PhD/PsyD Question about becoming a clinical psychologist

[thisismyacct]

I'm currently on the pre-health track but I'll probably change that after this semester. I'm thinking about becoming a clinical psychologist instead. However, I have a few questions:

1. Do I need to get a masters then a Phd or a PsyD or can I just go straight to a Phd/PsyD.?
2. To get into graduate programs do you just need a good GPA, GRE score, a lot of research, and good letters of recommendation?
3. I have a low GPA right now (anywhere from 2.5-2.7). Do admissions committees take upward trends into account?
4. If not, will a good GRE score balance out the low GPA?

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[erg923]

I'm currently on the pre-health track but I'll probably change that after this semester. I'm thinking about becoming a clinical psychologist instead. However, I have a few questions:

1. Do I need to get a masters then a Phd or a PsyD or can I just go straight to a Phd/PsyD.?
2. To get into graduate programs do you just need a good GPA, GRE score, a lot of research, and good letters of recommendation?
3. I have a low GPA right now (anywhere from 2.5-2.7). Do admissions committees take upward trends into account?
4. If not, will a good GRE score balance out the low GPA?

1. Straight to.
2. Yes, of course
3. not really
4. yes but not as low as what you suggested your GPA currently is.

 

[thisismyacct]

1. Straight to.
2. Yes, of course
3. not really
4. yes but not as low as what you suggested your GPA currently is.

What's considered a competitive GPA, like a 3.5+? Also, lets say I bring my GPA up but its not enough to make me a competitive applicant, can I get a masters and then try and go Phd/PsyD? My theory is that getting a masters might show that I've "matured" or something.

 

[MCParent]

What's considered a competitive GPA, like a 3.5+? Also, lets say I bring my GPA up but its not enough to make me a competitive applicant, can I get a masters and then try and go Phd/PsyD? My theory is that getting a masters might show that I've "matured" or something.

Lots of us would take an upward trend into account. I don't care if someone had a bad first year, then got it together and made As (showing they can do A work) and got on research teams. I'd prefer that to an applicant who was consistently a B+ student with the same GPA. But a sub-3.0 is going to get you put in the "no" pile at a lot of places. Yeah, masters (where you can do research) first would be a help.

 

[thisismyacct]

Lots of us would take an upward trend into account. I don't care if someone had a bad first year, then got it together and made As (showing they can do A work) and got on research teams. I'd prefer that to an applicant who was consistently a B+ student with the same GPA. But a sub-3.0 is going to get you put in the "no" pile at a lot of places. Yeah, masters (where you can do research) first would be a help.

I'm currently a sophomore if that changes the situation at all. I took one psych class last semester and made a B- with no effort (it was social psych) but I haven't taken any other psych classes since I AP'ed out of intro psych.

 

[erg923]

and made a B- with no effort .

Well that's not encouraging

 

[thisismyacct]

Well that's not encouraging

What I was trying to get at was that means if I actually showed up to class, took diligent notes, and consistently studied instead of cramming the night before I could have had an A.

 

[psych.meout]

What I was trying to get at was that means if I actually showed up to class, took diligent notes, and consistently studied instead of cramming the night before I could have had an A.

Admissions committees aren't really into that whole "try-hards who actually study and do what they are supposed to do are losers" thing. Grad school is significantly harder than undergrad, so that kind of attitude and behavior are not conducive to getting admitted to the most selective graduate study in the country, let alone doing well once you get in. You are going to be competing against people who didn't disregard their undergraduate educations and earned nearly straight As while also participating in research and other activities that will make them more marketable in the future. Many of these are also people who would ace pretty much any undergrad psych classes "with no effort," though they likely actually showed up and did the work.

Try telling someone on any admissions committee what kind of grades you "would have" earned and see what results that will yield.

 

[singasongofjoy]

You have correctly assessed the things necessary to get into a psych doctoral program. Considering you're a sophomore at this point I think your focus should be on kicking into high gear and getting stellar grades from here on out. Also try to get involved with some research if possible. But primarily get your GPA up and show you're a serious student. That is HUGE. Then your senior year you can reassess what your qualifications are at that point to determine whether it would be more prudent to get a masters first or whether you've done enough to warrant applying straight to doctoral programs (and even really qualified people often don't get into doctoral programs the first time they apply because the good + funded programs are quite competitive. Go study!

 

[EmotRegulation]

Admissions committees do look at some combination of the last two years GPA (we know that sometimes the first two years aren't stellar), the major (Psych) GPA and the overall GPA. Most applicants are above 3.5 in these. And doing a masters after an undergraduate degree is definitely a way to show admissions committees that you can handle doctoral level work--this is one of the cases where I actually recommend masters degrees in psychology.