Goal of eventually getting PhD...don't have the grades

[mslinzyann]

Hey ladies and gentlemen.....
I want to get into a PhD program in clinical psychology and eventually work in clinical practice and research. To accomplish this goal, I believe I will need to go to a decent university for my PhD. There are two potential paths I think would work; I'm wondering what you all think would be the best one.

I will be graduating in May with a 3.3 major in Psychology minor in Biology. I am going back and forth between obtaining a master's degree or taking a year off to do research and gain experience in mental health.
In terms of getting a masters degree, it seems that most of the places that offer a masters only aren't the best schools. Is it possible, with very good grades, that a masters degree from a lower tier school would help to get you into a PhD program? I am currently looking at the Chicago area specifically, at Roosevelt, Chicago Medical School, and maybe Chicago School of Professional Psychology for a masters degree. Will this further my ability to get into a PhD program?

I've also considered taking a year off to do research at my undergrad university and to gain work experience. Which do you think would be better?

Thank you!

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[CheetahGirl]

Do both concurrently. Get your master's while working as a CLINICAL research coordinator - Most master's programs have evening classes. It sounds overzealous...but doing both will get you geared up for the demands of a PhD program and prove to psych programs that your grades don't reflect your motivation.

If you fare well in both, then you may not have to finish the master's (b/c you'll get another MA when you get a PhD) and can apply after one year. Good luck!

 

[mslinzyann]

If I did finish an M.A. first, would any of that count towards a PhD? I've seen some information that it would, but does anybody know the extent to which it does?

 

[Anon15]

If you can crush the GRE's and can get a solid two year RA, I would skip the MA and apply to PhD programs in 2 years.

 

[psychdude5469]

If I did finish an M.A. first, would any of that count towards a PhD? I've seen some information that it would, but does anybody know the extent to which it does?

A fellow student in my clinical PhD program came in with a masters. His thesis transferred, so he doesn't have to do another one. I believe he had 4 classes transfer, one of which is psychological assessment (lucky dude), so he doesn't have to take those over. The classes that transfer depend on the school you're coming from and the school you're going to.

 

[PsyDr]

1) Your initial assumption is off. The quality of your work pretty much decides how much research you end up doing. The editor of neuropsychology is in a great position because he published stellar research. My former boss published one iffy article. Both attended the same program at the same time. the latter only does clinical work. Moral to the story: it is the quality of the research you do, not where you go. Clinical work should be a given in a clinica phd program, regardless of where you go.

2) You are drastically limiting yourself by trying to stay in a single geographical location. I would question your motives for this decision. If you are willing to spend 6-7 yrs doing something, surely it must also be worth moving. Also: you stand a significant chance of having to move anyway during internship.

3) That 3.3 is going to kill you. Clinical experience is prolly not going to overcome this. A super high GRE might in some lower tier programs.

 

[lilies05]

i don't agree. a 3.3 isn't insurmountable.

I have a 3.4 and i've had 4 years of research experience since college. yes, ive had to put in extra effort but i've had an overwhelming response back from professors saying that my GPA will not hold me back. if you can get some experience, and learn to speak about clinical issues on a higher level, you can get into cp graduate school.

also - a 3.3 at harvard with a minor in bio isn't very bad at all. the quality of your undergrad institution will potentially offset a less-than-stellar gpa

 

[Ex1844]

My undergrad GPA was only a 3.1, but I obtained a 3.9 in a Masters program. I suffer from a disorder(not a mental one) which heled me back in my undergrad years and drastically affected my grades. After this disorder was somewhat rectified, it really allowed me to show my full potential in my graduate studies. Also, I have considerable research and clinical experience, etc. Granted, I am applying for the Psy.D so they might be a little more lenient.

If you feel that your undergrad grades do not reflect your true potential then a Masters degree might help off-set this.

 

[Ollie123]

1) Your initial assumption is off. The quality of your work pretty much decides how much research you end up doing. The editor of neuropsychology is in a great position because he published stellar research. My former boss published one iffy article. Both attended the same program at the same time. the latter only does clinical work. Moral to the story: it is the quality of the research you do, not where you go. Clinical work should be a given in a clinica phd program, regardless of where you go.

You are without a doubt correct in pointing out that where you go is secondary to what you do while you're there, but I do think it somewhat oversimplifies things.

Good research requires resources, and its certainly beneficial to have a good mentor with an established research program to learn from. These are not guaranteed, but definitely more likely to occur at the better programs. Trying to do good research at a school where there is little research going on, no grants, etc. is certainly going to make it much more difficult to do the kind of work you need to do to get a faculty job.

 

[mslinzyann]

Well thank you all, I appreciate the information.
I find it more than a little discouraging, I guess, that not many of your credits from a masters degree count towards a doctoral degree- in an average transfer situation, anyway. It does seem that some of the PsyD programs I've looked at allow you to start as a masters, then start the PsyD.

I have a moderate interest in research, but my strong interest is in being a clinician and in teaching. So I guess maybe a good PsyD program would work in this department?

As far as geographically limiting myself, I know its a problem. I'm in love with a boy or I wouldn't consider any geographic limitations....but I am looking at Illinois, Michigan and Indiana, which contain a good amount of schools.

I realize my 3.3 is not great. Had I done English rather than Biology, I'd have a 3.75 Ahhh, regrets. I also have weak research experience; one semester in an animal research lab (which I really, really hated).

Eeek. I'm feeling really negative about this right now. Did I mention I'm a senior?

 

[psybee]

Well thank you all, I appreciate the information.
I find it more than a little discouraging, I guess, that not many of your credits from a masters degree count towards a doctoral degree- in an average transfer situation, anyway. It does seem that some of the PsyD programs I've looked at allow you to start as a masters, then start the PsyD.

I have a moderate interest in research, but my strong interest is in being a clinician and in teaching. So I guess maybe a good PsyD program would work in this department?

As far as geographically limiting myself, I know its a problem. I'm in love with a boy or I wouldn't consider any geographic limitations....but I am looking at Illinois, Michigan and Indiana, which contain a good amount of schools.

I realize my 3.3 is not great. Had I done English rather than Biology, I'd have a 3.75 Ahhh, regrets. I also have weak research experience; one semester in an animal research lab (which I really, really hated).

Eeek. I'm feeling really negative about this right now. Did I mention I'm a senior?

is there a reason why you have to apply to a program right out of college? i keep on reading from so many folks that they are so worried that they won't get into programs, and often thier apps would greatly improve if they just took a year+ off, focused on what they wanted to do, got an ra or clinical job, maybe took some grad classes and really explored thier interest in psych. not only does it add to your CV, but a student that really knows what they want and thoughtfully applies to programs that can take you there is way more likely to get in. as frightening as the app stats are, with schools getting 200-400+ apps for single digit or in the teens entering classes, many many of those initial applicants are from folks who were not applying seriously or were not good enough matches, or weren't able to express thier fit appropriately. they were not in the running from the get go. take time to explore what you like, hang out with the boy if that's where you're at, and look to apply in 2010. 2+ cents!