Hello All Students who are interested in graduate school!
Well... I guess I should begin at the beginning.
Research program - pick what kind (school psychology, clinical counseling, etc.) and what degree is needed (Masters,
PhD,
PsyD, etc.)
Research schools - pick one that offers program (duh!), also make sure it is accredited (APA, NASP, NCATE, etc; depending on program), size of program, tuition, assistantships, scholarships, grants available
Get information from schools - get a contact e-mail or phone, have them send an application
Register and Take GRE's
Fill out application
Write a resume - Have career center help, AND ask a few people to look over it, should be no more than 2 pages
Write personal statement - try to be specific enough to answer each school's question but broad enough so you don't have to write a separate one for each school that you are applying to
Ask professors for letters of recommendation - usually you need 2 or 3 - Ask EARLY - unexpected things come up in your professors' lives too - make sure they have a copy of your resume, and info on what school and program you are applying to - be as organized as you can to make it easy on them.
Send information out - get it there early if you can
Get prepared for interviews! - I gave Dr. Bayer a list of sample questions they asked me - also be prepared to ask your own questions - you are interviewing the school too to see how well it matches up with you.
Save some money - I realize that you just spent about $40 to $50 per application, but traveling to the schools will also require some money, especially with gas prices and if you have to stay overnight.
Then WAIT!
Good luck.
If you have any more specific questions email me at
MHelinski08@jcu.edu or Monamello@juno.com
About ME
Monica Helinski
Graduate of Canisius College 2005
BA in psychology
Minors in school psychology and clinical counseling
Graduate student at John Carroll University (of Cleveland, OH)
School Psychology program
Working towards a Masters degree
M.Ed
Program is Accredited by NASP
There are 7 students in my cohort
Also I have a position as a graduate assistant (where I work 20 hours a week divided by 3 professors)
My experience
Sum III
My program required me to begin classes the summer after graduation (and no, I was not too happy to do so). I took two classes in a one month (four week long only) session. The classes were multicultural education and theories of personality. Both required a lot of work - reading, research on articles, summaries, papers, presentations, etc. They were difficult in the amount of work that was expected but doable. The teachers were excellent, they treated the students more as collegues, valuing our opinions than just talking at them. They were also very willing to help and very conscious of the students' learning.
Fall 2005
I am currently taking 3 courses (full time with assistantship). They are Reseach methods, Tests and Measures, and Group Counseling. Though I was excited when enrolling in these courses, they have disappointed me a little. Research methods is just like experimental in undergrad, and Tests and Measures is very similar to Assessment in undergrad. However, I am trying to get the most out of these classes as I can, especially since the projects are similar too. So I am picking other areas that I do not know as much about to do my projects on instead of reusing projects. I began my assistantship this semester so it makes me much more busy than before. In addition to the projects in each of my classes, I have 3 other projects that my professors are working on going on in my head. It is fun though, I have found to be much more interested in research than I thought I would have been.
Spring 2006
Well I officially completed another semester of graduate school. This semester I continue my assistantship. I am again taking 3 courses: Orientation to the Education Environment, Learning Teaching, and Individual Counseling Skills and Methods. This semester I begin my practicum. I am required to be in a classroom a minimum of 5 hours per week to observe, tutor, and interact with the teacher and children. I am not placed at a school yet, but will add later how it is going and how it is related to school psychology.
Practicum Information/Log
Psy498PracticumLog
site: Children's Therapeutic Preschool
Activities: Tuesday
Morning in Sarah and Tracy's class
This day was so much fun. I think it was my best day at the preschool the entire year. The kids were excellent. In gym, Tracy went on stage and was dancing and singing. Her and Sarah then let the kids go on stage and they had a blast. They were dancing around and singing. They listened well all day long.
Thursday
Morning in Karen and Connie's class
This day went well except for gym. A few of the kids went on stage, which they were not permitted to do. They did not come down when they were asked nor leave the gym promptly when asked to. (Karen and Connie decided that they had to leave gym early because they were not behaving well.) The transition from gym to the class was not good either. The kids were jumping and yelling in the hallway, and flicking the light switch on and off. After, each of the misbehaving kids were talked to individually by Karen.
site: Children's Hospital
Activities: Tuesday, April 20
Sarah and Tracy's morning class
Today's class went with few interuptions. Felipe became upset when someone in the class was playing with his blue batman toy and he had to wait. When he cried, I redirected his attention to doing something different while he waited. We played with the blocks for a while. About 10 minutes later, the friend with the toy was finished with it and gave it over to him. Shawney seemed to be in a bad mood for most of the morning. She cried and wanted to be held several times. Most of her cries seemed to be attempts to gain attention which she got.
