One of the great things about being a liberal arts and science major is the breadth of courses you can choose from at the undergraduate level. The academic major comprises only 30 of the 120 credits required for the bachelor's degree and the other 75% of the courses you take will be from disciplines such as mathematics, biology, economics, philosophy, literature, computer science, and anthropology. Advise: use your electives to explore different disciplines early in your academic career, then, in your junior and senior year take electives from various disciplines that will enhance your academic and career interests.

• First they will look at your overall GPA. If you do not meet the minimum requirements they may not look at your application any further. The most competitive programs look for GPA's at 3.5 and above. If your overall GPA is above a 3.3 you will be competitive in many programs.
• If your GPA is slightly low, admissions committees will look at your GPA in the later part of your academic career and your grades in psychology and more rigorous science classes for evidence of strong academic performance.
• Having more than one or two withdraws and incompletes on your record can be a red flag to some reviewers indicating that you exercised poor planning and poor time management.

• Admissions committees are looking for rigorous courses in math and science, as well as advanced psychology courses. They are also interested in your grades in statistics, research methods, and psychology labs. It is more desirable to reviewers to see rigorous courses on your transcript than courses that are considered easy - even if it means more B's than A's.
• Reviewers would rather see that you have taken a breath challenging liberal arts courses rather than every psychology course possible. The specialization in psychology will be taught to you in graduate school.
• Keep in mind that when you submit your application (typically early in January), you're submitting grades up through the first semester of your senior year, therefore, you should try to take the most rigorous courses during your junior year.

• Step back and take a look at your entire portfolio. Do you have other areas where you have excelled (i.e., research, GRE's, excellent letters etc.)? If so, look for ways to address your lower grades. Don't make excuses, rather, focus on your strengths and how your grades improved once your goals became more clear - whatever the case may be.
• You may want to consider delaying graduation. During this time you can retake courses or focus on more rigorous courses, and involve yourself in research.