School Psychology programs (EdS/PhD)

[schoolpsy15]

Hey all,

 

I am looking to apply in Fall 2015.  I have a few questions:

 

1. What is the best way to find out information and research interests of potential POIs? 

2. Do you find out about possible funding/apply for funding before, during or after you complete the PhD application?

 

Thank you!!

[iPsych]

I found out about research interests mainly through the university websites' faculty profiles.  Some schools are better about updating their sites than others so I think it is also okay to email potential POIs telling them that you're interested in their schools program and want to inquire about their current projects/projects they'll have for 2014-2015.  I didn't do this but other applicants definitely did!

 

Your second question also depends on the school.  Some schools have a financial aid application that supplements the application for admission and also has to be completed before the app deadline.  Some schools just had a checkbox on the admission application to indicate whether or not you want to be considered for funding. One school I applied to had completely different deadlines for completing the financial aid app (months after the original application was due).  

 

Hope this helps!

[iphi]

1) School websites. I made a list of the 50 states and ruled out any states where I absolutely could not live. Then I took the list of APA/NASP accredited PhD programs by state and went to the SP faculty pages for those schools to find out similarities in departmental/specific faculty research interests.

 

2) I only looked at schools which funded. Most public universities do, and lots put it on their website. "Historically all of our students have received funding..." etc. There's also a list in the general psych forum that lays out the kinds of offers people got from schools. I'll see if I can find it. I applied to 10 schools -all of whom offered some sort of funding - and was accepted to 7 (all PhD - no info from me on EdS) so I can give you a list of those if you want. Also, sometimes people include financial info in the Results Search page.

 

What are your research interests? If you tell us, someone here might be able to lead you in the right direction in terms of profs/schools and funding.

 

Hey all,

 

I am looking to apply in Fall 2015.  I have a few questions:

 

1. What is the best way to find out information and research interests of potential POIs? 

2. Do you find out about possible funding/apply for funding before, during or after you complete the PhD application?

 

Thank you!!

[schoolpsycher]

Good luck to the people starting to apply!

 

For the people that just made their decisions, did you send your recommenders a follow-up about where you were accepted/decided to attend? I thanked my recommenders via email after the app deadlines in January, but I want to either send a thank you card or another email letting them know how things turned out. I'm two years out of college, so I can't drop by or anything. Did you guys send them cards in the mail?

[iphi]

I just emailed them thanking them again and letting them know where I chose to attend. They asked me to do so, so it seemed like a nice thing to follow up with them.

 

Good luck to the people starting to apply!

 

For the people that just made their decisions, did you send your recommenders a follow-up about where you were accepted/decided to attend? I thanked my recommenders via email after the app deadlines in January, but I want to either send a thank you card or another email letting them know how things turned out. I'm two years out of college, so I can't drop by or anything. Did you guys send them cards in the mail?

[iPsych]

Good luck to the people starting to apply!

 

For the people that just made their decisions, did you send your recommenders a follow-up about where you were accepted/decided to attend? I thanked my recommenders via email after the app deadlines in January, but I want to either send a thank you card or another email letting them know how things turned out. I'm two years out of college, so I can't drop by or anything. Did you guys send them cards in the mail?

 

I sent thank you cards in the mail after deadlines were over then sent an email a few weeks ago with my final decision!

[schoolpsy15]

iphi and ipsych,

 

thank you both for responding!! The information is very helpful . I did go onto the websites of schools I am interested and was able to find out more about research interests of faculty members. Also, I will take a look at some other threads for financial info. Thanks!

[CagedBird]

Hey guys! I have accepted an offer at a private university for a PsyD program and I'm freaking out about funding! I have applied for multiple assistantships and I have yet to hear back from any. My program cannot guarantee funding...and it's making me question my decision to attend I have no debt coming out of undergrad, which is good. I know that I would accumulate some possible debt in grad schol...but still, I'm very overwhelmed! Does anyone have any advice? lol

[iphi]

Hey guys! I have accepted an offer at a private university for a PsyD program and I'm freaking out about funding! I have applied for multiple assistantships and I have yet to hear back from any. My program cannot guarantee funding...and it's making me question my decision to attend I have no debt coming out of undergrad, which is good. I know that I would accumulate some possible debt in grad schol...but still, I'm very overwhelmed! Does anyone have any advice? lol

 

Honestly, short of reapplying to PhD programs (funded).... no. Are your chances good of securing funding after your first year? Sounds stressful to do this every year.

