Fall 2015 School Psychology Applicants

[iphi]

 

Fordham Interview days were emailed to all applicants today! They started reviewing applications today. This is what my email said:

 

"Approximately 30 Ph.D. and 50 P.D. and Bilingual P.D. applicants will be invited for a half-day on-campus interview on February 24, 25, & March 3rd, 4th 2015. The purpose of the interview is for us to meet prospective students in person in order to determine - for us as well as for them - whether Fordham is the best place for the next phase of their professional training as school psychologists.

 

Because of the large number of applications we receive every year, regrettably we can only invite a small group of applicants for an on-campus interview. All applicants invited for the interview will be notified via during the first week of February 2015, by a program faculty representative, not the Admissions Office, and more detailed information about the interviews will be provided in the invitation email message as well. Regardless of whether you are invited for an on-campus interview, you will receive an official decision about your application in March, 2015."

 

 

That is a HUGE number, expect and prep for a group interview style.

[iphi]

I also have an interview for next week. I applied to Ed.S. programs and I was wanting some advice on what kind of questions I should ask my potential advisors? Should I ask specific questions about their research or more general questions about the program? 

 

Super nervous but super excited at the same time!!

 

Congrats! I wrote this last year, but here it is again:

 

Questions for current students:

• What do you like about living/studying/being here?
• What would you say is the biggest weakness of the program?
• What are the mentorship styles of the (or your) professor?
• (Similar) are professors supportive of their students?
• What are the classes like? Which was your favorite? Your least favorite?
• What is the funding situation like? (if PhD)
• Is the department stable?
• Are there opportunities for one to get assistantships or other funding? (EdS)
• Can you live relatively comfortably on your stipend?
• What is the cost of living like here?
• Do I need a car?
• Where is a good place to live/where do other students live/where are the bad neighborhoods?
• How long does it realistically take for people to complete this program? (more PhD)
• Anything you want to know about internships.

 

Questions for professors (mostly PhD related, sorry! Maybe some overlap...)

• Can you describe your current or future research/grant proposals to me? You should have looked this up already, but by the time professors publish their work several years have passed and those interests/studies are outdated.
• How long do students typically take to finish the program (you can usually see the statistics online)? If I am motivated can I take only x (time they say can be completed in) years. (E.g. "I know that the average for this program is 6, but you outline a 5-year plan. If I am motivated, is it realistic for me to think that I can graduate in 5 years?)
• What is your mentorship style (so important!!!)
• Does your program generally train students to enter academia or field positions or both? (PhD question)
• What kind of internships have your students recently completed?
• What are your former students doing now?
• Is it realistic for me to hope to get a paid internship placement? Which locations are common?
• What is your rate of students who have paid internship placements (again, this can usually be found online).
• What do you expect from students in each year of their degree?
• What is your focus when it comes to academic courses/classroom learning?
• What professional affiliations do you expect your students to have? APA, NASP, state-level organizations, etc.
• Do students have the opportunity to publish and/or present their work at academic conferences?

[iphi]

If people are looking for school-psych related interview questions, check out pages 7 & 8 (maybe 9 as well, I didn't go that far).

 

Here are some general resources about interviewing:

• The campus visit
• Powerpoint about interviewing for psych programs (general).
• Commonly asked grad school interview questions
• Grad school interview process

And one FAQ that I see all the time... .YES Skype/phone interviews are totally acceptable to do instead, and I had a 100% acceptance rate with them last year, so don't be afraid to save some money and go that route instead, especially for schools that are lower on your list or you can not visit.

[SchoolPsych_NYC]

Dang that's a ton of people interviewing for the program! Unless that's typical?

well, judging by the enrollment data from nasp  and the fact that there are two specialist level programs offered by Fordham (bilingual too), this number seems about right. 

That is a HUGE number, expect and prep for a group interview style.

I have a friend who is in her second year at Fordham and she already gave me the heads up about a group interview. There is also a writing prompt.. 

[SchoolPsych_NYC]

 

Congrats! I wrote this last year, but here it is again:

 

Questions for current students:

• What do you like about living/studying/being here?
• What would you say is the biggest weakness of the program?
• What are the mentorship styles of the (or your) professor?
• (Similar) are professors supportive of their students?
• What are the classes like? Which was your favorite? Your least favorite?
• What is the funding situation like? (if PhD)
• Is the department stable?
• Are there opportunities for one to get assistantships or other funding? (EdS)
• Can you live relatively comfortably on your stipend?
• What is the cost of living like here?
• Do I need a car?
• Where is a good place to live/where do other students live/where are the bad neighborhoods?
• How long does it realistically take for people to complete this program? (more PhD)
• Anything you want to know about internships.

