complicated situation- whats the best path to take?

[brightness]

Ok, so I will have a B.S. in psychology with a minor in Biology as of May. My GPA is not stellar; I am hoping to graduate with a 3.5. I realize right now that I am not ready to apply to any graduate programs, and I probably wouldn't do well on the GRE if I did try to scramble together an application. My math skills aren't up to par.

So, I am stuck with a year in limbo waiting to prepare for the GRE, get research experience or clinical experience, and get applications together. I am wanting to apply to either clinical or school programs. I'd love to stay in the Michigan/Chicago/ect. area if I can, but who knows about that.

I can't decide what I should be doing in this interim period. Should I focus on research, or try to get a job doing something more clinical in nature, such as casework or working at a residential psych facility? Should I do a couple years of teaching? I've thought about doing something a little easier to get into, like OT or nursing, but I think psychology is the field for me.

I'm just really not sure what the right choice is in terms of what will give me the experience and credentials that would be good for grad school. But I don't want to take more than a year off, really.

Any ideas? I'm perplexed.

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[thewesternsky]

I'd say your best bet is to apply for research assistant positions. Also, the closer in subject matter you can get to your area of interest, the better.