<p>I'm a Junior studying Computer Science and have average grades for lack of motivation. I was curious about the way computers worked at first, but the work has become a bit dry and boring-- I often find myself much more interested in things like Psychology, Biology, Neuroscience. I've dropped a lot of classes and have a few D's and F's. I've a 3.0 right now (I keep it around here so I can be employed as a C.S. grad) but realize this is a bad GPA if I want to apply to grad school. The highest I can graduate with is a 3.3-3.4 and I'd like to apply to I/O Psych programs. I've only had web developer jobs in the past, so I've no research under my belt. I could finish the Psychology degree within 2 and a half years and hopefully find research opportunities within that period.</p>
<p>So that's my scenario. Is it even a possibility, provided I keep my grades on the upward trend and find some research opportunities, to be admitted to grad school in IO Psych?</p>
<p>I can’t speak for your field specifically, but I’m a college drop-out who then went back to school and only decided he wanted to go to grad school in the last two years, and I was able to get accepted into a reasonably well-ranked school in my field (microbiology). It’s not impossible, but you’ll have to bust your butt getting research opportunities and acing your major-specific classes to get there.</p>
<p>It is definitely a possibility, but keep in mind psychology = one of the most competitive grad fields. If your passion is psychology and you have the time/finances to switch majors or double major, you should definitely do so. 2 years is plenty of time to gain research experience. The key is to find a position and start working right away, that way you get a feel for how graduate school research works. Also, try taking classes with a few of the same psychology professors, that way getting LORs will not be as difficult. I would start by visiting your college’s psychology department website and getting in touch with their advising office. Psych programs (especially in I/O or heavily based research programs) look for applicants with a strong background in research methods and statistics.</p>
<p>Also, while I/O is great, have you looked into Human Factors Psych? It sounds like it would be a good field for you since you have the Computer Science background as well. Cognitive Science programs are on the rise-they are multi-disciplinary so you could study Neuroscience, Psychology and Computer Science all in the same graduate program. Just a few options to consider! Best of luck.</p>