Could you guys review me?

[bialetti-overdose]

Hi guys

my name is John and I recently graduated from Emory University

with Psychology and Spanish language and literature double major.

I am taking a year off for my unexpected ACL surgery now but I took GRE yesterday

and I did pretty well.

So I am writing here for you guys to help me figure out where I can go for grad school.

first of all, I am Korean citizen. But I went to middle high, high school and college in the states.

My GPA in college was not so great. Spanish major GPA is near perfect but my intended major for grad school is not so great. I think Spanish was like 3.9 while psychology was 3.2 or 3.1

I am trying to apply for good schools obviously, for their PhD. and master's program and master's program only for both majors in case I get accepted in Spanish department and possibly transfer over to psychology.

(i don't even know if that's possible)

Btw, my GRE was V: 710 and Q: 770.

Sincerely,

P.S.  Are Stanford, Harvard, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Washington University in St. Louis psychology departments are even possible?

[schoolpsych_hopeful]

It really depends what field of psychology you are interested. Clinical psych, for example is, much more competitive than others. And do you have research experience? Your GRE is good, and that can certainly help mitigate the low GPA.

As for transferring departments at the PhD level, I'm not sure how that would work. I mean, do your research interests overlap between the two?

[bialetti-overdose]

It really depends what field of psychology you are interested. Clinical psych, for example is, much more competitive than others. And do you have research experience? Your GRE is good, and that can certainly help mitigate the low GPA.

As for transferring departments at the PhD level, I'm not sure how that would work. I mean, do your research interests overlap between the two?

my psychology and spanish does not overlap...I just felt that I have better chance of getting into good grad school with my Spanish major GPA than Psychology GPA.

So....GPA of 3.2 is definitely considered low...I guess no Ivys for me than....that's so sad.

oh! and I was talking about transferring at the Master's level...

And I am yet to discover which specific branch of psychology i am interested in yet... (do you happen to know where I can get some help about this matter?)

I am planning to gain some research knowledge once I submit my applications by Nov 1st (I believe that's the deadline for the int'l students) and start on Janurary 'til the school starts, assuming that i get in by september.

So I will have been researching for at least 8 months full time...

[fuzzylogician]

Frankly, it doesn't sound like you're ready to apply to graduate school right now.

You need to know what sub-area you are interested in; very likely, you'll need to have some research experience before you apply, or otherwise you'll need to be very convincing when you explain how you chose your specialty and why you are sure that it's right for you. An applicant with no experience, low grades and an unconvincing background will be very risky for a department to admit. If you change your mind about your interests (which I think is very likely, given your posts here), the department will have lost the time and money it invested in you. A PhD is not something you enter into lightly, and without the necessary experience it seems like that's what you're doing. The best way to zero in on an area of interest is to do research in that area. Start by reviewing the classes you've taken - maybe also consider taking more classes - which of them interested you the most? Did you write papers for any of your classes? which would you like to follow up on? can you get involved in an existing project at your university as a research assistant? can you do some guided research, even as a volunteer for no pay or credit? those are all ways to get more familiar with specific topics in different subfields of psychology.

Really, you shouldn't be applying before you have much narrower interests than you seem to have right now. If for no other reason, then because right now you won't be able to choose the right programs to apply to. You need to know what sort of problems you want to research so you can apply to schools that have good mentors who could guide your work on those problems. You'd also benefit from reading a bit more about the application requirements on different departments' websites. Make sure that you have the required qualifications (e.g. stats, advanced seminars or whatnot). I'd seriously suggest that you consider taking next year off to improve your application; then apply in the next admissions cycle, not in the current one.

There is no way that I know of to transfer out of a Spanish PhD program (or Masters, it doesn't matter) to a psychology PhD program. What qualifications or classes would be transferable? At most, you will have acquired some useful research skills, but it seems to me that psychology programs and Spanish programs train students to achieve very different goals using very different methods. I doubt a Masters in Spanish will enhance your application to psych programs, though certainly it won't hurt. I think you need to worry less about your GPA, though it is a weakness, and worry more about your current lack of direction - which is a much bigger weakness.

