Chances of Phd. in Counseling or Clinical PhD

Graduate School
1

<p>Hello!</p>

<p>I have recently been stressing out about gaining admission to graduate programs. I'm currently a senior at DePaul University. I have had an unconventional past five years and I want to know if grad schools will be understanding of my choices in the past few years. </p>

<p>So, I did well during my freshman year at DePaul where I received mostly As, but I actually withdrew from my courses during my spring quarter because my mom passed away. I was extremely close with my mom and her death literally devastated me. So, I took the next year off where I went overseas with a friend. We taught English to host family in Spain and volunteered in an orphanage. The year off from school was very healthy for me and then I decided to transfer schools and I spent my sophomore year at Vanderbilt. I did decently there, but I went through some times of depression. At that time, I was still very confused and to make a long story short, I decided to transfer back up to DePaul for my junior year. At the time, I thought it was the right decision, but I realize now how uncommitted my last four years have seemed. I'm a senior this year, and I'm doing well overall.</p>

<p>Besides of my transfers, I am currently a little nervous about gpa. I have a 3.4, which I realize isn't very competitive for clinical and counseling phd programs. I am planning on taking this coming year off and to work as a research assistant here at DePaul.</p>

<p>Here are my stats:
GPA: 3.4
Extracurriculars: Buddy Program: I have met weekly with a woman with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome around 9 months now.</p>

<p>Research Experience: I volunteer at PCIT research lab where I do transcripts, summary entry, and coding
-I plan to get more involved with the fatigue illness research this coming year.</p>

<p>Honors: Recipient of DUOS grant, which is related to the PCIT and I work along with a 6th
year doctoral student</p>

<p>I also plan to start volunteering in the psychiatric pediatrics ward soon.</p>

<p>I see my gpa going up a point or two in the coming year and I plan to stay involved in these labs. I haven't taken the GRE yet, but I plan to prepare for it to offset my gpa.</p>

<p>Any thoughts would be GREATLY appreciated!</p>

2

<p>I don’t think the transferring is a problem, especially because you can easily explain that by the tragedy that you faced and that you took some time to recover and transferred because you thought you would do better there, but then decided to go back. All of that can be explained in a supplemental information essay.</p>

<p>I got into a top 15 social psychology program with a 3.42 (directly from undergrad). You can get into a clinical psychology program with a 3.4, but you will need the rest of your application to be outstanding. Is your major GPA higher than your cumulative? How long have you been doing research? If you have less than 2 years of research experience by the time you apply, then you are a less competitive candidate. Your GRE scores can’t offset your GPA, but they can add a little more oomph to your application if you do well.</p>

<p>Apply selectively to the clinical and counseling programs you really want to attend, but I would also try to apply for some lab manager/research coordinator positions. Even many qualified clinical and counseling applicants spend 2-3 years working as a lab manager before heading off to their PhD program.</p>