Jenna's personal launchpad for settling into Houston — housing, career, exploration, and her path back to a doctorate — all in one place.
Everything you need to land on your feet and thrive. Use the tabs above to navigate each section.
Apartments & houses under $1,600/month. Best Houston neighborhoods for you.
Psychology, behavioral health, hospitals & behavior analyst employers across Houston.
Parks, food, culture, sports and everything that makes Houston incredible.
Everything to do before, during, and after the big move to Houston.
Resources, tools & prep strategies to nail your next UH application.
Family covers half — your share stays under $800/month. Let's find a great place!
Houston is warm! Summers hit the 90s°F with humidity. Winters are mild. Spring & fall are absolutely beautiful — lean into the outdoors then.
Cars are essential. Houston is vast and spread out — a car makes life much easier. That said, the METRORail connects Midtown, the Med Center, and UH beautifully.
The food scene will blow your mind. Houston is the most diverse city in the US — world-class Vietnamese, Nigerian, Tex-Mex, Indian, Lebanese, and everything between.
Live close to UH & the Med Center. Midtown, Montrose, and the Museum District put you on the METRORail — perfect for building connections at UH before reapplying.
Houston's mental health sector is massive. The Texas Medical Center is the world's largest. Between TMC hospitals, Harris Center, the VA, and private practices, the experience-building opportunities are exceptional.
Find your perfect Houston home — budget-friendly, in a great neighborhood, and close to your future opportunities.
Filtered under $1,600/mo. Map & list view, neighborhood heat maps, and commute time estimates.
One of the largest databases. Filter by pets, parking, amenities, and proximity to the Medical Center or UH.
Great neighborhood crime maps and school ratings alongside rental listings to help evaluate areas.
Strong selection of Houston apartment communities with detailed floor plans and virtual tours.
Map-first rental search. Great for visualizing distance from the Medical Center, UH, and employers.
Aggregates listings from multiple sites onto one map. Set a radius from a specific address.
The official Houston real estate MLS — the most comprehensive and accurate local rental database available.
Private landlord listings, rooms for rent, and roommate opportunities. Also search "Houston apartments for rent" groups.
No-fee listings and private landlord deals. Always visit in person and never wire money before seeing a unit.
Find a roommate to split costs further. Profile-based matching to find compatible housemates.
Walkable, vibrant, diverse. Right by Med Center & Museum District. Very popular with young professionals.
Historic, artsy, great value. Excellent restaurant & coffee shop scene. Popular with 20s–30s residents.
On the METRORail. Walk or rail to UH & all major hospitals. Ideal for building connections before doctoral reapplication.
Young professionals, walkable trails along Buffalo Bayou, great nightlife and weekend vibe.
Houston's Texas Medical Center is the world's largest. Hospitals, mental health agencies, behavioral analysts, and private practices are all actively hiring.
Largest job board. Pre-filtered for psychology & mental health roles in Houston.
Job board + professional networking. Connect with Houston psychology professionals before arriving.
Job listings with real employee salary data and employer reviews. Research culture before applying.
Aggregates listings from multiple boards. Great for catching postings missed on Indeed or LinkedIn.
Top-ranked hospital system. Active behavioral health, neuropsychology, and clinical psychology departments.
One of Houston's largest hospital networks — 17 hospitals with mental health and behavioral medicine programs.
World-renowned children's hospital with a large psychology department — autism, behavioral health, neuropsychology roles.
World-renowned psychiatric hospital in Houston. Exceptional experience for doctoral applications. Highly prestigious.
Public health system serving Harris County. Major behavioral health services and community mental health roles.
Academic health center with Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. Research and clinical roles available.
Prestigious research and clinical institution in the Med Center. Psychology, psychiatry and research coordinator roles.
Large hospital network across Greater Houston. Multiple behavioral health and mental health counselor openings.
Houston's primary public mental health authority. Great entry point for master's-level clinicians and case managers.
