[Canadian Applicants 2014]

You can switch programs, however, I would suggest focusing on getting a Psych degree. Generally, grad schools want you to have an Hons. degree, which means more courses. Even a 3 yr BA is going to need additional courses since there is a minimum that you need. If you decide only to pursue the bio degree and try to get into I/O you will need to take the Psych GRE and score in the top 80-95% to show you have understanding of the field without getting a degree in it.

 

Some university programs also only look at your last 60 credit hours (2 full-time years). If you applied this fall, they would look at your year 2 and year 3 gpa. They do not specifically look at psych courses, though they may consider how you did in them compared to the bio courses when you give an explanation in you letter of intent as to why you changed your direction. Most graduate programs require a minimum of 3.0 on a 4.0 or a 4.5 gpa scale. I would strongly suggest spending the extra time getting the psych degree (you likely have the rest of your requirements, expect maybe an extra humanities courses outside of psychology) so get the courses under your belt, do up a thesis, and see if a high level stats course will be comparable to the psych stats (senior level), this might save you from having to take a heavy extra course. The other thing is to get some research work, with a prof or otherwise, to show your interest in psych research. Good marks in psych, though! This is doable, it just make take more than a year to get there. You are not the only one that changes their mind over their program, I knew one guy with A/A+ in 20 credit hours per semester, took 8 years and still finally walked out with a degree. He could have had six different degrees, but always changed his mind before taking the last required course. Extreme, yes, but in comparison, you are sitting in a possible situation. Best of luck!

Hi spg, thanks for taking the time to response. I`ve just looked into what courses I would need to switch to a double major of biology/psych (double major would be equivalent to a specialist). I will only require one more course to complete the biology major, but since I've only taken 5 psych courses so far, I will need 8 more courses. So going into 4th year, I would take 5 courses each semester to be considered a full time load (1 bio + 8 psych + 1 elective). It would technically mean that I'll finish my double major by the end of my 4th year. However, I'm wondering if i should take an extra 5th year to boost GPA. OR if I should just pursue a new psych degree. 

Also, since I can pursue a Masters (which is relatively easier than a phd), will getting a high GPA in a masters degree make it more likely to get accepted into a PhD? Or are PhD programs also solely based on undergrad marks? (+ research). 

I've made a new thread on this. Anybody is appreciated to provide their opinion! Thanks.

[Fall 2014 Applicant Thread!]

You might want to start your own thread for this.  This is a tad off topic and you likely won't see many helpful replies since people here are mostly posting about admissions results (especially with April 15th only a week or so away).

I`ve made a new thread about it. If you might have some insightful feedback, please do not hesitate

[What do you think I should do]

Hi, I'd like some advice on where to go from here. I'm in a bad situation because I'm currently in a program I'm not interested in. I'm currently 3rd yr bio specialist but i've developed a passion for psych over the years of my undergrad. I'd like to eventually apply to I/O graduate program
cGPA= 2.74. (however for my 5 psych courses that I took. One mark was a B, and the others were A/A+s. Do schools look at psych gpa specifically in any case? also note that I'm Canadian).
I'm contemplating on doing a double major since all i need is one more bio course to finish the bio major. I will need a couple of more courses to finish the psych major however. So I could work on those next year (4th) and maybe take an extra year to boost gpa. Any opinions on this? What's the best course of action at this point. I need some realistic goals.

[Fall 2014 Applicant Thread!]

Hi, I'd like some advice on where to go from here. I'm in a bad situation because I'm currently in a program I'm not interested in. I'm currently 3rd yr bio specialist but i've developed a passion for psych over the years of my undergrad. I'd like to eventually apply to I/O graduate program
cGPA= 2.74. (however for my 5 psych courses that I took. One mark was a B, and the others were A/A+s. Do schools look at psych gpa specifically in any case? also note that I'm Canadian).
I'm contemplating between switching to a psych program for next year (4th yr) and maybe take an extra year to boost gpa and finish any courses required for that program. Any opinions on this? What's the best course of action at this point. I need some realistic goals.

[Canadian Applicants 2014]

Hi, I'd like some advice on where to go from here. I'm in a bad situation because I'm currently in a program I'm not interested in. I'm currently 3rd yr bio specialist but i've developed a passion for psych over the years of my undergrad. I'd like to eventually apply to I/O graduate program
cGPA= 2.74. (however for my 5 psych courses that I took. One mark was a B, and the others were A/A+s. Do schools look at psych gpa specifically in any case? also note that I'm Canadian)
I'm contemplating between switching to a psych program for next year (4th yr) and maybe take an extra year to boost gpa and finish any courses required for that program. Any opinions on this? What's the best course of action at this point. I need some realistic goals