<p>I have a few difficulties with my grades that I want to address here…some background…</p>
<li>I’m a junior right now.</li>
<li>At my current school, which I’ve attended all but my first semester of freshman year, I have a 3.97 going in to this semester.</li>
</ol>
<p>The 3.97 is the product of all A’s and one B+. One of the classes in there was worth four credits, the others three.</p>
<p>I changed my major from elementary ed to psych this semester and am going to graduate on time unless I need to retake courses.</p>
<p>Here are my problems:</p>
<li><p>The semester I was at my old school, I suffered a great deal of verbal and mental abuse and it took a huge toll on my grades. I had a 2.98 that semester and that includes one D+ and one W. My health was very poor the entire semester and I had to leave early. I know the grades that did transfer are “T” grades on my transcript from my current school, but will these grades come to light and hurt me at all?</p></li>
<li><p>I have one W on my transcript. I had to drop the course because I could not understand the professor well.</p></li>
<li><p>I’m doing well this semester with one exception: a gen ed which I currently have a B- in but just took a test in that may lower that a good deal. I’d need a 60% or higher and a 100% to pull off a B- in there. Would a C+ be a bad thing considering I already have one W and that horrible transcript from when I was ill/abused?</p></li>
<li><p>I am in Psi Chi and am shooting for an internship this summer, does that help me at all? The internship hopefully will be with someone I know who is at my top choice school, although I know they only take 15 to their psych department (which seems really low).</p></li>
<li><p>I want to go into autism research and be a research psychologist, ultimately getting a PhD. I actually have high functioning autism myself, with my impairments almost all social in nature. (The social aspect of the gen ed I’m in now explains my struggles). I DO NOT want to go into counseling. Are research programs really hard to get into?</p></li>
<li><p>I live in the Pittsburgh area and am looking for a program around there since it would be very difficult for me to relocate given my diagnosis and support network. Perhaps I should work in the field a few years if I don’t get in and keep trying every semester at the local grad schools?</p></li>
<li><p>My biggest concern, of course, is the transcript from my old school, the W, and the possibility of not making a B- or higher in one of my courses. Should I have to worry a ton there? I know I could probably get good letters of recommendation and even with a regular C in that class my overall GPA will still be over 3.90–yet I don’t want a C in a course simply because I don’t want it to be seen. Maybe I retake that class?</p></li>
<li><p>I didn’t take calculus, does that hurt me?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>One semester, far in the past, caused by problems that no longer exist...as long as somebody explains this in your application, I don't think the bad semester should be a big problem. It is generally considered more powerful if someone like a recommender can explain the problem for you, instead of you having to explain it yourself, but if none of them know much about it...most applications have an optional "additional information" section where you can put anything else you think is relevant, and you can write an essay explaining your circumstances there.</p>
<p>The C+ stings a bit, but I don't think it will make or break you (if you were in my field, I would say that it wouldn't even come up, but I have heard that psych is more competitive and pickier). Especially since it's not terribly relevant to what you want to do in grad school.</p>
<p>Many psych subfields are very competitive, some less so. What subfield are you going for ("autism research" doesn't tell me anything - you can approach autism from many different neural and psychological perspectives)?</p>
<p>
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I didn't take calculus, does that hurt me?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Honestly, I think it SHOULD - having come into my current field of computer science from an undergrad neural and cog sci program that did require calculus, it drives me mad that there are such low expectations for the mathematical preparation of psych majors at most schools - but I don't think it will, at most schools. <em>Having</em> calculus would probably be a boost. Much more important, though, is that you have prob/stats. You absolutely need prob/stats to do psych. Most psych majors do seem to at least require that much math, so I'm hoping that you've taken it or are taking it your senior year.</p>
<p>Looks like I'll be talking with my advisors, who will probably be my recommenders, about the semester. I'm sure they can help there.</p>
<p>I did take probability and statistics, in fact it's a requirement for an undergrad at my school. However, my Prob/Stat was done through "College in High School" at the University of Pittsburgh. It shows up as Spring 2005 since I took it while in high school.</p>
<p>Would it be possible to take Calc next summer after graduation? I know it's intense and I wouldn't want it to interfere with either research methods, senior seminar, or an internship this summer.</p>
<p>Also, would I be wise to take that class over if I didn't get my B? I really don't think a B would hurt me at all since most all of my grades are A's, but since so many psych programs are picky I think I may be right in not wanting anything lower than B-?</p>
<p>While I don't have Calc, I do have computer programming skills...one course at my campus (a basic one, though) but also some awards for excellence in programming from my high school years (not from my high school, but from a different place). Could that help me?</p>
<p>My biggest fear is that no grad school will accept me.</p>
<p>Your grades in courses unrelated to psychology will not matter much in a school's decision making process. Courses related to your field, and in your field will matter most. (Your Stat Courses, Psych Courses, and possibly certain science courses depending on your field).</p>
<p>Hmmm...this begs a few more questions...</p>
<p>Should I go for an additional semester after I graduate so that I can take an advanced Bio, Calc, stats again, and maybe the criminal justice gen ed that I'm concerned about my grade in again?</p>
<p>I took the Bio for non science majors because I used to be in elementary ed. I got an A though.</p>
<p>Stats was a course I took three years ago and I got a B (senioritis in high school is to blame...), maybe I should take it over or an A?</p>
<p>ETS: I forwarded this to my DD who is a psych research grad student and happens to even be doing some autism research, here is her answer:</p>
<p>I don't think the not taking calculus matters. Stats are way more important in research than any other type of math (and I didn't have any stats and still managed to get in!). I also don't think the one bad semester will hurt him badly. Just tell him to address it in his personal statement and emphasize how he's "turned things around". That's what I did and I had more than one bad term and it worked for me. I would also suggest applying to a smaller school for a Masters rather than shooting for the PhD right off the bat. The most crucial piece of advice I can give to someone who wants to get into a research program is GET RESEARCH EXPERIENCE...it doesn't matter if you have to volunteer to clean the rat cages or what...just get involved in a psych lab somewhere...my mentor prof is really the person I credit for getting me in, and I reserached for him before applying, just to see if I even wanted to pursue research. Try to work with someone at the school you want to go to. Or just work with anyone...just GET RESEARCH EXPERIENCE!!!!!</p>