I want to know if I have a chance of getting into Northwestern University for their Ph.D program in clinical psychology. I attend SUNY Oswego which is a state school in New York. I am graduating in May of 2016, a year early because I was in IB in high school and did well. The problem is I have a low GPA, 2.73. I know it is really low, but it’s not from my psychology classes those I am doing fine in. I started college as a chemistry and economics major and the science classes killed my GPA, I never got above a C. I also failed calculus 1 and when I retook it I got D. I know I sound really stupid, but I’m just really trying to figure this out. Even with getting straight A’s the next two semesters my GPA would only be a 3.2. I haven’t taken the GRE yet but I will take it next month. My question is, what should I do to increase my chances of getting into a PhD program in clinical psychology? I know I can’t get into Northwestern, but would it be a good option to get a master’s degree to show that I can handle the work. I was also thinking about working as a lab manager so I can get more research experience since I will have only had one year of research experience by the time I graduate. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Very low. (Why are you specifically aiming for Northwestern?) Clinical psych programs are really competitive and the top one are even more so. A 2.73 GPA + only one year of research experience does not bode well.
For you, either a master’s or a lab manager position would be a good option to improve your chances. The lab manager position is cheaper, and allows you to gain more research; you could also take a few graduate-level psychology classes and show that you can perform. Normally I wouldn’t recommend an MA program, but it’s a good option for a low GPA.