PhD in clinical psych with low(ish) GPA

Graduate School
1

Currently a junior with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 and major (psychology) GPA of 3.75. I have not taken the GRE and already have one year of research under my belt, I will be participating in one more lab for about a year before I graduate.

I know top tier schools are out of the question but I just need some reassurance that there are AT LEAST some APA accredited schools out there that would want me.
I have been looking at schools like UIC, University of Utah, and University of Kansas for child clinical psychology.

Would it be advisable to take an extra year off after graduation to get more research/internship experience? I will be 23 by the time I graduate and I don’t know if there is a time limit for grad schools for when they want you to apply after graduation.

2

I don’t think top tier schools are out of the question for you. Once you get past around a 3.5 GPA, most professors are generally satisfied and other things (like research and your area of interest) become more important. This is especially true with a high major GPA.

But taking a year off after grad school for clinical psych is almost always a good idea. Even many students with 2-3 years of research experience in college don’t get accepted just because it’s so competitive, so I would plan to apply to some programs but also plan to look for experiences that’ll help boost your resume after college.