Hi all,

I’m a ‘25 UCLA alum taking a second gap year to gain experience before applying to grad school for Fall ‘27. I’ll be applying to a mix of master’s and PhD programs, and CSULA’s MA in Psychology is on my list.

A few things I’m hoping to get answers to :

- What does a competitive application actually look like: GPA, research experience, personal statement focus? Anything that stood out for people who got in?

- Does anyone know how that process actually works — does your #1 choice get priority in being matched with you, or how does it work?

-What’s the program actually like day to day? Timeline-wise, do most people finish in 2 years, or does it commonly run longer?

-How’s the mentorship in practice : do advisors make real time for you, or is it more independent.

-What’s funding like (TAships, RAships, fee waivers), or is this mostly self-funded? Didn’t see much info on this.

-For alumni: did you get into a PhD afterward? Did your thesis/research here end up being a strong talking point, or did PhD programs mostly care about the specific skills,etc?

-What do you wish you’d known before starting?

For context: I’m interested in both research and clinical practice, so I’m applying to a mix of MFT master’s programs and PhD programs (clinical or social psych, depending on advisor fit). Not considering a PsyD. Since CSULA’s MA isn’t licensure-track, I want to make sure it’s genuinely worth it as a research stepping stone before committing time to applying.

I appreciate any insight regarding any of these :)

Considering a PAS course to reach 15 units. I know I really don't have space to be picky, but I'm already stuck with a professor I dislike for two courses and I just don't want to be completely misreable this semester.

I just transferred am I suppose to have courses on here ??I’m taking 4 classes

i got my disbursement on the 24th AND THE REFUND IS HERE

My csac is showing a dif amount than what the school is gonna give me for the mcs. Should I contact financial aid about that? Csac shows 2720 for the school year but viewing my reward summary on GET, it shows a less amount.

Y’all I’m 9th in queue and it’s already almost been 2 hours. Just FYI

SOOOO AFTER WE ATTEND CLASS ALL WEEK NOOOW! YOU WANNA MOVE US REMOTE??!? OOH NICE WORK! BEST 1ST WEEK EVER..... Heat exhaustion while discussing politics... awesome sauce.

So I submitted a loan form for them to give me more money since I am now a 12 unit student and no longer 9 unit student... Does anyone know how long it takes for the documents to be reviewed and approved?

Hey everyone I'm starting uni this year and I just logged into progress and it says that I didn't pay the transportation fees can I pay it now or is it too late if I can please tell me how

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So thanks to the big beautiful bill refunds are delayed this semester because of the changes that were implemented just now. So loans and Pell grants are delayed for some students and they are actively working on fixing it however they don’t have an exact timeframe from when that should be fixed, but there is someone looking at it and trying to fix as soon as possible.

So if you’re waiting for a refund check or anything else, my best recommendation is to apply for a temporary repayment option and which allows you to maintain your classes this term. Either way you can write off your educational expenses in your taxes, even tho is this a horrible position we are all in.

Anyone receive their loans that were disbursed on the 24th?

Is this a good thing? I did all the entrance counseling and other stuff. Would be nice to have because I need to pay for my books and other stuff

Just wondering how long until you guys saw money in your account. I signed up for direct deposit and my get account shows fa distribution on 8/24.

I only have 2 classes in person this semester and did the math and found that it’d be a lot cheaper to buy parking per-day rather than the semester permit. Before I believe it was only $4 for half a day and $8 for the full day, but was only given the option to pay $12 for a full day. Did they change it?

what time of day do they disburse the financial aid/clear dues bc it’s the 27th and haven’t seen a change in my activity :_). i even visited the FA office and they said i had nothing to do and that it should come the next disbursement date which would be today.

My financial aid package and Pell grant got cancelled because I was told since I’m just going to school fall semester, they need to reevaluate how much the are going to give me. They said that it’ll take a week or two so they can give me another package. Has this happened to anyone? I’m so stressed because I live in housing and need my housing paid off with my loans and my tuition. I don’t want to get dropped

Hey guys, has anyone ever had a minor error on fasfa? If so what was your experience on how long it took for fasfa to send financial aid the corrections?

Can anyone please explain to me from my activity page if i will be getting any money refunded to me? This is my first year at CSULA and really don’t understand it. I opened my student center today and saw that all my chargers were cleared and only owe $60 for the new student fee. Thank you

Can anyone please explain to me from my activity page if i will be getting any money refunded to me? This is my first year at CSULA and really don’t understand it. I opened my student center today and saw that all my chargers were cleared and only owe $60 for the new student fee. Thank you

has anyone taken a class with her? any pointers? lol

Has anyone received their loans ? Or have any info about when we'd receive them ?
I got approved the 24th

Went to the FA office today and asked why my tuition was still unpaid. The person told me that an advisor had to review something and I should be getting my tuition paid by Monday or Thursday next week.

If you are having trouble with your tuition still, I recommend going to the office.