<p>Hey everyone!</p>
<p>I'm a high school junior who is really interested in a broad range of psychology, and I'm looking for the best undergrad programs on the west coast. I would prefer California, Oregon, Washington, and Texas. A small school with no religious affiliation would be nice. Obviously Stanford has an excellent psych program, but that's not up my alley. </p>
<p>Any suggestions?</p>
<p>What does “not up my alley” mean?</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m really interested in that, because Stanford has one of THE BEST psychology programs in the country. (I’m a psychology Ph.D student.)</p>
<p>However…that’s at the graduate level…and it’s not really important at the UNDERGRADUATE level. At this point, you should be selecting solid universities/colleges that you really like based on other factors. Most great schools have good psychology departments. A measure of quality control might be to visit the department’s website and look at what classes have been offered in the last few years and also what research the faculty are doing, and to see if you can find out whether undergrads are doing research and when they typically start. Also, look at the courses that are required. A solid department will require you to take general psychology, research methods, at least one statistics class, and at least one psychology “lab” course in addition to offering fun electives.</p>
<p>But no one really ranks undergraduate major programs (because it’s pointless) and it’s more important to go to a school with a good overall reputation. In the state you mentioned, look at the UC schools of course (all of the campuses are good – obviously Berkeley and LA are the top desired ones but there’s also Riverside, Irvine, Davis, etc.), University of Washington, University of Oregon, University of Texas at Austin (excellent program) as well as private schools - look at Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps if you are a female, and Rice in Texas. There are tons of colleges in those four states.</p>
<p>[Ranking</a> of U.S. Undergraduate Psychology Programs](<a href=“http://www.socialpsychology.org/gunder.htm]Ranking”>Ranking of U.S. Undergraduate Psychology Programs)
[Top</a> 10 Psychology Colleges in the USA](<a href=“GoDaddy Corporate Domains - Protected”>http://www.collegecrunch.org/best-of/top-10-psychology-colleges-in-the-usa/)
^ Rankings if you’re interested.
On the lists are Stanford, UC Berkeley/SD/LA. University of Washington/Oregon/Texas-Austin are included on one of them.</p>
<p>"A small school with no religious affiliation would be nice. "</p>
<p>Sounds like the OP would like a LAC.
I would look at Lewis & Clark, Pitzer, Reed, Pomona
and definitely look at my favorite small college on the west coast: Whitman College in WA</p>
<p>Mills is said to have an excellent psychology department, with some associated graduate programs.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for all of your help. I will check those schools out. Any info on UC Santa Cruz or Rice’s psych programs?</p>
<p>And as far as Stanford “not being up my alley”, I mean that I’ve been there and I’m not super into the pressure of those fancy schools. I totally respect that Stanford is an excellent school, but I’m a fairly introverted and I’ve already determined that it wouldn’t be a great fit for me.</p>
<p>Rice and UC-Santa Cruz are more science/engineering based schools so I don’t know much about the psychology program except that it probably won’t be a major department on either campuses.</p>
<p>Can anyone offer more advice on picking a strong psychology program? I’m looking for more of a liberal arts based education that would earn me a BA in Psychology…</p>
<p>Reed, perhaps?</p>
<p>Any schools in Texas?</p>
<p>I recommend Pitzer.</p>
<p>If you’re fond of Texas, then Rice, definitely.</p>
<p>how about D and I? which is better for psych?</p>
<p>What is D and I?</p>
<p>oh sorry!.. I mean davis and irvine</p>
<p>UC Irvine and UC Riverside</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Your question should be which is better for You. Where do you think you will fit in the most comfortably? Are you more comfortable in a rural environment like Davis, or a suburban area like Irvine? Is distance from home a consideration? Are housing arrangements more amenable in one location vs another? Are there any extra curricular activities that you prefer from one campus over the other? Go to the website of each schools Psych department, check out the profiles of the professors. What are their research interests? What are their students doing? Does anything spark your interest? Keep in mind that the happier and more engaged you are in college, the better you will do in your studies. Then choose accordingly.</p>
<p>I can’t comment on UCR, but the Psychology program at UCD is very, very good. My nephew graduated from UCD with a BS in Psychology last year and had the opportunity to do research as an undergraduate in the Neuroscience Center.</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://neuroscience.ucdavis.edu/]Neuroscience[/url”>http://neuroscience.ucdavis.edu/]Neuroscience[/url</a>]</p>
<p>I actually live about 20 minutes from UC Davis and it’s a great school. Although I have to say it isn’t THAT rural. It’s pretty awesome but just not for me. My grandpa works there so I’ve been there quite a few times…there’s always way too many bikes and people for me. </p>
<p>Any more suggestions? Small schools with amazing psych programs?</p>
<p>What are your interests after earning your psych undergrad degree?</p>