4 reasons students choose Rider's graduate programs in counseling

Cheryl Herzfeld '19 and Christopher Watson '19 were at different stages of their careers when they chose to enroll in Rider's graduate-level counseling programs. 

Herzfeld had been a litigation attorney since 1999, but several years ago she realized she wanted to switch careers. Watson was a graduate of Washington and Jefferson College in Pennsylvania, where he was a dual majored in psychology and business administration. 

While each chose a different specialization within the counseling field, they both chose Rider for similar reasons, which include these four:

1) The program is nationally recognized and accredited

"When I decided to go back to school, I needed a place that was commutable from my house, and more importantly, accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). I attended an information session at Rider where I had the opportunity to meet a number of the faculty. I found them to be very open. I just got a warm feeling from being here, which I didn’t get at other places where I applied. That was really one of the main reasons why I chose this program."

-Cheryl Herzfeld '19

2) Student receive personal attention

"Upon deciding to leave my corporate business job to chase a dream job in counseling, I chose Rider University because it was nationally recognized as a CACREP institute and I also fell in love with the one-on-one student support the University provided its master's in counseling students. The faculty and core-counseling professors at Rider are one of a kind and will do anything to assist their students. I also chose the program because it offered in-person classes that were conceptualized to meet the needs of its students at an affordable level."

-Christopher Watson '19

3) Hands-on training is integral to the program

"I really enjoyed the program a lot. I appreciate that we received a lot of good hands-on training so that when we got out into the field, we were able to apply the things we learned in class more easily than if we were just learning about them in a theoretical way. The law school I went to was more theoretical based, and I always felt that early in my career I was at a little bit of a disadvantage to those who had gone to other law schools where there was more of a practical experience. So when I chose Rider, I was definitely looking for a program that would give me the ability to do, and not just read about."

-Cheryl Herzfeld '19

4) Classmates form a valuable support system and peer network

"Through my time in the program, I can honestly say that I valued the student body equally as much as I valued the faculty and staff. The classes were a great combination of individual and group work. I knew that I could utilize any student in the program as a valuable asset and keep them close within my counseling support system. The students and staff alike were wonderful to work with and it was a fantastic experience for me!"

-Christopher Watson '19