Help with choosing a graduate school location?

[Zitro]

Hey guys, I'm going to graduate in May of 2011 with my B.S.in psychology and applications for graduate school are right around the corner. I've been doing some research on various schools with clinical psychology programs and I've picked a few out; the problem is, I've only been to Florida, New York and Puerto Rico in my entire life, so I have no idea what other areas of the country are like.

My number one program choice as of now is mental health and behavioral medicine at Boston University. I've never been to Boston before, but I plan on making a trip there soon. Other schools I'm considering are in Baltimore, MD; Springfield, MA; El Paso, TX; Cullowhee, NC; VIrginia Beach, VA; Denver, CO; Hartford, CT; Philadelphia, PA; and Arlington, VA. I was wondering if anyone lives in or is familiar with any of these places, so I can know what to expect from them? I'm going to try to visit as many areas as possible so I don't go to graduate school blindly, but money is an issue and I doubt I can hit them all. Thanks for any advice you can give me, and I'll update the cities as schools get added and eliminated. Wish me luck!

[Pycroft]

I wouldn't choose a school based on the city, I'd choose it based on the school. Good luck!

James

[Norm Apter]

MA/MS or PhD?

Typically an MA/MS is only one or two years so location wouldn't be that big of an issue at all.

But, yes I agree with the above. My priorities would be the following (in this order):

1) strength of program / job placement record

2) the "fit" with professors who you would be working with (you should be contacting the professors now and telling them about yourself and what kind of research you want to do. You might be able to get a sense of how they treat graduate students from their correspondence. Back in the day, I used to send typewritten letters to the key person in the program I would be working with, even before I sent off my applications)

3) university reputation

4) location

All that said, I'm familiar with two places you mentioned above: Virginia Beach and Arlington. The former would be a fun place to live in your 20s (which you are) but nothing really special. Arlington, for me, would be more preferable because of all that is available in NoVA and DC, but the living costs would be significantly more expensive and that might be something to think about considering that you would be going there for school and not immediate employment.

[Zitro]

I wouldn't choose a school based on the city, I'd choose it based on the school. Good luck!

James

I agree, but these are all schools I've already looked into and feel good about their programs. Location is a factor for me because most clinical practitioners have to get licensed in their state, and the graduate programs prepare you for that particular license. So I would like to go to school in a state I would consider living in. Plus, I don't want to be in a city I hate for 3 years lol.

[Norm Apter]

I agree, but these are all schools I've already looked into and feel good about their programs. Location is a factor for me because most clinical practitioners have to get licensed in their state, and the graduate programs prepare you for that particular license. So I would like to go to school in a state I would consider living in. Plus, I don't want to be in a city I hate for 3 years lol.

Given that, I can say Virginia and Connecticut are very nice states to live. I've lived in CT for 10 years and VA on and off for 10-15 years. I would not hesitate for a second to move back to either one if a job in my field presented itself in either place. Unfortunately, I don't have any living experience in the other states you mentioned for comparative purposes.

[Zitro]

Given that, I can say Virginia and Connecticut are very nice states to live. I've lived in CT for 10 years and VA on and off for 10-15 years. I would not hesitate for a second to move back to either one if a job in my field presented itself in either place. Unfortunately, I don't have any living experience in the other states you mentioned for comparative purposes.

Hmm, thanks. I was born in CT but moved when I was 10 months old and never went back, so I don't remember it And it's M.S. I'm looking for; clinical application usually only requires a master's, but I can always take it to Psy.D if I choose to do so later.

[wz2p7j]

The Baltimore, MD or Virginia area, with proximity to DC is a blast. Highly recommend.

Chris

[markmarc]

Since you seem comfortable with the schools on your list, here are some other factors:

Cost of living. You want to incur as little additional debt as possible. Secondly, this is an opportunity to experience living in a different part of the country. I would seriously consider someplace new.

You listed Denver, are you looking at CU-Boulder, CU-Denver, or DU? Boulder is an awesome college town, but it isn't the cheapest place to live. CU-Denver is right downtown, but not cheap their either. DU on the south end of town, is reasonable, good public transportation, and with I-25 & light rail just a couple of blocks away you can get around the city pretty quick.