Thursday, April 22
Karen and Connie's morning class
Today's class had a new friend who's name is Lamar. He has ups and downs. He is most compliant when food is offered. It is also used as a reinforcer and punisher for good and bad behavior. He does not listen most of the time when it comes to sitting in his seat or waiting his turn. While playing in the sandbox he threw the sand everywhere and at other friends even when told several times not to do so. When he was told that he could not play there anymore, he still went back and did the same thing.
site: Children's Hospital
Activities: Tuesday , morning class
Sarah and Tracy's room
This whole day went very smoothly. Kalifa had a few problems listening again and had to be redirected several times. Felipe had a couple tantrums. This was the first time I saw him get upset. I told him that he was not allowed to ride on top of the toy cars, which I was later informed that he was allowed to do. He stood still, straightened his arms, made fists with his hands and turned red. He started yelling and told Sarah that he was angry. I thought that actually handled it well considering that he talked out his feelings.
site: Children's Hospital
Activities: 2.23 morning- Sarah and Tracy's class
Today in class, the day went smoothly. I noticed some things about Shawney. When she comes in to class, she often looks sad and shy. She doesn't want anyone to talk to her or play with her. Maybe it is because she is tired, I am not sure. Later in the day she is much more lively. However, she does not like when things do not go her way. I find that the best thing to do when she is asking for something that I can't give her, is to walk away and change the subject. She quickly forgets and has a good time.
2.25 morning- Karen and Connie's class
Today there was a new student in the class. Jordan is his name. He was quite shy with me at first, but at gym he opened up to me. I noticed several things with him. He doesn't use language a lot. He mostly responds with "no" to all questions and statements. I am not sure if he says this because he does not understand what is being said to him, or if he says it in defiance to anyone who is an authority figure. The other children do not play with him. A second thing that I noticed today was the vast amount of modeling that occurs. If one kid begins to cry, Synia begins to whine and cry also. This happened twice today. First when Jordan started to cry, then when Justine fell and hurt himself. In the second incident, both Synia and Jordan began to cry.
site: Children's Hospital
Activities: 3/9 Morning -- Sarah and Tracy's room
Today was another good day in this room. There were a few incidents of misbehavior. There were two interns in the class so all of the children had a lot of attention.
3/11 Morning--Karen and Connie's room
Today was very frustrating. It seemed that none of the kids listened at all. We had to push and drag them from one activity to the next. Justin yelled at you (no! or Don't touch me) when asking him to come to the table or do some activity. Matt also opposed anything you asked him to do. The only difference is that he thought it was funny as if you were not being serious. Patrick would comply only if he felt like it in the moment. Otherwise, he would throw a tantrum. Brandon doesn't listen either, but I am not sure if it is because he does not comprehend the request or he just acts out. Synia is actually the best listener. However, if something is wrong, she will not tell you verbally but she will whine. I am becoming disappointed in this classroom. I want to do more to make the classroom structured and disciplined. The children need to learn that if they do not behave well, they will be punished, even if it is in using a time-out.
site: Children's Hospital
Activities: Morning
3/2
This morning I worked in Tracy's classroom. Sarah was not in today so another lady came in to help. Tracy asked me to do a lot more in the room today. I prepared snack time and read the book to the class. It was a pretty good day. Gaetano acted up a little bit today. He tends to play with other children but is not very verbal. Something happened with the toys and he had to leave the play for a while because he was hitting the other children on their hands with his toy. He began to cry but was not allowed to go back until he calmed down.
3/4
This morning I worked in Karen's class. Only four children were in so Karen asked me to take observations of the children. I think this was the smoothest day in Karen's class. Breakfast was very calm and all the children were quiet while a book was read. Patrick had the most problems today. He yelled out answers when it wasn't his turn, and threw a fit when he wasn't picked in a game we played. Later after gym, he had a difficult time transitioning back to a more structured activity. He ran down the hall and yelled for someone to tie his shoes, though said he didn't want anyone to do it. It was explained to him that he needs to ask for things nicely to get them. Later he told this statement to another child, which showed he understood the message given to him.
site: Children's Education Center
Activities: 2/24 Morning
This day I went into Tracy's classroom. A new substitute teacher was in to observe so I told her some things about the class, such as the schedule and the student's names. Most of the day went smoothly. One student, Anthony, was very willing to share his knight action figures with me during toy time. He seems to be quite a good kid most of the time. I think his downfall comes when something happens to him, such as someone touching him or hitting him. Then, he tells the teacher, whines or cries. It was at the end of the day when a few problems arose. Anthony did not want to zipper up his coat to go down to buses. He threw a fit when Tracy took the coat off of him and told him he could put it on when his bus came. He dragged his feet down the hall and yelled. Meanwhile, two other boys started running around the room instead of lining up. Even when we finally got them down the hall, one of the boys ran back down to the classroom. I think that the best way to hand!
le the situation was physically directing them to where they are supposed to go. Otherwise, if you let them get what they want they are reinforced that throwing a tantrum leads achieving their desire.
