Is My GPA Too Low to Get Into Graduate School in Psychology?
One of the most important make-or-break decisions for your career is the decision to go to graduate school. Psychology is easily one of the most popular majors on college campuses across the United States. According to 2009 figures by the American Psychological Association, there are over 85,000 college graduates with degrees in psychology every year. Many of these students make the decision to pursue advanced degrees, but how many will actually receive an acceptance letter? And even still, some students will graduate with less than stellar grades, so does this mean that grad school is completely out of reach?
The short answer is no. If your GPA is in the 2.0-3.0 range, there is still hope for you get into a good graduate school to continue your education. Sometimes GPA is not a reflection of academic ability, but you may have had a semester that had an adverse impact on your overall GPA. Maybe your GPA in core psychology courses is substantially higher than the overall picture. If this sounds familiar, then you have established a good case to get into graduate school.
What you want to do first is research different master’s degree programs. A master’s degree is your best bet because these programs are often designed with students such as yourself in mind. Typically, the requirements are less strict than those to get into Ph.D. programs, and many use the successful completion of a master’s degree as further evidence that they have the aptitude and ability to go on to pursue doctoral level work.
There are a few other things you need to know to enhance your chances of receiving an acceptance letter to your master’s degree program of choice. Just because there may be relaxed admissions requirements in comparison to a Ph.D. program doesn’t mean that it is easy to get in. You will still want to score as highly as possible on the GRE. Many masters degree programs nod on prior research experience so if you have the opportunity to write a senior thesis you will want to take it. If not, then ask your professors if they know of any opportunities where you can work as a research assistant. Not only will you score good experience, but your supervisor may be able to write you an excellent letter of recommendation!
You can be among the number of students who successfully get into psychology graduate programs the first time around! Please visit Grad School Psychology to gain insight on different tips, tricks, strategies, and just overall need-to-know information about what it takes to get into top psychology graduate schools!
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Did you know that the American Psychology Association publishes a guide to getting into psychology graduate programs?
Check out the Amazon.com 5 star rated “Getting In: A Step-By-Step Plan for Gaining Admission to Graduate School in Psychology.”