Deciding Between Programs

[doingmybest]

Hi everyone!

I hope this thread can be useful for those of us who are having trouble deciding between programs/offers and want to make the decision as soon as possible. I know the decisions board exists, but I think a thread specifically for psychology in this forum could be useful.

I've been fortunate enough to receive offers from my top two clinical PhD programs this past week, but I'm having a lot of trouble figuring out which one is my top choice. The PIs at both programs research the same subfield I'm interested in. I've been struggling with picking a favorite since I first became interested in these programs last year; I assumed that I wouldn't get offers from both programs, so I figured I would just choose whichever one accepted me if I happened to be that lucky. Now that they've both accepted me, I don't know what to do. I want to make my decision as quickly as possible so as to not limit the options available to other applicants and/or prevent the school from taking on a great applicant; I already feel like a jerk for being so indecisive. I would really appreciate some advice and opinions to help me make this decision. Here are some pros and cons for the programs:

School 1

Pros

• Perfect location; where I eventually want to settle down
• PI is very well-known and well-connected in our subfield and our research interests align well
• Better stipend
• Got along very well with other grad students/enjoyed lab culture

Cons

• PI is hands-off and sometimes expectations are unclear, so I would have to take the initiative if I need support or guidance
• Not specialized in the types of settings I want to work in, but I can still get those experiences during internship
• May have trouble developing therapeutic/assessment skills; program is more research-heavy and I'm not going into academia

School 2

Pros

• PI is very warm and kind, adapts mentoring style to student, very close with students
• Research interests align pretty much perfectly
• Program is specialized for the types of settings I want to work in (although I might want to work in different settings in the future or change career goals)
• More hands-on clinical experience

Cons

• Dislike the location
• Slightly worse stipend (about $5000 less than School 1) and additional fees, but should still be affordable for the location
• PI isn't as well-known because they're early in their career, but I'm not sure how much name recognition matters because I'm not going into academia

Thanks for any support.

Edited February 20, 2020 by doingmybest

[PsyDuck90]

This is tough. However, I would actually be more inclined to go with option 2. While you can hope to gain these experiences on internship, you often have a better chance of getting more competitive internships if you have some similar experiences in externship. When you say that school 1 is more research heavy, do they identify as a clinical science model or still a scientist-practitioner model? If scientist-practitioner, then you'll probably get solid clinical training. Also, think about what kind of mentorship you thrive in. It's 1 thing to say you have to have more initiative. It's another to know you'll do it. 

[Modulus]

8 hours ago, doingmybest said:

Hi everyone!

I hope this thread can be useful for those of us who are having trouble deciding between programs/offers and want to make the decision as soon as possible. I know the decisions board exists, but I think a thread specifically for psychology in this forum could be useful.

I've been fortunate enough to receive offers from my top two clinical PhD programs this past week, but I'm having a lot of trouble figuring out which one is my top choice. The PIs at both programs research the same subfield I'm interested in. I've been struggling with picking a favorite since I first became interested in these programs last year; I assumed that I wouldn't get offers from both programs, so I figured I would just choose whichever one accepted me if I happened to be that lucky. Now that they've both accepted me, I don't know what to do. I want to make my decision as quickly as possible so as to not limit the options available to other applicants and/or prevent the school from taking on a great applicant; I already feel like a jerk for being so indecisive. I would really appreciate some advice and opinions to help me make this decision. Here are some pros and cons for the programs:

School 1

Pros

• Perfect location; where I eventually want to settle down
• PI is very well-known and well-connected in our subfield and our research interests align well
• Better stipend
• Got along very well with other grad students/enjoyed lab culture

Cons

• PI is hands-off and sometimes expectations are unclear, so I would have to take the initiative if I need support or guidance
• Not specialized in the types of settings I want to work in, but I can still get those experiences during internship
• May have trouble developing therapeutic/assessment skills; program is more research-heavy and I'm not going into academia

School 2

Pros

• PI is very warm and kind, adapts mentoring style to student, very close with students
• Research interests align pretty much perfectly
• Program is specialized for the types of settings I want to work in (although I might want to work in different settings in the future or change career goals)
• More hands-on clinical experience

Cons

• Dislike the location
• Slightly worse stipend (about $5000 less than School 1) and additional fees, but should still be affordable for the location
• PI isn't as well-known because they're early in their career, but I'm not sure how much name recognition matters because I'm not going into academia

Thanks for any support.

If your goals are clinical practice, 2 seems like a great option to me.  As for location, it is very rare to stay in the same location for grad school and career.  You can go to location 1 for internship or work after having a great learning and training environment at 2. 