[CagedBird]

Honestly, short of reapplying to PhD programs (funded).... no. Are your chances good of securing funding after your first year? Sounds stressful to do this every year.

 

Yes and no, from what I've heard. Looking back at my notes from the interview, it says about 70% of the cohort are fully funded and a lot of them work on the side. 

[iphi]

Yes and no, from what I've heard. Looking back at my notes from the interview, it says about 70% of the cohort are fully funded and a lot of them work on the side. 

 

That's great! I didn't think PhD schedules allowed for much work (not really a flexible schedule).

[CagedBird]

That's great! I didn't think PhD schedules allowed for much work (not really a flexible schedule).

 

That's what I thought to! I think what's worrying me is that the assistantships I have applied for have yet to get back to me (I'm a very impatient person lol). While talking to the grad students, even the PsyD ones didn't seem to worried about the money. I know I will qualify for federal aid and probably also receive aid from the school itself (I come from a low family income background)....also, the school I'm applying for has a PhD program as well, and students are allowed to switch programs, either from PsyD to PhD, with just some paperwork and it just has to be done early enough

[schoolpsycher]

That's what I thought to! I think what's worrying me is that the assistantships I have applied for have yet to get back to me (I'm a very impatient person lol). While talking to the grad students, even the PsyD ones didn't seem to worried about the money. I know I will qualify for federal aid and probably also receive aid from the school itself (I come from a low family income background)....also, the school I'm applying for has a PhD program as well, and students are allowed to switch programs, either from PsyD to PhD, with just some paperwork and it just has to be done early enough

 

Have you talked to the program/current students and asked if you should be worried about not hearing back from assistantships yet? I was applying to assistantships at one program I was accepted to (though it was an EdS program), and I was getting worried but they told me many students didn't get assistantships until the summer. They said sometimes assistantships don't how much funding they have yet/how many people they can hire, etc. Not sure if that's the case there, but thought I'd share! That's also great you can switch into the PhD if you decide to and need more funding.

[CagedBird]

Have you talked to the program/current students and asked if you should be worried about not hearing back from assistantships yet? I was applying to assistantships at one program I was accepted to (though it was an EdS program), and I was getting worried but they told me many students didn't get assistantships until the summer. They said sometimes assistantships don't how much funding they have yet/how many people they can hire, etc. Not sure if that's the case there, but thought I'd share! That's also great you can switch into the PhD if you decide to and need more funding.

 

Thanks for the advice! I was thinking that too, especially since the semester isn't over yet and I'm sure they are busy right now. 

[CagedBird]

I think I'm intimidated by the whole loan process. I didn't have to take out any loans for undergrad because I was on a full scholarship. If the worse happens and I do not receive an assistantship for this first year, does anyone have advice about which loans are good and when to apply? I apologize if I seem naive. Like I said, I have no experience with loans lol.

[baunlee]

So basically there are direct unsubsidized loans that will cover up to 20,500 per year.  Anything more than that would be a PLUS loan.

This amount is considered after any scholarships from your institution and work study.

Or are you looking for information about private sources of funding?

[iphi]

Hm, did anyone know about this site when applying? I feel as though it may have been helpful!

 

Also, where is everyone ending up in the fall?

Edited July 1, 2014 by iphi

[schoolpsy15]

Is anyone emailing POIs? If so, any tips or guidance about this is welcome! Thanks!!

[iphi]

Is anyone emailing POIs? If so, any tips or guidance about this is welcome! Thanks!!

