Low GPA...how to apply to internships

[happynonsense]

**I wasn't sure which forum this would fall under, so please bear with me:)**

 

 

I'm a third year student and my GPA is pretty low right now...2.5-2.9 approx.

I took a bunch of classes that I wanted to try out to see what I wanted to do (since I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in the future), which brought down my GPA a lot. 

 

I just recently declared myself a psychology major and after a lot of thinking about my future, I've decided I want to go into mental health counseling. I want to apply to grad school for mental health counseling. I wanted to apply for internships for this summer but with my low GPA, I don't think there are any internships I will be eligible to apply for. A lot of the ones I've looked for require at least 3.0 GPA.  I'm not sure what to do now?

 

Should I wait to apply for internships when I get better grades and my GPA gets better? How can I be a better applicant to get into grad school for mental health counseling?
 

Any advice would be appreciated! 

Edited December 20, 2014 by happynonsense

[VulpesZerda]

You could always try shadowing or an informal internship. You might not need a certain GPA for either. I shadowed a clinical psychologist who worked for the state when I was in high school and they called it an internship. Ask around and see if anyone wouldn't mind. That can get your foot in the door while you network and find an internship for the future. The worst thing you can do is not try! Ps: my internship led to a job, which led to me realizing I will never be a practicing psychologist. So in the end it was an extremely important experience for me!

[happynonsense]

Haha thanks for your advice! It does give some relief. How do I find these informal internships or shadowing opportunities in the mental health field? I live off campus and don't have a car and trying to save money (other than depending on parents), so I feel like I'm limited in terms of where I go. 

[VulpesZerda]

Hmm, hopefully someone closer to your field will chime in because I'm not exactly sure what would be best for your specific goals. Clinics, hospitals, or non-profits might be good? Professors of yours or grad students might know specifics for your geographical area! If you want to stay on campus it never hurts to volunteer to help with research.

[C10H12N2O]

If your city has a suicide hotline you should try to volunteer there. It's really good experience and they most likely won't care about your GPA.