Fall 2016 School Psychology

[SAL33]

Hi all!

I'm going to be applying for EdS school psych programs so I thought I would start a thread  Hopefully we can get a lot of answers and encouragement as we go through this process.

 

[iphi]

I'm glad someone started one! I'm a current student, and would be happy to answer any questions, whether here or via PM throughout the admissions process. Good luck, everyone!

[psychFish]

Hi all, i'm so happy to see this. I am also applying for Fall 2016 and already getting nervous!  hope we can all help each other out! 

[kingslayer]

I'm also going to be applying for Fall 2016!

 

Quick question: I am already in a lab for next semester, but there's an opportunity for me to join another one as well. The problem is is that in order for me to attend lab meetings, I would have to give up 3 hours at work (amounts to over $500 at the end of the semester). Am I ok with being in one lab, or should I give up the money and join another lab?

 

Also, which schools offer dual degrees for the EdS program? I.E. MS/EdS. MA/EdS, and/or MEd/EdS programs? if you're in one right now, how are your classes going and are you getting paid for your internship? Only applying to one Northeast school, I'm hoping to get into schools in Virginia, Wisconsin, and Indiana. I just really do want to graduate with two degrees rather than one.

Edited August 21, 2015 by highborn

[32spacemen]

Hi guys!  I'm thinking about applying to Ed.S programs in School Psychology for the Fall of 2016.  I just graduated this past May and recently started full time employment.  I'm not enjoying it too much   I originally planning on applying to programs in a few years but I'm thinking now could be the time.  I feel pretty good about my stats and experiences but I'm still nervous, of course, and I haven't take the GRE yet.  I'm looking at different schools---The University of Kansas, The University of Delaware, Ball State University, The University of Minnesota.  Can anyone weigh in on these programs, especially any financial support they received and how competitive EdS admissions are?   I'm a psych major with a 3.71 GPA, research experiences (two summer RUEs, research during the school year as well), and experiences with kids in school contexts at many different levels/ages.  Part of my research experience was administering IQ/neurocognitive tests, which I have really enjoyed.  Right now I'm working in the private education sector full time!  

[seasick]

Hi! I posted here a while ago but it's time for me to really get everything together and start applying. Can anyone give me any insight into programs for the following schools?

Fairfield University, Towson University, Georgian Court University, Rowan University, Columbia University, PCOM, St. John's University, Temple University, Fordham, College of William & Mary, Loyola (Marymount or Chicago), Tufts, Northeast, University of Washington

As you can tell, I'm all over the place and overwhelmed.  Honestly, I just want a school with a good reputation and hopefully some kind of grant/scholarship/assistantship. My GPA is pretty good (3.9) and my GRE was so-so (153 verbal, 142 quant, 3.5 writing).

Also, this might be a dumb question, but is there any benefit to getting a P.D. vs an Ed.S.?

[PschoolPsychology]

I went through the application process last year, so I'd be happy to provide some advice to people. Some of my impressions from going to interviews at major universities (Note: This is for Ph.D. programs, but outside of the stats provided in the first bullet point I think it applies to any degree):

- You should expect that everybody else in the room with you will have a 3.5+ GPA, ~320 combined GRE, and research experience. Try not to get too alarmed by this if it looks intimidating because this won't always be the case for every individual, but it's a competitive pool of people that are applying for these positions and you need to find some unique way to make yourself stick out among them.

- If you have time to study for the GRE, it's well worth it. It means a lot in terms of getting invited to interviews and it can mean a lot for the funding offered to you if you do get accepted. One summer of studying bumped my scores from a 156/156/4.0 to a 164/158/5.0, and that along with one year of work experience bumped me from being rejected to a masters program to being accepted to two doctoral programs. It can be very rewarding to give it your best shot on that test, especially if this isn't your first application cycle.

- Some of the more impressive things you can have for added value would be relevant work experience, presentations, and research publications. Departments will vary on how much they care about this, but at the very least it gives you a good thing to talk about during your interviews.

- Know the professor (possibly professors) that you'd be interested in working under at the university you apply to. Read their research so that you know their overall interests and recent projects, and try to make some form of contact with them before interviews happen. In my opinion this is the biggest thing that can set you apart from the pack because that's how you can show a program that you'd be a valuable member if accepted and that you can be independently motivated. 

