Does it matter where one studies Psychology?

Our D21 is just starting to think about a college list. We don’t have SAT scores yet so it’s a little premature but she’s a strong student and we definitely have a few schools in mind for matches.

It’s early but she’s thinking about studying Psychology. She likes the subject. She’s thinking she might be interested in being a school or family counselor or a psychologist. I could also see her completely abandoning this plan and studying some other non-stem subject too. Lol.

But, for this thread’s sake, I’m wondering if it even matters where someone studies Psychology. She’s looking at mid-sized privates and liberal art schools. They all offer it of course. Is there a way to determine if a program is better than any other? What should she be looking for?

Maybe look at how popular the psychology major is at different schools? I’d assume that the more people taking psych courses, the better the department is. All LACs have pretty good psychology programs, IIRC.

Psychology should be fine at any reputable school. FWIW my D was a psychology major at a LAC. Some things your D may want to look at are:

  1. The courses offered (most course catalogs are online);
  2. Is research done and can undergraduates be involved (usually the department will have a web page)
  3. The professors, their qualifications, how many professors there are in the department, their areas of interest (often on the same webpage as above).
  4. Classes required for major (on webpage and/or course catalog) to get an idea of the number/level of classes required for the major, the number/level of related coursework required for the major (if any). It may be unusual but my D’s LAC offered two pathways for psychology majors – a BS for students seeking a heavier science component and additional lab work in psychology (which my D did) and a BA for students who did not want all the science courses.

My D did not start off as a psychology major so of course we did none of this research LOL. Feel free to PM or tag me if I can help further.

It depends. If she is planning to go to college for four years? If so it probably doesn’t matter. If your going longer it probably does.

If a college offers a special program in psychology of a type that’s not generally available elsewhere, then it might be worth additional consideration. For example, Hamilton offers a field placement term at the New England Center for Children: https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/offcampusstudy/necc. Programs like this often serve as a sign of a department’s range, even if they may not always pertain to the interests of all students.

Also, if a college’s traditional academic strengths are in the social sciences, then chances are very high that its psychology program is top-notch. Pitzer, for example, seems to currently offer very strong programs in psychology, sociology and anthropology at least partly because of its early emphasis on these related fields.

@Nicki20 Hm? Going longer? You mean is she planning on grad school? It’s an option but she will not know for sure until she’s into her undergrad experience for a bit. How would that affect her undergrad choice? Maybe look at stats on how well kids do in grad admissions? Or consider if a school has grade deflation?

A couple of things to keep in mind which aren’t necessarily school-specific: for graduate work in psychology, she will find a couple of years of research experience extremely important in terms of admission to grad programs, so choosing an undergraduate institution where she can participate in research is an important factor. She will also want to be able to show a 3.8ish GPA in her major and a strong overall GPA.

If she pursues a PhD, most programs are funded (but admission is typically very competitive for clinical psych). PsyD and masters level programs generally are not well funded, so another factor to consider with respect to her undergraduate search might be avoiding debt.

My D also wanted a LAC or midsized private. She followed the money to a LAC better known for preprofessional majors, thinking she might be premed, but she found her psych class intriguing. She just completed her first year in a clinical psych PhD program.

I like your picture. I recognize the exit sign, but I don’t recall seeing any polar bears at that particular spot.

My understanding is that psychology is not a degree for which there are a lot of good jobs with a bachelor’s degree. However, it is a degree that there are many things that you can do with it next. Some get a master’s and work as a counselor in a school. Some get an MBA. I would expect that some might go on to law school. I once told a daughter who was thinking about psychology as a major that it will only be useful if in the future you want to work in a field where there are people. Fortunately of course one way or another there are people in quite a few different fields.

When you ask “if it even matters where someone studies Psychology”, I think that this might depend upon what level of schools you are comparing. There certainly seem to be a large number of universities that have good psychology programs. Are you comparing Harvard versus Bowdoin versus the University of Maine (since your picture is in Maine), or are you comparing the University of Maine with community college?

@DadTwoGirls right now her VERY tentative list includes Davidson, Richmond, Wake Forest, W&M, Colgate as probably matches or low reaches. Safeties might include Denison, Miami of Ohio. Without SAT scores, we haven’t identified true reaches and honestly we may not bother.

