Need Advice- Low 3.0 GPA

[szbk]

Hi all, 

This is my first time posting here, but really need advice. I graduated in 2017 with a BS in biochemistry and minor in psychology. After graduating, I wasn't really sure how I wanted to move forward so I got a job in a biochem-based wet lab at a top medical school in my city where I'm a research tech, but I am basically treated like a masters student. I have my own project that I am the sole researcher for and do all of the work and present it to my PI. I'm hoping to start writing a manuscript soon. 

So basic breakdown of my college years: 

I started off okay, but then in my sophomore year I lost my grandma and that kind of hit me hard. I spiraled a little and put little effort that year.

I focused a lot on extracurriculars and research. I have a lot of extracurricular hours, president and treasurer of sport organizations on campus, but most of my time was spent in psychology based research. I started with a PI who worked at a hospital who then joined a top-tier university in my city. His work focused on a mix of clinical and neuro psych. I worked with him for 3.5 years, although I didn't work closely with him, but his project manager. I mainly worked with data and human volunteers for his project. I was able to administer some tests with the assistance of doctoral students, etc. However, I did not get a publication from this lab or was able to present any posters. 

After graduating and working around a year, I started taking courses at a local community college (online because I work full-time and community college because I really needed to save money). I've been doing really well in all of the courses, except for cal II, but I've been taking extra psych courses and bio courses.  

My stats: 

Undergrad cGPA: 2.806 --> my school did grade replacement for this cGPA

Undergrad cGPA w community college: 3.00 --> this is after taking 27 extra credit hours 

Psych GPA (undergrad only): 3.383 

Psych GPA (w/ cc courses): 3.630 

Last 60 hours (undergrad only): 2.889

Last 60 hours (w/ cc courses): 3.058

I am studying hard for the GRE and the psych subject test because I know I need an amazing score. 

 

So, all this to say, my questions are....

1. Will the community college courses actually help me when applying? 

2. Is applying to a masters program my best bet with where I am at right now (and is it even possible that I'll find a good one to accept me)?

3. Is it possible to email the dean of admissions in a school you're interested in to see their opinion on my situation?

4. My end goal is phD or psyD, so if I get into a masters program and do amazing, will that help me get into a professional program?

 

Sorry for the long-winded question. I'm just in a rut about what my next step is (besides taking the GRE). 

Thank you! 

[SocDevMum]

I think the CC courses will help you potentially fill in the gaps from your undergrad, as long as your grades are good. However, if they start dragging your GPA down, I would skip em. 

Research is going to be the single most important aspect of your application, because not only will it be on your CV, but you will also need to be able to articulate it in your statements and get excellent LORs from academic/research supervisors. GRE is less important than it used to be, many schools are moving away from using it as a criteria.  Still study hard, and get as high a score as you can - if you score amazingly well on the GRE it may help balance out the low GPA. 

If it were me, I would strongly consider applying for a Master's program.  I'm assuming you want to go the Clinical route - those programs are ridiculously competitive, and going through the process of getting your Masters and completing a thesis will make you a much more viable candidate. It will give you the research experience you need, and let's face it, once you make it into grad school, your undergrad GPA means very little - so ace your way through a Masters and no one will bat an eye at your undergrad grades. You may have to relocate to find one, unless you just happen to live in an area with a school that offers a terminal Masters in your preferred area of research, so keep that in mind as well. 

I'm very "meh" about emailing grad school deans. In my experience they tend to be very non-responsive and not really helpful when they do. You would be a million times better off spending that energy networking with potential PIs and grad students in your field of choice building relationships and making connections. 

Lastly, a PsyD and PhD are very different animals - before you apply to a Masters, have a good long think about which one you want to do.  A purely research-focused Masters will be less helpful if your end goal is a PsyD, and a Masters with little research will not get you into a PhD program.  So do you want to be more hands-on, client focused daily? Or would you rather do a mix of research and practice?  Or are you strictly interested in clinical research?

[falantern]

Yeah I was pretty much in the same boat GPA wise after undergrad and I now I'm just about halfway through my Masters with a 4.0. I'm actually really glad I'm doing it, because it's given me so much more research experience and a chance to really hone in on what I'm passionate about. 

[szbk]

On 3/16/2021 at 12:58 PM, SocDevMum said:

I think the CC courses will help you potentially fill in the gaps from your undergrad, as long as your grades are good. However, if they start dragging your GPA down, I would skip em. 

Research is going to be the single most important aspect of your application, because not only will it be on your CV, but you will also need to be able to articulate it in your statements and get excellent LORs from academic/research supervisors. GRE is less important than it used to be, many schools are moving away from using it as a criteria.  Still study hard, and get as high a score as you can - if you score amazingly well on the GRE it may help balance out the low GPA. 

