Help! I'm having a nervous breakdown about my gpa!

[carlyhylton]

So as the topic title would suggest I'm having a bit of a nervous breakdown right now...

Firstly, I am (rightly so) freaking out about my gpa considering that I really want to pursue psych research

I am in my second year, Ive completed 40 credits, and my transcript is horrible.

I have a D (intro span lit), a D+ (intro psych, retook and got an A), an F (intermediate French, retook and got a C+), a bunch of C's and B's, and the intro psych A aforementioned.

My gpa is a 5.36 on a 9 scale, which translates into a C+ letter grade. Not sure what it would be on a 4 point scale, but I'm sure it wouldn't be good.

Obviously there won't be any grad schools who are stoked on these stats.

I've heard of transferring earlier in your degree to 'refresh' your gpa

I really don't want to do this but would this be the way I should do it?

Secondly, I've been working as an RA at my institution for a year now, and asked my supervisor which courses I should take to complement the research we do at the lab and for grad school in general. He insisted I do an individual study and actually contacted the director of our grad program, with whom we work very closely, to see if she would take me on.

She originally didn't ask to see my transcript, but recently has. I'm freaking out. I don't want to show this to her, but I can't exactly just turn her down out of nowhere now.

Also, my supervisor hasn't asked to see my transcript since last year so I'm worried that if I tell her the truth, word will get around to him, since they are very close...

Sorry if the above is frantically written, I'm writing from my iPhone and will make edits from my MacBook later

Thanks in advance for your help!

[lewin]

First, don't panic

It's the start of a new school year, so a good time to make some changes.

I have a D (intro span lit), a D+ (intro psych, retook and got an A), an F (intermediate French, retook and got a C+), a bunch of C's and B's, and the intro psych A aforementioned.

My gpa is a 5.36 on a 9 scale, which translates into a C+ letter grade. Not sure what it would be on a 4 point scale, but I'm sure it wouldn't be good.

I think it's time for some serious introspection. Ask yourself why you're not succeeding academically. This is like keener student 101, but at the minimum you should be attending every class, reviewing class notes regularly, studying for each test over time using distributed learning (not cramming), and not procrastinating assignments. Attend office hours if something doesn't make sense.

How's your time management? Maybe the RA work is taking up too much of your time? Family responsibilities?

I mean, ask yourself these questions--you don't need to tell the forum

Also, stop taking language courses

Obviously there won't be any grad schools who are stoked on these stats.

I've heard of transferring earlier in your degree to 'refresh' your gpa

I really don't want to do this but would this be the way I should do it?

Transferring won't help because all schools ask for transcripts from every institution you've attended.

People will overlook an occasional oops but forty credit hours suggests a pattern. But it's only second year and not the end of the world; most places will give more weight to your last two years. To pull that off successfully, however, it should be clear that at some point you had an epiphany and were born again, and succeeded brilliantly from that point on. That way you can frame your first year as a lack of motivation or focus that just required a mental adjustment, not a lack of ability. Doing this is easier said than done--it requires you to diagnose the problem (see above), work hard, and improve.

Have you taken social psych? You want to encourage a situational attribution for the first 40 credits, not a dispositional one.

Secondly, I've been working as an RA at my institution for a year now, and asked my supervisor which courses I should take to complement the research we do at the lab and for grad school in general. He insisted I do an individual study and actually contacted the director of our grad program, with whom we work very closely, to see if she would take me on.

She originally didn't ask to see my transcript, but recently has. I'm freaking out. I don't want to show this to her, but I can't exactly just turn her down out of nowhere now.

Also, my supervisor hasn't asked to see my transcript since last year so I'm worried that if I tell her the truth, word will get around to him, since they are very close...

Research experience is awesome but not if it affects your academics. Good grades has to come first because without those it's significantly harder to get in the door.

You can't keep the transcript a secret forever, also because if your relationship with your supervisor is awesome you can use him as damage control. That is, two years from now his reference letter could acknowledge something like "Carly had some trouble adjusting in her first year, but as you can see she got straight A's since then, and she managed to do this while being a research champ in my lab."

Edited September 14, 2011 by lewin00

[carlyhylton]

I apologize again for my franticness....

Thank you so much Lewin. I realize that now is definitely my last chance to change things

You are right

But I'm not giving up on this yet...

