Avg accepted GPA/GRE chart or search engine? If not, any suggestions?

[Spin]

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Is there a tool I can use to figure out what schools are in my league as far as GPA and GRE score? A chart, a graph, a search engine like mdapplicants.com? If not, does anyone have suggestions for programs that I'd be well-suited for, given my situation? My situation: I have a slightly low GPA, and I'm stuck as a Biochemistry major with (so far) only biochemical research experience. I really appreciate any advice 🙂.

So far I've been using http://www.petersons.com/graduate_home.asp?path=gr.home to find the sorts of programs I'm interested in, but I don't think I'd be a competitive applicant at any of the ones I've seen. Also, this is probably a given, but I'm interested in any program that will prepare me to be a practicing psychologist and a professor/researcher. Pure research is fun, but it won't fulfill me by itself.

The nitty-gritty:
Major: Biochemistry (I'm stuck with it - too late in the game to switch 🙁)
Upper division GPA: 3.45 (only including 2 classes. Neither is psych-related)
Overall GPA: 3.64
GRE: should be a strong point - I'm good at standardized tests and I'm going to study well for it.
PsychGRE: not planning to take it since I won't have the background.
Research experience: Biochemistry/Neurology related. My mentor is a chemist. I have my own project and I'll be writing a paper this spring, but that doesn't do me much good as far as psychology goes. It might help me get into a neurology program, but a neurology PhD won't qualify me to be a psychologist. Hopefully I can get some psychological research experience late in the spring and starting next summer - just in time for applications.
Psychology-related coursework:
- Intro to Psychology
- Statistics 1
- Physiological Psychology (currently taking)
- Developmental Psychology (currently taking)
- Plan to take Statistics 2, Experimental psychology, and 2-4 others depending on program requirements.

Suggestions? Advice? Know of any programs that value a hard-science background? *crosses fingers*

 

[cara susanna]

Since I have my final GRE score, I just went through the Insider's Guide list and wrote down the programs where I matched scores, then looked up their websites to see if that was still true.

But remember that research match is extremely important and the #1 factor, so you may want to narrow down that before you search (unless you have already, I can't tell from your original post).

 

[psybee]

obv. it's best to have the highest scores possible, but if your 3.4+ is due to taking some seriously hard classes in hard science, that may factor into the equation.

don't just stop with petersons or insiders -- if a program looks good, check out thier website and ther disclosure data (it'll have gre gpa type info). i found insiders to be rather off when it came to those stats and also to fin. aid info. also, keep in mid if they give you mean or median data, and think about that in terms of how good a fit you are how good you think you'll be able to do on other parts of your app., like gre, your writing skills, your letter, interview skills, etc.

my advice is this -- while i totally understand that your stated goal is to be a practicing psychologist, and thus you're interested in programs that are good but that will also accept you, they aren't going to look at it the same way. the programs want candiates that really want them, that are specifically interested i what they have to offer and have a passion for thier program. you'll hear it over and over on these boards, but it's all about fit. that's why we don't have sites like mdapplicants -- there are all sorts of non-equation freindly variables that play into acceptance or rejection from clin. psych. phd programs.

tailroing your PS to the school, even getter your letter writes to personalize what they write -- all of that just works best if you really are committed to the specific schools you are applying to, and really want to get into THEM, not just get in. researchers don't just want students that are interested in thier work, they want someone that is passionate about thier work, that will be dedicated and meticulous when they work for them. plenty of folks don't get into programs that they are overqualified for because in the interview they don't transmit the passion that another student does.

so while i understand wanting to look for programs first based on average stats, in my opinion i say realy examine what you wuld love to have in a program -- clinical work from your fist year? what kinds of clients or practica would be great to have access to? urban or rural pop? medical affiliations or community mental health affiliations? health, child, neuro, mindfullness, psychodynamic, CBT orientations? what kind of research would be fun for you? are you open geographically or are you like me and need a city? or do cities give you hives? -- and then look at those programs that make you swoony. if a lot are over your qualifications then add a few more to the list -- a lot of folks on this site reccommend doing the 1/3 approach -- 1/3 reaches, 1/3 where you match, 1/3 where your stats are above. if you feel like your interests are still too broad, psych wise, how about a year off doing RA and clinical work?

a few cents from me.

good luck!