[obieone]

I had to spend ONE day in Springfield, MA. I almost commited suicide. Very DEPRESSING city.

[cfrizz]

Boston is a major college town with lots to do and easy to get around in, especially if you don't have a car. Finding parking in the city is hard and/or expensive. Is it cheap? No, but then I doubt any major city is.

[Serendipity]

Come to New York.

[renowilliams]

You might want to consider some Canadian schools as well. The University of Waterloo in Ontario,Canada (1.5 hours drive west of Toronto) has an excellent reputation. The area is very beautiful as well.

My daughter is doing her undergraduate studies there now. The cost of living is reasonable and they do take a number of international students.

[txcoastal1]

Texas is great and cheap...But El Paso is far off the beatin path and not so nice

[jflail2]

Culowhee is in the middle of NOWHERE, far western NC. WCU is a decent school (not sure about your program there). It would be a good location if you want no distractions in town, b/c believe me, there won't be any :)

Not sure about the psych program there. That would be my primary driver; who has the best program for what you'd wnat to study...

[cnh]

My number one program choice as of now is mental health and behavioral medicine at Boston University. I've never been to Boston before, but I plan on making a trip there soon. Other schools I'm considering are in Baltimore, MD; Springfield, MA; El Paso, TX; Cullowhee, NC; VIrginia Beach, VA; Denver, CO; Hartford, CT; Philadelphia, PA; and Arlington, VA. I was wondering if anyone lives in or is familiar with any of these places, so I can know what to expect from them? I'm going to try to visit as many areas as possible so I don't go to graduate school blindly, but money is an issue and I doubt I can hit them all. Thanks for any advice you can give me, and I'll update the cities as schools get added and eliminated. Wish me luck!

Hartford...nothing is really there and the daily traffic jams in and out of the city are a PAIN! Property values and taxes in the western part of the state are a bit unreal.

Springfield, Ma...U of Mass? Nice campus bad location for employment--middle of nowhere!

Philadelphia....I grew up a bit over an hour North of Phillie and 1 1/2 hours of west of NYC. Philadelphia has a lot to offer. Not too bad cost wise, advantages of large metro area while still small enough not to be a NY. Lots of great suburbs within striking distance of the city. It's a BIG small town--if you like that? Close to NYC, not that far from Washington area?

Denver, Co...can't comment. Colorado is its OWN thing you have to visit!

Arlington, Virginia nice location...can be pricey because of proximity to D.C. I have relatives there.

Boston--great town...REALLY EXPENSIVE HOUSING...my son works there. He and his girlfriend pay about 2850 a month for a two bedroom ground floor apartment in the city (good location). B.U. a great school you'd like it!

BTW, I had offers to go to grad school in Phillie and NYC, Rochester, and Ithaca. I choose NYC and hated my first two or three years. Then I had a relationship with a native New Yorker and I got to explore the real city and started to open up to it.

Good luck!

cnh

[Zitro]

Thanks a lot for the advice guys! I'm taking a road trip to Boston in a few weeks (long way to drive, I know) so we'll see how I like it. The more I find out about PA, the more I think I'd like it. Maryland is another top option, and Colorado has been taken off the list. Cost of living is definitely a factor, as the cost of tuition is going to be about $20k-78k, depending on the school. So the less debt, the better. Keep it coming, all the advice helps.

Maybe if I move somewhere closer to Polkfest and such I can actually meet some of you guys lol.

[Zitro]

Ok, changes to the list. Added are El Paso, TX and Buffalo, NY. Taken off is Springfield, MA. Also, anyone here live/has lived in Missouri? Quite a few schools with commendable programs in that state, but I know little about it.

[Zitro]

Alright! Well, an interesting series of events has made me consider an additional career option. The option of occupational therapy seems increasingly more and more interesting for me, and possibly even better than a specific psychological track. So now I need to decide whether to go to grad school for clinical psych or occupational therapy; I'm leaning towards the latter. I only wish I would have found out about this great career path sooner. Anyways, I say this because it would totally change the list of cities I gave above. I likely will take a year off after undergraduate, get some experience and decide which route I want to go with 100%.

