Need help! Undergraduate for a PhD in Psychology

[WeirdOne]

Hello everybody!

I am currently choosing an undergraduate program in Psychology. My ultimate goal is a PhD and academic career. And I am completely lost. How do I know which uni will help me to get into graduate school? I am actually hoping to join a decent graduate program. And by 'decent' I do not mean Stanford or any top-ten programs in the field, I mean something from top-50.

 

And here is the catch: I have enough money only for a cheap state school. How do I choose then? I understand that engaging in undergraduate research is crucial. But I cannot evaluate and compare schools. Please, help me!

 

What should I look for? What is important when choosing one's undergraduate program? My current options: University of Montana, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, some schools that only offer MA in Psychology and no PhD (it's a bad sign, right?), others have not sent their decisions yet. What do you think of these schools? Which is better? I am waiting for a decision from a uni whose graduate program is in top-20. But I am not sure whether I can get in and it is about 8k a year more expensive than the aforementioned unis. Do you think crippling debt it would be worth it if I am admitted? Are there any cheap good schools with a lot of research going on I might have overlooked?

 

I do not care for location, climate, sports, city size etc.

 

I am most interested in research/experimental/quantitative psychology, maybe behavioral neuroscience. I am not going to do counseling, school psychology etc.

 

Any comments appreciated, even if you tell me it is stupid to even imagine myself going to grad school with this background. Thank you.

 

P.S. I do not want to explain my background but I am not eligible for any financial aid from universities or my home country, and graduate SoPs will be tough.

P.P.S. Unfortunately, no interesting programs in my home country. I chose US unis because of more course offerings.

 

 

[FinallyAccepted]

The responses in this thread may be helpful for you to read:

[WeirdOne]

Thank you. But I am not worried about prestige or big names. I am worried about research opportunities. None of my choices are high research activity, unfortunately.

[FinallyAccepted]

Look on the websites for research opportunities or e-mail professors about research assistant positions. Research experience is what you'll need if you're planning on getting a PhD.

[VulpesZerda]

If I could find various research experiences for three years at a liberal arts/teaching college (read: little to no research), I think anyone like yourself looking at state schools will be fine. Once you get wherever you go, find an advisor in psychology and work in his/her lab. My advisor was crucial to my success! Basically, my anecdote is: even though my undergrad institution did not value research and doesn't regularly spit out PhD candidates, I still found a way. You seem driven enough that you will be fine no matter where you go! Enjoy college, by the way, please!!

[madmacmaddie2]

Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia is where I completed my undergrad in Neuroscience and Psychology (double major). I had the chance to work closely with faculty members and head up research projects beginning my junior year. I was able to travel to 3 different conferences, along with a publication in a high impact journal (with 2 others in prep)! The school readily offers scholarships to international students, and it is a surprisingly diverse learning community. The downside, however, is that it is a women's college. So if you are a woman, then i would plead you to apply! Feel free to PM me for more info

[WeirdOne]

You seem driven enough that you will be fine no matter where you go! Enjoy college, by the way, please!!

 

Thank you so much, it's very encouraging! Good luck with your graduate studies!

[EMGagne]

Specifically about getting an MA or going into a program with no funding. It's probably not worth it, especially if your goal is a career in academia or anything else where you will only make middle class income. This becomes more and more true the less prestigious your grad program is. If you look at the stats of faculty at top research universities 85%+ went to a top 5 or top 10 school.

The best thing you can do if you can't get into a funded PhD program is to get a job that will pay for you to get your MA (or at least take some grad classes at a high ranking university that could be applied later) or will make you a very competitive applicant in the future (think about being a lab manager for 1-2 years, or even a research assistant - anything where you can publish).

The moral of the story: even though you may not care about having a brand name on your CV everyone else will.