 

[Spin]

Thank you soo much for your replies! I know that it'll all come down to how well you match, and I'll definitely be looking at the individual professors' research before I seriously think about applying somewhere. I've been feeling so overwhelmed by all the schools that I didn't know where to start. It gets exhausting looking through every college's website, so hopefully Insider's will help with that.

My GPA is lowish because of C's in Physics and Organic Chemistry. I have my act together now and that should show on my transcipt. I'm having a lot of trouble narrowing down my interests but I suspect that that will improve with time.

A couple more questions:
What psych classes are most often required? From what I've seen, it looks like most schools definitely want Intro to Psych, Statistics, Experimental (which I'm assuming is a lab..), and a few others that vary, often including Abnormal and Developmental. If I take all of these, will I be good to go at most schools? Right now I'm trying to keep as many doors open as possible. Should I try to take Social? Cognitive? I don't have enough time to take much more than that before graduation, and most of the seats will be taken by the official psychology majors before I even have a chance to register for them.

Are these other books very helpful? I feel like I have a pretty good idea of how the application process works and I can follow schools' directions, but I'll take all the help I can get:

- Getting In: A Step-By-Step Plan for Gaining Admission to Graduate School in Psychology
http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Step-Step-Admission-Psychology/dp/1591477999/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b

- Graduate Study in Psychology 2008
http://www.amazon.com/Graduate-Study-Psychology-2008/dp/1433801280/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b

 

[myelin]

Thank you soo much for your replies! I know that it'll all come down to how well you match, and I'm definitely be looking at the individual professors' research before I seriously think about applying somewhere. I've been feeling so overwhelmed by all the schools that I didn't know where to start. It gets exhausting looking through every college's website, so hopefully Insider's will help with that.

My GPA is lowish because of C's in Physics and Organic Chemistry. I have my act together now and that should show on my transcipt. I'm having a lot of trouble narrowing down my interests but I suspect that that will improve with time.

A couple more questions:
What psych classes are most often required? From what I've seen, it looks like most schools definitely want Intro to Psych, Statistics, Experimental (which I'm assuming is a lab..), and a few others that vary, often including Abnormal and Developmental. If I take all of these, will I be good to go at most schools? Right now I'm trying to keep as many doors open as possible. Should I try to take Social? Cognitive? I don't have enough time to take much more than that before graduation, and most of the seats will be taken by the official psychology majors before I even have a chance to register for them.

Are these other books very helpful? I feel like I have a pretty good idea of how the application process works and I can follow schools' directions, but I'll take all the help I can get:

- Getting In: A Step-By-Step Plan for Gaining Admission to Graduate School in Psychology
http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Step-Step-Admission-Psychology/dp/1591477999/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b

- Graduate Study in Psychology 2008
http://www.amazon.com/Graduate-Study-Psychology-2008/dp/1433801280/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b

I highly recommend both of those books.

 

[psychanon]

The OP's post suggest that there is some kind of simple logic to getting into psych grad school (the way there is for med school) and there just isn't. Being above the average stats will NOT NOT NOT guarantee you an interview, and being below average stats will definitely not rule you out either. Same with the 1/3 rule-- it just doesn't apply here. You're thinking of it too much like undergrad admissions, which use simple formulas, as do law and med schools. Less quantifiable factors, like letters of rec, research experience, match, etc., play huge role. Remember also that "average" GPAs are often based on Ns of 5-10, with big SDs and lots of variance from year to year....this is not going to yield an accurate predictor of acceptance.

Given that many schools get around 400 applications for 5 spots, there is another huge factor at play, one that I cannot stress enough: luck. You can have perfect stats and lots of experience, but if the person you are applying to is accepting one applicant (which is most often the case) and there's someone else who's a little bit better of a fit (which out of 400 isn't unlikely), you're not getting in. On the other hand, luck can also work in your favor-- maybe you'll have a particular skill that your potential advisor is looking for, or maybe something else about your application just strikes a chord. So don't rule anything out based on arbitrary numbers. Your stats are good enough to get your application read-- now work on getting together those intangibles that are going to get you in. And apply to a lot of schools without geographical restrictions-- numbers are on your side.

 

[Marissa4usa]

Also, I would strongly suggest that you DO take the Psych GRE because you have a very weak psychology background. If you can ace that you can show that you have the needed knowledge withouth having taken all the classes in college. especially with a this "fairly low GPA" (even though eplanable) you should make sure you study for it and if you cant manage to to do eveyrthing until you graduate I would suggest taking a year, getting psych research experience and ace those GRE's.