2/26 Morning
This day I went to Karen's classroom. This day had a lot of ups and downs. During music time, Patrick had a tantrum because he did not get the animal he wanted. He cried and yelled. I think the situation was handled well. Karen turned around his chair and told him when he was ready to join in again, he could. After a short while he calmed down and started singing with the rest of the group. When we went to gym, we did something a little different than usual. Instead of singing a song, the person who was the quietest was able to go play first, but they had to be called on. Matthew was not called on right away, so he got up and ran to a corner to hide. After those incidents, the rest of the day was fine.
site: Children's Therapeutic Preschool
Activities: 2/17 and 2/19
morning
This week I was sick and did not attend the preschool. Hopefully, I will be better by next week.
site: Childrens- Tracy and Karen
Activities: Morning
Tuesday 2/10
As soon as I came in today I set up the family room to give the test to the children. First I took Kalifa down. She behaved superbly. She sat in the chair I gave her or next to me on the couch the whole time. She had a pretty good attention span. She answered half of the test without wanting to stop. Then she began to say that she was done. I gave her a break in the room so she could play with some toys and shortly after we began again. She finished the test. Then I took down Shauney. As soon as she got in to the roo, she wanted to leave. She ran around the room, playing with the phone and threw it at my face. We only got through one more section of the test and then I took her up. Afterwards, I think that I did the wrong thing because by her acting out, she got what she wanted by leaving. Next time that cannot happen. Next I took Tyrese down. He acted out in the beginning, but then settled down and he also completed the whole test. It was a successful day.
Thursday 2/12
Today when I went down to get the test to finish Shauney, it was not there and also Mary was in Tracy's room so I went into Karen's room instead. It was a pretty smooth day except for a brief tantrum of Justin and Matthew. Justin just did not want to sit for game time. I do not know what triggered Matthew to become so angry. He became very aggressive both with words and physically.
site: Children's - Tracy's room
Activities: tues Feb 3rd morning
Today was my first day administering the WJ-R test for cognitive ability. I took Terrance down to Dr. Bayer's office which turned out to be a mistake. Terrance would answer a few questions in a row and then run out of the room or around the room. He tossed papers off the shelves and hid under the desks. We did not even finish the third section of the test. This day was kind of frustrating, but I think if I went in another room there would be an improvement in attention.
thur Feb 5th morning
Today I took Shayney (I don't think I spelled it correct) to give her the test. I took her into the family room which turned out to be much better than an office. It still contained some distractions, such as the phone and the cabinet with the toys in it, but still proved a better location. With Shayney, she got through more questions in a row, but then wanted to play. We finished one half of the test.
site: Children's Education Center - Karen/Tracy
Activities: Tuesday 1/27/04 Mornings
This morning was more difficult than the last two. Brandon was crying for his mother and wanted to be held all day. He also did not listen to directions. Most of the boys were hitting and fighting each other without wanting to apologize or take responsiblity for the consequences. At one point Patrick hit Justin with a toy and I sat Patrick down and told him not to hurt others. I also told him that he had to apologize. I must have sounded too punitive because he started talking about how his mother hated him. I told him that that is no reason to hurt others. He did end up saying sorry after that. However, this comment caught me off guard and I felt so sorry for him. It also gave me more of a drive to continue doing what I am doing because I want to help the kids.
Thursday 1/29/04 Mornings
Today I switched into Tracy's class. Only one child arrived on time. It was Caylifa (I don't thing I spelled that correct). She automatically socialized with me asking what my name is and taking my hand. Later I went down to buses to get the rest of the children. I noticed there was a difference between this class and Karen's. The main difference is in how discipline is given to the children. What Tracy says goes. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. If the children do not cooperate, they are put in a sort of time out, though not called that. The children are rewarded verbally when using pleases and thank yous. They also seem to say sorry quicker and easier than the other class. There were only a few minor crying incidents that ended quickly. On the whole it was a good day though the children are not that comfortable with me yet.
site: Children's Hospital - Karen's class
Activities: Tuesday/Thursday - mornings
1/20 Today was my first day working at the therapeutic preschool. I met Karen and Connie who told me the children's names and a little bit about them focusing on what problems may arise. I noticed that as soon as I came into the gym they noticed me as well. During the day I tried to meet and become comfortable with the children. Most of them had opened up to me by the end of the day. I tried to listen to Karen and Connie on how they addresssed the children when behaving both good and bad so I could follow their lead.
1/22 Today I was at the preschool for the whole morning. The children took their time with getting to know me all over again. I think they have become more comfortable with me. There were only five children in school today so the day went by quite smoothly with few problems. I have noticed several things with each of the children. Synia, the only girl, is very shy at first but is very affectionate once she knows you better. She is likeable by her peers until they try to take away one of her toys. Matthew is also more shy than the other children but is pleasant one on one. He smiles when he is happy but when something wrong happens he hides with his hands or in a corner. He tends not to create problems until it is time to go home. Then he doesn't want to cooperate.
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