Psychology in Education MA at Teachers College

[SR916]

Hi y'all! I was just accepted into TC for their Psych in Education (clinical psych) program. Columbia has been my dream school for so long, and I am so thrilled about this decision!

I have a few other offers, but highly considering TC for grad school. I personally want to get my Ph.D. in Clinical Psych, and am looking for a combo of both research and clinical experiences in grad school. I also live in California and as a WOC, diversity is a big thing for me. I'm also really nervous about the tuition of attending because I'm already in debt from my undergrad.

For those who are familiar with the program, or are/have been students in the program, could you please provide some insight as to the pros and cons about going there? Any info would be much appreciated!

Thanks so much! 

[PsyDuck90]

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!

Edited March 13, 2019 by PsyDGrad90
Clarification

[SR916]

On 3/13/2019 at 8:57 AM, PsyDGrad90 said:

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!

Thank you so much for all your help! You definitely shared a lot of insight about the program, and it's made my decision much easier!