franks98 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I just got an offer for the Social, Cognitive, and Neurosciences doctoral program within the psych department at UTEP. It's a really good offer with a very competitive TAship, out of state tuition waiver, and a scholarship that will cover most of the tuition and costs. I am wondering if there is anyone currently attending or anyone who has previously attended there who could chime in with their thoughts about the program, UTEP, or El Paso in general. I can't make it to their official visiting weekend, but am going to fly out there for a few days over spring break to get a feel for the program and the town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franks98 Posted March 25, 2011 Author Share Posted March 25, 2011 (edited) I guess I'll bump my own thread to provide more info for people who are doing searches in the future. I just got back from a short visit to El Paso. I couldn't make it to their official visitation weekend so I just flew down on my spring break instead. First off, the campus is absolutely beautiful. It is very a laid back place. The architecture and surrounding mountains really add to the feel. It is in the heart of the city, but the campus feels removed from the bustling of the surrounding neighborhoods. The university is expanding. UTEP administration and the state legislature are aiming to make the university a 'very high research activity' (R1 under the older system) institution. Right now they are considered a 'high research activity' institution. The psychology doctoral program is relatively new, less than 20 years old. They are planning to expand from about 15 faculty currently to 25 in the coming years. With this expansion, they are going to be moving into new building on campus as they are outgrowing their current building. Right now, they have three different concentrations: Health, Legal, and Social, Cognitive, and Neurosciences (SCN). Down the road, they are hoping to split up the SCN into distinct programs. The cognitive specialization will likely focus greatly on language processing and bilingualism considering its location along the US/Mexico border. Much of the research being done throughout the department focuses on issues that relate directly to the border and immigration. The faculty are well established in their respective fields, and the students seem to be consistently publishing. The psychology program seems to treat their graduate students very well. Most students come in with a TAship that provides just over $15k in support. It was explained to me that they don't just throw you in front of class right away, but that you'd start out assisting with grading etc. By about your third year, you'd probably teach your own class. Out of state tuition is waived and they also provide a scholarship to cover much of the tuition costs. 15K may not sound like a lot, but keep in mind that El Paso has a very low cost of living in comparison to other cities around the U.S. One could easily rent a one bedroom apartment for $400-500. If you get a place with roommates, you could probably keep your rent to around $250. There seems to be a good mass transit system as well that is easily accessible with descent hours or operation. I've heard that El Paso is pretty bike friendly, but I didn't see bike lanes on a lot of the main drags. I did see quite a few students who rode bikes, though. Despite being across the border from the deadliest city in the world, the violence does not spread to El Paso. El Paso is consistently ranked one of, if not the most, safest city in the United States. The crime that occurs is usually targeted to individuals who are mixed up with the cartels across the border. The El Paso police seem to do an excellent job at keeping the violence down. There is also Fort Bliss, one of the largest military bases in the country located in El Paso. If the violence were to erupt in El Paso, I don't think it would last too long. So, that's my take on the program and El Paso after a very short visit. Edited March 25, 2011 by franks98 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digits2006 Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Thank you so much for this post. I applied there last year and was waitlisted, then rejected. I will apply there next year after I finish my master's degree. This information is very helpful. I guess I'll bump my own thread to provide more info for people who are doing searches in the future. I just got back from a short visit to El Paso. I couldn't make it to their official visitation weekend so I just flew down on my spring break instead. First off, the campus is absolutely beautiful. It is very a laid back place. The architecture and surrounding mountains really add to the feel. It is in the heart of the city, but the campus feels removed from the bustling of the surrounding neighborhoods. The university is expanding. UTEP administration and the state legislature are aiming to make the university a 'very high research activity' (R1 under the older system) institution. Right now they are considered a 'high research activity' institution. The psychology doctoral program is relatively new, less than 20 years old. They are planning to expand from about 15 faculty currently to 25 in the coming years. With this expansion, they are going to be moving into new building on campus as they are outgrowing their current building. Right now, they have three different concentrations: Health, Legal, and Social, Cognitive, and Neurosciences (SCN). Down the road, they are hoping to split up the SCN into distinct programs. The cognitive specialization will likely focus greatly on language processing and bilingualism considering its location along the US/Mexico border. Much of the research being done throughout the department focuses on issues that relate directly to the border and immigration. The faculty are well established in their respective fields, and the students seem to be consistently publishing. The psychology program seems to treat their graduate students very well. Most students come in with a TAship that provides just over $15k in support. It was explained to me that they don't just throw you in front of class right away, but that you'd start out assisting with grading etc. By about your third year, you'd probably teach your own class. Out of state tuition is waived and they also provide a scholarship to cover much of the tuition costs. 15K may not sound like a lot, but keep in mind that El Paso has a very low cost of living in comparison to other cities around the U.S. One could easily rent a one bedroom apartment for $400-500. If you get a place with roommates, you could probably keep your rent to around $250. There seems to be a good mass transit system as well that is easily accessible with descent hours or operation. I've heard that El Paso is pretty bike friendly, but I didn't see bike lanes on a lot of the main drags. I did see quite a few students who rode bikes, though. Despite being across the border from the deadliest city in the world, the violence does not spread to El Paso. El Paso is consistently ranked one of, if not the most, safest city in the United States. The crime that occurs is usually targeted to individuals who are mixed up with the cartels across the border. The El Paso police seem to do an excellent job at keeping the violence down. There is also Fort Bliss, one of the largest military bases in the country located in El Paso. If the violence were to erupt in El Paso, I don't think it would last too long. So, that's my take on the program and El Paso after a very short visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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