<p>What are the best UNDERGRADUATE psychology schools in the United States?</p>
<p>I think Psych is the most popular major there is. You can't do much with a psych bachelors. You can get a masters in counseling or social work or school psych afterwards. If you plan to get a job working with mentally ill people or teaching at a university, you will need a PhD and PhD programs are very competitive. To distinguish yourself from the tens of thousands of other psych majors, I suggest you dual major in math or biology or maybe business. A math background will help you score higher on the GREs and get into a PhD program where you will need to know math, if that is your aspiration. So go to a school that is strong in psych and also strong in your second major. The public ivies have outstanding psych programs but the departments are very large. A top LAC will provide good preparation as well as individual attention. If you want school psych, you might benefit by going to a college with an education program. Generally, the better the college, the better the psych program. Undergrad psych majors might benefit by attending a college that provides experiences in mental health clinics or research opportunities. Biopsych is the wave of the future in psychology.</p>
<p>There are lots of great schools for undergraduate psychology. Tell us more about yourself and what you're looking for in a college so we can make recommendations -- the BEST college for psychology for YOU very much depends on what you are looking for in an overall college experience. Do you have any preferences about size, location, social scene, etc.? Will you need financial aid or are you hoping for merit money? What are your grades and test scores like (no sense mentioning schools you have no chance of getting into or that you may feel are "beneath" your stats)? Do you have a specific area of psychology you'd like to focus on? What do you plan to do as a career? All of these questions need to be answered before anyone starts listing specific names.</p>
<p>I would prefer a school in a big city area (New York, Chicago, San Francisco, etc., etc.), but it could be slightly smaller. </p>
<p>I'm not completely sure if psych is my intended major yet, so I really want a college that is strong in other programs, like foreign language, journalism, or business. </p>
<p>I would love to just be a general psychologist and help everyone, but there are two areas I would probably go into specifically--working with the mentally ill or doing child/teen psychology. I am not interested in teaching, or being a school counselor.</p>
<p>My grades (for now) are As/A+s (though our school doesn't put above 100% on our grade reports). I have taken advanced courses since 4th grade, and am taking AP/AT classes my junior and senior year, but I don't know how I'll do in those. I'd be shooting high, but I do need back-ups!</p>
<p>So, that's a little bit about me! Thank you for the info so far--it's been very helpful.</p>
<p>The kind of psychologist you want to be is called a Clinical Psychologist. They have to have a PhD degree and do an internship. Since you are an 'A' student, Clinical Psychologist is a realistic goal for you. Clinical Psychologists can specialize in adult mental illness or in child/adolescent mental illness. I think it would be a very rewarding career.</p>
<p>Brandeis Boston
Tufts Boston
Swarthmore Philadelphia
Stanford
U of Rochester
U of Pennsylvania Philadelphia
U of Minnesota (excellent for child study)
U of Michigan ann Arbor
U California Berkeley
Macalaster Minneapolis/St Paul
U of Chicago
Columbia
Johns Hopkins Baltimore
Carnegie Mellon Pittsburg
Northwestern Chicago</p>
<p>Thank you for the recommendations/help. A lot of those schools are universities I have been looking at, which is great. That way, if I change my mind on what I want to major in, I can switch to something else that is offered at the same school.</p>
<p>Actually, if you're talking about children and teens exclusuvely, you're talking about Developmental Psych. </p>
<p>Maybe you should look into Social Work (Public Administration) as your major, also. You're still helping out (albeit, making alot less money) but it's still fulfilling.</p>