I went to a community college my first two years. I did amazing and finished my associates in liberal arts with a 3.79. I transferred to a university to major in psychology. I would like to go to grad school for mental health counseling so i can help kids and young adults with mental illnesses. But the very beginning of my junior year my long distance girlfriend of 1 1/2 years sudddenly broke up with me and it was my first break up. That along with other personal things destroyed me. I got a C, two A’s, and a B the fall semester. and a D, a B, and two A’s my next semester. This was due to me grieving and being depressed. tbh i had a suicide date planned but i got help. i’m still going through these hard times but not as much. I have to retake the class I got a D in and one professor that is extremely hard is teaching one class I need to take this semester. I now have a 3.15 GPA. Am I basically screwed for Graduate school because… I am very depressed about this and if I dont get into grad school i think my life will be over. I need to get back into the good study habits I used to have but its hard with my ADHD (I am trying to get disability to make my life easier). Would grad schools be interested in my community college transcript? I havent even begun grad school research because I see the requirements for GPA and how close mine is to losing that requirement and I am terrified. Do I need all A’s to survive this entire year? Can someone give me any advice because my anxiety is so bad I havent eaten in days
All of your hard work will have been for nothing if you starve to death. Go eat something. Get a good night’s sleep. This week, if you aren’t already seeing a therapist of some sort, set up an appointment with one. You may get free counseling through your school.
Later, when you are not in such immediate danger, talk to an advisor about grad school. By then there will probably also be helpful responses here.
For tonight, focus on the things you can actually do something about. Like getting food and drink and rest.
@oriharaizaya @bodangles is right you need to get your physical and mental health in order. Then you can focus on what you need to do to finish the degree you are working on. Your GPA is not the only factor considered for graduate school admissions. With your current GPA it is unlikely that you will be admitted directly out of undergraduate school. However, with a few years of working in mental health support roles, a record of upward trend in academic functioning, good GRE and recommendations it would not be impossible.
You have got to get yourself mentally and physically well. There’s a lot to be learned from working to get yourself better that will be invaluable to you if you do end up in a career helping youth wit mental illnesses. By getting well you may end up being a better therapist than someone who has never struggled with mental illness. But, you have to get hope if you are ever going to instill hope.
Go find your school’s counseling services now. If that isn’t an option find services in the community. Drop the all or nothing thinking and find a new way to think and be. Do it for yourself and the future clients who feel like you who you may be able to help someday.
I agree with the other advice - if you’re not still in counseling, try to find a therapist that works for you either on-campus or off. Your life won’t be over if you don’t get into grad school, but thinking it will is worrying.
To answer your question, grad schools ask for transcripts from every college you’ve attended, including your community college. So yes, they will see and care about your grades. You can also write a supplemental essay and/or a short sentence in your personal statement explaining your bad year - you don’t have to say “I broke up with my girlfriend,” but you can say “I had a health crisis in my junior year that caused my grades to tank, but after getting treatment I was able to recover and do better.” (Not in those words, of course - finesse the wording.) Even better if there’s a professor you’re close with who can write about it convincingly in their letter of recommendation for you.
A 3.15 actually isn’t that low, which indicates that you’ve done pretty well before this. And also, most mental health counseling programs are master’s programs, which usually have lower GPA requirement than PhD programs. You’ll be okay! Just make sure the rest of your application is outstanding!