Application timeline, fall grades included?

[valentinoRossi]

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I want to apply at the end of this year and am currently doing 3 things. I'm a career changer into psych and am playing catch-up

1. taking psych classes and will hopefully have 12 classes completed by the end of fall..that should equal 36 hours. Psyd Programs I contacted said i should have at least 21 hours before applying.
1.intro to psych
2.abnormal psy
3.physiological psych
4.intro to counseling (this was listed as a education course but i believe it should count as a psych class since we covered so much important material that deals with clinical psychology)
5.personality
6.developmental psych
7.health psych
8.statistics
9. research =3 credit hours for being a research assistant in a psych lab
10,11,12(and 3-4 classes i'll taking this fall)

Besides doing classes I'm a research assistant and also started training for a suicide hotline group. I'm also doing an internship with a psychologist soon to get some exposure to private practice life.

I have not taken the GREs yet...or even started studying for them unfortunately :/

Besides being a current RA for a psych lab, i have 3 research publications in Anesthesia.

My problem is this...all of the application deadlines are around mid december, which is right before my fall grades come out. I really need my fall grades to be included in my application because i messed up my spring semester due to moving from a different state and not being able to settle fully enough to be 100% focused on school. I believe I can explain this semester on my application but i still prefer to have my fall semester grades to boost up my gpa and offset the 2 C's i got with A's.

Questions:

Does anyone know if i can still include my fall grades in my app?

How much time should one study for the GRE (on average)? When should I plan to take the test?

Is there anything else I can do to enhance my overall application that i'm not doing right now? My goal is to attend a good PsyD program

Has anyone ever been a suicide helpline volunteer? Can you share your experience, did you enjoy it? I feel like this is a great way to prepare to be a better clinician and gain experience that i couldn't get anywhere else really.

thanks so much 🙂

VR

 

[paramour]

I want to apply at the end of this year and am currently doing 3 things. I'm a career changer into psych and am playing catch-up

1. taking psych classes and will hopefully have 12 classes completed by the end of fall..that should equal 36 hours. Psyd Programs I contacted said i should have at least 21 hours before applying.
1.intro to psych
2.abnormal psy
3.physiological psych
4.intro to counseling (this was listed as a education course but i believe it should count as a psych class since we covered so much important material that deals with clinical psychology)
5.personality
6.developmental psych
7.health psych
8.statistics
9. research =3 credit hours for being a research assistant in a psych lab
10,11,12(and 3-4 classes i'll taking this fall)

Besides doing classes I'm a research assistant and also started training for a suicide hotline group. I'm also doing an internship with a psychologist soon to get some exposure to private practice life.

I have not taken the GREs yet...or even started studying for them unfortunately :/

Besides being a current RA for a psych lab, i have 3 research publications in Anesthesia.

My problem is this...all of the application deadlines are around mid december, which is right before my fall grades come out. I really need my fall grades to be included in my application because i messed up my spring semester due to moving from a different state and not being able to settle fully enough to be 100% focused on school. I believe I can explain this semester on my application but i still prefer to have my fall semester grades to boost up my gpa and offset the 2 C's i got with A's.

Questions:

Does anyone know if i can still include my fall grades in my app?

If they're not posted at the time you apply, then no. Although you may *think* you know your grades, if it's not on the transcripts that are being sent to the programs, then you don't *know* your grades.

How much time should one study for the GRE (on average)? When should I plan to take the test?

I don't know about study time because I didn't study (I don't recommend this approach either). I've seen approximately 3-6 months for most folks depending upon how much time they're able to invest per day, week, etc. I believe the latest you probably want to take it is no later than Sept-Nov (depending on your earliest deadlines). It usually takes 2-3 weeks to send/receive scores, so give yourself time.

Is there anything else I can do to enhance my overall application that i'm not doing right now? My goal is to attend a good PsyD program

Is your only research experience the 3 credit hours you mentioned? This seems relatively sparse, even for a PsyD program. I'd encourage you to find more research experience.

Has anyone ever been a suicide helpline volunteer? Can you share your experience, did you enjoy it? I feel like this is a great way to prepare to be a better clinician and gain experience that i couldn't get anywhere else really.

thanks so much 🙂

VR

Again, I'd encourage more research experience over clinical experience. Even though you may be applying to PsyD programs, the research will help you stand out.

I've not worked for a suicide hotline, although I am currently doing some additional work in emergency crisis and screening at a CMHC. Deals with suicidal/mental health patients in the ER who need to be admitted to the state hospital, risk evaluations at the jail, and other clients who are in a suicidal risk program. It's interesting and I've enjoyed it thus far. 👍 However, I also acknowledge that this is going to be different than volunteering at a hotline, so my comments may be of absolutely no value here.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

One of my grad school friends worked on a suicide/crisis hotline as an undergrad and very much enjoyed it (including the occasional late-night ****s that were required). I agree with paramour, though, that if 3 credit hours' worth is your only research experience, beefing up your application in that area might be your best bet. Although ultimately it's your decision, so do what you feel is best.

As for your other questions, paramour already answered those it seems. You can't include the grades unless they're officially posted, and most people I know studied about ~3 months for the GRE. Sept./Oct. would definitely be the latest I'd be comfortable sitting for the exam.

 

[valentinoRossi]

One of my grad school friends worked on a suicide/crisis hotline as an undergrad and very much enjoyed it (including the occasional late-night ****s that were required). I agree with paramour, though, that if 3 credit hours' worth is your only research experience, beefing up your application in that area might be your best bet. Although ultimately it's your decision, so do what you feel is best.

As for your other questions, paramour already answered those it seems. You can't include the grades unless they're officially posted, and most people I know studied about ~3 months for the GRE. Sept./Oct. would definitely be the latest I'd be comfortable sitting for the exam.

I was also a research lab assistant for a plant biology lab...and have 3 publications in anesthesia research...but yeah I only have 3 credit hours in psychology research, although I'm helping out with numerous projects.
This is unfortunate because I feel like without my upcoming fall semester my application is weak, and I definitely don't want to wait to apply next year..i really wanna get into a psyd program next year

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I was also a research lab assistant for a plant biology lab...and have 3 publications in anesthesia research...but yeah I only have 3 credit hours in psychology research, although I'm helping out with numerous projects.
This is unfortunate because I feel like without my upcoming fall semester my application is weak, and I definitely don't want to wait to apply next year..i really wanna get into a psyd program next year

It doesn't hurt to apply this year, although yeah, if the grades haven't posted by the time you submit your app, then you can't include them. If you do, you very easily risk getting caught and called out, even if what you reported in the app was accurate. You can certainly mention what your anticipated grades will be in the fall, though, and why that reflects a substantive change from past work.