that their EPPP pass rates for the 2015–2017 time frame are not great (61.11%; only first-time takers). The program itself looks good (pre-interview at least), so I'm not sure what prevented their students from achieving higher pass rates. Do you think it's a fair question to ask during the interview, or will this come off as confrontational/not knowledgable ? Thanks!

Thank you @whatdidigetinto! Would you mind sharing how does the process of finding a placement work in an online degree? Are there places that have some sort of agreement with the program to take the students in for practice, or do you have to find the placement on your own?

Hi everyone, I am browsing the CWSE-accredited MSW programs, some of which are online. I come from the psychology background (Bachelor's + Master's) where 100% online programs are pretty severely frowned upon. Is it not the case with the MSW online programs? Do they provide adequate preparation for the field and for taking the ASWB exam down the road? Finally, what is the professional impact of going through an online vs. on-campus program? I am grateful for any and all insights into this topic! I would also appreciate any advice on what components of the program I should pay particular attention to. Thank you!

Thank you for your advice, @Waiting272 ! Would you say that I can approach this subject openly (i.e., stating that I will be applying for Ph.D. the next cycle and in need for an additional letter of recommendation), or should I go about it in a round-about way (i.e., vaguely mentioning that I will be applying next Fall and not push it further)? It may be a bit of a cultural thing as well, not sure how U.S. students and advisors respond to direct conversations.

Trying my luck here as well. Hello, everyone!I have finished my Master's degree last year and will be applying (again) for clinical Ph.D. programs next Fall. As of now, I have two tenured professors who agreed to write letters of recommendation, but my third choice said she will be way too busy for this during the next application season. I am now applying for volunteer research assistant positions to gain more experience and hopefully ask for the letter of recommendation when the time comes. Right now I have an opportunity to work for a Ph.D. student on a very interesting project. As far as I know, letters of recommendations from Ph.D. students don't really count in the admission process. My question is: Should I mention to this student that I am ultimately looking for LOR during next application cycle, or should I start the project and hope that I'll be able to secure a LOR with the student's supervisor next Fall?Thank you!

For some reason, I can't add deadlines for institutions that are not listed (e.g., John Jay, Queen's, etc.) – the option to add a row is not available. Is there any other way?

Thank you for your reply! The length of the research project and specifically collecting the data is a good example of the least favorite research part, thanks! As for the weaknesses – you brought up several good ones! I'm on the fence regarding public speaking – it is indeed my weakness and I am working on improving it (attending speaking engagements, TAing, etc.), but I'm not sure if it is one of those things that are a deal-breaker for the interviewers, as Ph.D. will definitely involve TAing, meetings, and a lot of public speaking to present results in general, so perhaps they are looking for someone who feels comfortable addressing the audience.