virginiarunninggirl Posted March 14, 2014 Posted March 14, 2014 I was wait-listed for a different program and did find out somewhat where I was on the list. It never hurts to send an email to express your interest. Does anyone know of accredited online School Psych programs that have a good reputation? I have looked at NASP and see a few. I just do not have a good feeling about Capella. My husband moves a lot with his job and it seems online is the best way to go unless I want a long distance marriage--I don't.
spsycher Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 I've been wait listed at my favorite school, I was told I was first on the list, but I'm not sure what this means for my chances of getting in? I have been accepted to 3 other programs and one isn't NASP approved because it is brand new and I would be in their very first cohort (I believe a program has to graduate a class before applying for NASP approval?). They told us once they received NASP approval, we would be "grandfathered" into it/could say we graduated from a NASP approved program. I like the program better than the other two, but am a little concerned about how organized it will be. I am also concerned about the NASP approval and how it will affect my chances of getting a job? (Ed.S. degree) Any thoughts? Or advice?
Marycontrary Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 I'm skeptical. Loyola recently became accredited (APA) and their graduates were NOT grandfathered in. NASP could be different, but it seems like a gamble.
iPsych Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 I also think that the promise of being grandfathered in may not be helpful if, by the time you're applying for internship/jobs, the program has still not been approved
SchoolPsych20 Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 Hi everyone! I'm new to this thread and am trying to make a decision about which program to attend. I am applying at the specialist level. My top choices are MSPP, University of Hartford and Northeastern. I got a great vibe from these programs when I interviewed. Does anyone know the reputations of these programs? I have been unable to find a ranking online. They differ significantly in cost, which is a big consideration for me. Since these programs are all NASP approved, is it best to go with the cheapest option, or are some programs considered better than others? Any advice on what to consider when choosing a specialist program would be so helpful!
schoolpsycher Posted March 18, 2014 Author Posted March 18, 2014 Hi everyone! I'm new to this thread and am trying to make a decision about which program to attend. I am applying at the specialist level. My top choices are MSPP, University of Hartford and Northeastern. I got a great vibe from these programs when I interviewed. Does anyone know the reputations of these programs? I have been unable to find a ranking online. They differ significantly in cost, which is a big consideration for me. Since these programs are all NASP approved, is it best to go with the cheapest option, or are some programs considered better than others? Any advice on what to consider when choosing a specialist program would be so helpful! I've also been wondering if any schools are better than others (besides being NASP accredited, since I only applied to schools that are). I got into Northeastern as well and think that's where I'd be happiest.. partly because I live in Boston now and want to stay here. But money is a huge factor for me, and I'm not happy they offer no assistantships to their specialist students. I hate this happiness vs. cheap debate going on in my head haha.
iPsych Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 (edited) Sooooo one of my top choice schools can't promise me funding until July because they're waiting for their grants to get approved. They (and I) are optimistic that the grants will be approved since the university has had great success in the past being able to fund their PhD and EdS students (I know this to be true based off of the interactions I had with current students during interview day and the pre-interview social). The faculty and the quality of the program have a great reputation (when I mentioned in interviews at other schools that I was applying here the response was always "Oh...that's a good school. Professor so and so is excellent and I've worked with Professor Yadda yadda in the past") and I am confident that they will find a way to fund me. Should the grants be approved, I would be receiving a full tuition waiver and a decent stipend. Is anyone else considering schools that are not concrete about their aid?? Edited March 18, 2014 by iPsych
snakex Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 Hey all! I just wanted to tell those of you who have offers congratulations! I have received offers from the (2) schools I applied to and I am stoked! Thank you all so much for your advice and I wish you all the best! Go School Psych! iPsych 1
Bgk2000 Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 I don't know if anyone applied/interviewed at Tufts, but does anyone know the chances of getting off the waitlist there?! It was my favorite after interviewing so I'm pretty bummed :/ Did you ever decide what to do? I am deciding if I should wait out a wait list at another school...doesnt seem too appealing at this point. If you did end up contacting the school, did you get a helpful response back? I don't want to be too pushy.