Making decisions so young that will outline the rest of your life is kinda daunting lol.

[skipf]

Cullowhee may indeed be in the middle of nowhere, but it's one of the most beautiful nowheres you can find. The Blue Ridge and Smokey mountains are some of the nicest I've seen. The climate is hard to beat. There are lots of things to do in the area too, if you take the time to look around.

[Zitro]

As far as occupational therapy, my number program so far is Stony Brook University in Long Island, NY. Anyone familiar with that area?

[cnh]

The State University of New York at Stony Brook is a spacious and quite beautiful campus...with its rolling green hills and foliage. I had a friend who did work there and another who went to Med School, I think? Spent some time visiting them. Currently, I think one of my colleagues teaches out there and he's pretty happy.

Definitely worth a look. There are some very scenic parts of Long Island. I don't know if I mentioned, but my first Teaching job as a Grad Student was at Hofstra U. which is in Hempstead. It was a long commute from from the Upper West side of Manhattan, though?

What exactly is involved in an Occupational Therapy degree? That seems VERY different from Clinical Pscyh. I'm very familiar with the second option because I almost went that route myself but decided to switch fields for my Ph.D. after my B.A.

cnh

[Zitro]

The State University of New York at Stony Brook is a spacious and quite beautiful campus...with its rolling green hills and foliage. I had a friend who did work there and another who went to Med School, I think? Spent some time visiting them. Currently, I think one of my colleagues teaches out there and he's pretty happy.

Definitely worth a look. There are some very scenic parts of Long Island. I don't know if I mentioned, but my first Teaching job as a Grad Student was at Hofstra U. which is in Hempstead. It was a long commute from from the Upper West side of Manhattan, though?

What exactly is involved in an Occupational Therapy degree? That seems VERY different from Clinical Pscyh. I'm very familiar with the second option because I almost went that route myself but decided to switch fields for my Ph.D. after my B.A.

cnh

Thanks for the insight; I haven't heard many bad things about that area, and the salary is relatively high as well (although the cost of living is a bit higher). I wanted to pursue my MS in clinical so I could work in some sort of rehabilitative capacity in a clinic or hospital with patients with severe mental disorders. My goal has always been to improve the quality of life of others. As it turns out, Occupational Therapy encompasses what I wanted to do with clinical psych, but allows a lot more flexibility, increase in job security (as its a health care field) and better salary. OT has the mental health element, but a physical and emotional elements as well. It's a lot easier to switch career tracks (there is one doctorate and one masters for the entire OT field) and you take a national exam to get licensed, so I won't have to get re-certified if I move, where I will with clinical psych.

-Jeremy

[TORI3]

Thanks for the insight; I haven't heard many bad things about that area, and the salary is relatively high as well (although the cost of living is a bit higher). I wanted to pursue my MS in clinical so I could work in some sort of rehabilitative capacity in a clinic or hospital with patients with severe mental disorders. My goal has always been to improve the quality of life of others. As it turns out, Occupational Therapy encompasses what I wanted to do with clinical psych, but allows a lot more flexibility, increase in job security (as its a health care field) and better salary. OT has the mental health element, but a physical and emotional elements as well. It's a lot easier to switch career tracks (there is one doctorate and one masters for the entire OT field) and you take a national exam to get licensed, so I won't have to get re-certified if I move, where I will with clinical psych.

-Jeremy

That's some really good reasoning to pursue the OT track. I'm sure it's a lot cheaper than going for a clinical psych degree as well. Since you're bouncing some ideas around, have you thought about a Masters in Social Work? This occupation interacts with the SMI population on a daily basis.

Not only can you find stipends for your education (usually through the feds), but you can also apply for your clinical license, which would allow you to practice independently and bill medicaid and Medicare for your services (therapy). Unfortunately the license and its requirements vary by state. Largest employer of MSWs is the VA, which starts people off at a pretty good salary.

I'm not trying to sell you on the MSW. Personally, I think the OT is a fantastic choice. You'd probably make more money with this degree than the one I just talked about.

Good luck!