I'm currently a freshman at Vanderbilt University. My GPA is about a 3.65 (but on an upward trend; my father, aunt, and best friend from home all passed away this year and I had some health issues that kept my grades below where they might have been ideally). My major is child development, and I want to go on to a PhD in clinical psych. Ultimately, I'd like to be a practicing psychologist and work with eating disorder patients. I'm involved in several extracurriculars (sorority, Hillel, and an a cappella group), and next year, I am going to try and start a support group on campus through ANAD and I will be working in an infant research lab.
I would like to be done with my PhD in five years (no more than six with internship). I want to have kids and get my life on the road! I have a couple of questions.
1. Which (if any) clinical psych programs have a strong eating disorders focus? I'm looking at UNC, Duke, UF, U of Miami, UVA, FSU, Vanderbilt, WUSTL, Emory, LSU, Penn State, and IU. Obviously, there will some changes in my grad school choices, but these are my top choices right now.
2. If I maintain between a 3.65 and 3.75 GPA, are any of these schools automatic "not a shot in hell" schools? Would I have to compensate for my GPA somehow, or is it at an okay level? Vanderbilt is known for grade deflation among top private schools.
3. What other things should I get involved in to enhance my application?
4. My second major (or possible minor) is Russian. I will be living in the international dorm for the next few years, and should be pretty much fluent by the time college is out. Will this help or hurt me?
5. I am from a geographic minority state in the Northwest (think Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Dakotas). Will this help at all?
Thanks so much! I really appreciate the help.