Edited October 4, 2010 by fuzzylogician

[TheDude]

I concur: Awesome GRE score, but I don't think that totally mitigates the low undergrad GRE. The lack of research experience is a huge negative if you are applying to a Ph.D. program. You'll be up against people with 3.5-40 GPAs in Psych and with already defined research interests. Most all will have conference experience and some will have been published already. Consequently, I don't know who would bite on funding you.

However, you'll fair better in a Master's program....Down side is you'll be paying for it all.

[bialetti-overdose]

Thank you guys for valuable replies

so, you guys think that I should apply for the Master's rather than Ph D. right..?

doesn't Master's admission look for serious commitment of research experience too??

i am living in Korea right now so, doing research in some korean university will be as valuable as well??

Thank you so much for your comments guys

[schoolpsych_hopeful]

I agree with fuzzylogician, it doesn't sound like you're ready to apply to grad school. You could probably get into a Master's program if you applied this season, but it sounds like you're really unsure as to what type of program you'd like to do. I mean, what is your ultimate goal career wise? Why do you want to go to grad school? If you can't answer those questions somewhat somewhat definitively, you're not ready.

Personally, I am taking two years off between undergrad and grad school for similar reasons. I was pretty sure I wanted to apply to Clinical Psych programs, but since they're so competitive I knew I'd need more research experience. I accepted a position as lab manager of a Developmental Psych lab, and I love it. Getting more research experience made me realize what kind of programs I really wanted to apply to (more developmentally focused than clinical).

So, I really recommend getting more experience (research, work, or otherwise). It will help you figure out what you do/don't like. And it's much cheaper to work for a few years than to pay tuition in a Master's program

[bialetti-overdose]

I agree with fuzzylogician, it doesn't sound like you're ready to apply to grad school. You could probably get into a Master's program if you applied this season, but it sounds like you're really unsure as to what type of program you'd like to do. I mean, what is your ultimate goal career wise? Why do you want to go to grad school? If you can't answer those questions somewhat somewhat definitively, you're not ready.

Personally, I am taking two years off between undergrad and grad school for similar reasons. I was pretty sure I wanted to apply to Clinical Psych programs, but since they're so competitive I knew I'd need more research experience. I accepted a position as lab manager of a Developmental Psych lab, and I love it. Getting more research experience made me realize what kind of programs I really wanted to apply to (more developmentally focused than clinical).

So, I really recommend getting more experience (research, work, or otherwise). It will help you figure out what you do/don't like. And it's much cheaper to work for a few years than to pay tuition in a Master's program

Yea...it's a serious problem for me. I am trying to determine which path of psychology I should be focusing on. However, my ultimate goal is to be a professor at university and research my interest. do you think I can gain som research exp in Korea that will count as valuable as the exp that I can get from American institution? and any tips on SOP??

[bialetti-overdose]

and what tier of school might I get into?

[schoolpsych_hopeful]

Yea...it's a serious problem for me. I am trying to determine which path of psychology I should be focusing on. However, my ultimate goal is to be a professor at university and research my interest. do you think I can gain som research exp in Korea that will count as valuable as the exp that I can get from American institution? and any tips on SOP??

and what tier of school might I get into?

I think any research experience is valuable, regardless of the country. Try to find a position in a psychology lab, somewhere you might be able to work for a while. Based on how unsure you sound, you should probably spend a least a year focusing your interests before you apply. Your GRE is impressive, I think you would have a chance at a school like Michigan or Stanford. HOWEVER, none of that matters if there isn't a good research match with that particular program. You could have a 1500 GRE and 3.9 GPA, but not get into a school because you're not a good match for their program.

Bottom line: Take some time off to get research experience before applying to grad school. Don't waste your money on applications fees this season, schools will see that you lack a research focus.