Hi!
I plan to apply for masters and PhD programs for clinical psychology this upcoming fall. I’m an incoming senior in undergraduate with a 3.3 cumulative GPA(…sad music plays) and a 3.53 major GPA.
I started off undergrad as a Biology B.S. major so I got a 2.0 in my freshman year, which made my life a bit more difficult(I had to retake a bunch of classes). I know I’m not that competitive for PhD programs, but I figured I’d try anyway.
I’ve worked in three different labs. I worked in a Health Psychology lab in my sophomore year for a semester, a Pediatric Psychology lab the summer before junior year and in the fall of junior year, and I’m working in a primarily health psychology lab this summer and planning to during the fall as well. I have no publications 
I’m interning at Kennedy Krieger right now for clinical experience, and I’ve been a Psychology 100 TA for three semesters. I’ve also been board officer of my university’s Psi Chi for a year.
I haven’t taken the GRE yet, and I plan to either in late August or early September. Would it be worth it to apply for PhD programs in Clinical Psychology or am I kidding myself with my mediocre GPA? Am I a good candidate for masters programs in Clinical Psychology?
Any advice is helpful, and thank you for your time. Feel free to ask for more details if needed.
What do your professors and your internship supervisor at Kennedy Krieger suggest for you? Start with them.
You know, I haven’t even considered asking my supervisor, so that’s a good idea actually. My professors tell me I should try for both, and that it’s competitive, so it’s not really…the best answer I guess?
They have given you their best answer. “Go ahead and apply to both” means that they think you have the potential to get in and do well. “It’s competitive” means that they want you to know that you might be rejected but to not take that too personally.
I think you’re an edge case - “on the border,” if you will. Your GPA is a little bit low for the standard PhD program - it’s common for most PhD admits to have a 3.5+ cumulative, and a higher master’s. But you have quite a bit of research experience, you’re interning at a great place for clinical experience, and you’ve got more TA experience than most undergrads have. And your start as a biology major explains the lower cumulative GPA, which a lot of graduate professors will have some sympathy for.
Strong letters of recommendation, a really strong statement of interests, and great GRE scores can help tip the scales in your favor. If your professors are telling you that you should apply for both, that indicates that least some of them are supportive of your goals.
So if I were you, I would do exactly what they say and apply for both. Focus on a group of clinical psychology programs (somewhere in the 5-10 range, I’d say, depending on the enthusiasm of your advisors) that are really appealing to you and are excellent fits for your research interests. Ask your professors and your KKI supervisor to help you select programs where you have a good shot for admission.
Then you would want to supplement with a handful of master’s programs (maybe like 3-5) that have reputations for helping students get into great PhD programs. They don’t need to be in clinical psychology; a master’s program in any field of psychology would help (many of the really great ‘feeder’ programs are in general, experimental, or applied psychology). If any of the flagship universities in your home state have psych programs, I would apply there, too, since these programs tend to not be funded.
Ahhh that’s reassuring 
Thank you!!!