chances of getting into grad school

[udonluvr]

I was wondering what are my chances of getting into grad school. I know i have a low gpa (2.9) but I have lots of research and counseling experience. I know the field is getting very competitve but I was wondering if experience can help my apps look better even with the low gpa. I'm planning on sending apps to mostly masters programs but will some psyD programs accept me? Are all grad schools competitive or are there some that's not?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Logic Prevails]

I was wondering what are my chances of getting into grad school. I know i have a low gpa (2.9) but I have lots of research and counseling experience. I know the field is getting very competitve but I was wondering if experience can help my apps look better even with the low gpa. I'm planning on sending apps to mostly masters programs but will some psyD programs accept me? Are all grad schools competitive or are there some that's not?

I was told by someone working in admissions (at a reputable university) that they sort out application piles for consideration based on GPA first. They may not even look at the rest of your app with a lower GPA. Unfair - maybe, but they have so many applications they need some arbitrary way of sorting through them. Different schools will have different cutoffs. I would say that you'd have a much better chance applying to Master's programs with a clinical focus.

2 cents

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I'd also agree with the 1st cut being GPA. GREs minimums are also used in most competitive programs. MS programs are probably a better option for now, but you may be able to show your ability to do grad work, and then re-apply to clinical programs in a year or two.

-t

 

[perfektspace]

I'd also agree with the 1st cut being GPA. GREs minimums are also used in most competitive programs. MS programs are probably a better option for now, but you may be able to show your ability to do grad work, and then re-apply to clinical programs in a year or two.

Keep in mind that while there are always going to be GPA and GRE minimums those scores are going to be different from school to school and the "quality" of the program doesn't always dictate a higher cutoff. Different schools have different philosophies in regards how high GRE's and grades should be. A very good clinical PhD program I know of will not look at a student with a GRE sub-1000 but otherwise will consider the application. Elsewhere that cutoff may be 1200 or higher. Sometimes programs that receive smaller volumes of applications will review all applications regardless. That being said, a 2.9 GPA is going to be tough (if not impossible for all but the most sketchy doctoral programs). A master's makes the most sense.

 

[dakwegmo]

Not all programs have numerical cutoffs. When I was researching programs I found there were some programs that mentioned they don't use cutoffs and even occasionally accept students with low GRE or GPA if there are other strengths in your application. There are also a couple of Ph.D. programs, I believe BYU is one, that only look at your last two years GPA for admission decisions. These aren't going to be the top tier schools, but they are APA accredited.

If your GPA is low because of poor performance in your Freshman or Sophomore years, that's going to be better for you than if you were getting low marks in upper level courses. If you have low undergrad psychology grades, it's going to be harder for doctoral programs to accept you. The programs want to know that you will succeed in graduate school, and undergraduate courses are generally easier than graduate courses.

I think you're going about things the right way. Primarily apply to masters programs and sprinkle in a few doctoral programs. Getting into a clinical Ph.D. program isn't going to be easy, even with a masters, but if you're considering a Psy.D. you might also consider counseling psychology programs as well.

 

[chimni]

My overall GPA is a 3.10 and I'm only applying to Clinical programs. Granted, it's a 3.10 from the University of Chicago where they don't believe in giving anyone an 'A.'
Maybe I'm just setting myself up for dissapointment but I don't want to do a master's program so I don't see the point in applying to one.
I think it's a bit of a myth that the only people who get accepted to PhD programs are those with 3.8 GPA's, 1500 GRE's, 2 years of research experience and 3 publications under their belts. I've never met anyone like that in real life.
Anyway, all you can do is let the world know you're here and you want to join the parade. All it takes is just 1 person at 1 university to see your dedication and give you a shot. It's America... crazier things have happened.

 

[chimni]

PS - there are some excellent Counseling programs out there... I don't get why people rank them alongside PsyD programs. Can someone explain this? A counseling program is still research-oriented, unlike a PsyD. Either there's something I don't know about counseling programs or they vary so much by school that people generalize about them innacurately.

 

[perfektspace]

I think it's a bit of a myth that the only people who get accepted to PhD programs are those with 3.8 GPA's, 1500 GRE's, 2 years of research experience and 3 publications under their belts. I've never met anyone like that in real life.

Absolutely... kind of. Maybe not all those things but rest assured most successful applicants have a few of those bases covered although maybe to a slightly lesser degree.

 

[iapplehead]

i have a dilemma... i graduated with a psych degree and and did well in my psych courses, but when i minored in bio, some of the classes were tough and it brought my cumulative gpa down. do clinical psych schools look more at psychology gpa or cumulative? would they even consider the psych grades for acceptance?

 

[joetro]

Most schools ask for both the psych grades and your overall GPA. Many also ask for grades in the last year or two. It depends how much the bio hurt your average, but I'm sure many people will be happy to see someone with a bio background, as the field is really moving in that direction.

 

[eva10127]

.

