Taking Graduate Level Courses Post Undergrad to Strengthen a Clinical Psych PhD Application?

[caitlinalobdell]

I am curious whether any current clinical psych students, or applicants have taken graduate level courses (not within a masters program) to make up for a less than superb GPA/GRE (I have a 3.5, but I was going through a lot of personal stuff during undergrad, so I know it is not representative of my true ability). I think taking some graduate level psychology courses would be extremely beneficial to my application if I don't get in this year (today is a pessimistic day).

Anyways, for those of who have taken graduate level courses to strengthen your application, do you believe it was worthwhile or not?

Thank you for your input!

[DarwinAG]

I have sat in graduate courses. Aside from more oppurtunities to talk about research and discuss ideas, I don't think it will be terribly helpful on paper. I took the subjects GRE to offset my low 3.39 GPA, but it did not pan out well. With that said, I don't think taking a graduate level course will offset the GPA. Other parts of your application just needs to be stellar.

[Quant_Liz_Lemon]

I think there's a big difference between auditing graduate course as Darwin has done and enrolling in them as Caitlina intends to.

I've taken a few grad classes in psych [i.e., history and modern systems of psychology, quantitative methods I, and (just about to start) quantitative methods II]. I believe that it strengthened my application, enabled me to get better letters, and opened doors for research opportunities. If you do well, it'll signal to adcoms that you can handle graduate level work.

[Quant_Liz_Lemon]

I would suggest letting a recommender address your undergrad grades if there's a very good reason behind them (e.g., medical leave, death in the family).

[firstsight]

Graduate classes will absolutely help - provided you get good grades in them. It gives you the opportunity to present yourself as-- 3.5 undergrad GPA, 4.0/3.9 graduate GPA, for instance. Not to mention the plethora of additional opportunities that graduate classes may give you, as Liz up there mentioned. The whole point is to prove that you can handle the stress and culture of graduate school... so if you can say that you've been introduced to it and have done well, then that's pretty representative and relevant.

[fallen625]

What about online grad school classes from a reputable program (ei - Harvard)?

[caitlinalobdell]

Thank you all for your feedback - very helpful. Hopefully I get in this year...I've waited 2 years since graduating from undergrad to strengthen my application by gaining more research experience (3 years at Seattle Children's Research Institute total), clinical/volunteer experience at a local crisis line, teaching experience tutoring young refugee children, and publishing 3 posters and a manuscript that has been sumitted (3rd author out of 3). I never even thought about taking graduate classes before someone recently mentioned it as an option.

What do you think about post-bacc undergrad classes vs. post-bacc graduate classes?

Also, do you recommend taking more theoretical courses or applied courses, such as statistics?

[Quant_Liz_Lemon]

I vote for graduate classes over undergraduate classes. Getting an A in an undergrad class now won't impress anyone, but getting an A in a grad class will.

As for the content of the class, I guess it depends on what your weaknesses are and what's available. If you didn't do well in your undergraduate stats class, I'd suggest taking a stats class. Otherwise, I don't know how to advise you on course selection. I would suggest asking any of your recommenders.

[DarwinAG]

It appears I am wrong about this. Liz makes a very good point in distinguishing actually taking a class and auditing it.

[boris]

If you're going to do post bacc classes, I think it makes sense to have them be graduate courses (for the reasons everyone above said). However, I can't see it necessarily adding THAT much to your application...but in today's admissions climate, it doesn't hurt to beef it up however you can.

[PsychGirl1]

I took graduate courses in the evening while working before applying for my master's (and now I'm applying for PhD). I found that it helped me a few different ways- first, I could talk about it within my personal statement. This was probably more important for me as a non-psych major career change, but I think it's still great to say you can't get enough psych :-). As someone else said, you can probably use it in your "Psychology GPA", which a few schools used me for. Other than that, I can see it being used to solidifying research interests, expanding your knowledge base, etc. On top of that, it might help prepare you for graduate school so it is less difficult than it would be otherwise once you get there (especially if it's in areas you aren't currently strong in). So, I think it's win-win. And I'd definitely go for graduate-level over undergraduate-level.

[lewin]

This is wild speculation, but I think that graduate classes could help if you're trying to make up for some deficiency in your application (e.g., low grades, switching majors)... assuming you get a good grade.

But would the help the average candidate? My feeling is no. It could just be my program, but my profs don't give a crap about our classes. "Don't try to hard in your classes," they say, "It'll take time away from your research." Of course we do try because nobody wants to look like a dummy in front of their peers and profs, but always feel like it's time used less-well than it should be. And in the end everybody gets a grade in the 90's. High grades are important because they get you scholarships, but they won't get you a job later.