Throughnight

Thank you for your response, I really appreciate it! I sometimes feel self conscious to say something like I bombed undergrad and then got it together later in life (although it may be a spot on statement), because it can come off as cliche and as if I am simply dismissing my past poor results like they never happened. I had many other personal issues going on at that time (but after all who doesnt) and I think I might be looking towards attempting to gain that Ph.D acceptance as a way to validate that I did truly mature beyond the way I used to be. That probably is not the best way of looking at it though lol but at the same time I also know that this field is definitely where I want to be and what I want to do, so that is the positive thing moving me forwards and not leaving me stuck looking backwards.

Thank you for your reply! I am believe that I am interested in applying to Ph.D programs with a clinical or abnormal psychology concentration though I have not been able to delve deep enough into making an initial list of potential schools yet (I really should soon though). I would love to have a line of scholarship & work with others who are recovering/living with past traumas, PTSD, depressions or other severe disturbances effecting their lives. I do not have any research experience and that has currently been one of the major things I have been hunting for as of late with contacting professors and whoever else. I am endeavoring to at the least gain acceptance to some research lab by the summer of this year, but I have no guarantees at the moment. I have past work experience in both the short term in patient acute psychiatric unit as well as the in patient detox unit at Princeton Hospital and time working as a behavioral tech with young men diagnosed with Autism, however you are definitely right and I am trying my best to gain any legit research experience that I can by this years end.

How are you friends?! I am sure you all receive questions like this often and so I had searched the forum quite a bit for past threads but nothing beats going ahead and asking personally right? I am currently 28 years old and will be graduating from Rutgers University with my M.Ed in Counseling Psychology this summer. I am planning to submit applications for Fall 2020 Ph.D programs in clinical psychology by the end of the year and I feel good about that decision, however I do have the specter of my undergraduate days looming over my head. I was admittedly a severely unmotivated and under achieving man during my undergraduate years and even more so admittedly had to go through an extended maturation process during my early 20s in order to become much more disciplined and responsible as a human being. As such my undergraduate gpa was flat out very poor period. I had 2.12 cum and a 3.1 major gpa. After graduating I took over 4 years of work and slow growth as an individual to return to Rutgers for my Masters to prove to myself and on paper that I am now more academically capable and resolved than 18-22 year old me was and have been by the grace of God doing well. With my current last semester to go I currently have 3.9 cum gpa and a GRE score of 164 Verbal/159 Quant/4.5 Writing. The chair of my masters program has told me that these scores will give me shot for acceptance into Doctoral programs somewhere if coupled with a well written personal statement and references, but I can't escape the feeling that I will almost certainly have the worst cum undergrad gpa of all applicants at every school I apply to and that is somewhat troubling to say the least lol. Based in your experiences, do you think this can pose as a legitimate issue moving forwards. I sincerely appreciate any responses, recommendations and input from you all. This is my first post here on this forum and I am happy to be here!