Grad School Question?

Question

I would like to go to grad school, to get a PhD in psychology. Lets say that in psychology glasses, i get all A's (which so far is true) but in classes unrelated to my major, such as music, philosophy, or political science, i get mostly B's or maybe one or two C's. Would the people determining if i get into grad school be concerned if i don't get A's in classes which have nothing to do with the subject that i want to study in grad school?

Answer 1

It is absolutely unbelievably difficult to gain admission to a doctoral program in Clinical Psych. The national average of admitted candidates regularly hovers between 6% and 7%. The top programs admit only 1% of applicants.

For that reason, applicants with the highest cumulative GPAs are the best candidates. A 3.6 is average. Lab research is also absolutely crucial, and letters of rec from your lab supervisors must be stellar.

GREs are also very important. Many programs have a cutoff of about 1300 and a 4 on the old GRE, but the average GRE for accepted students is more like 1400 and a 4.5. (The new GRE cutoff will probably be 1800.)

Some sort of volunteer experience, like peer counseling, can be desirable,.but lab experience is much more important.

Therefore, because PhD programs in Clinical Psych are so competitive, Bs will hurt, but Cs will practically spell doom.

Now if you're looking into Educational Psychology, or Social Psych, or Developmental Psych, or another less competitive subfield within Psych, mostly Bs won't really hurt, but more than one C could be damaging, but only in terms of fellowships and assistantships. You could still certainly gain admission to a few programs.

Best wishes to you.

Answer 2

1. They will look at anything you write for grammar, spelling, punctuation and style -- so read it over and over again before you send it in -- one trick is to read it from end to beginning since you will see things your brain skips over in a regular reading. For example, your second sentence uses the word "glasses" instead of "classes".
2. The importance of grades (in your major area and outside) is dependent on the school; the graduate degree you are pursuing; and what extracurricular things you have going on which may have affected them.
3. They are not concerned that you don't have A's in all classes outside your major, but they may be concerned by the C's. Have a ready explanation.

Answer 3

gpa and total gpa is what matters!
the classes that are unrelated to your major will be looked at but they will understand that is not where your passion lies and thus students tend to do worse in those subjects.

you sound like you had my grades as an undergrad and from experience i still got into the grad school of my choice with no problems. because i wasn't going to grad school for psycis (c range) i was there for psych(a range).

they are also going to look at your letters from past profs, your essay and interview. so do strong in those and you'll have no problems!!

Answer 4

Yes, they will be concerned why you cannot do well in school across the board. While your major GPA is important, your cumulative GPA is important as well. A few less than perfect grades won't be a problem, but you can't get mostly B's in all your other classes and still be competitive for graduate school.

Answer 5

yea, there's will be some concern with the "C"s. But every grad school is different, and they have different qualifications. Many of them will rely heavily on your GRE score, others pay more attention to the interview. Talk to the schools where you want to apply, then get your ducks in a row and go for it!

Answer 6

Not really, as long as your overall GPA is decent. If you do good on your GRE it will help you out as well. Also, a lot of departments will also be interested in non academic areas such as community involvement, experience etc... They want a well rounded person.

Answer 7

depends on the school.