Freedom! and what to do with it before School Psychology grad school

[khowe54]

Hi!

   Recently, I changed my focus from Clinical Psychology to School Psychology for various well thought out reasons. Since I have done this, I missed the deadlines for application to school psychology masters programs starting in the Fall of 2015. I was originally going to take off two years off to pursue Clinical Psychology, but now I have a full 1.5 years left before I may be able to start a school psychology masters program. I'm a little lost. I know what to do to build a Clinical Psych resume. What do I do to get a strong school psych resume? I am a college graduate with a degree in Psychology. I have some experience working with kids. Probably not strong enough experience though. Thoughts?

[athlete2academic]

Depending on what you already have on your CV, I would start by finding a constructive job involving children (camp counselor, etc.). I wold also make an effort to shadow an actual school psychologist working within the education system. 1.5 years is a long time to build a CV and get some relevant experience, so I wouldn't feel lost if I were you. See it as an opportunity. 

 

Also, depending on the outcomes/objectives of the M.A. program you enter, research experience could benefit you. It will never hurt you, really. It just isn't weighed nearly as much as it would be if you were applying to Ph.D. programs.

 

All in all, my advice would be to get around children as much as possible. Try to build relationships and shape the experience into something meaningful for both parties. This will come in handy when you begin to write your SoP + other materials that ask for past experiences.

 

Best of luck!  

[khowe54]

Thank you! What do you think about teaching abroad?