Neuropsychology Central

[Michelle]

Is anybody here a graduate from Rosalind Franklin Medical School? They have an APA approved clinical psych program with neuropsychology concentration. However, on their website I could not find any mention of financial funding or the like.

Does anyone know of this program? Is there funding? Without the funding, is it worthy of the six year investment?

Thanks,
Michelle

[lash]

I know nothing about the site, but I'd venture to guess there's no internal funding. I say that for 2 reasons. One, the department's website lists tuition rates, which is usually only done by sites that don't offer funding. And two, their site even has a link on it to funding opportunities.

The practicum opportunities sound great, and at least half of the practicum supervisors are well-known in the field. As for the school itself, I actually just met one of the faculty members 2 weeks ago. Seemed like a nice guy.

The problem, of course, is the funding situation. I had funding at my school, and I was finished in 4 years plus internship (which is also funded). The schools that make you pay AND insist you will be staying on-site for 5-6 years seem a little sketchy to me. Typically sounds like they just want more money. That's just my take on it though; you should really research it more closely than I have and figure out whether it's worth it to you. If you're interested enough, you can always apply and then, if you get an interview, ask the current students what they think.
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Lee Ashendorf, Ph.D.
Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial VA
Co-Webmaster, Neuropsychology Central

[dalin]

I am actually at a graduate student at Rosalind Franklin University, and hopefully I can provide you with accurate information. As far a funding, there is in fact internal funding (I didn't even consider schools without funding). Although the website does list tuition rates and funding opportunities, the school has a history of providing stipends and tuition waivers. For the past few years tuition waivers have ranged from 75-100% while stipends have ranged from $8000-$12000 (yearly). Tuition is not paid after the third year (if you were even paying any before that), so there's nothing "sketchy" about the school, nor do they "just want more money" [Note: I am just giving some approximations of funding, as there is some variability year to year. Additionally, I certainly can't make any guarantee what type of funding will be available in the future]. Stipends typically extend until at least the fourth year, and funding beyond that depends on your advisor's funding status and/or your ability to obtain grants (keep in mind you're not paying tuition though). Additionally, there are funding opportunities through other TA positions and depending on your advisor's funding status, which can push non-tuition funding higher. I can honestly say that I personally feel that my school has does everything they can so far to insure that they get me as much money as possible.

The practicum opportunities are excellent, as we have access to sites ranging from Chicago to Milwaukee. I have had a very positive experience thus far, balancing coursework, practicum, and research responsibilites (including authorship on various peer-reviewed publications).

The school has an excellent reputation nationally (particulary in neuropsychology) and students place in highly competitive internship and postdoc positions year after year (which I think is a better measure of a program's success than many other criteria people use). We are an APA approved clinical psychology program (PhD only -- no PsyD), which is the key thing to keep in mind. Another thing to keep in mind is that we are not a stand alone psych program--we are part of a health sciences university with a medical school (which does mean no undergraduates). This certainly provides training opportunities you don't see in other programs given this lack of affiliation (e.g., taking courses with the medical school, attending neurology/psychiatry grand roundsm, wet brain labs).

In terms of applying (to ANY school), I would seriously consider contacting departments to find out about funding (they will hopefully be able to provide a range rather than an exact number), and contact the department to get information to contact grad students. This will certainly save you time and money (i.e., application fees, travel for interviews) by letting you know of programs you may not want to apply for.