What are Psychology undergrad requirements to apply to grad school?

Question

My BA is in a totally different field, I want to go back to school to complete the requirements so I can apply to grad school to eventually get a phd in clinical psychology.

Answer 1

it is very difficult and competitive to get into a Phd. program in clinical psychology.

it does not matter that your major is not in psychology. the only pre-requisites will most likely be a statistics class, general psychology, and maybe one or two more psychology classes.

thats the easy part. the hard part is....what is your gpa? if its not a 3.8, that could mean big trouble.

you have to take the GRE and score at least a 1200. if you score 1,000 you still might get into a program but it wont be the best.

you have to have research experience under your belt. this is perhaps one of the most important things you can do. you must try and get a research assistant job. it should be in the field of clinical psychology, or closely related area.

Answer 2

That actually depends mostly on which school you would want to apply to.  Some schools are a bit tougher when it comes to requirements, desiring nearly perfect GPAs and very high scores in both the general GRE and the subject GRE for Psychology.  Many also want to see research experience on your undergrad resume, as well as some indication of good time management (such as being involved in extracurriculars, and taking on leadership roles, like being vice pres in your classes student government assoc.)

However, other schools are just looking for dedicated students with a personality and a lot of determination.  Some only require a 3.2 to 3.4 or higher GPA (which is fairly easily attainable), and some only require that you take a general GRE and get slightly above average scores.

If the plan is to go back to school, my advice is to take the classes that your undergrad institution requires for the degree, but also take some psych classes that would be more directed toward the subtype of psychology you intend to go into (because you want to do clinical, you might take an Intro to Counseling class, abnormal psychology, and even biology, if you haven't already).  Also, just get the best possible GPA you can attain, and ask your advisor if you can help with some research at the college.