 

Hi! I posted here a while ago but it's time for me to really get everything together and start applying. Can anyone give me any insight into programs for the following schools?

Fairfield University, Towson University, Georgian Court University, Rowan University, Columbia University, PCOM, St. John's University, Temple University, Fordham, College of William & Mary, Loyola (Marymount or Chicago), Tufts, Northeast, University of Washington

As you can tell, I'm all over the place and overwhelmed.  Honestly, I just want a school with a good reputation and hopefully some kind of grant/scholarship/assistantship. My GPA is pretty good (3.9) and my GRE was so-so (153 verbal, 142 quant, 3.5 writing).

Also, this might be a dumb question, but is there any benefit to getting a P.D. vs an Ed.S.?

You should bump your GREs! Your GPA is fantastic but it needs the GRE scores to back it up or else you're in danger of people not looking at your application very carefully. There's some good resources you can buy online (I used Kaplan books and flash cards) and taking practice exams can be very helpful to learning how they try to trick you.

The only one of those schools I can give insight to is Columbia, which I had a bad experience with. I was mainly annoyed that we didn't get a chance to talk with faculty members one on one (there was a discussion panel), and I know someone else in the thread for 2015 was frustrated by the response time it took to hear a decision from them. It is a prestigious program though, and I don't want to talk you out of being interested in it.

 

[kingslayer]

Hey guys,

Is US News a good source in terms of accurate GRE scores and acceptance rates?

I wanted to apply to at least two or three of the least competitive schools out there.

[sackofcrap]

Hi! I posted here a while ago but it's time for me to really get everything together and start applying. Can anyone give me any insight into programs for the following schools?

Fairfield University, Towson University, Georgian Court University, Rowan University, Columbia University, PCOM, St. John's University, Temple University, Fordham, College of William & Mary, Loyola (Marymount or Chicago), Tufts, Northeast, University of Washington

As you can tell, I'm all over the place and overwhelmed.  Honestly, I just want a school with a good reputation and hopefully some kind of grant/scholarship/assistantship. My GPA is pretty good (3.9) and my GRE was so-so (153 verbal, 142 quant, 3.5 writing).

Also, this might be a dumb question, but is there any benefit to getting a P.D. vs an Ed.S.?

I applied to St John's. They are a good program. The admissions people that I was in contact with were all very nice to me. If you live far away, they are willing to do a phone interview so you won't have to fly all the way out there.

Your GPA is better than my GPA was, so that is in your favor. My GRE scores were higher than yours. If you're thinking about PhD, you may want to retake the GRE. It is incredibly competitive. As for the EdS, I think you will be fine. They may want to see a writing score that is a bit higher, because there will be a lot of report writing in the field of school psychology, so that would be the only concern. 

The only benefit to getting a doctorate in school psychology is that you will have a doctorate. That is pretty much it. If you actually want to be a school psychologist, then there is no benefit. If you really want to be a researcher and teach at the university, then get the doctorate.

[sackofcrap]

Hey guys,

Is US News a good source in terms of accurate GRE scores and acceptance rates?

I wanted to apply to at least two or three of the least competitive schools out there.

It depends on if you are applying for EdS or PhD. Last I checked, USNews doesn't have a specific category for School Psych sub doctoral programs.

[PschoolPsychology]

It depends on if you are applying for EdS or PhD. Last I checked, USNews doesn't have a specific category for School Psych sub doctoral programs.

to add on to this, my experience was that you can check the average scores accepted for most programs on their website. There's also a book published by the APA called Graduate School in Psychology which does list out the numbers of total applicants, number of applicants accepted, average and minimum GRE scores, due dates, and accreditation status among other things for all programs in the U.S. and Canada.

[kingslayer]

to add on to this, my experience was that you can check the average scores accepted for most programs on their website. There's also a book published by the APA called Graduate School in Psychology which does list out the numbers of total applicants, number of applicants accepted, average and minimum GRE scores, due dates, and accreditation status among other things for all programs in the U.S. and Canada.

It depends on if you are applying for EdS or PhD. Last I checked, USNews doesn't have a specific category for School Psych sub doctoral programs.

