I have applied to a group of top schools to get my Ph.D. in school psychology. I am also a full time teacher and taking masters classes. I have been invited to interview at an out of state school, but with my workload it is difficult for me to travel so far. I can do a phone interview, but will the school lean in favor of applicants who interview in person, or will they understand my circumstances and not hold it against me?
Although admission committees try to be completely objective, and would not intentionally prefer in-person candidates, there is always the chance that the candidates the committee meets in person might make a more substantial and lasting impression. Being a student of psychology, you are surely aware of this possibility. I must say, however, that in my experience, telephone interviews are not "held against" a candidate.
However, if the university has offered to defray your expenses to visit in person, and you have declined their offer, they might begin to think you are not serious about their program.
I'm working full-time and finishing my degree part-time. I'm a junior so I've got some time to go, and want to make the best choice. I currently work in grants administration and enjoy it.
The answer is "yes". I majored in Psychology as an Undergraduate, and I recently completed my Masters in Public Administration. Good luck to you!
I want to major in psych but I'm not interested in more school, are there things you can do with just a bachelors?
my wife and my brother have bachelors degrees in Psychology and the truth is that there are very few options for work in psychology if you dont have at least a masters. however, i would say that this applies to a lot of majors if you only go to the bachelors level. in other words, with a b.a you will most likely not work directly related to your degree, except if you get your degree in something that is very practical such as Engineering, Business, Nursing, etc
some possible jobs that you could get with a BA in Psych are jobs working with hospitals that treat mental patients. other jobs that like people with Psych degrees are jobs in education with kids, special education etc.
so in the end, if you just want to get a bachelors and you dont want to do business, nursing, engineering etc, its still worth getting a degree because most jobs just want people with degrees (almost doesnt matter in what) because they want people who are trained thinkers, educated, can express themselves well, etc
therefore a degree in anything will open a lot of doors in general. however, one thing that i have discovered, and that im sure people in my situation would agree, once you graduate you will be surprised how it is still kind of hard to find a good job. but, your chances of finding a good one will definately be better than someone who has no degree.
i just found out that the graduate school that i will be going to for school psychology was not accredited by nasp. i did not know what it was nor did i know the importance of the national accredidatiom. it is accredited for the state in which i live, but not nationally. should i drop out of the program? is this going to limit my job prospects in the state that i live in? thanks!
I would ask the program if they are working toward accreditation (which hopefully they are. If they're not, then I would seriously consider a transfer). As long as they become accredited no more than one year after you graduate, you get "grandfathered" in. I know this because that's what my program did (but the only thing my program was lacking was the specified number of instructors, every other criteria was met) 
)
If your program does not become accredited, there are steps you can take to become a Nationally Certified School Psychologist on your own, but it's a lot more rigorous than had you graduated from an approved program (if your program is approved, you basically pass the Praxis and it's a done deal). Check out http://www.nasponline.org/ for further details.
As for hurting your chances for employment…in my case it did not hurt mine. As long as your accredited by the state and plan on working in the same state, you will probably be okay. But of course, that may vary from district to district, it just depends.
Specifically, I want to get into creative writing department for graduate school, but it's too late to change/ add my major now, as i almost finish my undergraduate. Can letter of recommendations and writing samples be enough to compensate for my lack of study in English? (although I am actually taking minor in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language, but it's not closely related to Creative writing)
I really need some opinions/ advice..
Thx a lot
A lot of graduate programs in creative writing just want 12-18 hours of upper division (junior level and up) English. Just check the admission requirements to the programs you want to possibly attend. A good GRE Analytical and Verbal score would also help greatly.
Good Luck!