[Yep]

Option 1 is my choice personally. Especially if you aren’t determined to make it in academia I think the hands off mentoring style is fine because you won’t need that much guidance week to week. And then you mentioned location and stipend are better. That’s your outside life right there. 
 

overall, I see option 1 is the clear choice 

[doingmybest]

2 hours ago, PsyDuck90 said:

This is tough. However, I would actually be more inclined to go with option 2. While you can hope to gain these experiences on internship, you often have a better chance of getting more competitive internships if you have some similar experiences in externship. When you say that school 1 is more research heavy, do they identify as a clinical science model or still a scientist-practitioner model? If scientist-practitioner, then you'll probably get solid clinical training. Also, think about what kind of mentorship you thrive in. It's 1 thing to say you have to have more initiative. It's another to know you'll do it. 

That's what I was thinking re: more competitive internships, but I know that students from School 1 can also get great internships in the settings I'm interested in. School 1 is clinical science and School 2 is scientist-practitioner. I've heard from students at School 1 that it can be harder to get applied experience because it's a clinical science model, but it's doable. I think I'd prefer a hands-on mentor, but I'm also comfortable with taking initiative. The older lab members offer a lot of support to the newer ones, as well.

2 hours ago, Modulus said:

If your goals are clinical practice, 2 seems like a great option to me.  As for location, it is very rare to stay in the same location for grad school and career.  You can go to location 1 for internship or work after having a great learning and training environment at 2. 

Good idea re: moving to School 1's area later on. One thing I'm conflicted about is that my partner will be moving with me to either school, but they would prefer School 1 because of the area (family nearby) and I want to take that into account because 5-6 years is a long time.

2 hours ago, Itzik said:

Option 1 is my choice personally. Especially if you aren’t determined to make it in academia I think the hands off mentoring style is fine because you won’t need that much guidance week to week. And then you mentioned location and stipend are better. That’s your outside life right there. 
 

overall, I see option 1 is the clear choice 

I think my quality of life would definitely be better at School 1, but I'm not sure if it's worth prioritizing that over specialized training. I think that's my main struggle right now.

[mcgonagal]

I'm in the same boat - deciding between two programs! I know everyone says to write a pros and cons list, etc. etc. But honestly, I think we generally already know which choice we want in many cases, we're just scared of committing to one thing and potentially losing out on another.  It sounds that while Program 1 looks better on paper, you really liked the feeling you got from Program 2. 

 I had a really great mentor once tell me to flip a coin - not to decide heads or tails, but because when it's in midair you know which side you want it to land on. 

[SocDevMum]

13 hours ago, doingmybest said:

Cons

• PI is hands-off and sometimes expectations are unclear, so I would have to take the initiative if I need support or guidance
• Not specialized in the types of settings I want to work in, but I can still get those experiences during internship
• May have trouble developing therapeutic/assessment skills; program is more research-heavy and I'm not going into academia

This right here is some pretty heavy cons... I'm a very independent learner myself, but I know the value of a mentor that is willing to be involved, after having a very hands-off mentor for my current thesis.  I would not repeat that part of my experience. The lack of speciality in your preferred settings may make it harder to get the experiences you want in internship too, as it may not be as easy for you to make the connections, and interview well for those spots. And lastly, why subject yourself to a rigorous research academic experience if that's not your long term goal? You may end up shorting yourself on the clinical experiences you need to be successful later.  

I would venture to guess that most people don't end up finding a job where they go to grad school, at least not right away.  I don't know that a nice location makes up for these cons.. especially if the cost of living difference makes that 5k stipend difference livable (or even negligible).

 

[PsycUndergrad]

17 minutes ago, Randi S said:

I would venture to guess that most people don't end up finding a job where they go to grad school, at least not right away.  I don't know that a nice location makes up for these cons.. especially if the cost of living difference makes that 5k stipend difference livable (or even negligible).

I want to second both of these points because it sounds like location is the only real draw for program #1. 

Nearly everyone will move for internship and again for post doc (if needed for licensure), so it might not be as big of an advantage as it seems to live in your desired location in grad school. 

I would also be hesitant to weigh location super heavily because you just don’t have a lot of free time in grad school. Even if you don’t love a particular area, it probably won’t matter much because you’ll be busy most of the time. A lot of less desirable areas are cheaper too. It’s easier to have a 20k stipend in the middle of nowhere than 25k in a major city. 

Edited February 20, 2020 by PsycUndergrad