Houston's VA is a major psychology employer. VA experience is highly valued for doctoral program applications.
HISD serves 200,000+ students. School counselor and psychological services staff roles — excellent hands-on experience.
Browse group practices and private practices that may be hiring associate therapists or clinical staff.
Leading ABA therapy provider with multiple Houston-area clinics. Hires RBTs, BCaBAs, and behavior technicians.
National ABA provider with strong Houston presence. Roles from behavior technician to program supervisor.
Autism-focused ABA therapy provider. Great in-home and clinic-based roles for psychology graduates.
Official Behavior Analyst Certification Board job board. Filter for Houston roles in applied behavior analysis.
Texas Children's has a large autism & developmental-behavioral pediatrics department with ABA staff openings.
Mental health benefits company with therapist and care navigator positions — growing rapidly in Texas.
The most diverse city in America — with incredible food, parks, culture, sports, and so much to discover.
NASA's official visitor center — real mission control rooms, astronaut suits, and rockets. An iconic Houston experience.
19 museums in walking distance — many FREE on Thursdays. Art, natural science, history, Holocaust Museum and more.
Trails, kayaking, dog parks and stunning skyline views. Perfect for morning runs and weekend hangouts.
445-acre park with the Houston Zoo, Japanese Garden, paddleboat lake, and light rail access.
Houston is one of the most diverse food cities in the US. Vietnamese, Nigerian, Tex-Mex, Indian — all world-class.
Free concerts, yoga, farmers markets and food trucks. Fantastic way to meet Houstonians and join the community.
Waterfront amusement park and seafood restaurants just 30 minutes from downtown. Perfect weekend day trip.
Texas Gulf Coast beach 50 miles from Houston. Beautiful historic district, seafood, and ocean breezes.
Texans (NFL), Astros (MLB), Rockets (NBA), Dynamo (MLS). Live sports are a massive part of Houston culture!
Concerts, networking events, workshops, comedy shows and community gatherings happening across Houston.
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One year of experience, preparation, and strategic relationship-building can make all the difference. Here's everything to give Jenna the edge.
Clinical experience at a Houston institution (especially TMC, Harris Center, or VA), a connection with a UH faculty member, and a sharper personal statement are the three most powerful things you can do in the next year. Every item below is designed to strengthen one of those pillars.
Land your first job. Start building Houston connections. Visit UH campus and explore the department.
Identify 3–5 UH faculty whose research aligns with your interests. Email them. Offer to help with research.
Draft personal statement. Request updated letters of rec. Review GRE scores — retake if helpful.
Submit a targeted, polished application backed by a year of Houston clinical experience and faculty connection.
The official program page — requirements, faculty bios, research labs, and application details. Read this thoroughly.
Browse faculty research interests and lab pages. Find a mentor whose work aligns with yours — this is critical.
Texas state graduate admissions portal used by UH. Create an account early and track deadlines carefully.
Register for the GRE, download official prep materials, and access free full-length practice tests from ETS.
Highly rated online GRE prep platform with video lessons, adaptive practice questions, and score improvement guarantees.
Free, high-quality math and verbal concept review. Great supplement to paid GRE prep, especially for quant.
Search academic publications. Follow UH faculty you're interested in to stay current with their research.
Academic social network. Connect with UH researchers, read their papers, and engage with their work professionally.
Free access to millions of peer-reviewed papers. Essential for staying current in clinical psychology research areas.
American Psychological Association's official guide to applying for doctoral programs. Includes tips on fit, statements, and interviews.
Join TPA as a graduate/early career member. Conferences, networking events, and connections to Houston-area psychologists.
Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers. Critical resource for understanding the doctoral training pipeline.
Active community of psychology grad students sharing application tips, program reviews, and PhD prep advice.
APA's guide to crafting a compelling clinical psychology personal statement. Read this before writing a single word.
Detailed, expert-written guidance on crafting statements of purpose that stand out in competitive doctoral programs.