Let's be real - can I actually can into an accredited clinical psych program?

[GraddieBaddie]

My cGPA is terrible. (Brace for it!) It's a miserable 2.25. My GPA for last year of studies is 3.5, and for the last two years of studies is 3.0. I graduated with a BSc(Hons) in Psychology from UofT last year. Program major GPA is 2.8 (gulp). I went through bouts of depression in uni, hence the grades - but that's neither here nor there.

I have 3 years worth of volunteer RA experience in both academic and clinical studies. I have been employed as an RA for about a year in a community-mental health study. Starting this year I'll be a research coordinator for a non-profit mental health agency funded by the government. I have completed an independent research study and have 1 publication (3rd author) and 3 conference presentations (1st and 3rd author). I've been volunteering at a crisis line for about a year. For what it's worth, I'll have great letters of reference from PIs whom I worked with closely and know me well.

I do want to do clinical psychology, but I'm thinking that my CV is in no way strong enough to compete with all y'all 3.9 GPA people with 10 publications out there. I've been asking around grad schools but of course no one ever says whether I'd be a strong candidate or not. 

I'll be applying in Fall of 2018 and am restricted to schools in Canada. I just...I just want to know if my shitty GPA is basically a non-starter for my application and I'm better off doing a Masters in Public Health or something else like that. I don't have to waste all my energy applying for something that I can basically never get no matter how hard I try to 'boost' my application with relevant experience. So I guess any thoughts that anyone has are greatly appreciated. 

[dormcat]

Can you get the opinion of the PIs writing you letters? My PI looked at my list of schools and told me it was a long shot. They should be able to give you an unbiased perspective, while grad students don't really have that comfortable authority. The only thing that can redeem your undergrad GPA is getting a solid Masters GPA, but none of us can truly tell you your chances because we're in the same position as you. 

[Clinpsyc01]

A lot of Canadian schools look only at your last two years... Do you think you could do another full-time year of undergrad psychology courses and reasonably expect to get 3.9-4.0? I would check with schools first, though, to make sure that they would count this as one of your last two years. You could also consider doing a masters in experimental psych before applying to MA/PhD programs. 

I think the most important thing for you to do right now is talk to any clinical faculty members you know to get their opinions. 

 

[juhidee119]

I would suggest trying for a masters first to get a better GPA to show doctoral programs. Sounds like you're on the right track with research experience and publications. 

[Sherrinford]

Realistically, I would say it would be very difficult for you because of 2 factors. Your GPA and the fact that you are geographically limited to Canada. While it isn't impossible, it will be tough due to the sheer nature of how competitive programs are.

That's the hard part but you do have options. I was in the same boat except I had much less research experience than you out of undergrad. Doing a Masters in Clinical Psych made sense because I could prove that I can handle graduate level coursework (I obtained a near 4.0 GPA) while giving me many opportunities to get involved with research. While I was not admitted into a program this cycle, I did get a number of interviews so it was definitely a good decision for me personally to have gotten my MA.

Still, most MA programs are not funded so that might be a challenge. There may be alternatives, can you take additional coursework at your school to help raise your GPA? That may be tough as your cumulative is rather low. Talking to your mentors is a good idea about what the best course of action would be.

Having said that, the positive is that outside of GPA, everything you're doing/have done is fantastic in terms of the research experience. I have no doubt that you will eventually get admitted into a program.