Unsure of Where I'm Headed

[Jeremiad]

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I'm a senior at a small (~2000 UG), private university in NY majoring in Clinical Psychology with a minor in Sociology.

Obviously I'm applying for grad schools (Clin Psych), but my heart really seems set on the medical profession. I had started my pre-req's freshman year, A's for Chem, then I got to bio and the awful reputation the department had garnered (and that I ignored) became readily apparent: C+ in both semesters. Prior to this, I had never had anything lower than an A- (alright, I had a B- in drawing), and the majority were A's at that. That second semester I became disillusioned with my dream of someday having an MD following my name and I bombed, dropping my overall down to a 3.2 after getting a 1.99.

Next semesters went much better, and currently I am headed towards a solid 3.6 for the Fall '12.

My low GPA belies my actual grades, as there are only 4 truly bad grades (C+s). 2 of which I will be able retake next semester, raising my Psych GPA to around 3.7, but the last 2 problem children are Biology.

My major problem is that because I have taken half of what many places consider the pre-reqs, I believe I am not eligible for a majority of the UG post-bacc programs given that I will definitely need to redo those bio classes before I even begin to be considered remotely competitive.

I have been looking at programs that look past this (UPenn is an option I believe; I'm a Philly area native) but there are not too many.

Another caveat for a lot of post-bacc programs is that even if I were to enter their program I could not retake classes that I have already taken, which is an obvious issue.

Have I shot myself in the foot before I've even begun? Or is my case repairable?

*Apologies for any errors or readability issues, I'm posting this in between papers*

EC's: School Rescue Squad, EMT cert, may work on ambulance but athletics take up a good amount of time, will have done 120+ hours counseling by end of school career

 

[SixStringPsych]

Nothing from your past will irreparably damage you, no worries. Like you said yourself, UPenn will take you if you do wish to apply. I'm currently in the Specialized Science Program, and this is the same program you will be in if you apply, you will finish the pre-reqs and also have the opportunity to take some upper level bio courses if you like.

There are some other programs I have heard of on here as well that will take students that have completed only some of the pre reqs, my best advice is to look around some more on here, and ultimately just call schools and ask them about your situation. Easiest and fastest way.

Or, you could always just sign up umatriculated and finish up the rest of your pre reqs that way, not being in a formal program. Since I assume you will do the right after you graduate, it wouldn't really matter, you could do this for a few semesters, then go back to your UG to get your committee letter etc. I think the only real advantage to formal programs are that they give you a committee letter, for people who have been out of school for several years.

Good luck! Also good luck with clinical psych apps, I almost applied but then decided to just focus on medschool. I hear clinical psych is no picnic, so you should totally go with your heart and what you feel you'll be happiest with.

 

[Jeremiad]

Nothing from your past will irreparably damage you, no worries. Like you said yourself, UPenn will take you if you do wish to apply. I'm currently in the Specialized Science Program, and this is the same program you will be in if you apply, you will finish the pre-reqs and also have the opportunity to take some upper level bio courses if you like.

There are some other programs I have heard of on here as well that will take students that have completed only some of the pre reqs, my best advice is to look around some more on here, and ultimately just call schools and ask them about your situation. Easiest and fastest way.

Or, you could always just sign up umatriculated and finish up the rest of your pre reqs that way, not being in a formal program. Since I assume you will do the right after you graduate, it wouldn't really matter, you could do this for a few semesters, then go back to your UG to get your committee letter etc. I think the only real advantage to formal programs are that they give you a committee letter, for people who have been out of school for several years.

Good luck! Also good luck with clinical psych apps, I almost applied but then decided to just focus on medschool. I hear clinical psych is no picnic, so you should totally go with your heart and what you feel you'll be happiest with.

I was also considering enrolling unmatriculated at somewhere like Penn State (discount on tuition because my father is an employee), but the formal structured program with more med-school-centric advisors and such would be a benefit, as well as the committee letter from an institution like UPenn would be an added bonus.

Indeed, Clinical Psych programs are harder than most people think to get into! My school is known for its engineering programs, and I constantly get teased for doing a soft science. If only they saw the enrollment statistics! I have yet to see a program that accepts even 1% of their applicants!

Thank you, good luck to you as well.