Thank you both!

[iphi]

This thread is so quiet! Where is everyone?

[seasick]

 

You should bump your GREs! Your GPA is fantastic but it needs the GRE scores to back it up or else you're in danger of people not looking at your application very carefully. There's some good resources you can buy online (I used Kaplan books and flash cards) and taking practice exams can be very helpful to learning how they try to trick you.

The only one of those schools I can give insight to is Columbia, which I had a bad experience with. I was mainly annoyed that we didn't get a chance to talk with faculty members one on one (there was a discussion panel), and I know someone else in the thread for 2015 was frustrated by the response time it took to hear a decision from them. It is a prestigious program though, and I don't want to talk you out of being interested in it.

Thank you! I kind of rushed when signing up to take it. I did buy one of the books, so I'll see if it helps.  

I applied to St John's. They are a good program. The admissions people that I was in contact with were all very nice to me. If you live far away, they are willing to do a phone interview so you won't have to fly all the way out there.

Your GPA is better than my GPA was, so that is in your favor. My GRE scores were higher than yours. If you're thinking about PhD, you may want to retake the GRE. It is incredibly competitive. As for the EdS, I think you will be fine. They may want to see a writing score that is a bit higher, because there will be a lot of report writing in the field of school psychology, so that would be the only concern. 

The only benefit to getting a doctorate in school psychology is that you will have a doctorate. That is pretty much it. If you actually want to be a school psychologist, then there is no benefit. If you really want to be a researcher and teach at the university, then get the doctorate.

Thanks! After thinking about it, I think EdS is probably the best choice for me. I think I will retake the GRE just to see if I can do better.

[athlete2academic]

Hi all. Glad someone started this thread for 2016. I gained a lot of insight and encouragement from the 2015 thread (las application cycle). I was successful in getting into a number of schools and am now attending my top choice as a first year Ph.D. student. That said, I am happy to help anyone who is applying this year. I can also offer my perspective as a first year student. My program does not have a terminal M.A. or Ed.S. program, but I can still give pretty specific feedback about the application process. Feel free to ask me anything in this thread and/or send me a message privately if you have questions about specific schools. I applied to 9 top-tier programs all over the country and was lucky (?) enough to get interviews at 8 of them. 

The only benefit to getting a doctorate in school psychology is that you will have a doctorate. That is pretty much it. If you actually want to be a school psychologist, then there is no benefit. If you really want to be a researcher and teach at the university, then get the doctorate.

Also, just wanted to comment on the above post. This is my personal opinion, but I really (REALLY) disagree with this. While it is absolutely true that you can become a school psychologist (or work in another applied setting) with only a M.A. or Ed.S. degree in School Psychology, there is so much more value in getting a Ph.D. than just having "Dr." in front of your name. The poster was right in that if want to get a degree and get to work ASAP, sure, get the M.A./Ed.S; but there is a reason why some of the best School Psychology programs in the country do not have terminal M.A. programs. They send a large number of students into academia, but just as many into applied settings. From my own practicum experience (DISCLAIMER), I have shadowed a number of school psychologists, some with a Ph.D., some without. The practitioners who took 5/6 years to study School Psychology (Ph.D.) as opposed to 2/3 (M.A./Ed.S.) have a much better understanding of case conceptualization, diagnosing children, and the implications of that diagnosis, among other issues. Again, I would never say that those school psychologists with only their M.A./Ed.S. degree are not well equipped to do their job. They certainly are. But would you not expect that those students who stayed in graduate school for twice as long (twice as many classes, twice as many clinical hours, twice as much practicum experience, etc.) to have a better understanding of many of the central issues surrounding the mental health needs of kids?

Again, this is just my two cents. Definitely not saying that those people with their M.A./Ed.S. are not prepared for the issues they face. In fact, most of school psychology is made up of those practitioners; they are the lifeblood of addressing kids' mental health needs in school. My intent is not to dissuading you from getting these degrees. But if you still don't know much about the difference (empirically) of getting a M.A./Ed.S. vs. Ph.D., take a closer look at it and consider your options. There are several current graduate students on this forum that are more than happy to answer questions about this issue. If any current students have any response to this, too, I would welcome that. Hope this helps. 