 

[Phant]

Take psych classes now and classes than can up yur gpa - at least to a 3.4 or so.
Especially is you mention it in your personal statement, schools will see that your low grades arent in psychology classes.
I was in the same dilemma, majoring in psychology and being premed - obviously my orgo grades brought me down a bit - but def. get your psychology classes to be very high. You still have a few years

 

[Ollie123]

It won't be an easy road, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible.

If you ever decide to go the PhD road, you will likely find many doors closed to you. Doesn't sound like that's one of your goals, but I wanted to warn you about it just in case.

I'd stick to master's programs first. Counseling/Clinical/MSW, take your pick. All will probably suffice for your purposes, though counseling and clinical will USUALLY provide a stronger focus on evidence-based treatments (which is important). MSW programs might be a good fall back if you have troubles getting in though, as they generally have lower requirements.

Whatever you do though, seriously work your butt off in that master's program. As close to a 4.0 as you can manage.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Good advice Ollie.

Also look at the programs carefully. The training can vary greatly between programs, and you want solid training (whether you stick with that, or go on further in your education)

-t

 

[Dr.Maybe]

PS - there are some excellent Counseling programs out there... I don't get why people rank them alongside PsyD programs. Can someone explain this? A counseling program is still research-oriented, unlike a PsyD. Either there's something I don't know about counseling programs or they vary so much by school that people generalize about them innacurately.

Strange. I've never heard of counseling PhD programs being compared to PsyD programs. I think PsyD programs are absolutely fine, but they have little in common with counseling PhD programs. PhD programs are, almost across the board, research-oriented or minimally "equal emphasis" programs. I applied to both clinical and counseling PhD programs, and the biggest difference that I have seen is that counseling programs tend to be situated in schools of education and that the counseling PhD applicants are more likely to have master's degrees. Otherwise, the curriculum, research and publication opportunities, quality of faculty, and funding/stipends available in clinical and counseling PhD programs are basically equivilant. And, most importantly for this stage of the game, the competition is FIERCE in all PhD programs, counseling and clinical alike. I have not applied to a single school that is taking more than 4-7 students, while PsyD programs tend to accept a higher percentage of applicants.

 

[cleverclover]

I can only speak about PhD programs because that is all I have applied to. It is difficult but not impossible. I have a 2.98 from undergrad. I made the mistake of thinking if I got my master's and did really well admission committees would look at that and not at my undergrad GPA. But I was wrong. Even with a master's when the schools make the first cut they still look at the undergrad GPA. (That is what students who are currently in programs have told me.) I would not recommend getting a masters just to help your GPA. From my experience all it did was put me farther into debt. What I had to do was take several years off and make good connections with people in the field. Then this past summer I emailed POIs I was interested in and let them know I would be applying in the fall. I would usually get a response saying, wow you have worked with Dr. x or Dr. y, I will be looking for your application. I think that is how some of my applications made it through the first cut. But I did not get the interviews I thought I would considering the strength of the other parts of my application (good GRE general and subject scores, several publications, clinical and research experience, and great letters of rec.) Unfortunately, I am still paying for mistakes I made my freshman and sophmore year of college.

 

[Quynh2007]

All it takes is just 1 person at 1 university to see your dedication and give you a shot. It's America... crazier things have happened.

yep, i'm living proof of that. and i can't be any happier now.

 

[DogMaPhD]

well, speaking from experience, anything is possible.

I had a 2.68 GPA from a top notch private liberal arts school. I had a few bad life events right before college, which led me to make some choices that resulted in a lot of bad grades (I discussed these briefly in my application letter). My jr/sr GPA was around a 3.6, and my psych GPA was similar. My GRE's were over 1400, and I had some experience working in a military setting that was relevant to a new grant that my advisor received during the academic year that I applied. I took a few classes at a masters in counseling program as a non-degree student to demonstrate my ability to do grad work.

I applied to 8 PhD programs, and one master's. I got an interview (and was accepted) at one PhD program, and the master's program. My program was actually quite a good program, and led me to get a placement at a highly competitive, research oriented internship site, and a postdoc at a Research 1 university medical center. I'm now on faculty at a different research 1 institution (and trying to decide whether or not to quit that job, which was how I ended up here, after a google search that led me to something that sounded related... and I got sucked in reading all of these posts!).

Anyway, I just wanted to wish you luck, and to say that, truly, anything is possible!!!

 

[JockNerd]

GPA matters a lot, but fit trumps all with PhD programs. If you're really concerned, the best solution is.... ask. E-mail the grad program amdin assistant and ask if the first cull is GPA, or if every app. is reviewed in it's entirety. My cumulative is a bit low (3.26/4.5), but my last 2 years and my psych marks are stellar. A good show in your last year, and rocking the GREs, will make up for it. Like the first poster, I had a ton of research and applied experience. I didn't want to waste an application and asked all 50 of the programs I was considering if my GPA would be an issue. 2 suggested I probably shouldn't apply. Everyone else basically said "we don't care how you did in your first-year Botony elective, apply!"