PsyD competition

[laura_potter]

Hi there! 

I am a recent UCLA grad with a psychology B.A. In the fall I will be applying to PsyD programs. The trouble is, I am having a hard time identifying which schools have the best reputation within the psychology community and what will make my application strongest. If anyone else out there has a PsyD I would love some advice on the subject. 

Thanks!

[PsyDuck90]

You will probably get way more responses in the Psychology forum.

However, as a general guideline, you want to stick with programs affiliated with universities rather than professional schools. A lot of professional schools have large class sizes and poorer training reputations. 

I would also suggest you look at balanced PhD programs in clinical psychology as well. There is actually very little difference between a reputable PsyD and a balanced PhD program, even in terms of how much research experience is required. For instance, Rutgers and Baylor are often regarded as top PsyD programs and they require a dissertation and lab work. 

Also, when searching for programs, make sure they are APA accredited. If they are not, you will not be eligible to go through the match system and complete an APA accredited internship. This will create a lot of difficulty in getting licensed in most states. APA accreditation is a minimum training standard, so a program that is not accredited may cause some red flags. There are PCSAS accredited programs, but they are primarily research focused and at this point probably have dual accreditation. 

In terms of making yourself a strong applicant: high GPA, high GRE, strong letters of recommendation, strong SOP, and research fit are all the factors that admission committees look for.

I am about to start a PsyD program this fall, so I just went through the application process. If you have questions, feel free to PM me.