SportPsych30

Hi everyone! I too am a future Nittany-Lion. Similar to @zephiwho, my GF will be coming with next spring, and she is also in favor of getting a dog. My department funded a visit for me last semester, so I am at least somewhat familiar with the school and surrounding area. We're also headed to State College next week for a little spring break get away, if anyone wants me to check anything out for them while I'm there.

I was pleasantly surprised as well! I just got back from an interview/visit there. I thought that the housing seemed a little steep IMO, but the town seemed great. Awesome CATA transit system, beautiful campus, nice downtown area. I can absolutely see myself in State College for the next 4 years :)

I recommend you look into the I/O program at Bowling Green in Ohio. They are consistently ranked in top 5. My friends in that program are all going to go practitioner, which seems to be a large focus of the program. It is, however, PhD only, but they do practitioner internships during summer to get that experience and receive a ton of funding.

Hi there, Texas: Sport psychology is a great field, and the questions that you ask are very hot topics right now. In fact, I was fortunate to hear a keynote speaker address these very questions, at a conference this winter. I think I may be able to help, and would be happy to discuss through private message. You are on the right track with wondering which route is the best for your intended career. As you know, PhD programs are largely focused on research and are set up for those who wish to remain in academia and continue researching. For what you want to do (applied work with collegiate athletes), the terminal master's degree is probably going to be all you need. When looking at schools/ advisors, it is an important question to ask whether or not you will be able to become AASP certified by the time you are on the job market. Getting back into the types of programs (i.e. counseling, kinesilogy), this can be rather confusing. The advice that was given by Dr. Jeff Martin at the AASP regional conference was that this field isn't quite developed enough for applied sport psychologists to make a living off of working only with athlete clients. He went on to say that the best route is to start as a mental health counselor where you can have a large clientel base, while slowly building up your resume and athlete clientel. To do so, you will need the degree in counseling, not sport psych. Many students, including one of my current colleaques, do a dual masters program where they earn a degree in kinesiology (sport psych) as well as a degree in counseling. This takes much effort but really sets you up nicely to A- make a living, and B- have the knowledge to work with the athletes. I am a big fan of the program at MSU, and have had great conversations with some of the faculty there. My advisor's advisor (academic grandfather?), Dr. Dan Gould, is actually my hero, so I may be a bit biased. Sport psychology is best understood as a scientist/practitioner teeter-totter, where some programs teeter more to one side or the other. From what I can tell, the program at MSU seems to be heavy on the scientist side, and less weighted towards practitioners. All this means is that it may not be the best fit for you. I can tell you first hand that there are programs out there that are very focused on developing practitioners to go out and work in the applied setting. Don't leave any rock unturned, make sure you explore far and wide to find the best fit for what you want to do. Try to get a copy of the Sport psychology program directory book by Dr. Sachs. It's excellent. Looking forward to hearing from you! SP30

HI there, I currently go to to BGSU. Welcome!

Also going to be reading a Fields' Discovering Stats book, but mostly to prepare me for using SAS. Always been an SPSS guy, now my new program uses SAS. Sweeeet.

Thanks for all the help! Everything was settled this morning. Turns out that I am only being supported for 8 hours this first semester, which is why I didn't think it would be covered. This is because all first years in my program are only expected to take 8. She is absolutely fine with me taking it, and was willing to even have them add funding if needed. I am just pushing back my research methods course one semester and taking this Sport Psych elective right out of the gate. cheers!

All great info, thanks for the help! I did send her an email basically apologizing for my misunderstanding and trying to ameliorate the situation. I think she will be understanding and give me an honest evaluation of what to do. The situation is that I am in a Psychology PhD program, and wanted to take 3 Sport Psychology classes that are housed in the Kinesiology department, because of my research interests. These are not what I would call "fun" classes, but more of a supplementation of my education. The Sport Psych classes are only offered on a 2 year cycle, and because I am attempting to become AASP (Assoc. for Applied Sport Psych) certified by the time I am done, starting this early seemed like a good idea. Now I am hoping I didn't upset her.

bsharpe, Thanks for the heads up! I never would have thought it would be frowned upon.. I think the damage may unfortunately already be done, as my advisor and PI is aware that I am enrolling in this "extra class"

So I am hoping to supplement my education with some classes outside of department. I am going to be a first year PhD student, for what its worth and have a fully funded package. I am wondering if I will have pay for these classes out of pocket, or will they also be covered in my funding? Any insight?

As I sit around my house on this incredibly unproductive Sunday, I couldn't agree more with the OP. Senioritis to the MAX. Already been accepted, only taking 9 credits (all i needed), and just two weeks left... Hopefully I can jump back into the swing of things, come August..

ninfinteyes, Hi there, yes I have been looking into housing, quite a bit actually. The cost of living is quite enjoyable, coming from the west coast! I have been getting recommendations from current doc students in my department, and am about to sign a lease at Sycamore Square - grad student only apartments. Its a one bedroom for $400 a month, but unfortunately no pets allowed There seems to be some good options out there, I just know that I am not the best at staying disciplined, so being around all grad students will help keep me on track.. Best, SP30

Attending BGSU, PhD program- Psychology! Also a North Westerner, from Oregon.

Bump, Anyone have any advice for housing options for grads?

I got rejected post-interview, so I sent a polite thank you, and asked for advice on how I could achieve some personal growth. I got good feedback, and really admire this POI. Was sad to have not been chosen, but he was real with me and explained the reasoning behind his decision. The reasoning ended up being something out of my immediate control (no masters, while every other candidate). It never hurts to thank them for their time, but as always, be courteous of their time and keep it short and sweet.