Best Undergrad for Psych Major with Grad School PsyD Plans

College Search & Lists
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My Senior has been accepted at a variety of schools, with the plan for PSYCHOLOGY major undergrad, then MA/PsyD degree for clinical psychology. She is wondering which college or university she should choose, given her acceptances.

She wants a mid-sized (5Kish) school, not too isolated but connected to nature/suburban, and a generally warm, inclusive and fun student body. She wants some sports (spectator) but doesn’t want a “Bro” school.

Schools include:
Connecticut College
(with merit)
Colorado College
Lehigh
University of Denver
(with merit, honors college)
Villanova
Bucknell University
(with merit)

The COA isn’t a major factor, we have undergrad covered in the 529, but for several of the schools (DU, Conn College, Bucknell) she has been given significant (and basically equivalent) merit that would mean she could pay for her grad school without debt.

I’ve heard that WHERE you go to undergrad isn’t as important as WHAT you do while you are there - and that specifically for PsyD, you need (1) a strong GPA, (2) Clinical Work/Internships, (3) Research Experience, (4) Test Scores, and (5) Professors Recs.

Given those guidelines, any recommendations on what to consider? She is leaning toward DU, but is wondering if giving up a school like Villanova or Bucknell is a mistake. I think Lehigh is out b/c of (a) no merit and (b) the town and (c) the hill! Also, we are wondering if she can get the right experience at a small LAC like Conn or Colorado.

Would love input, especially on the DU vs. the others question - she loves the vibe at DU, but appreciates that the prestige is lower… does the Honors College there make up for that issue?

We are planning a re-visit to all in April to confirm culture, and ask questions. Would love to hear what questions we should be asking…

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Any reason why you are aiming for a Psy.D vs a Ph.D?

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My understanding is that PhD is for more research focused careers, and she is more interested in clinical. She might end up pre-med, she might end up with LMSW, but I think Psy.D is more likely than PhD. But if there are clear concerns with PhD track from any of these schools, that would be interesting to know, too - she is only 18, of course, things can change!

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I would suggest she start undergraduate school with an open mind. She likely will eventually have a mentor/advisor in the psych department who can advise her on where to go next….but that is over 3 years away.

She could switch majors!

Good luck to her.

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Absolutely - I was a Psych major, and I went into Marketing after getting my MBA - I know that type of switch happens. (She’s been focused on Psychology for several years now, so I’m doubtful she’ll leave the field entirely… but you are right, it could happen!)

But I’m really wondering about which UNDERGRAD school sets her up best for grad school, should she pursue that path, given her choices…

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Bucknell’s programs in psychology appear to offer uncommon opportunities for a specific focus, with available minors in neuropsychology and in cognitive and perceptual sciences. If either of these sub-disciplines seems appealing to your daughter, she may want to give Bucknell extra consideration. In any case, I’d think that the availability of these minors might partly reflect the general orientation of Bucknell’s psychology program. As an opinion, Bucknell appears to represent a strong school for the study of psychology generally.

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For a clinically-oriented psychology student, Denver’s year-long Field Experiences In Psychology program sounds pretty great - not all schools have such robust fieldwork opportunities for undergrads. Psych :: Field Experiences in Psychology I would expect that being in a location with public transit access to a major city must be a help in making such experiences possible. If this kind of experience appeals to her, I would look at whether similar opportunities are available at the other schools she’s considering. DU does sound like a good fit for her criteria as you describe them.

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The reason I asked (aside from my admitted personal bias) is that in general the Ph.D programs, because their faculty is involved in research, there may be more grant money available for student funding. My funding in grad school in this field was from a Public Health Service traineeship, faculty grant money, then a stint working at the nearby VA, and then won a scholarship after my Internship to complete my dissertation . Not sure how much things have changed, but overall there was more funding money in the PhD programs. I had some PsyD grad students work for me in my clinical practice and I was floored by the amount of student loan debt they were accruing. And BTW, many of my classmates went into clinical Practice. Some stayed in academia, but most became clinicians.

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There is a whole other thread about clinical psych that does suggest there are feeder schools. I linked a post in the middle with a frank discussion of grad school. This one post is long and has a pdf toward the end that might of use

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The linked post with the guidelines from Mitch is an excellent read! Excellent explanation of the PhD/PsyD differences.

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One way I like to see if a school is preparing students well to go on to a doctoral degree is to use this source to see how many alums of particular universities went on to earn a doctorate, particularly in a designated field (if known). So although we can look at programming (and schools can change their programming/offerings over time), I still think it’s a useful indicator. I limited my search to individuals who earned a doctorate between 2000-2018 (the last year available in that particular data set.)

So, the table below shows the ratios of number of doctorates earned in comparison with the size of the undergraduate student body, but also with a ratio of number of doctorates in comparison with the number of people who earned a bachelor’s in psychology in SY22-23 (sourced from College Navigator). The table is ranked by the psych grad to psych graduates, highest to lowest.