 

Questions for professors (mostly PhD related, sorry! Maybe some overlap...)

• Can you describe your current or future research/grant proposals to me? You should have looked this up already, but by the time professors publish their work several years have passed and those interests/studies are outdated.
• How long do students typically take to finish the program (you can usually see the statistics online)? If I am motivated can I take only x (time they say can be completed in) years. (E.g. "I know that the average for this program is 6, but you outline a 5-year plan. If I am motivated, is it realistic for me to think that I can graduate in 5 years?)
• What is your mentorship style (so important!!!)
• Does your program generally train students to enter academia or field positions or both? (PhD question)
• What kind of internships have your students recently completed?
• What are your former students doing now?
• Is it realistic for me to hope to get a paid internship placement? Which locations are common?
• What is your rate of students who have paid internship placements (again, this can usually be found online).
• What do you expect from students in each year of their degree?
• What is your focus when it comes to academic courses/classroom learning?
• What professional affiliations do you expect your students to have? APA, NASP, state-level organizations, etc.
• Do students have the opportunity to publish and/or present their work at academic conferences?

 

 

Thank you, iphi! you have been so helpful in this thread

[new here]

Hi everyone,

 

This is a silly question, but...

 

I have a program that I'd really, really like to be admitted to, but I never contacted my POI (I know this is bad). Unfortunately, the application deadline is only six days from today. I'm assuming contacting my POI now would be really pointless, right? Even if I did, all I'd be able to say is that I'm applying to her program.

 

Thanks!

[LovelyFlower09]

Hi All!

I currently live in Boston and am applying to the following ED.S/ masters programs in school psych:

Northeastern

UMASS Boston

Lehigh

Temple

And another at my alma mater in the DMV area...has anyone heard back about interviews or acceptances from the above schools?

[iphi]

Hi All!

I currently live in Boston and am applying to the following ED.S/ masters programs in school psych:

Northeastern

UMASS Boston

Lehigh

Temple

 

Welcome! I interviewed and was accepted at UMass Boston last year. I can see if I can dig up old interview questions if you want.

 

As for hearing back, did you try typing in school psychology + northeastern (or UMass or wherever) to the Results Search? A cursory search tells me EdS people haven't heard anything yet from those schools

[iPsych]

well, judging by the enrollment data from nasp  and the fact that there are two specialist level programs offered by Fordham (bilingual too), this number seems about right. 

I have a friend who is in her second year at Fordham and she already gave me the heads up about a group interview. There is also a writing prompt.. 

 

Yes, this is pretty typical for that program! I was interviewed (and accepted) for their PhD last year; there was no individual interview at all.  

 

I did not have to do a writing prompt but maybe that's something they include on a year-by-year basis

[SchoolPsych_NYC]

Yes, this is pretty typical for that program! I was interviewed (and accepted) for their PhD last year; there was no individual interview at all.  

 

I did not have to do a writing prompt but maybe that's something they include on a year-by-year basis

 

Maybe the writing prompt is only for the specialist program? I heard its nothing major anyway.. 

[new here]

Hi everyone,

 

For those of you who have been interviewing - would you recommend accepting the option to stay with current graduate students?

 

Thanks!

[athlete2academic]

I am currently sitting in the Atlanta airport waiting on a connecting flight. Once I reach my destination, a graduate student has agreed to pick me up and let me stay at their apartment for the two nights I'll be in town. This is my first interview, but all but one of the other five I have agreed to attend will I be staying in a hotel.

I was advised by grad students I had previously worked with to always accept the offer to stay with students while interviewing. All of them have been incredibly helpful and accommodating while arranging plans via email, so I can only assume that will stay the same while they are actually hosting me. It's also a great way to get an insight into their lifestyle while being able to ask them questions at virtually any point during your stay.

Good luck!

[iphi]

Hi everyone,

 

For those of you who have been interviewing - would you recommend accepting the option to stay with current graduate students?

 

Thanks!

 

Yes, accept it. You'll learn a lot and if we (current grad students) like you we will advocate for you. We have more of a voice than you might think!

[jmg023]

Hi everyone,

 

For those of you who have been interviewing - would you recommend accepting the option to stay with current graduate students?

 

Thanks!

 

A couple people are saying do it, which I would if you're comfortable with that. At the same time, I was accepted to my top pick school and I did not stay with a grad student as I was going to be working during my stay. 

 

I don't think it's a deal breaker, but I also think it will definitely ease your nerves to stay with someone who has already been through the interview process . I should also note that I got to meet all the grad students before the interview because they hosted a dinner for all the prospective students, so I got to meet and chat with all of them even though I didn't stay with one. 

