Unfortunate News

I’ve been M.I.A. because I’ve recently gotten some unfortunate news about my program. A little over a week ago, the whole program was urged to attend a last-minute meeting, for which they even cut classes short. We were told that our university would be suspending funding, and therefore admissions, to our program, as the budget did not allow for it. Our program is particularly expensive to maintain because we need to maintain accreditation by the important organizations in our field. This news was extremely discouraging (I was looking forward to ushering in new first-years), but it didn’t stop there. We are due for a site visit by our accrediting body in 2013. Without funding or any special agreement, we will almost certainly lose accreditation following that visit. Seeing as how I won’t be graduating with my doctorate until around 2017, this presents a major dilemma.

The students’ initial reactions were that without accreditation, the degree would be useless. We have since learned that this is not the case, though it does limit our options a little. In this state, an unaccredited degree will present no problem in getting hired at a school (schools frankly do not care about psychological accreditation), nor in sitting for the state licensing exam in psychology. This is good news to many of us, as most students in school psychology prefer to work in such applied settings. The beauty of the Ph.D., however, was that it also allowed us to teach in academia and conduct research, both of which apparently value an accredited degree. So although the most important options are still on the table, this news has knocked a few off that list.

Don’t get me wrong, this is still awful news, but no part of me (nor many other students, I believe) has the energy or desire to transfer programs. This happened as a result of a budget crisis, and does not speak to the quality of the program that we’re in. I’m still proud of the program that I’m in, and barring even more traumatic news, I’d really like to stick it out here. As far as I’m concerned, I can still do what I want to do with this degree.


The lead faculty are also doing what they can to arrange a “phase-out” of accreditation, which may provide a few additional years of accredited graduates (not likely me, as I still have a long way to go). The decision is tough, but ultimately I have no where else to go right now. If I do change my mind, I wouldn’t be able to apply anywhere until the fall. So at this point, only time will tell where I’m headed.

Piled Higher and Deeper.

This has been my life for the past four months. Six to eight hours a day, three days a week. My days off are usually spent completing work/reading, though occasionally I find time to keep up on my shows. I do, however, take off one complete day per week. It’s always nice to have that day and not have to think about school, though it’s often impossible not to when there is always something to be done.

Ricka-ricka-rewinddd. Back in March I posted about the three universities I had to choose between. I selected University C, which put me square into a 6-year doctoral program for a Ph.D in Educational Psychology. I chose a Ph.D because of some clear advantages over a Psy.D (Doctor of Psychology), which include a wider scope of skills, research experience, and ultimately job options. It was the right choice! Though I’m not conducting any research yet, I’ve found myself surprisingly intrigued by the research side of academia. I came into this program with clinical intentions (hence my initial interest in a Psy.D), and though I haven’t yet made the switch, I am certainly interested in research. I won’t begin my own research for another year or two, when I started thinking about my dissertation, but that is all too far away at this point. I am, however, trying to get a jump-start on potential dissertation topics, which I’ll raise in my next post. Lastly, the program is located right in the heart of the greatest city in the world, and there is a vibe to the city that I love. Overall, I was sold. I can’t deny that I received an amazing financial package three hours away from home, but this one was comparable (when factoring in living expenses) and I truly believe there are greater things in store for me here.

Fast forward. I’m approaching my first finals and everything seems to be going well so far. I’ve been working under a professor (mostly busy work, but some interesting research-related tasks) and I was also elected as a representative to a departmental committee, which has been a great opportunity to interact with faculty. Everyone in my cohort has been fantastic. The entire department has an overall cooperative rather than competitive nature to it, and that is exactly what a first-year doctoral student needs in terms of support. Despite the workload, I’m actually looking forward to continuing school with these people. I sense good things on the horizon…

 

So, here’s what my postgrad agenda looks like for the next month:

• Complete my finals.
• Return as a substitute to my job during my month off.
• Find a way to make a steady income (however small) for next semester.
• RELAX whenever possible. Watch more movies off this bad boy. See friends. Stay healthy.

 

So, what did I miss out in the blogosphere during my hiatus?

Graduate School: Blessing or Curse?

I finally finished all of my graduate school interviews two weeks ago, and I’ve since received responses from all of my programs. I am extremely fortunate to have been accepted to eight doctoral programs (I’m not sure how I managed it). Oddly, the more acceptances I received, the more anxiety I’ve had about making a decision. I’ve  caught myself wishing I’d been accepted into just one program (which I realize is an absurd and ungrateful wish). It has been an extremely drawn out and stressful process to get into these programs, and yet its completion lacks any sense of relief.

Ultimately I’ve narrowed my choices to three programs, each with their own benefits and drawbacks. Here they are:

University A
Degree: 5-year Psy.D in School Psychology
Where: 3 hours away
Funding: Full tuition remission + $7000 stipend.


University B
Degree: 5-year Psy.D in School Psychology
Where: Home
Funding: Potential for full tuition remission (highly likely but not guaranteed); may not find out before I have to make decision.

University C
Degree: 5-6 year Ph.D in Educational Psychology
Where: Home
Funding: First year free, work-study and adjunct opportunities in later years.

It seems like an obvious choice if I’m just considering finances: University A. However, the stipend would cover living expenses and not much else. At home I have no living expenses, and I really believe I’d be happier at home. University A was my undergraduate school, and I feel strongly that four years there was enough; it’s not a place I want to settle down or begin to live my adult life. Still, it has the only guaranteed funding.

For University B, fellowships with full tuition remission will be awarded within the next two weeks. After that, I’d have to accept the offer in order to find an assistantship (which I’ve been told are abundant at this school) to cover most or all of my tuition. Though it’s likely I’d find an assistantship, it’s a $30,000 gamble, but it’s the school I’d like to be at most.

For University C, a public university, I would have the first year covered and no guaranteed funding after that, but a bunch of work opportunities. The tuition is also dirt cheap because it’s a public school (5 years of tuition at University C equals ONE year at University B). It’s also a different degree type (Ph.D vs. Psy.D) which may help me to find jobs in academia, but my desired career path really involves working for school districts, not teaching at universities.

Based on this extremely limited (but vital) information, what might you do? Would you be concerned more about the financial aspect of graduate school, or where you would be happier? A degree with a wider range of job opportunities, or one that trains you strictly for the job of your dreams? For those of you in grad school or with graduate degrees, did you face a similar choice?