Expert: Susie Watts - 4/15/2008

Question
I have read through the threads and I see that some people have already asked a similar question, so sorry if it seems like im repeating myself. I want to be a child psychologist, I got accepted in UNC Charlotte which is a locally known school in North Carolina however I do not plan to stay there. I want to transfer into a school that has a good psychology program (specifically for counseling or clinical child psychology) I was wondering if you know of any good schools that I could possibly apply to (I am going to attend UNC Charlotte for two years) and what i need to do as a transfer student. I prefer colleges in California since some of the best schools for research and psychology are within that particular state. I know I can't get into a place like UC Berkeley but perhaps there are some other colleges that are competitive but realistic for me to get into as well. Thank you for your time

Answer
The most important thing for you to do is find some schools that you like and go to their websites to see what kind of psychology courses they offer.  They should also tell you how extensive their majors are in that area.  Almost every college and university offers psychology as a major.  With a psychology degree, you will need to get a graduate degree in your specific area of interest in order to work as a counselor or with children.  You might look at UCSB or UCSD to begin with.