UNR is submitted for Fall 2027. Everything else now points at the Fall 2028 cycle: a year of advising work, lab volunteering and Abnormal Psych, then 8 to 12 applications in fall 2027. Programs are built around adult and adolescent ADHD, anxiety, and better diagnostic tools for neurodivergence, and every one meets your three rules.
Plan steps checked off in each phase.
Each dot is a plan step; filled dots are done. Hover for details.
Fall 2028 list by tier and fit. Filled = Core 10, outlined = alternate.
Per year, before tax. Reno uses your room share; others are an average 1BR.
Assumes you take an advising job and volunteer in a lab. Tick steps off as you go. Shaded rows are data refreshes: the program details below come from the Fall 2027 cycle and must be re-checked before you apply.
Drag cities by the handle between the two areas. Rank the ones you have a feeling about, top to bottom, and leave the rest under No preference. You can also use + to rank a city, × to unrank it, and the arrows to reorder. The ranking feeds each program's overall score (weighted below) and updates the program cards, the program spread, the stipend chart and the cities table. It's saved in this browser.
See How the Overall Score Works for the full breakdown.
Every program gets an overall score from 0 to 100. It's a weighted average of three factors, and city preference counts the most. The weights below update live when you move the slider in Rank the Cities.
| Factor | Weight | Points | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| City preference | #1 ranked: 100 Last ranked: 60 No preference: 40 | Your order in Rank the Cities. Ranked cities are spaced evenly between 100 and 60, so any city you rank beats one you haven't. | |
| Research fit | Strong: 100 Good: 60 | Strong means a recruiting mentor works directly on ADHD, anxiety, or diagnosis and measurement in neurodivergence. Good means adjacent work you could build toward. | |
| Admission odds | Safer: 100 Target: 70 Reach: 40 | The program's tier: how selective it is (offers vs. applications) weighed against your record. |
Formula: score = city × city weight + research fit × fit weight + admission odds × odds weight, rounded to a whole number. Research fit and admission odds always split the non-city share 64 to 36.
Worked example (your current top program):
Not in the score: funding size and cost of living (see Cities Compared and the stipend chart), whether a mentor is confirmed recruiting for Fall 2028 (check during the August to October refresh), and Core 10 status. Use the score to compare and break ties, not to replace those checks. The rules (funded, no debt, no GRE) are pass or fail, so every program on the list has already passed them.
Where you'd live for the main programs on your list.
The Update button drafts rows from Claude's general knowledge, without web search. For sourced figures, paste this into a chat with Claude and it will research the cities and add full rows to the tracker.
| Program | Money (before tax) | Who lives there | 2024 presidential vote (county) | Day-to-day life | Trip to Reno / Bay Area | To New Paltz / Manhattan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNRReno, NV · Washoe Co. | $26,400 stipend. Room in a friend's 3BR: about $813/mo. About $16,600 left a year. No state income tax. | 281,684 people, median age 36. 58% White, 25% Hispanic, 7% Asian. 40% have a bachelor's. | Toss-up Harris 49.3%, Trump 48.3%. Nevada is a swing state. |
Your existing network and job market. Artown, Hot August Nights, balloon race. Tahoe 22 miles away, skiing close. Dry winters, summer smoke days. | 3.5 to 4 hr drive to the Bay Area. | Flight, usually one stop. |
| SyracuseSyracuse, NY · Onondaga Co. | $22,000 minimum; ask for the current figure. Avg 1BR $1,384/mo. About $5,400 left living alone. NY income tax. | 146,091 people, median age 32. 46% White, 29% Black, 11% Hispanic, 7% Asian. 35% have a bachelor's. | Leans Democratic Harris 57.9%, Trump 40.8%. New York is Democratic. |
Most diverse city on the list. Armory Square bars, Westcott arts district, jazz festivals, Syracuse Stage. 115 to 128 inches of snow a year. | One stop via an eastern hub, 8 to 10 hr. | New Paltz about 3.5 hr drive. Manhattan about 4 to 4.5 hr drive or 5 hr on Amtrak. |
| KentuckyLexington, KY · Fayette Co. | $22,000 baseline, or $26,895 on 12-month pay. Avg 1BR $1,169/mo. About $8,000 to $12,900 left living alone. | 329,437 people, median age 35. 67% White, 15% Black, 9% Hispanic. 51% have a bachelor's. | Leans Democratic Harris 57.9%, Trump 39.8%. Kentucky is Republican statewide. |
Horse farms and Keeneland, bourbon, UK basketball, Gallery Hop, Pride in June. Mild winters, high allergy area. | One stop via Denver or Dallas, 7 to 8 hr. | Delta nonstop to LaGuardia. About 11 hr drive. |
| OhioAthens, OH · Athens Co. | Stipend not published; ask. Avg 1BR $949/mo, the cheapest on the list. | 23,396 people, median age 22. 79% White, 9% Black, 4% Asian, 4% Hispanic. 64% have a bachelor's. | Leans Democratic Harris about 54%, Trump about 44% (unofficial). Ohio is Republican statewide. |
Small Appalachian college town run on the student calendar. Halloween Block Party, Ohio Brew Week, bike trail and state park. Quiet in summer; a car helps. | 1.5 hr drive to Columbus, then one stop, 7 to 9 hr. | About 9 hr drive to Manhattan. |
| Baylor PsyDWaco, TX · McLennan Co. | $16,000 to $25,000 practicum pay, minus $3,000 to $4,000 fees. Avg 1BR $1,092/mo. About $0 to $8,000 left. No state income tax. | 146,603 people, median age 31. 42% White, 32% Hispanic, 19% Black. 27% have a bachelor's. | Strongly Republican Trump 64.8%, Harris 34.0%. Texas is Republican statewide. |
Baptist university; church life is central locally. Magnolia Market, Cameron Park. July highs near 97°F. Austin and Dallas 1.5 to 2 hr away. | 1.5 to 2 hr drive to DFW, then nonstop, 6 to 7 hr. | Flight via DFW, about 4 hr in the air. |
| CU BoulderBoulder, CO · Boulder Co. | Stipend not published; ask. Avg 1BR $2,012/mo. Likely needs roommates to avoid debt. | 106,802 people, median age 29. 76% White, 11% Hispanic, 6% Asian. 76% have a bachelor's. | Strongly Democratic Harris 76.5%, Trump 20.8%. Colorado is Democratic statewide. |
Outdoor town: Flatirons climbing, open space, bike paths. Colorado Music Festival, Sundance from 2027. Denver 25 miles away. | 45 min to Denver airport, then nonstop, 4.5 to 5.5 hr. | Nonstop from Denver, about 4 hr in the air. |
Vote shares are 2024 presidential results for the county each campus sits in, a rough read on local politics; cities and campuses often lean more Democratic than their state. Travel times are approximate. Full write-up with sources: Where You'd Live: Program Cities Compared. Vote sources: Washoe County, New York, Kentucky, Athens County (WOUB), Texas, Colorado.
Checked against your UNR and Diablo Valley transcripts. None of the remaining programs require a course you're missing to apply. Abnormal Psychology is the one common prerequisite you lack, so finish it before next cycle.
Newest first. Times in PT.
Copies everything you've set: program statuses, plan checkboxes, prerequisites, city ranking, score weight and drafted city rows.
Paste data exported from another copy of the tracker. This replaces everything here.