Can I get in with this GPA?

[hkg0285]

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I am currently thinking about pursuing graduate school for psychology, maybe Psy. D, or a PH.D. Psychology was my major in college, but i graduated with a 2.9, 3.6 in psychology. I am thinking about going and taking some more classes to bring my gpa up, I took the GRE once and only made around an 1100. I know that raising my gpa up and retaking the GRE would help, does anyone have any other ideas? I also completed a DIS in college and would be able to get a letter of rec. from my teacher.

 

[WaitingKills]

I am currently thinking about pursuing graduate school for psychology, maybe Psy. D, or a PH.D. Psychology was my major in college, but i graduated with a 2.9, 3.6 in psychology. I am thinking about going and taking some more classes to bring my gpa up, I took the GRE once and only made around an 1100. I know that raising my gpa up and retaking the GRE would help, does anyone have any other ideas? I also completed a DIS in college and would be able to get a letter of rec. from my teacher.

With a lot of stories that you hear on here, anything is possible.

However... I know for most, if not all, Canadian universities, you need a minimum of a 3.0 overall to be admitted to graduate school regardless of specialty. With that being said, your 3.6 in psyc might save you, I don't know. I would suggest calling a couple potential schools and talk with the graduate secretary about their specific requirements to be considered. If you do take more classes, try to take ones that will look really good to the admission committees such as stats, research methods, biopsyc, intervention etc. It'll look way better for you than taking an easy 'A' class in an unrelated area.

 

[hayley44]

some schools do have 3.0 cutoffs in the US as well (PhD programs), but many do not. i believe that PsyD programs accept more people per class and have slightly lower acceptance GPAs. Do some research... all these schools are required by the APA to have their average admission stats available on their websites... most have ranges, medians, and means which will be extra helpful to you. it also helps what school you went to for undergrad. the better the school, the better the gpa will look. however, it will help to bring up your gres to help since those you can change.

if you are really dedicated to receiving a PhD, it may also help to look into masters programs. they also typically accept a lower average gpa. and since you clearly do well in psychology courses, you will probably receive good grades. once you have a masters GPA your undergrad GPA takes a backseat. a masters is 2 years of your life and some money too if you don't get funded... but if you really want to get your doctorate it will help and may be worth it. at the very least, apply to a bunch of masters programs and some PsyD/PhD programs. that way you can have a fallback if need be.

hope this helps!

 

[ResearchGirlie]

What's your GPA for the last 2 years? Your psych GPA is fine, but I'm worried that your overall GPA is going to be a problem. If your GPA is low because of your first 2 years, then you are in a better position.

Generally, if you have one weak area you really need to make up for it in other areas. If you have a low GPA, make up for it in GRE, really strong letters, or fantastic research experience.

I don't know anything about PsyD programs, but based on the GRE and GPA you've given us, I don't think you'd be very competitive in Clinical PhD programs. If you have awesome connections or research experience then you've got a better shot. The Masters route is a good suggestion, and seems to be quite helpful for people who need to raise their GPA and for getting experience and recommendations.

All of that said, during undergrad I worked with a grad student that had a low GPA and a 1200 GRE but his research interests were so on target with his mentor, that he was accepted.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I'd think most of the quality PsyD programs will still have at least a 3.5 and 3.0 cut-off, so it probably isn't that much different than PhD programs (which probably average 3.6-3.7+ and 3.0).

-t