NYU Psych M.A a good idea?

[moosegod]

Hi please help. I've applied to a few PhD. and Masters programs and haven't heard back from most but I got wait-listed for one PhD. program. Today I got accepted into the NYU Psychology M.A program after being rejected by the doctorate program and I wanted to know if it was worth enrolling in? I have 2 years of experience as an RA at a hospital and was hoping I could get into a decent PhD. program but if nothing works out should I accept the Masters program or would it be smarter to wait a year and apply to PhD programs in December? I'm the first one in my family to pursue higher education and I have nobody else to ask so I would really appreciate any input. Thanks a lot!

[ColoradoGirl94]

From what I could tell having research experience is more valuable applying for a Ph.D. program that a masters. Especially if the MA program is not more research based (aka has statistics classes, requires a thesis, etc.) then it may not be more helpful than the experience you could gain. Plus master's programs are expensive and you will be going in debt versus earning money during an RA job. Just some thoughts! 

[psychpsychpsych]

I think it depends on what you're looking for. I would try to talk to some of your past profs (or some PI's you applied to that you may feel comfortable reaching out) and ask them what they thought your weakest point of your application was. This may help direct you to see if you need more schooling or more of a research background. Also...there ARE so many variables that go into deciding who gets in or not into a PhD program, it SUCKS but it's the way it is...so it may be nothing wrong with your application...it could be due to other variables that we are not aware of.