Applying for Master's in Psychology holding Bachelor's degree in Engineering

[anuragmittal]

I recently completed my Bachelor's of Engineering in Information Technology (Computer Science branch), and scored 7.59 CPI in my undergraduate. And I want to apply for the master's program in Social Psychology. My GRE score is V-143 Q-156 A-3.5 and my GRE Psychology subject test score is 490 (E-57, S-48). Also, as my experience I have done 1yr internship under a Psychiatrist. And  I was wondering if I can get admission in descent college with the grades and scores I have. I'm not looking for Ivy League colleges with such low scores. But what I want is an opportunity to learn the subject in some college in USA. Suggest me some colleges and please guide me on the path.

[_kita]

First off, I'm going to tackle a question before scores. Any program wants to know what type of fit you are for the program. So, why social psychology? Psychiatry is a very different element than social psychology. It's closer to clinical psychology, but it's actually an MD, so without knowing more about the internship and your direction, it's difficult to help you narrow your options.

 

Social psychology is among the most competitive programs out there. You won't find many specific masters social psychology programs, it's a specialty in more the doctoral component. However, on the doctoral level you'll see departments say they accept maybe 3-8 applicants. Now for the good news, there are a good amount of psychology masters programs where there are social psychology professors/focus area. These programs accept more students and have less applicants. 

 

When looking for these programs, you really need to seek research opportunities. And this is where your fit and direction come in. Social psychology is more about the academic than the hands-on client interaction. 

 

Now for grades. Your scores qualify you for a masters program. If you were saying doctoral, I would be far more worried. However, they are not glowing, so you really need to shine in why you want to be there, and what you want to do. 

[anuragmittal]

Sorry, but I didn't mention the specificity of internship. But as you may already know, Psychiatry doesn't only include medical treatment but also psychological. So my interest being in only Psychology, I worked mostly on such cases and studied them where least medicines were involved and more of the talking and psychological tests. Being an Indian, I can say people here don't know much difference between Psychiatrist and Psychologists, but for both psychiatric or psychological problems, they go to Psychiatrist only. So lady luck was in my favor in the  internship where I had the opportunity to learn cases including non medical treatments. That being said about my internship, I think my this internship should definitely catch an eye for the admission recruiters.

Also, I think I have compelling reasons as to why I want to change my career from Engineering to Psychology and I'm also clear with my vision. So that shouldn't be much of a problem (I guess). Because I know that anyone would want to know the reason for such career transition, and they can accept me only if my reason and vision is satisfactory.

Also, I wanted to ask, what is the scope of getting selected for PhD program after successfully completing a masters with an around 3.5 GPA? Will my undergraduate field affect my selection in the PhD program?

[_kita]

Your undergrad field will have little to no bearing on your PhD choices. The admission committees care about:

 

• Strong background in psychology. Proven academically/subject GRE
• Career direction and passion demonstrated in the personal statement
• Research Interests and experiences that fit their program
• Excellent letters of recommendation by people who know you professionally in the field you want to obtain
• GPA anywhere between a 3.25-3.5 minimum; GRE 60-80 percentile ranking (dependent on program & other qualifications) 
• Professional experiences that demonstrate skills and understanding (VITAE/RESUME)

 

Grades/GRE/GPA only get you into the "consider them" pile. To make it to the 3 people chosen, they want to know why you fit them better than the other applicants. The experience with testing, diagnosis, etc. will a fantastic addition to your future. I'm sure it's molded you. Kidding, you may even be able to show how engineering wasn't right for you, but it helped you see the world in a way that helps you with your new goals. They want to know what professionally makes you, you.

[anuragmittal]

Your undergrad field will have little to no bearing on your PhD choices. The admission committees care about:

 

• Strong background in psychology. Proven academically/subject GRE
• Career direction and passion demonstrated in the personal statement
• Research Interests and experiences that fit their program
• Excellent letters of recommendation by people who know you professionally in the field you want to obtain
• GPA anywhere between a 3.25-3.5 minimum; GRE 60-80 percentile ranking (dependent on program & other qualifications) 
• Professional experiences that demonstrate skills and understanding (VITAE/RESUME)

 

Grades/GRE/GPA only get you into the "consider them" pile. To make it to the 3 people chosen, they want to know why you fit them better than the other applicants. The experience with testing, diagnosis, etc. will a fantastic addition to your future. I'm sure it's molded you. Kidding, you may even be able to show how engineering wasn't right for you, but it helped you see the world in a way that helps you with your new goals. They want to know what professionally makes you, you.

Exactly what I planned to mention myself as professionally valid student for the course and to mention what I learned during those 4 years of Engineering, which was more than just about engineering, but more about creating a person with great wisdom (which of-course will be proven with example ). But thanks for the help. You really motivated me and encouraged me in my path.

[lewin]

I don't always mean to be the dream crusher, but while theoretically one might be able to get into psychology graduate school with a BEng--to be frank--your background is not strong and does not contain evidence that you have the requisite knowledge required for graduate-level work.  First, your GRE scores are very weak--I googled the conversion chart and your verbal and psych scores are < 20th percentile and AW < 40th percentile. If anything, someone with an Eng background should have higher-than-average quant scores but yours are not great either (65th percentile). Second, as others pointed out, psychiatry is not social psychology so you can't point to that internship experience as evidence of having the required background knowledge either.

 

About writing a good statement -- anyone can state reasons for why they want to attend graduate school or switch fields, but in addition to that it's important to demonstrate it with concrete experiences and evidence of ability--and the bar is set that much higher when someone lacks an undergrad degree in the subject. I wouldn't expect a M.Eng program to admit me, essentially, on my statement alone. Show, don't tell. 

 

 

But I'm just some internet person, so if you really want to apply, go ahead and apply to see what happens. Have realistic expectations though. You might be able to counteract some of the negatives here by applying widely, and also think about whether your financial situation would allow an unfunded program.

Edited May 20, 2015 by lewin