 

It is probably a bit too early to start emailing. I would wait til mid-September/a few weeks into that school's semester. They're often busy and not as responsive to email in the summer. You don't want your email to get lost! Also, it's 6 months until they'll see your application... you'll want them to remember you.

 

I would, however, encourage looking at departments and POIs and determining your fit so that you can have a shortlist ready for the fall.

[ed_psy]

Hi everyone,

I finally read through all 20 pages of the thread. Congratulations to everyone accepted to their top choice school. I am a prospective applicant, going to apply for School Psychology program for Fall 2015. So far I have three schools in mind Brooklyn College, Fordham University, and Columbia University (Maybe I will include St. Johns and Queens College). Right now I am studying for GRE hoping to bring up the score because I didn't do well the first time around. I am looking at the Ed.S program. I already have a MA in Educational Psychology, but I took the time this summer to rethink what I really want to do with my career and felt School Psychology is a good fit.

 

I have a few questions for those accepted/attending already, 1) When do you usually begin writing your SOP? (Should I start now?) 2) Although I do not have experience working in a public school, but I do have about 8 years of experience at a non-profit organization coaching students ranging from K-8 grade. Would that look good on my application.

 

Thank you very much. All feedbacks/comments are appreciated.

[iphi]

Hi everyone,

I finally read through all 20 pages of the thread. Congratulations to everyone accepted to their top choice school. I am a prospective applicant, going to apply for School Psychology program for Fall 2015. So far I have three schools in mind Brooklyn College, Fordham University, and Columbia University (Maybe I will include St. Johns and Queens College). Right now I am studying for GRE hoping to bring up the score because I didn't do well the first time around. I am looking at the Ed.S program. I already have a MA in Educational Psychology, but I took the time this summer to rethink what I really want to do with my career and felt School Psychology is a good fit.

 

I have a few questions for those accepted/attending already, 1) When do you usually begin writing your SOP? (Should I start now?) 2) Although I do not have experience working in a public school, but I do have about 8 years of experience at a non-profit organization coaching students ranging from K-8 grade. Would that look good on my application.

 

Thank you very much. All feedbacks/comments are appreciated.

 

Yes! Write and re-write your SOP. Change it for each school if you have to. There should be at least one paragraph that differs for each school saying why you are interested in their program specifically. You may also want to emphasize different parts of your background/experience for different schools. I re-wrote my basic SOP about 12 times, and then had different ones for different schools. For you I would suggest explaining how your experience with your MA in Ed Psych led you to School Psych. It sounds as though with your experience you should do very well!

 

As for the GRE you can have "score selection" which allows you to choose which set of scores you send to schools. So study and re-take it if you want, and there's no pressure if you don't do better than the last time around.

[girbgirl]

For future school psych applicants, this web page is helpful for comparing schools. I'm not sure if it's posted elsewhere, so I'll just post it here.

[ed_psy]

Yes! Write and re-write your SOP. Change it for each school if you have to. There should be at least one paragraph that differs for each school saying why you are interested in their program specifically. You may also want to emphasize different parts of your background/experience for different schools. I re-wrote my basic SOP about 12 times, and then had different ones for different schools. For you I would suggest explaining how your experience with your MA in Ed Psych led you to School Psych. It sounds as though with your experience you should do very well!

 

As for the GRE you can have "score selection" which allows you to choose which set of scores you send to schools. So study and re-take it if you want, and there's no pressure if you don't do better than the last time around.

Thank you very much for your reply. Applications are around the corner.   Need to revise SOP 

[iphi]

Thank you very much for your reply. Applications are around the corner.   Need to revise SOP 

 

Don't stress too much - last year I didn't even decide I was going to apply to grad school until September 1! It was October before I'd chosen schools to apply to and written my SoP. Now I'm not advocating procrastinating, just saying you still have plenty of time!

[schoolpsy15]

Do personal statements/goal statements need to be double spaced? Most of the schools I am applying to indicate what they would like for me to write about and a page limit (3 pages). I have a great paper written, but it is 4 pages double spaced. When I single space it, it is 2! Thoughts?

 

Thanks!!