angel879

Hello everyone,

My name's Katie and I am a junior psychology major at UNC Chapel Hill. I plan on applying to general psychology, school psychology and speech language pathology/communication science programs in order to become an applied behavior analyst (all are suitable degrees to obtain ABA certification).

Here are my stats:

- I attended an early college high school during which I completed an Associate in Arts
- current overall GPA: 2.7 (including UNC coursework and community college coursework completed during high school)
- current psychology GPA: 2.7, plan to raise this to at least a 3.2
- I know what courses I am taking in my remaining three semesters and plan to raise my GPA to a 3.2
- Haven't taken the GRE yet
- No research experience

Here are the programs I am considering applying to:

1. M.A. in Psychology - East Carolina University
2. M.A. in Psychology - UNC Greensboro
3. M.S. in Psychology - NC State University
4. M.A. in Psychology - Wake Forest University
5. M.A. in School Psychology - East Carolina University
6. M.S.in School Psyhology - NC State University
7. M.S. in Speech/Language Pathology - UNC Chapel Hill
8. M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders - East Carolina University
9. M.A. in Speech/Language Pathology - UNC Greensboro

So, my questions for you guys:
1. Chances at any of the above schools?
2. Is research experience as vital for Master's programs as it is for Ph.D programs?
3. Is 9 programs is too many to apply to? Too few?
4. Will graduating from a "public Ivy" university nationally improve my chance with my somewhat low GPA?

If you need additional info, just ask!

Thanks!

polarscribe

Nobody can "chance" you for graduate school.

angel879

Ok, but how about advice? Has anyone applied to any of these programs? Also, questions 2,3 and 4 do not have to do with chancing me. I would appreciate any insight from those with experience with/knowledge about these programs.

juillet

I'm curious how you plan to raise your GPA to a 3.2 in just one year.

In any event, no, research experience is not as important for master's programs as they are for PhD programs. It can help, but it's not necessary.

9 programs is not too much, although I do question the wisdom of applying so widely. I know you want to be an ABA, but school psychologists and speech language pathologists do very different things. And general psychology alone doesn't qualify you to do much of anything - I would recommend not getting that master's.

Going to UNC can somewhat make up for a slightly lower GPA, but not a 2.7.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using CC

TitoMorito

I agree with everything juillet said. You need to be more focused in the programs you're applying to, and to get a 3.2, you'll need to get at least an A- (3.7) in all of your courses from now on, including those in your senior year. It doesn't look like it was your GEs that were dragging you down, so I don't know how you'll increase your GPA by an entire point so quickly.

angel879

I am currently retaking 2 courses from a not-so-great freshman year, and over the next three semesters I will retake 3 more classes, one that I need to pass for my major, and the other two I that I got less than a C in (one was 4 credit hours). Retaking a total of 5 courses makes a 3.2 GPA attainable, I've done the math.

Secondly, I plan to narrow down the number of programs once I choose my degree area. I'm deciding between becoming a speech-language pathologist and an ABA. If I choose to become an ABA, all of those programs are adequate to receive ABA certification according to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board: Standards for Board Certified Behavior Analysts^® (BCBAs^®) However, if I choose to become a SLP, those three programs are the only on-campus programs in NC and I really do not want to go out of state or do an online program. I'm leaning towards SLP but I am worried three programs will not be enough.

TitoMorito

I looked it up, and both grades will be included on your transcript. You'll be able to boost your GPA that much, even despite that?

http://www.unc.edu/ugradbulletin/pro...#repeat_enroll

Plus, retaking 5 courses doesn't look very good; you'd be better off taking different courses where possible and doing well in those.

virions

I retook two courses for grade replacements at my undergrad university. Given that one grade was an F, and the other was pretty awful as well, the effect on my GPA was enormous. Of course, admissions committees saw both grades on the transcript. And in one or two cases, perhaps that is why I didn't get an interview. Yes, the ideal situation would have been to not mess up freshman year. But I am certain that I got interviews and admissions I would not have otherwise had with my hideous previous GPA.

juillet

First of all, I also echo the earlier question: Do you realize that your grades won't replace the old ones, but that both grades will be computed in your GPA and appear on your transcript? I still contend that you can't plan to raise your GPA to a certain number. You can certainly try, and I'm not trying to discourage you, just encouraging you to be realistic.

Three programs is normally enough for an MS in SLP, I would think. You would want to apply more broadly with a 2.9, but it doesn't make sense to apply more broadly if the additional MS programs won't get you to your goal of becoming an SLP - you could just work for a year or two and try again later.

If you truly can't decide, why not just apply to the SLP programs? If you get an MS in SLP you can do both. The other programs only allow you to do one. Even if you choose another degree, I would say choose one that allows you to do more than one thing. School psychology is also a good choice in that regard.

Also, reviewing the website, it doesn't look like the general psychology programs at UNC-Greensboro or Wake Forest will help you. The website says clinical, counseling, or school psychology, and that other degree determinations are made on a case by case basis. NC State doesn't have an MA in general psychology - they do have an MA in educational psychology through the school of education, but that's different from school psych and may not hold. You'd be far better off going to a school psych program (ECU has one), getting an MSW and focusing on clinical social work (which you can do at ECU, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Wilmington, UNC-Greensboro, Appalachian State and probably other places) or going ahead and getting the SLP.