Psychology Masters NYU, Northwestern or Boston

[ClinPsych21]

Hi, 

I have been trying to decide which masters program to go for - NYU, Northwestern or Boston University. I want to do PhD Clinical Psychology post-masters so Northwestern seemed like the better option. However, I am still waiting to hear back from them even about the interview and I need to give NYU soon if I am accepting or rejecting the offer. Boston University seems advantageous because of its location, and the presence of an established PhD Clinical Psychology program, as compared to NYU. On the flip side, it is only year degree, making me worry if its enough time to actually learn and better my profile for PhD applications. I am particularly concerned about this decision as I am changing fields, from neuroscience to clinical psychology, and my performance at this level would probably have the highest impact on my future applications.

Thank you for taking the time to help me out! 

[PsychedforPsych2]

have you looked at the faculty at each school? I would go to the school that has the most faculty that studies the topics you want to study, regardless of length. that way, when the next cycle comes around, you could potentially be applying to someone's lab who you know personally and have already done work with. if you're still unsure, i would also reach out to nyu and let them know that you are waiting to hear back from a few other programs and ask if it would be ok to postpone your decision. Hope that helped and congrats on your offer! 

[ClinPsych21]

Thanks for your input! I precisely applied to these programs because of my interest in the research being done by particular faculty members. My dilemma stems more from a logistics perspective, would it be better to go to BU or NU because they have established PhD Clinical Psychology programs as compared to NYU which does not? Or how much are the academic benefits of living in boston and how instrumental would they be? And if anyone has any experiences with one year masters, I would be interested in knowing how much do they contribute to your CV. From where I stand it seems if I go for 1 year masters, I would be essential aiming for 2020 PhD intake, in that case I would be starting both, university and PhD application at the same time.

[PsyDuck90]

I would select the program with the most options and best track record for students publishing research products (posters, pubs) as that is what will set you up for success in PhD apps. A 1 year program may make it difficult for you to get any publications out in such a short time frame. 

[ClinPsych21]

18 hours ago, PsyDGrad90 said:

I would select the program with the most options and best track record for students publishing research products (posters, pubs) as that is what will set you up for success in PhD apps. A 1 year program may make it difficult for you to get any publications out in such a short time frame. 

1

Thanks, that's pretty helpful! If possible, could you share your insight into the research environment at NU and NYU?

[PsyDuck90]

38 minutes ago, mehta94 said:

Thanks, that's pretty helpful! If possible, could you share your insight into the research environment at NU and NYU?

I'm not personally familiar with either of those programs. Can you reach out to current students and ask about their research experience? Also, find out if the program keeps records of how many students go on to PhD programs. 

[dancedementia]

BU's program is notorious for placing graduates in good PhD programs. You can take the program part time and stretch it out to 2 years if you want.