.

[imported_Tomato]

.

 

[laurenlex]

In the grand scheme of things, most people don't give a sh!t about where you went to school, as long as you got the paper. Why spend more for a Gucci degree where they don't want you to do what you want to do. Do the small school that teaches what you want to learn.

 

[cheapgoose]

imo, i rather be in a class of 30 and be taught by a professor that's there to teach than be in a class of 200 and listen to a TA when the professor is out doing research. just figure out which one benefits you more.

good luck.

 

[Heisenberg]

If you want to be a practicing clinical psychologist I'd say you should probably go to the smaller school where it sounds like you'll get a better experience. If you wanted to research and were worried about getting hired and/or pulling in research funding, then the prestige that goes along with a big-name school would be more important in that case.

 

[imported_Tomato]

Interesting, poll results are dead even so far...

My parents and friends all abide by the "bigger name is better" mentality, and upon doing research I began to realize that there's a chance a smaller/lesser-known school might actually be better for me and my specific career needs/goals. Still, I understand when looking for a therapist/psychologist, people might research the institution they graduated from... and of course it'd be more reassuring to see "Harvard" than "Antioch". At the same time, ironically, Harvard probably wouldn't offer the specially geared/specialized instruction Antioch would. 😕

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: Tomato
Interesting, poll results are dead even so far...

My parents and friends all abide by the "bigger name is better" mentality, and upon doing research I began to realize that there's a chance a smaller/lesser-known school might actually be better for me and my specific career needs/goals. Still, I understand when looking for a therapist/psychologist, people might research the institution they graduated from... and of course it'd be more reassuring to see "Harvard" than "Antioch". At the same time, ironically, Harvard probably wouldn't offer the specially geared/specialized instruction Antioch would. 😕

GW Bush gradded from Yale and then Harvard... Take that however you like it 🙂

My goal: something decent but I'm not expecting a top level school. I'll probably go to Europe... University of Stockholm or something. Bag me a woman and a degree 🙂

 

[vegetation]

I don't think you're quite clear on what a Ph.D really is about. It's a research degree specialized into a tiny area, plain and simple. Does not matter if you graduate from a top-tier school or a lower ranked one. The amount of research you do is no different, although better programs will have better facilities which can open new research options. If you want to do clinical psychology, then the APA has a framework of coursework, internship, and research that all accredited Ph.D programs must follow. In most Ph.D programs you apply to the school that has faculty members already doing the type of interests you have. If that means Harvard/Yale, then great. But that's not always the case.

As for school size, that does not matter either on your basis of personal attention. You work with a mentor who will guide your academic career from there on. You get to know everyone in the department on a first-name basis. You take graduate level classes that have very few students enrolled. It's very different from undergrad in a large school where you wont know half the department and only 1/10 of that knows your name and you're sitting with 100 other students.

If you don't want to do research then you can apply for a Psy.D program, but that is a completely different degree and there are pros and cons of that which would lead to a whole thread of its own.

 

[DaveSimmons]

For private practice, I'd guess that a lot of your business will come from referrals of one sort or another (existing patients, colleagues) and a few more from your yellow pages ad. I wouldn't expect most of those people to find out or care where your degree is from, as long as you have one.

Name schools can make a difference in some fields and some career paths, but if you're certain you don't want to do research then a small school, with more interaction and with emphasis on practice instead of research, does sound like the better choice.

...but I'm thinking of general Dr. Katz & Mumford practice, if clinical psychology is different enough the above won't apply

 

[MercenaryForHire]

So you'd forgo your education, financial situation, and future job opportunities for a Big Name School?

I call this type of activity "Life-Ricing."

Please don't be a Graduate Type-R.

- M4H

 

[PoPPeR]

i'd like to help you but anything I say would be based on nothing at all and shouldn't be taken seriously

 

[everman]

Well in my opinion, you should go somewhere that will teach you what you need to know. Graduating somewhere yet not being prepared for what you intend to do is not a great idea. I certainly would not hire someone simply on the basis of what school they went to. I need to know what they know and how well they know it. I think the prestige factor helps more in getting published and aquiring funding for research, none of which you indicate as being goals.