School # of Psych doctorates Total # of Undergrads Total School Ratio # of Bachelor’s Psych Grads Total Psychology Ratio
Colorado College 55 2180 0.0252 21 2.6190
Bucknell 116 3747 0.0310 54 2.1481
Connecticut College 94 1948 0.0483 51 1.8431
Lehigh 72 5624 0.0128 51 1.4118
Villanova 82 6989 0.0117 102 0.8039
U. of Denver 36 6151 0.0059 121 0.2975

It appears that two of her three least expensive options rank in the top three of this ratio exercise. But I also firmly believe that a dedicated student at any university can go on to earn a doctorate. I think this chart just shows where there is a more well-worn path to doing so.

Additionally, none of this bars the importance of fit. A student will do best where there is a good fit with the college.

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You are all AMAZING. These replies are SO helpful. Thank you. We are doing re-visit days so will try and get some more definition about the programs at each school.

With regard to this list, I’m seeing her current “top” choice re: fit (DU) at the bottom of this list, and also know that in terms of prestige /selectivity, DU isn’t as competitive, but wondering if the school is a red flag - or just not a “feeder” as much as the others. She is super motivated, organized, friendly, and has been a leader/joiner in terms of her extracurriculars, and her teachers really respond to her in general, so I’m not at all worried about her getting internships or research once she is in her schools, if they have the opportunities. But I am worried that if she does all the “right things” at a school like DU, I don’t want her to be locked out of a grad school b/c of the undergrad reputation. Thoughts?

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To be completely honest, when I looked at the college list, DU was at the bottom of my “list”. I know more about U Denver for it’s Learning Effectiveness Program than its other academic programs. The Field Experiences 9 mo program looks compelling, and yes, if you/she prefers a PsyD application to a PhD, that might be a strong pull. Clinical Psych grad programs are VERY hard to get into (I got into 3 back in the day, but can’t recall how many I applied to, but probably many), but I had both a research and hand’s on “client services” background. So the pros of Denver: She loves it, she got $, and there is the field experiences opportunity. The cons: It’s probably not seen as a strong a school overall as some of the others (eg almost 80% admission rate…). Assuming she doesn’t change her path and truly wants to pursue a Clinical Psych doctoral program, most likely she will be a stronger candidate if she has research experience and hands on clinical experience. Many grad programs no longer take students right out of undergrad. This is an excellent resource from the American Psychological Association Applying to graduate school Hope this helps.

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I personally would advise to take one of the merit offers, since they aren’t a big dropoff in prestige.
if she changes her mind about psyD, maybe DU’s name and connections won’t carry her as far. Bucknell has a pretty strong rep in the Northeast where I live. And they offered you merit. Seems like a strong contender. I don’t think it is a “bro” school any longer.

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Thanks for that perspective - she is accepted in the Honors College at DU, and received their Chancellor Scholarship (their largest) for all four years. Do you think the Honors College mitigates that prestige/selectivity issue at all? I’ll check out that APA resource too. Thank you~!

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As they say, sometimes there is a benefit to being the top of the middle than the middle of the top. She can be a star at U Denver and her professors can write strong references, and the Honors Program is certainly a nice plus. If Denver is her strong first choice, then she should go there. It is hard to know what will happen or what choices she will make over the next 4 years. If it were me, though, I’d visit Conn College and Bucknell again, before she decides.

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We are visiting both in April, and I agree that the real choice is between those three, given her goals and the merit offered. Thanks for your (and everyones’) insight - much appreciated.

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Agree - Bucknell has a great reputation academically, and I’ve heard mixed things about the culture - so a visit will help. Thanks for your advice!

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@aquapt That Field Experiences in Psychology sounds terrific - and I was unaware of it. I’ve forwarded the link to my daughter, and will inquire about similar programs at the other schools. Thanks for the tip!

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To everyone who chipped in with answers, THANK YOU so much. I printed out the email and took it on the plane with me!

We revisited Colorado College and University of Denver, and quickly ruled out the small (<2K) SLAC schools based on the vibe at CC - it just wasn’t what she wanted (as a SLAC grad myself, I was biased toward them, but I am letting her lead…).

AND - She LOVED University of Denver - the classes, the people, the location, the weather, the size, the program opportunities (research and clinical internships), their merit (which will pay for grad school entirely), the Honors program, the skiing - and being there during the Frozen Four was the cherry on top! We then made a long list of pros/cons of the remaining schools (Villanova, Bucknell and DU), did a grid on the computer and weighted them all (my husband is an analyst at heart) and it was clear that “prestige” was the only relevant CON in her eyes for DU.

With that analysis in hand, she made her choice and is heading to Denver. I’m thrilled and she is sooo happy.

THANK YOU!

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