As stated in my thread title, I am currently a school counseling student about to finish up my first year. A little bit of background information about myself: I have been in college, on and off, since 2009. It took me 7 years to get my undergrad degree in psychology; some of that was due to financial reasons, others due to personal medical issues such as surgery...I digress. I started out as an English major, but when I took my intro psych class during my first year of college, I was fascinated and decided to switch majors. Somewhere along the way, I decided I wanted to go into school counseling. I wanted to work with adolescents in a school environment, because I have always loved school and education, and I thought that this would be a great way to work in a school and combine it with psychology.
During the past few months, I have felt conflicted about this decision. I don't know if it's because I didn't do enough research on what school counselors actually do everyday but...it's really not what I was expecting, based on the course work I have already taken (intro class, group counseling, helping skills, etc.). I'm really much more interested in diagnosis and actually treating mental illness. The work I can do as a school counselor is very limiting, as I am learning.
Anyway, so now I am thinking about pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology, working in either a medical setting or private practice. I also am very interested in research and I know that there is a lot you can do with a PhD in clinical psych. I have also always had a fascination with medicine and how the body works and stuff. My problem was that in high school, I didn't do well in math or science. It was hard for me...looking back I think if I would've studied harder or tried harder, I could've done better, and it was just that I gave up too easily. I was always better at English or history. Needless to say, I didn't take many science or math courses in college. I ended making a B in college algebra, a B in my biology class, and a C in chemistry. But like I said earlier, I did not really apply myself in these courses and I feel like I could've done better, had I gotten help/tutoring.
So what I am trying to decide now, is do I go for my PhD in clinical psych or MD and specialize in psychiatry? I love the thought of pursuing medicine the most. I know I will have to get into a post-bacc program for the science courses, so that's an added year or two on top of 4 years of med school plus residency. My undergrad GPA was a 3.0, so it's not that competitive. The cost of medical school is also very daunting to me, as I already have accumulated about $50,000 in student loans.
Getting into a PhD program will also be difficult with my GPA, below average GRE score, and lack of publication. I presented at a research conference during undergrad, but that is the only research experience I have.
I know this is a lengthy post, but I would appreciate any feedback on what I should do or your own inspiring story if you were in a similar situation.
During the past few months, I have felt conflicted about this decision. I don't know if it's because I didn't do enough research on what school counselors actually do everyday but...it's really not what I was expecting, based on the course work I have already taken (intro class, group counseling, helping skills, etc.). I'm really much more interested in diagnosis and actually treating mental illness. The work I can do as a school counselor is very limiting, as I am learning.
Anyway, so now I am thinking about pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology, working in either a medical setting or private practice. I also am very interested in research and I know that there is a lot you can do with a PhD in clinical psych. I have also always had a fascination with medicine and how the body works and stuff. My problem was that in high school, I didn't do well in math or science. It was hard for me...looking back I think if I would've studied harder or tried harder, I could've done better, and it was just that I gave up too easily. I was always better at English or history. Needless to say, I didn't take many science or math courses in college. I ended making a B in college algebra, a B in my biology class, and a C in chemistry. But like I said earlier, I did not really apply myself in these courses and I feel like I could've done better, had I gotten help/tutoring.
So what I am trying to decide now, is do I go for my PhD in clinical psych or MD and specialize in psychiatry? I love the thought of pursuing medicine the most. I know I will have to get into a post-bacc program for the science courses, so that's an added year or two on top of 4 years of med school plus residency. My undergrad GPA was a 3.0, so it's not that competitive. The cost of medical school is also very daunting to me, as I already have accumulated about $50,000 in student loans.
Getting into a PhD program will also be difficult with my GPA, below average GRE score, and lack of publication. I presented at a research conference during undergrad, but that is the only research experience I have.
I know this is a lengthy post, but I would appreciate any feedback on what I should do or your own inspiring story if you were in a similar situation.
