Best psyd programs in New England?

[camphamp5ver]

So i'm in my third year of undergrad at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. I love the Western Mass area and ideally would like to stay in the area (as after grad school I think I wanna settle down here). I plan on getting my Psyd in clinical psych and so far have found three options

-William James College

-Antioch (bit nervous about this one because it's commuter based...and i wouldn't want to live in the middle of nowhere new hampshire...)

-University of Hartford

 

I don't know if I'm researching programs too early, but I'm a first gen college student so this is waaaay out of my depth. I'm planning on taking off a year between undergrad and my doctorate program, but I'd still like as much information as possible. Does anybody have experience with the above programs and/or know of other new england based psyd programs?

[Warelin]

I think it's important to realize a few things:

-The college you graduate from does not guarantee you to get a job within the same area 
- The "best" college depends on what you're interested in specifically in Clinical Psychology
-Research interests can change a lot from your 3rd year until you apply during your 4th year (And they might even change during your gap year)

I think it's important to talk to your professors and seek their advice on their experiences. Try to volunteer for them if you can to get a better understanding of the field to ensure that's what you want to do. By forming a stronger relationship with them, they'll be able to write you a stronger letter of recommendation and they may be able to make program recommendations that they think would be a great fit for you.

[dancedementia]

Hi! I did my undergrad, started a masters in Boston, and worked a few years in MA. 

First off, what are your reasons for PsyD vs. PhD? Secondly, why Clinical vs. Counseling?

William James - well established in the area, suuuuuper large cohorts (we're talking 100+), has an internship consortium, good practica/externship experiences, VERY pricey with little to no financial support

Antioch - good for folks who are working full time already in the mental health field and need a doctorate to progress; classes are only on Mon/Tues each week so people work the rest of the time and/or attend externship. The drive from Worcester to Keene is probably like... 2 hours? Not that bad.

Hartford - also respected in the area (many of McLean's PsyDs are from here), not as many options for externships unless you want to commute into larger cities. Don't know too much about this program.

If you're not picky on Clinical vs. Counseling you might want to look into Springfield as well, they have a PsyD in Counseling Psych which is very near you.