[SAL33]

Hello,

Does anyone have experience with Seattle University? I am applying for the EdS program. 

[seasick]

Hello everyone! I’ve been doing a bit of thinking and came back for some advice.

Do you know of any programs that accept unofficial transcripts for the application process? The only one I’ve found is UDel. I owe one of my schools a bit of money before I can get an official transcript, and I’d rather be safe than sorry with getting applications in on time. I will more than likely have it paid off by early-mid November, but I'm still kind of nervous about it.

Also, are there any schools that have both a specialist level and doctorate level program that will let you transfer into the doctorate? Right now, I feel like I want to work in a school, but that might change in the future -- I don't want to limit myself. I also enjoy research, and having a better chance of funding doesn't hurt either. Would it be a waste of time and money to apply to some now? I don't have much experience, as I'm a non-traditional student that's shifted around a lot.

[seasick]

Sorry to double post, but I've been reading the older threads and see mentions of contacting POIs -- is this a necessity for specialist level program applicants?

[lbranson]

Hello Everyone, 

I am currently a senior applying to EDS School Psych programs for Fall 2016!

So far I've decided to apply to University of Montana, Seattle U, Lewis & Clark, Chapman, SDSU, and possibly Lehigh. Does anyone here have any information or experience with these programs? 

I'm also a tad nervous about my GPA (3.5), and I'm taking the GRE next week..... How heavily waited is the GRE? Are low/mid 150's scores for each section good enough??

[sbid07]

Sorry to double post, but I've been reading the older threads and see mentions of contacting POIs -- is this a necessity for specialist level program applicants?

I was actually wondering this as well! I am also applying for specialist programs, but was not sure if it was beneficial to contact POI's...any advice on this?

Thanks!

[lbranson]

sbid07 I don't believe it's necessary to contact POI for specialist programs, I think just emailing the graduate admissions office for the program with questions/showing interest or actually visiting the program will benefit the most. 

[athlete2academic]

On 10/19/2015 at 2:21 PM, lbranson said:

Hello Everyone, 

I am currently a senior applying to EDS School Psych programs for Fall 2016!

So far I've decided to apply to University of Montana, Seattle U, Lewis & Clark, Chapman, SDSU, and possibly Lehigh. Does anyone here have any information or experience with these programs? 

I'm also a tad nervous about my GPA (3.5), and I'm taking the GRE next week..... How heavily waited is the GRE? Are low/mid 150's scores for each section good enough??

I don't have any input on those schools, unfortunately. 

In terms of GPA and GRE scores, the application process is holistic. As long as you do not have something that makes you negatively stick out (very low GPA, terrible GRE, unfavorable letters of rec., etc.), you're going to get at least a look. The key is to have something that makes you positively stick out, obviously. That can come from scores, sure, but letters are rec. are a heavy component as are writing materials. I have heard of students getting an interview based solely on their personal statement; if you sound interesting, determined, and genuinely make the faculty want to meet you, you are going to get an invite. My GRE score was not a strong point (308) of my application, but I got interviews at 8/9 places I applied to and I KNOW it was because i put an enormous amount of work into my personal statements (not generic, specially tailored to the school and POI, explicitly stating why I wanted to attend that school). Shoot me a DM if you're interested in specifics. Happy to help. 

On 10/20/2015 at 8:33 PM, sbid07 said:

I was actually wondering this as well! I am also applying for specialist programs, but was not sure if it was beneficial to contact POI's...any advice on this?

Thanks!

I wouldn't classify it as mandatory, but I really can't hurt you, you know? If you're interested in their work or something specific about the program (i.e. specific enough to where the graduate coordinator may not be able to answer), reach out to them. Don't be pesky, but if you have a genuine interest in the program and its components (practicum placements, training model, etc.), make that shine through in your email. So, again, not mandatory, but it might just give you a leg up when faculty are sifting through those 100's of applications...

[Mystic_Fog]

I'm so glad to finally see this page started up! I'll be applying to a few programs and am a little nervous. My overall GPA is less than the average at most schools (though my last 2 years and major GPA are pretty good) and my quant GRE tanked but I have some experiences I'm hoping make up for it. It's crazy competitive out there! 

