i’m a sophomore who wants to go to grad school for clinical psych but i took cognitive neuroscience this semester bc i was scared i was gonna get a bad grade. I ended up getting a B+ but by the time I knew my final grade it was too late to change the course back to the regular grading option.
Yes
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While one pass/fail probably will not make a difference, be aware that clinical psych programs, especially solid, APA approved programs, are very hard to get into. Have you had research experience? Any hands on clinical experience (eg worked at a facility as a mental health assistant), etc? These would be very helpful.
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Are you looking to apply to masters or PhD programs?
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While there are many terminal
masters level psychology or counseling options, if you want to go to an APA accredited program (which is considered by most to be the gold standard and to more easily qualify to sit for state licensing exams) they do not accredit terminal masters programs. Which are you looking for?
I would imagine that it depends on the school and what their requirements are. I would research this. If the class needs a grade you can probably retake it, even if it is not at your school.
I just checked my daughter’s master’s program (not psych) and prerequisites must be taken for a grade (post Covid).
Do the programs you are interested in have prerequisites? If yes, is cognitive neuroscience one of them?
What degree are you seeking? Many are very competitive.
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Here’s a good resource for grad programs :
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Are you able to open this link? https://www.apa.org/education-career/grad/applying
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The list of APA accredited programs is quite long! https://accreditation.apa.org/accredited-programs
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Yes, but once you look for a specific field, e.g., school psychology, counseling, clinical,… and whether PsyD vs PhD, the list shrinks!
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Your major-specific GPA will be relevant, and different programs might require to have taken specific courses before applying - but a single „pass“ is likely of no concern.
There are many other parts to a successful application — and many might need a year or two of relevant experience in the field after college.
(Some specific examples: Can i get into grad school for psych if i took a psych class pass/fail? - #16 by DigitalDad )
No matter how well you do academically, there definitely is a non-zero chance that you may not be accepted into a doctoral program straight out of college.
Perhaps the experts in psychology can weigh in. I’m in another allied health profession. But in my state, one cannot work as any kind of psychologist without a masters degree.
So…not sure what that “relevant” experience would be.
Research assistant, interning at a practice,…
Maybe research assistant. I’m not sure in my state that someone can “intern” doing anything related to a psychologist’s scope of practice (practicing without a license is very much frowned upon…and likely violates a code of ethics).
Perhaps one of the psychologists on this forum can clarify what a bachelors student can do…in their state.
The student can do text base crisis counseling, possibly without a college degree. Training is provided.
I just checked- you need to be 18 to be trained (30 hours of training).
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My daughter was a RA for a longitudinal study at a State Research Clinic, a RA for a multi-year study at a large, private research University, a clinical “intern” at a private practice. Naturally, you are not “practicing” – and no one suggested that, but you can fulfill intake and other work, e.g. creating case conceptualizations by reviewing screenings. Any research work would be under Postdocs or similar research coordinators!
All very common/normal prior to grad school.
Among her current cohorts were people having worked as behavioral “technicians”, some had pursued education careers, combining it with counseling. Some had volunteered as crisis counselors (e.g., Training Calendar),…
There are many ways how one can demonstrate commitment to the field and strengthen one’s application, if the initial “out of college” résumé didn’t suffice - in fact, I believe less than 20% of her cohorts had managed acceptance straight out of college.
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Yes I am aware. But if the OP has challenges with clinical psych prereqs, there are other options to consider.
Yes, this is correct. It’s much harder these days to get directly into a good Ph.D. Clinical Psych grad program right out of undergrad. Direct experience like getting a job as a psych hospital MHA (mental health assistant/associate), getting some training as an ABA assistant or psychometrist as well as continuing to work (if one had) on research with faculty (and hopefully getting an authorship named on a publication) can all help strengthen an application to Ph.D programs after undergrad.
phd ideally but i’d be ok getting a masters first
I applied for a research assistant position at our university’s mental health lab so if things go well there I’ll have a position there. I don’t have any clinical experience yet but our university has a peer counseling organization I’d like to join. besides that I’m very open to general suggestions on where to look at for research and clinical opportunities
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