SchoolPsych20 Posted March 19, 2014 Posted March 19, 2014 I've also been wondering if any schools are better than others (besides being NASP accredited, since I only applied to schools that are). I got into Northeastern as well and think that's where I'd be happiest.. partly because I live in Boston now and want to stay here. But money is a huge factor for me, and I'm not happy they offer no assistantships to their specialist students. I hate this happiness vs. cheap debate going on in my head haha. I know how you feel! I'm having the same debate. Northeastern is the perfect location for me too. I would love to be back in Boston. I just can't decide if it would be worth taking out that much money in student loans. It's double the price of the University of Hartford. I wish one school had everything I was looking for. It's hard to know what to compromise on.
schoolpsycher Posted March 19, 2014 Author Posted March 19, 2014 Did you ever decide what to do? I am deciding if I should wait out a wait list at another school...doesnt seem too appealing at this point. If you did end up contacting the school, did you get a helpful response back? I don't want to be too pushy. I did contact the school-- I said they were my first choice, asked if students had been accepted off the wait-list in the past, and let him know I did have other schools to decide on by April 15th. I got a very nice email back from the director saying people had definitely been accepted off the wait-list in the past and that he hoped it would work out, and that he would keep in the loop as they got more of an idea without jeopardizing my acceptances at other schools. I was hoping I'd find out exactly where I was on the wait list, but I didn't directly ask that. I still think it's worth contacting them for sure though, especially if the school is one of your top choices! I know how you feel! I'm having the same debate. Northeastern is the perfect location for me too. I would love to be back in Boston. I just can't decide if it would be worth taking out that much money in student loans. It's double the price of the University of Hartford. I wish one school had everything I was looking for. It's hard to know what to compromise on. Exactly Why can't more schools be good about funding at the specialist level?!
iphi Posted March 20, 2014 Posted March 20, 2014 I am waitlisted at my first choice program, but it doesn't look as though it will come through. Today I received an amazing funding offer from my second choice school (where I was accepted, obviously). When is the right time to firmly commit? Should I wait it out until April 14? What do I say in the meantime to the school I'll probably end up going to? I've been in communication with the program where I am waitlisted, and they are very helpful. They just don't seem to know anything right now and I am wondering if it's worth it to wait. What happens if I commit somewhere April 14 and by some miracle on April 15 I get an offer from the school where I was waitlisted?
Marycontrary Posted March 20, 2014 Posted March 20, 2014 If you wait, all you can do is potentially get a better offer. It happens! I wish I hadn't jumped my acceptance, in retrospect. I would tell your second choice school that you are excited about the acceptance, and that you will need some time to seriously consider their offer. Maybe ask some good questions to show that you really ARE thinking about their program? If you are still holding onto the dream of hopefully getting into your first choice program, you are not hurting anyone by waiting until the deadline to commit to either program.
Cognitive Couch Posted March 20, 2014 Posted March 20, 2014 I would advise you that the most important thing you can do for your self is to be sure of why you what to go to that University in the first place? Is it because of the program that you really like or is it because of the University reputation? Where do you really want to go to University? That should be the answer because if you are feeling insecure and will accept any offer you should re evaluate what your expectations are about where you'll be going and why you'll be going there. In the end, what's there to consider if you aren't sure why you are having a such time deciding. First decide where you want to be and why and take it from there. Hope this helps.
iphi Posted March 20, 2014 Posted March 20, 2014 I would advise you that the most important thing you can do for your self is to be sure of why you what to go to that University in the first place? Is it because of the program that you really like or is it because of the University reputation? Where do you really want to go to University? That should be the answer because if you are feeling insecure and will accept any offer you should re evaluate what your expectations are about where you'll be going and why you'll be going there. In the end, what's there to consider if you aren't sure why you are having a such time deciding. First decide where you want to be and why and take it from there. Hope this helps. Is this directed toward the Ed.S students who are having trouble deciding?
SchoolPsyched Posted March 20, 2014 Posted March 20, 2014 Sooooo one of my top choice schools can't promise me funding until July because they're waiting for their grants to get approved. They (and I) are optimistic that the grants will be approved since the university has had great success in the past being able to fund their PhD and EdS students (I know this to be true based off of the interactions I had with current students during interview day and the pre-interview social). The faculty and the quality of the program have a great reputation (when I mentioned in interviews at other schools that I was applying here the response was always "Oh...that's a good school. Professor so and so is excellent and I've worked with Professor Yadda yadda in the past") and I am confident that they will find a way to fund me. Should the grants be approved, I would be receiving a full tuition waiver and a decent stipend. Is anyone else considering schools that are not concrete about their aid?? Yes, and many schools do not know until June because so many of the grants actually come from the public school system and that seems to be the time where the schools find out their budgets thus giving word to the universities about how much money they will be able to provide for their services and programs. However, if the school has a good reputation and the school is pretty confident, I feel that it would be safe to assume that you will be okay. Did they say anything about departmental or university assistantships that are available just in case?