If it were me, I would strongly consider applying for a Master's program.  I'm assuming you want to go the Clinical route - those programs are ridiculously competitive, and going through the process of getting your Masters and completing a thesis will make you a much more viable candidate. It will give you the research experience you need, and let's face it, once you make it into grad school, your undergrad GPA means very little - so ace your way through a Masters and no one will bat an eye at your undergrad grades. You may have to relocate to find one, unless you just happen to live in an area with a school that offers a terminal Masters in your preferred area of research, so keep that in mind as well. 

I'm very "meh" about emailing grad school deans. In my experience they tend to be very non-responsive and not really helpful when they do. You would be a million times better off spending that energy networking with potential PIs and grad students in your field of choice building relationships and making connections. 

Lastly, a PsyD and PhD are very different animals - before you apply to a Masters, have a good long think about which one you want to do.  A purely research-focused Masters will be less helpful if your end goal is a PsyD, and a Masters with little research will not get you into a PhD program.  So do you want to be more hands-on, client focused daily? Or would you rather do a mix of research and practice?  Or are you strictly interested in clinical research?

First off, thank you for this reply! It's really helpful to get another opinion.

The CC courses are bringing my GPA above a 3.0 right now, but I wasn't sure if Master's programs would consider them when I apply since they are online and at a CC. 

I've heard that some programs may still look at undergrad more than Master's GPA. Do you think that's true or just depends on the program? 

I've realized over time that I'd like to have a mix of research and practice. Do you think finding a clinical psych (or in that area - behavioral analysis, etc) master's program makes more sense for that? 

Thank you again!! 

[szbk]

On 3/16/2021 at 3:33 PM, falantern said:

Yeah I was pretty much in the same boat GPA wise after undergrad and I now I'm just about halfway through my Masters with a 4.0. I'm actually really glad I'm doing it, because it's given me so much more research experience and a chance to really hone in on what I'm passionate about. 

I love reading success stories, so this is so awesome to hear! Would you mind me asking which program you are attending?

(Totally understand if you don't want to say exactly which one.)

[falantern]

29 minutes ago, szbk said:

I love reading success stories, so this is so awesome to hear! Would you mind me asking which program you are attending?

(Totally understand if you don't want to say exactly which one.)

I'm at San Francisco State University! I'm actually in the dev psych program, but I'm in two clinical research labs and have the freedom and support to pursue my own research as well.

[DrApple]

2 hours ago, szbk said:

First off, thank you for this reply! It's really helpful to get another opinion.

The CC courses are bringing my GPA above a 3.0 right now, but I wasn't sure if Master's programs would consider them when I apply since they are online and at a CC. 

I've heard that some programs may still look at undergrad more than Master's GPA. Do you think that's true or just depends on the program? 

I've realized over time that I'd like to have a mix of research and practice. Do you think finding a clinical psych (or in that area - behavioral analysis, etc) master's program makes more sense for that? 

Thank you again!! 

I think most master's program would take your CC courses into account - it shows that you went above and beyond to take more Psych courses and improve your GPA.  That being said, some PhD programs do still focus on undergrad GPA. Some have minimums for undergrad GPA and don't consider master's GPA much at all. I would look at admission requirements for a handful of PhD programs you are interested in and see how they compare on GPA. Some schools weight graduate GPA and GRE more heavily than undergrad GPA.  

Regarding your plan to have a mix of research and practice - lots of students say this, but jobs like this are hard to find. It's easy to have a largely practice-based career, and academic/research jobs are competitive to get but mostly involve teaching and research. If you want a job that truly has research and practice opportunities, working at an academic medical school is a good option. Most psychologists are housed in the psychiatry department and do a lot of clinical work, but have the option to apply for grants and do research and "buy out" of clinical time. Any career route that includes research as an option needs a PhD. 

[SocDevMum]

3 hours ago, szbk said:

Do you think finding a clinical psych (or in that area - behavioral analysis, etc) master's program makes more sense for that? 

That depends - is Behavior Analysis (or whatever) your long term goal for your PhD as well? If you eventually want to do counseling and research, you may be better served looking at Clinical masters or professional counseling masters programs. If you want to study ABA and related topics like autism, than an ABA could benefit you more.  If you really love research, and client work will be a side job, you might consider an Experimental program that has strong clinical influences. Tailor your masters to boost your PhD - if you are going to apply to research focused Clinical Science PhD programs, an ABA or LPC program may not be the best fit - but if you decide to go with PhD programs that are practicioner-focused, then they could be a great help.  I know this sounds really vague, sorry. Just remember that a PhD is a long-haul game - you have to be thinking and planning way ahead of time. As much as possible, do everything you can now to narrow your focus and create a space for yourself in the field you want to be in, long term.