Edited January 16, 2015 by jmg023

[schoolpsy15]

Hey all,

Yesterday I was offered an interview for a PhD program in Florida on 1/30. I accepted and booked my flight (I live in Chicago). Today I was offered an interview for an EdS program in Ohio on 1/30. In the voicemail they said I could do a Skype interview, which I will do. Has anyone else experienced this? What's the best way to tell them I will do a Skype interview. Also, I have never used Skype (crazy right?!) so are there any tips on using Skype and the interview process on Skype?

Thank you!!!

[Guest lacrosse789]

Hey all,

Yesterday I was offered an interview for a PhD program in Florida on 1/30. I accepted and booked my flight (I live in Chicago). Today I was offered an interview for an EdS program in Ohio on 1/30. In the voicemail they said I could do a Skype interview, which I will do. Has anyone else experienced this? What's the best way to tell them I will do a Skype interview. Also, I have never used Skype (crazy right?!) so are there any tips on using Skype and the interview process on Skype?

Thank you!!!

 

I had this happen -- I just told them I couldn't make it that day and would appreciate it if I could skype with them instead. 

My Skype interview was a lot faster than I anticipated. I made sure to Skype with a friend to check the connection before to make sure my background was ok and not distracting. It was pretty much like a regular interview except you get passed around to different people

Edited January 16, 2015 by NebbyK

[PschoolPsychology]

Amid all of the waiting for information from programs, Tennessee got back to me remarkably quick. I finished up my application to their program yesterday and I got an email today informing me that I am invited to interview at the University on my choice of February 6th or February 27th.

 

I'm also going to my first two interviews next week at South Carolina and Georgia, something which is both exciting and terrifying. I'm trying to calm myself down by saying that at the least it means I'm getting out of Albany for a week! Best of luck to everybody

[operant]

Anyone here apply to UC Berkeley's program?

[iphi]

Anyone here apply to UC Berkeley's program?

 

No (didn't apply last year despite living 1 mile away) because it is a 7 year-long program and they have no funding. My current POI is friends with one of the profs there and told me that it was a really good move to stay away from them.

 

I am saying this so you know, not to discourage you! I think transparency is everything when you're choosing a program you'll have to commit 110% and 5+ years of your life to! I am assuming you were that person on the Results who was super pumped about getting an interview - congrats. If you do end up there, the Psych department (as opposed to School of Ed that School Psych is in) almost always needs readers for exams and they get $12 or $13 an hour.

Edited January 18, 2015 by iphi

[operant]

No (didn't apply last year despite living 1 mile away) because it is a 7 year-long program and they have no funding. My current POI is friends with one of the profs there and told me that it was a really good move to stay away from them.

 

I am saying this so you know, not to discourage you! I think transparency is everything when you're choosing a program you'll have to commit 110% and 5+ years of your life to! I am assuming you were that person on the Results who was super pumped about getting an interview - congrats. If you do end up there, the Psych department (as opposed to School of Ed that School Psych is in) almost always needs readers for exams and they get $12 or $13 an hour.

 

Thanks for the reply. No, that wasn't me who posted on the results page. 

 

It looks like the average time to complete the program is 5-6 years. However, the lack of funding is concerning. 

 

Did your POI give any other reason to stay away from the program? 

[jmg023]

I recently got done with two interviews for EdS programs and was accepted to both! The interviews were much easier than I thought and since most of what I see are questions for PhD programs, I thought I'd post the questions I was asked as an EdS applicant (this is just from memory, but both interviews had pretty similar questions and these were the big themes/questions you should prep for!).

 

Questions I was asked: 

 

1. Why School Psychology?

2. Why the program at this university?

3. What do you like about this program compared to others?

4. Why an EdS instead of a PhD?

5. What are you research interests/who would you be interested in working with?

6. What was your biggest mistake? (holy shit, this question tripped me up, I don't even remember what I said!)

 

I also asked a ton of questions to my potential advisers and current grad students. Questions like how would you describe your mentorship style, favorite thing about the program/city, how easy/difficult it would be to switch to a PhD if I became interested in that route.

[iphi]

I recently got done with two interviews for EdS programs and was accepted to both!

 

Congrats!

[jmg023]

Congrats!

Thanks! Your advice/links really helped me prepare

[iphi]

I'm so glad!

[Guest lacrosse789]

I'm heading into a couple of PhD program interviews and I'm wondering -- can I recycle questions with different faculty? As in, how would you describe the culture of the program, etc. ?