[seasick]

Another question -- what's best to submit, a resume or CV? Is anyone willing to take a look at my resume? I'm worried because I don't have any relevant work experience or research experience.

[grad29]

I've done it. I've finished applying for 7 School Psychology Programs. I'm going for the Masters/Specialist Degree route. I'm applying for programs in the Midwest.

A little bit about myself: I'm 27. I've been out of school for the last 4 years and my undergraduate GPA wasn't all that great. I was actually on academic probation my freshmen and sophomore years. I was a commercial aviation student and once that didn't work out I switched my major into psychology and transferred schools the beginning of my junior year.

At that point I had a pretty horrid GPA and didn't have any idea what I was going for, so didn't really care too much about school. Then, I realized midway through my Junior year that many psychology careers required more than just a bachelors, so I started focusing on school more and ended up graduating with "honors" (which was only a 3.25 for my school and they didn't carry over my cumulative when I transferred, so "honors").

I was at a 1.78 or something semester GPA Junior Fall and had only around a 2.6 Freshmen/Sophomore cumulative. Then I graduated 3.26 cumulative the last 2 years. Had like 4 straight semesters of only A's, 3.73 Psychology GPA last 2 years, like a 3.75 cumulative last 4 semesters or something).

Since I've graduated, I finished a term in the military and I've been working about 60-70 hour weeks in group homes with the special needs population (was a house manager, worked in a halfway house, and as a direct care staff). I'm a veteran of the USAF, having deployed to Afghanistan/Kuwait and a few other places.

I took the general GRE (157V, 155Q, 5AW - definitely upper end of the programs I'm applying to) and I took an optional subject GRE (I get those results back this Monday, I think I scored around the 70th percentile, but it could be a lot higher) to help make up for my undergraduate GPA. Also, a lot of the programs I applied for were in the next state over so they may have not have been familiar with my undergraduate program, so figured it wouldn't hurt refreshing myself and adding a little value to my resume. I also had to write a sample paper for one of the programs - which ended up being a 15 page literature review. That took a ton of time. I've put way more work in than most school psychology applicants and will be really, really upset if I don't get in someplace. I just hope the admissions committee will see through my rough semesters throughout college and say "here's a guy that has turned it around" and accept me.

I've pretty much just been working on applications - all while working 60-70 hour weeks and getting in the best shape of my life (lost 30 lbs in the last 4 months or so) - since I got rejected from a late application to a program last March (applied without any GRE scores though, they only looked at my undergrad GPA and life experiences/references). I didn't decide I wanted to go to graduate school until early March of last year, which was around the application deadline for many programs. I emailed a program close to my area and asked if I could apply late, which they said I could, but I didn't get in. That was also probably one of the easiest programs I'm applying to to get into. I was surprised I didn't get accepted. Being a veteran and working 70 hour weeks in group homes for 3 years I guess wasn't as good as some freshly graduated person. So I'm a little stressed and angry that they didn't see through that. But, I've learned a ton in the last year and so it could end up working out for the better.

I've done quite a bit of looking into financing school. Apparently after 5 years of employment certain states reimburse you for the Federal Perkin's Loan. Some programs don't offer these types of loans, some do. So make sure when you are applying that you look into that. Every school is also different with how much of these loans you can qualify for - I know the max is $8,000/year. So basically you could be reimbursed for $16,000 of loans (since the programs are usually 2 years with the last year being a paid internship). If you're going for PHD you'll be funded anyways and a lot of programs offer assistantships. But if you're going for just the specialist/masters route like I am you'll be paying around $30,000. Add that to whatever student loans you already have, and $18,000 off that is a huge help.

Secondly, make sure you are also applying for a program that gives you a Masters degree halfway to earning the Ed.S. After looking through school psychology vacancies across the Midwest I've noticed about half of these districts require Masters and half require Bachelors. There are some programs that just offer the Ed.S. without giving their students a Masters of Science in Education. It'll also help you be paid a little more since you'll be in a higher salary schedule. I didn't realize that until only a few months back.

Anyways - good luck everyone, wish you the best and wish me luck!

 

Edited November 18, 2015 by westy3789