<p>I graduated from a top-35 school 5 years ago with a less than impressive (~2.8) GPA and a degree in Economics. I have been working for a software startup for the last three years (spend my first post-college year on a service mission abroad) and now I want to go back to graduate school with the ultimate goal of receiving a PhD or PsyD in Clinical Psych to work with patients.</p>
<p>My problems seem daunting:
-I have no relationship with any of my former college professors for LORs
-I have no experience in psychology, I took one class in college and no research/lab time
-My GPA is clearly not competitive
-I really only want to stay in NYC</p>
<p>The best things that I have going for me are that I do well on standardized tests, and that I am a somewhat strong writer.</p>
<p>What options are available to me that will ultimately help me achieve my goal of getting into a PhD or PsyD program? Is it even a feasible goal for me?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Do you mind me asking why you want to switch from Econ to Psyc.? It is not really clear why you want to make the move, but I can only make some initial suggestions. 1) go to a local college, and take some classes in Psyc to gain a foundation in the field, and to establish another academic record to add to your undergrad record. If you do this, you will probably need all A’s, as to overcome your undergrad gpa. Also, you could ask some profs if you could volunteer in thier labs to gain experience. Next, apply to some MS programs in Psyc. You can gain valuable research experience during this stage, and maybe even a pub. It is critical that you perform well in this stage, as it will/can be your launching pad to your PhD.</p>
<p>Do a post-Bacc. Go to a university near where you live/work and take psych classes. You can build up new relationships there for LORs. You’ll need to do well to bring up your GPA while also preparing for the GRE.</p>
<p>If volunteering is an option for you, look up some of the hospitals in NYC. See if you can be a volunteer research assistant in the psych department. Or look up some mental health hospitals and see if you can get a part time of volunteer job as a counselor ( those positions usually don’t require previous counseling positions surprisingly enough)</p>
<p>I have a plan to take 1-2 summer classes in introductory Psych this summer, 3-4 more classes in the fall, then tentatively apply for my post-bacc at Columbia for spring/fall 2013.</p>
<p>As for why I want to make the switch, well I really didn’t (and don’t) enjoy econ. I was too lazy to challenge myself back in college with hard choices (like switching my major after 2+ years and taking more classes per semester to catch up), and my current job doesn’t make use of my econ degree anyway. I have always been interested in psych, and I did well when I took a couple of classes in college. I feel very strongly about mental health, I would love to be able to help people.</p>
<p>I understand that there is an enormous difference between “dinner table psychology” and actual research and lab psych, and I know that I will need pretty much straight A grades to even approach consideration as a PhD student.</p>
<p>Another question, how hard is it to go back to school after so many years away from studying?</p>