Microbiology PhD ... what are my chances?

[caringrobot]

I feel like a lot of people ask this but I need advice and help so bare with me!

I went to a top 4 undergraduate college and graduated with an overall GPA of 3.0 and major GPAs of 3.2 in biology and 3.1 in geophysical science. I have 2 years of research experience in microbial biogeochemistry during my time in undergraduate (one of these years was purely independent research). Unfortunately, no publications.

I am taking the next 1-2 years off to work as a lab tech to get more experience (hoping it will offset my low GPA a bit). Also, to obtain a great 3rd recommendation. I'm also considering getting a tech job at one of my top choice schools in hopes that I could get to know the professors better and maybe get an "in" by finding a potential adviser.

My GRE scores are Q: 170 V:163 W:4

Do I have any chance of getting into a good microbiology/biology phd program? Should I aim for a masters instead?

My top choices are UCSD/Scripps, USC, and Berkley. Do I have any chance here?

Also, what schools would you all recommend that I could count as "target" schools for me? I'm trying to figure out where I stand in terms of graduate school rankings...

Edited August 20, 2015 by caringrobot

[Underthebridge]

I think you've got a pretty strong application there.  But it's really impossible to tell.  There are a lot of politics and chance that feed into how many people get accepted into a program.  The thing that will most likely get you into a program is your letter of recommendation.  They must be glowing, and written by someone who knows how to write a glowing letter.  Sometimes PIs are not terribly good at this.  

GREs are okay for not getting your application thrown out immediately, and you should go by percentile, not raw score.  I was accepted into a PhD program with no where near the cachet of UCSD/Cal etc a V:90th M:95th W: 95th percentiles but was not backed with nearly as nice of a research background as you do.

My mistake was to apply to moonshot schools and lower tier schools with very little between and as a result narrowly missed the cut by my middle-ground schools, probably because of my shallower research experience and out-of-state application.  I suggest you apply to 12-15 programs of a wide range of prestige.  I'm pretty confident you'll make it in somewhere. 

Narrowing yourself down to a single narrow subject is going to hurt you though.  You're not applying to 'SOMEONE' you're applying to a PROGRAM, and it's the program's committee that decides to take you.  So you may want to make sure that when you apply you apply 'broadly' enough that the program thinks you'll be successful.

Edited August 20, 2015 by Underthebridge

[caringrobot]

Thank you so much for your response. I honestly wasn't expecting anything positive due to the low GPA but I suppose the research experience will help.

I know that LORs are extremely important. I would say that I have two pretty good ones so far but am worried about the ability of my PIs making them "shining"... 

Are LORs preferred to be from professors? Are internship supervisors or PIs from post graduate work accepted?

[Vene]

Thank you so much for your response. I honestly wasn't expecting anything positive due to the low GPA but I suppose the research experience will help.

I know that LORs are extremely important. I would say that I have two pretty good ones so far but am worried about the ability of my PIs making them "shining"... 

Are LORs preferred to be from professors? Are internship supervisors or PIs from post graduate work accepted?

Letters from academics are best. If it's from a professor you worked with, but didn't take a class with, that's perfectly fine. A supervisor from an internship is a good letter choice, but I'd avoid more than one non-academic reference.

[MicroGeek]

I think you've got a pretty strong application there.  But it's really impossible to tell.  There are a lot of politics and chance that feed into how many people get accepted into a program.  The thing that will most likely get you into a program is your letter of recommendation.  They must be glowing, and written by someone who knows how to write a glowing letter.  Sometimes PIs are not terribly good at this.  

 

What do you mean by politics? I am pretty fresh at figuring everything out.