Transferring won't help because all schools ask for transcripts from every institution you've attended.

I've thought about this and realize that I would have to submit all transcripts when applying, however I looked at grad school apps this morning and the couple that I were looking at asked for entry of your gpa from the undergrad program you're graduating from

so, yes, they'll see all transcripts

but hypothetically, assuming I do WAY better in the upcoming years....

The gpa from the institution I would transfer to would be better (because it does not have my previous grades weighing it down)

Wouldn't it be better to have this hypothetical gpa entered, even though I'll have to submit all transcripts?

I'm going to talk to my supervisor about this today :S

Thanks so much for all your help Lewin

I really appreciate it

[lewin]

You're welcome

Presumably they would verify and recalculate your GPA manually based on all courses taken, not just use whatever gets put on the application form.

This is just my opinion, but the only way I can see switching making a difference is if your current university is one of the reasons you're not doing well (e.g., it's too far from home and you're miserable, or it's too close to home and your family uses up 95% of your time). Then, switching might let you flourish somewhere else and would provide a clear demarcation line: "I struggled at university X because.... but did very well at University Y because..."

Also consider all the great professional relationships you've developed. Switching universities might mean losing those, which would be a shame.

Edited September 14, 2011 by lewin00

[gellert]

Everything Lewin said is spot-on, and I'd also add that your research experience and how you perform in lab is likely going to wind up being far more important than your GPA at almost all schools. If you can do really well from now on and raise your GPA above whatever cutoff scores your target schools have, then you can mention in your SOP that part of why your grades suffered was due to your extensive involvement in research. Most schools will prefer someone who has a mediocre GPA but stellar research stats to someone with so-so research but a 4.00.

[carlyhylton]

Hey both,

Sorry this response is so delayed

Rude of me.

I've actually been studying and spending less time on the gradcafe, haha

Thank you so much for the moral support and your help!

[gellert]

No problem! How's it been going? How'd the thing go with your independent study?

[Behavioral]

Quick datum:

My GPA after my first year: 2.7

Eventually my GPA was a 3.6x by the time I graduated

Just make sure you develop an upward trend, and you'll be fine.

[carlyhylton]

Gellert, it's been going ok...

I got 100% on a psychobio quiz last week somehow!

I feel like it never ends though...

Thank you both : )

I'm just going to keep trying! Hopefully I can remain motivated :S

[Behavioral]

For me, I stayed motivated by looking at the micro level (I should do well on this exam) instead of being overwhelmed by the macro level (I must do well for the rest of my undergraduate career).

It's good to stay focused at the large picture, but at the same time it can be distracting for your more proximal goals.

Great job on the quiz--keep it up.

[carlyhylton]

Thanks

I still find it hard to focus on the micro level...

I find myself thinking 'I must do well on all of my exams in all of my courses coming up' (which is of course true, but a way bigger workload than 'I must do well on this upcoming quiz')

and then I get stressed out...

any recommendations on time management that would help me to focus on things on the micro level?

Oh ps, Gellert, after having looked at my transcript the prof said that it would be best until I raise my gpa to do the independent study... probably a good idea!

[cherubie]

Just to add more support to the tons that you've been getting:

As others have said, focus on one thing at a time, not necessarily "I have to do well on this homework or ace this quiz", but just think you want to do well semester-by-semester. Although my freshman and sophomore GPA was slightly higher than yours, I developed a major upward trend and did it by simply focusing on one semester at a time. At one point, I wrote little sticky notes of support for myself and posted it all over the room. It really helped get me through my finals week and boosted my moral. (I would write things like "I want to do well on this exam because I want to get honors," although it sounds stupid, I did ended up doing well because I reminded myself of that everyday.) Eventually, it went from "I want to do well on this exam" to "I want to graduate with a 3.X, and my goals were realistic. Honestly, going from a c+ to a A average in 1 semester is impossible (unless you take 50 credits one semester or something), so set your goal to be reachable.

As far as someone's comment about grad school not caring about grades as much as research only applies to a certain extent. Depending on what kind of psychology program you're applying to, there will be people who have a great GPA AND great research. Not to freak you out more, but unless you have tons of first-authored papers under your belt (again, unrealistic mostly), you need to boost your GPA as well as get that research in.