iPsych Posted March 20, 2014 Posted March 20, 2014 Yes, and many schools do not know until June because so many of the grants actually come from the public school system and that seems to be the time where the schools find out their budgets thus giving word to the universities about how much money they will be able to provide for their services and programs. However, if the school has a good reputation and the school is pretty confident, I feel that it would be safe to assume that you will be okay. Did they say anything about departmental or university assistantships that are available just in case? Thank you for your response! they did not mention any sort of "just in case" back up funding plan but my POI did say that in the event that her own grant is not approved, if even 50% of the grants that another faculty member has submitted gets approved (he has quite a few large ones in the works) then they will have more funding than they have students to fund so that was reassuring! In speaking with students during interviews I also learned that there are ways to make a little extra money (outside of your stipend) throughout the semester by working with professors who need some extra assistants during very busy weeks. None of the currently enrolled students who I spoke to mentioned any major difficulties as far as finances go so that is also a good indicator that things will probably work out
iPsych Posted March 26, 2014 Posted March 26, 2014 One of the schools I'm considering attending has a significantly longer average time to completion than the others (8 years v. 5ish). Anyone have any idea why this might be? Aside from this stat, everything else seems awesome! The school has a 100% internship match rate (all of which are paid), a good faculty to student ratio, high scholarly productivity, subspecialization opportunities and great practica locations. I know I could email the program and ask, but I feel weird asking a school why it's taking them so long to graduate their students. Any ideas or suggestions would be really helpful! Thanks guys
iphi Posted March 26, 2014 Posted March 26, 2014 One of the schools I'm considering attending has a significantly longer average time to completion than the others (8 years v. 5ish). Anyone have any idea why this might be? Aside from this stat, everything else seems awesome! The school has a 100% internship match rate (all of which are paid), a good faculty to student ratio, high scholarly productivity, subspecialization opportunities and great practica locations. I know I could email the program and ask, but I feel weird asking a school why it's taking them so long to graduate their students. Any ideas or suggestions would be really helpful! Thanks guys Holy cow! 8?! Those guys are troopers, I could never spend almost an entire decade in grad school! I think it's perfectly fair to ask them why. Everyone I know who is a grad student gets sick of it by at least year 4 and that would only be halfway through that program. Plus think of all the money you could be making at a real job vs. 3 (at least) extra years of grad school. The program I've chosen is 5 years, and I thought that was long. A bunch that I applied to (PhDs) were only 3 or 4.
iPsych Posted March 26, 2014 Posted March 26, 2014 Holy cow! 8?! Those guys are troopers, I could never spend almost an entire decade in grad school! I think it's perfectly fair to ask them why. Everyone I know who is a grad student gets sick of it by at least year 4 and that would only be halfway through that program. Plus think of all the money you could be making at a real job vs. 3 (at least) extra years of grad school. The program I've chosen is 5 years, and I thought that was long. A bunch that I applied to (PhDs) were only 3 or 4. Thanks iphi! I called my POI who very kindly explained that typically students finish in 5-6 years but they had some outliers in past years who really brought that average up. I'm so glad I asked
iphi Posted March 26, 2014 Posted March 26, 2014 (edited) Thanks iphi! I called my POI who very kindly explained that typically students finish in 5-6 years but they had some outliers in past years who really brought that average up. I'm so glad I asked Phew, that's really good to know! My SO attends one of the UCs in Psychology and although students in his program are told it's a 5-year program, they don't like to let people graduate before 6th year because then they are not as successful finding (academic) positions and it brings down their employment statistics. Edited March 26, 2014 by iphi
iPsych Posted March 26, 2014 Posted March 26, 2014 that's kind of selfish of the school! haha My POI said that their university recommends students take 6 years so that they can complete the 4 years of coursework, dedicate 5th year to their dissertation and go on internship in the 6th year. But she also said it is possible (and challenging) to propose, data collect and defend the dissertation while doing coursework then complete the internship in the 5th year. I'm hoping to do this because I want to be in and out as fast as possible!
ceeceeroni Posted March 27, 2014 Posted March 27, 2014 (edited) anyone out there who is waiting for funding info? should I wait till June to find out? Edited March 27, 2014 by ceeceeroni
iphi Posted March 27, 2014 Posted March 27, 2014 anyone out there who is waiting for funding info? should I wait till June to find out? Not sure what you mean by "should"? Meaning "will I have to" or, "should I ask about it now?" or even, "should I take an offer for another program that I already know gives me funding"?
ceeceeroni Posted March 27, 2014 Posted March 27, 2014 Not sure what you mean by "should"? Meaning "will I have to" or, "should I ask about it now?" or even, "should I take an offer for another program that I already know gives me funding"? I guess I was not clear about what I was asking! I meant to say will I have to wait for funding till June I already asked the director and she said she cannot guarantee any source of funding till she finds out later... plus if I already accepted the offer from the school, would patience and waiting be the only way of finding out financial assistance... I hope i made my question more clear now!
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