<p>Hi, I'm a junior at a small liberal arts college in Virginia. I'm studying psychology and my gpa isn't so great, it's at a 2.8 right now..I'm trying to bring it up to at least a 3.0, but I'm having a hard time with two classes I'm taking this semester. I've already retaken a few classes, and I plan on taking two classes over the summer, and saving my last hardest class till spring my senior year so the inevitable "B" or god forbid "C" won't kill my gpa. I'd ideally like to get into a PsyD program, however a lot of the requirements are for a 3.0 gpa at minimum. So ideally I'm looking for a program that emphasizes the last two years of college (I've seen like two, but I'm hoping there are more out there?) Or if anyone knows of any less competitive grad schools for psychology, please let me know! I'm open to applying to masters programs as well, and PhD programs seem way out of my reach, but if they took my gpa I'd definitely take it. I'm looking more for programs that are clinical or counseling based, and I'm not at all interested in experimental/behavioral psychology programs.</p>
<p>Hello there,</p>
<p>Applying to Master’s programs seems to be the way for you to go. Yes, in comparison to a PsyD, it theoretically pushes you back (timewise, that is, unless you’re lucky enough that much of the credit transfers), but it would be in your best interest to gather some experience before you go for a PsyD. If you earned a rock solid GPA as a Master’s student, that would take a lot of focus off of your undergraduate GPA (I can’t think of any Master’s program that allows its students to graduate with worse than a 3.0, so either way you’ll be better off).</p>
<p>Make sure to score well on the GRE (grad schools often use GRE scores as a screening mechanism… perhaps this could soften the blow from the GPA) and get quality Letters of Recommendation. LoRs and the personal statement are <em>huge</em> factors.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>