PhD/PsyD Graduating senior...likely tanked my GPA by focusing on apps this semester

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Talib Qualia

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At the behest of my current faculty mentor and various people around the department, I decided in late September to submit clinical PhD apps this Fall rather than wait a year. With everything on my plate -- classwork, studying for/taking the GRE, writing essays, securing recs, working in the lab, doing my own research, and working 12 hours a week as an intern at our training clinic -- and a limited number of hours in the day, something had to give (or, at least, I allowed something to give :unsure:), and it ended up being my grades.

I applied to 11 programs (10 clinical and 1 cognitive), and while I am generally confident in the strength of my application...I essentially applied to only the very most competitive schools (they were the best research matches, unfortunately it just worked out that way). Now, I've done my research, and I'm aware of the nonsensically low chances that I'll be admitted.

While there are unique experiences and aspects of my application that I think will give me at least a fighting chance at some of these programs, and that is as much as anyone can hope for, there is nonetheless a very much greater than 0 chance that I will be left in the cold come April.

Therein lies the crux of my problem. I haven't officially received my grades for the term yet, but the outlook is fairly bleak. Even if I generously squeak out with a 3.0-3.3, that would still bring my GPA below where I'd feel comfortable reapplying next year if I do not get in (i.e. below 3.5/6 or so). I don't think I'd be well served pursuing a Masters, but I'm not quite sure what else to do if my cGPA ends up being sub-3.5ish come graduation; my initial backup plan had been a post-bacc RA position, I'm fairly sure I could get a paid one in my area of interest at my current school. Could I defer graduation and take an extra semester to bolster my grades? Would that be off putting for adcoms?

I'm not sure what to do in this situation, but it feels like I've gambled with my future by rushing the app through this Fall. Needless to say I am tottering at the precipice of somewhat debilitating anxiety until any word comes back. Advice? Solidarity? Sagely wisdom? Anyone else been in a similar situation? Please let me know! Cheers everyone.

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I think you also shot yourself in the foot a bit by applying to only top programs. You might be a very good candidate (even with this drop in grades), but i don't think you are guaranteed to get into a top program. (and that goes for anyone). No reason why you shouldn't apply to top programs, but you should have as many, if not more mid-level programs. As long as the Uni/College is APA accredited, mostly or fully funded, (you won't leave the program with 30k or more debt, including living expenses), it has good match rates, and is a fit with your research interest..that is all that matters..prestige of the college means very little at the end of the day.
 
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I think you also shot yourself in the foot a bit by applying to only top programs. You might be a very good candidate (even with this drop in grades), but i don't think you are guaranteed to get into a top program. (and that goes for anyone). No reason why you shouldn't apply to top programs, but you should have as many, if not more mid-level programs. As long as the Uni/College is APA accredited, mostly or fully funded, (you won't leave the program with 30k or more debt, including living expenses), it has good match rates, and is a fit with your research interest..that is all that matters..prestige of the college means very little at the end of the day.

Speaking from my limited perspective, I think that holds true in terms of professional clinical success, but as academia goes I'm not entirely sure it is the case? Unfortunately prestige, even the somewhat idiosyncratic prestige of psych programs, seems to matter (e.g. cognitive bias is a thing, etc) for professorships and research grants and the like. Even if I went entirely clinical, having come from a "name brand" university (not that I even applied to many "name brands" that someone unfamiliar with psych programs would be impressed by) is important to a certain subset of the populace. Certainly if I ever wanted to do something like write a book 20 years down the road, recognizable academic background is a selling point. In terms of actual education I'm sure you're completely right. I doubt the quality of training differs very much at all between APA accredited schools. Getting that training is my first priority, and I would be happy to gain admittance into any funded APA program. There are however, as I've mentioned above, certain benefits that prestige carries.

Or at least, so went my thinking. "The plan" was that this round I'd apply to the programs where I would be most excited to attend. If I get in, great! If I do not get in, next year I will have a few more pubs and ideally more research background as a post-bacc. I'd apply to a wider range of programs at that time. The GPA stuff has thrown a wrench in the works, however, which is where much of the problem is coming from.

Well, at the very least, that insanely busy semester will prepare you for grad school. It doesn't get any less busy/hectic from here on out.

You know, I've actually had that same thought myself! Silver linings, right?
 
Certainly if I ever wanted to do something like write a book 20 years down the road, recognizable academic background is a selling point.