 

[Spin]

Also, I would strongly suggest that you DO take the Psych GRE because you have a very weak psychology background. If you can ace that you can show that you have the needed knowledge withouth having taken all the classes in college. especially with a this "fairly low GPA" (even though eplanable) you should make sure you study for it and if you cant manage to to do eveyrthing until you graduate I would suggest taking a year, getting psych research experience and ace those GRE's.

How would you suggest studying for the PsychGRE when I don't have the background? Any especially good books/prep classes? Also if I took it and got a really low score, wouldn't that hurt my application even more?

 

[psybee]

study an intro book front to back, and do further reading in areas you haven't had a class in, alongside using a psych GRE test prep book as a studyguide.

 

[nononora]

Hopefully I can get some psychological research experience late in the spring and starting next summer - just in time for applications.

Honestly, I don't think you'd be very competitive at all with 7 to 8 months of psych research experience. I had 2 years of research experience coming out of undergrad and was rejected by many of the schools I applied to, with their reason being "lack of research experience." All of the accepted students in my year had at least a year of out-of-college RA experience so I would suggest looking for 1 or 2-year RA positions to make your application more competitive.

 

[RayneeDeigh]

How would you suggest studying for the PsychGRE when I don't have the background? Any especially good books/prep classes? Also if I took it and got a really low score, wouldn't that hurt my application even more?

Well that's kind of the point of the Psych GRE. For people with psych backgrounds it's a really minor part of the application, but for people without it, it shows whether or not you're prepared. You basically HAVE to get a good score if you don't have core psych classes. Most of us studied our little butts off for the Psych GRE despite having the background. You'll need to do the same. Grab an intro psych textbook, read it cover to cover, get some prep books and see what else you still need to know, then start learning it and away you go.

There's really no easy and fool-proof way to get into clinical psych. There's also no easy way to find out each school's requirements. You're gonna have to spend hours googling and searching websites just like we all did.

I also agree with nononora. Unless you're applying to PsyD programs (and even some of them would want more research in psych than you have), you're going to need more experience. Schools are going to wonder why you want to get your PhD in Clinical Psych if you don't have the experience. Half of the hassle of applying is proving to the schools that you're not applying on a whim, that you really have prepared for their program, and that you can complete it not just successfully but with flying colours.

I've probably just made it seem like a lot more bleak than I intended, but I do think you have a lot of work to do before you're competitive. I think it's better to start off with that mindset than to go in thinking you'll get in without a problem (which is what I did and was nearly crushed when it looked mid-April like I wouldn't get in anywhere).

 

[Spin]

Honestly, I don't think you'd be very competitive at all with 7 to 8 months of psych research experience. I had 2 years of research experience coming out of undergrad and was rejected by many of the schools I applied to, with their reason being "lack of research experience." All of the accepted students in my year had at least a year of out-of-college RA experience so I would suggest looking for 1 or 2-year RA positions to make your application more competitive.

Thank you - all of you - for being candid. I'd rather do this right than be sloppy and waste a time applying to programs before they're likely to accept me. On the bright side, maybe all this biochemistry research experience will help me get a position as an RA...

 

[deleted190534]

Honestly, I don't think you'd be very competitive at all with 7 to 8 months of psych research experience. I had 2 years of research experience coming out of undergrad and was rejected by many of the schools I applied to, with their reason being "lack of research experience." All of the accepted students in my year had at least a year of out-of-college RA experience so I would suggest looking for 1 or 2-year RA positions to make your application more competitive.

The caveat for the OP though is that you length of RA experience isn't as important as WHAT YOU DID. Sure, you want more than a couple of months; however, I just had a year of experience in one lab & a summer intensive (~3 months) in another, & I got multiple offers. The thing is...I made sure I wasn't getting involved in labs that would have me do data entry, fetching, etc. In both of my labs, I was actually going into home, videoing interviews, & administering measures. Whenever opportunities came up that could potentially look good on a vita, I volunteered for them (author the lab manual, train new RAs, run the lab when the professor leaves town, create new databases, etc). So, what I'm saying is that you need to look for a HIGH QUALITY opportunity. That made ALLLLLLLLLLL the difference in my application/interview process.