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[hk490xv]

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[UhOh]

A B is not a big deal, IMO. Better to take the advanced research methods course and get the most you can out of it. It may help prepare you for grad school. Good luck!

Is it better to get a B in an undergrad research methods course, or not have the course on my transcript at all?

I asked a very similar question a little while ago, but I'm hoping to get a little more feedback from current psych grad students or maybe even an admissions committee officer (aaah, I can dream...) But of course, I appreciate everyone's opinions.

To go into a little more detail, I'm a second-semester senior psych major, going for a Ph.D in Clinical Psych but first planning to work as an RA for 2 years. I know most grad schools value a research methods course, and I've taken a 'statistics and research design' class before, but am currently taking an 'advanced research methods' class. I cannot, for the life of me, pull better than a B in this class - which probably looks bad and will bring down my GPA. So am I better off just dropping it and hoping grad schools don't ask why I never took research methods? 😕

I would REALLY appreciate any and all feedback, since the drop deadline is in about 24 hours....

 

[clinpsych]

A B on your transcript would look much better than a withdrawal.

Please don't worry about one B - it's not going to sink your application, I promise 🙂

 

[roubs]

Don't drop a hard class because you will get a B in it. One (or even a few) Bs do not look bad. If one B brings down your GPA it suggests that your GPA is very very high. Granted, a school will never know, but giving up on something difficult is more suggestive of a bad fit for graduate school than getting a B is. Generalization time: Do you hang out with a lot of premeds?

 

[blindchaos]

I'm with everyone else - personally, I would take the B rather than not having the course on my transcript at all.

 

[bmedclinic]

I'm with everyone else - personally, I would take the B rather than not having the course on my transcript at all.

me too. If you're asked about it in an interview (which seems unlikely to me) I'd just tell them what you learned, both academically, and as a person about getting a B.

 

[paramour]

B a bad grade? Hell, I'm certainly not bragging, but I had D's & F's on my first undergrad transcripts for various reasons. THOSE are bad grades. A 'B' isn't going to sink you. Get the relevant experience you need, and do the best you can while en route. Although there may be some coursework that you could get by without taking before your application cycle, I wouldn't skimp on the research methods. G'luck!

 

[corticalmass]

Yo, on a side note, I'm pretty sure most graduate programs expect you to have completed an undergrad methods course! I could be wrong, so if somebody can point that out, go for it . . . I will join the chorus and agree that a "B" in an advanced course will look perfectly fine; chances are that committee(s) will be happy enough to see "advanced."

 

[clinpsych]

Yo, on a side note, I'm pretty sure most graduate programs expect you to have completed an undergrad methods course! I could be wrong, so if somebody can point that out, go for it . . .

Do most programs expect that applicants have completed Research Methods?

Probably.

Do most programs check if applicants have actually taken Research Methods?

Probably not. I know mine doesn't. Achieving a high level of research involvement and productivity is far more important than taking a specific course.