It matters more where you work at the time of writing the book. I came from a wholly mediocre Uni program and a good but not "name" internahip, but was able to secure an elite fellowship and top-notch faculty position. No one cares where I came from, they only care about what I'm doing now. You still need to attend a decent program, but "name"...meh. In the psych world many of the best places are state Unis.
 
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...maybe a bit presumptuous, I know, but I think the idea holds true. Also, it's really not very unheard of is it? I'm not necessarily talking about a bestseller, but nearly every professional psychologist I know (working in academia or otherwise) has at some point made a book happen.
 
Going to an average state school with a decent graduate program in psychology will not prevent you from writing a book - I'm almost always surprised to see where authors of psych books that I read earned their PhDs. Maybe look into experimental programs and see if they match your interests more closely.
 
...maybe a bit presumptuous, I know, but I think the idea holds true. Also, it's really not very unheard of is it? I'm not necessarily talking about a bestseller, but nearly every professional psychologist I know (working in academia or otherwise) has at some point made a book happen.

And most of these people would not do it again. It's a huge time and money sink, unless it's a top seller. If it's a goal, go nuts, but it's really not the prestigious thing that most people think it is. I know several top names in neuro who regularly reject offers to write books because it simply isn't worth it.
 
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And most of these people would not do it again. It's a huge time and money sink, unless it's a top seller. If it's a goal, go nuts, but it's really not the prestigious thing that most people think it is. I know several top names in neuro who regularly reject offers to write books because it simply isn't worth it.

At least in my experience, I'd agree, and say that it tends to be more of a later-career thing (or at least mid-career). At least in clinical. Likely in part because by that point, you've accumulated enough research publications to string together a series of introductions and conclusions to essentially be its own book. If you have a big name school attached to that, it might help, but I've not really noticed a non-big-name school hurting such things.

Book chapters are a large enough pain to write; I've no current interest in upping that to an entire book.
 
First time authors have little leverage to negotiate a fair/good split, so it definitely shouldn't be about the money. There are self-publishing options, but that route has its own pitfalls. As for prestige, the best academic publications may help strengthen someone's foothold in a speciality, but the readership is incredibly small. A pop-psych book may get read by the masses, but they tend to dumb things down and often over-reach, so the scientific community is typically unimpressed.

Writing a book (preferably an academic one) is still on my bucketlist, but it is definitely something that will be a grind in the best of circumstances. I have a topic in mind and some manuscripts either written or planned that I can draw from, but even then it will be a ton of work.
 
First time authors have little leverage to negotiate a fair/good split, so it definitely shouldn't be about the money.

Even 4th and 5th time authors don't make money on books. The only person I know personally who has made money on royalties from publishing in the neuropsych realm is McCrae. And that's because the mTBI/Concussion stuff is multidisciplinary and a hot button issue.

Granted, these are academic books, not the self-help junk that can make someone money by just throwing a bunch of buzzword and profound sounding statements to the gullible masses.
 
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It is such a fine line for academics to toe…on the one hand I want to get the CORRECT message out there, but on the other hand it is very difficult to do when there are so many hacks just looking to make a buck.
 
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...maybe a bit presumptuous, I know, but I think the idea holds true. Also, it's really not very unheard of is it? I'm not necessarily talking about a bestseller, but nearly every professional psychologist I know (working in academia or otherwise) has at some point made a book happen.

Most of my colleagues would consider this a waste of time (i.e., not billable).
 
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Well I'll tell you what, the first thing the publisher is going to ask you about when you want to write a book is what your undergraduate GPA was. Specifically during your last year.

Anyone can write a book.
 
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Most of my colleagues would consider this a waste of time (i.e., not billable).
Peer-reviewed articles would fall into that category too though. Someone on an academic path is going to become unemployed extremely quickly with that attitude.

More on the original topic, I think the broader point is not to stress too much about the GPA. There are ways to repair it and its not like you are talking about it dropping to a 2.4. It was a mistake to let things slide in your final years focusing on apps, but hopefully you have strong enough credentials you will be accepted this around.

A mid-tier school won't impact your ability to write a book. Books come in many forms (undergrad-style textbooks, graduate-style books, treatment manuals, popular press books). Very rarely will they make you rich. Occasionally, they will help with tenure (and sometimes they will hurt by taking time away from things that count more). I think the main reasons to write one are: 1) As a service to the field; and 2) As a means to carve out a niche or establish yourself as the "authority" on a topic. The book itself doesn't make you much money directly, but it can facilitate things that do either directly (speaking engagements, consulting) or indirectly (e.g. you become a recognized "expert," get increased referrals and/or can get away with obscene fees in a cash-pay practice).
 
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