Grad School...

Ah. I am freaking out. I applied to 10 graduate schools ~ 13 programs. I am really worried about not going in. I have a ****** GPA (2.93, projected 3.1 at the end of this year). My major is in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. The classes I did not do well in were some of my gen eds and most science/math based courses in psychology... Also becuase of my depression and all school became difficult from time to time... I am showing improvement this year though. I graduate school in 2017, instead of 2018 so I finish in 3 years instead of 4...

I don't have much work experience, my family didn't like the idea of me working and don't support me in anything (irrelevant for this post, in therapy for this, lol). I don't have any research experience or anything which sucks. This is why I don't think I am getting into grad school. My GRE's suck too, I am a bad test taker..
I am very work motivated and all of that htough which is a huge perk...

I applied to McGill, Dalhousie, U of Denver, U of NC Greensboro, U of Albany, Texas A&M Commerce, U of North Texas at Dallas, U of North Florida, and Jacksonville University...

I am getting very anxious and worried at this point. I was talking to other people appling and they all have high GRE scores and amazing resumés with research...
Compared to other people I am an average candidate with nothing special..
My advisor even said not to put my hopes up for grad school, to have alternate plans..

I feel horrible.

Hello CyclingPsych: Well... I guess I don't know anything about this. It was many years ago when I managed to get myself into grad school. My academic situation would have been similar to yours. How I managed to get into grad school was that I had been working for several years in the field I wanted to go to graduate school for. And the field was one in which there was, at the time, a need. So I was accepted into two different programs actually, even though my prior academic performance would have suggested I would not get in. I hope something works out for you.

Hi, CyclingPsych. It could be that grad school will not be for you, since the schools are very competitive. That said, what would you like to be doing in your job? There are other avenues that might help you reach your goals.

Meanwhile, apply for some jobs to get some experience.

I, too, am in the process of applying to grad schools... seeing how stressed I've become, my professors and advisor have recommended me taking a semester or year off before tackling grad school. I said that wasn't an option; I wanted to go in the fall, immediately after I graduate. But I also don't feel confident that I'll get into my dream school either. So my professor told me today that there's nothing wrong with taking a semester or year off to increase your skills and resume and then apply to grad school later. You could also make time to study for the GRE some more. please don't lose hope.

My son didn't even apply to grad schools and will take a year to get research experience before applying to psych grad schools. He is graduating this year from a top school, with a high GPA, and scored top 10% on the GRE. He was advised to not even apply yet because of the lack of research experience.

So you rolled the dice and applied. Maybe you will get accepted, probably you won't. Skeezyks is right, get experience working in the psych field, which may get you in next year or so. You can also retake the GRE and improve your score.

Personally, I am glad my son is taking the year to work. I want him to be sure he really wants to pursue the PhD in psychology. I feel that he may be better suited for something else honestly.

So what was your plan B?

I mean, I assume this isn't the first time you heard that getting a college-level job with an BA in psychology may be difficult.

That said, the way you describe yourself you don't sound like the perfect PhD candidate, at this point in your life. There's many more undergrad students than PhD spots and many many more less academic permanent positions than PhD candidates. And I suspect this trend is even stronger in psychology, where I heard that in some countries many PhD positions aren't even funded.

I understand there is depression involved. That can be a double-edged sword in predicting your future performance. It may be better, because the depression was holding you down.

I hope to be a PhD candidate someday, and so far my prospects look excellent. I had mental health problems. I also was a 'stupid kid' all my life, and there was no sign I would ever be able to engage in academia. I am now doing stuff most people just are not smart or motivated enough to do. And I don't know how that happened.

My gut feeling wants to suggest to you to look into master programs that are more scientific and have better job prospects, and somehow bridge the knowledge gap. Or even do a second BSc if you have to. I don't know how realistic that is, and also your comment that you did worse at gened and science doesn't seem like this may be the best advice to you.

I am 33 and soon to graduate with a BSc in physics. I guess I should be glad that my passions, my talents and the job prospects converge. I really feel for those people that are really talented and passionate for fields of education that have poor job prospects. I would have been one of those people, had my academic record not be so terrible I couldn't even go to a low level college (probably BA in music composition).
And I do not know what advice I can give those people.

I am also not very familiar with the US system and GPA and GRE. I See people be scared with a GPA of 3.8 on physics sites. And I hear about people taking one or two years off just to practice full time for a near-perfect GRE score. It is a bit puzzling to me. But even here in Europe, there is now talk about universities not accepting their own BSc students for the MSc programme's, unless they have an above average grade (which is really odd because they let these BSc students graduate, when a BSc is not a terminal degree and basically suggests the university itself thinks the BSc degree of their own BSc programme is flawed/inferior).

You can also apply for a Masters degree or a PsyD program, but it's too late for this year.

It is never easy waiting for those kinds of results but please try to remember it is not the end of the world. I know it feels like everything is riding on those results but there are always other ways to reach your goals if you don't get the acceptance.

Would it be possible to look at work experience for the year if things don't work out? It can really boost your resume and chances.

Are these PhD programs? If so, it just doesn't sound like you're ready for that level of work. I have a PhD and I'm a professor now and I can tell you from experience that a PhD is HARD work and it's 24/7 and 50% of grad students who come in, even with near 4.0 GPAs from Ivy League schools, still don't make it through the program. I had a 3.9 gpa from undergrad and top 2% on the GRE and I only got into one of the 8 PhD programs I applied to. I thought sailing through undergrad meant I was ready for a PhD-- and it didn't. I earned he PhD and finished with almost a 4.0 but there were times I felt unprepared and overehlemed and wanted to quit. It is by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. The advice I would give you is NOT to go straight to grad school. Get real life research experience first. Learn more about the career. Mature a little bit. Get your mental health fully under control. Then, if you're still 100% set on grad school, then do it. The vast majority of grad students we admit still aren't ready for that level of work and it's really a waste of time, money, and energy if you aren't ready.