And haha about my photo. It’s taken off of a marketing piece…

@homerdog, our D’s must be somewhat similar, as mine applied to three of the schools your D’s list includes and toured a fourth but didn’t “feel it”. One school which was not on our radar but which has two grads represented in my D’s program is CofC - might be worth a look.

Vassar is another example of a school that has been developing its psychology program for the majority of its history. With quite reasonable justification, its website refers to its psychology curriculum as “extraordinarily broad and deep”: https://psychologicalscience.vassar.edu/.

Though not related to psychology specifically, I’ve heard some very positive impressions of the University of Richmond recently, so it’s good to see that school among your daughter’s tentative choices.

As mentioned upthread, good access to undergrad research and community outreach placement is important. I was a psych major undergrad and concentrated in developmental psych. I was able to work at a preschool on campus, work with students in the public school doing supervised play/art therapy, and complete an undergrad research project/thesis. I also was a paid research assistant in the summer and volunteered as a medical assistant in the campus health center.

I would also look at course offerings for applicable concentrations.

It depends on what your D wants to do. Does it just require an undergrad, or does it require a graduate degree, and if so which, MA/MS, PsyD, or PhD? You are in Illinois, so UIUC has an excellent and very well respected psychology program, if you want a really good public option (I knew a number of people who did their PhDs there). Additionally, all of the places you researched for S19 also have excellent and highly respected Psych programs, so you are somewhat ahead in the game already.

Next year, I will be able to provide more info on Midd’s psych program.

Thanks @MWolf She won’t go to UIUC unfortunately! Way too big. Lots of other problems as well. I wish it was a better option.

The fact is that she won’t know for sure and we are not pushing her to make a decision. Realistically, she will start college and go down the psych path and see what she thinks. The schools she is looking at wouldn’t require her to choose a major until end of sophomore year. Just feeling out the options right now for a path that looks likely to this 16 year old.

Most jobs that include counseling/therapy will require a masters degree (usually a MA in counseling psychology, school counseling, or a MSW (clinical track). There are specialties in school psychology that are more technical and involve learning to test for learning disabilities, etc. Of course, a Ph.D. would work for someone interested in doing research as well as counseling.

My daughter also thinks she may be interested in a psychology degree but feels pretty certain she would want an emphasis on general or organizational psychology and later get an MBA or something else.

My response is very out of date so take it with a grain of salt. Smaller schools may have departments that are focused on a given theory/school of psychological scholarship. When I went to Reed (BA '74, just for context), it was a Watson/Skinner school: I think two members of my thesis committee about had heart attacks when I advanced the heretical concept that animals might reason and not just react to learned stimuli. That was fine, but my GRE subject score was probably the lowest I had ever gotten on any standardized test, because Reed did not bother to teach much of anything else, and I was too stupid to realize that there would be other stuff on the test. Didn’t hurt me in the long run, but I would look at the size of the department and the range of course offerings.

@homerdog I hear you about UIUC (I did my PhD there). Based on what you’re writing about D21, between her prefering a smaller school and wanting to explore, I think that a LAC seems to be the best option. Did she tag along on any of S19’s campus visits (you may have mentioned it, but I don’t remember)?

My daughter went to a mid-size private school, double majored in Psychology and Cognitive Science - a good combination for advanced studies. I think the key is making connections with your professors along the way and making sure there are research opportunities available. She made sure to do both and secured a nice 2 year research position after graduation - which is almost expected now before the PhD phase… This all helped her to gain acceptance at a great Clinical Psych PhD program, fully funded, for this fall. I think this route is available in many different forms and making the most of it is probably the most important component.

Some colleges have a certain department that is particularly good, which has faculty & prestige that are better than the university as a whole. For example, philosophy at U of Pittsburgh or international business at U of S. Carolina. For psychology, Clark U in Worcester, Mass. is in that category. Small university with a wonderful reputation in a few fields, including psychology.

I think they have some sort of deal where if you get a bachelor’s degree there, you can get a master’s there for free.

https://www.clarku.edu/academics/accelerated-ba-masters-programs/

@MWolf she went to Davidson, William and Mary, Colby and Bowdoin. She liked Davidson the best. She’s not as “intellectual” as S19 but wants easy access to professors in small classes, Greek life, maybe some sports to cheer on, and a bright student body that doesn’t lean nerdy. So D1 LACs make sense or smaller universities with lots of school spirit.