Long time lurker - got tired of freaking myself out comparing my stats to everyone else's, so please have at mine! I am really not sure what my chances are, so any comment or advice would be so greatly appreciated.
Undergrad Institution: Large public university, top 5 public for biology Major(s): Biology; Biochemistry/Cell Biology emphasis Minor(s): Music, Cognitive Science GPA in Major: 3.44 (not great, 1 not-so-great year followed by 2 really good ones. Should I even bother explaining?) Overall GPA: 3.32 Position in Class: top 25%? I have no idea. Type of Student: domestic female GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 156 V: 162 W: 3.0 (I have no idea what happened - I'm retaking in a week) B: just took this a couple days ago, practice test was ~85th percentile if i recall correctly Research Experience: Extensive. 3 year internship at a top 10 academic research institute under a big shot PI, 2 years as a tech at the same institution, and 2 years as an RA at a newly founded research institute. 8 publications. 2 2nd author, 2 3rd, 2 4th, 1 7th, 1 9th. 1 of those is a Cell paper, 1 is a Nature paper. Very long and varied list of research skills. Currently in control of 2 independent projects.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: student-elected best TA for a neurobiology course. Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 2 years experience as a tech in an academic research lab, 2 years of experience in early stage biomedical research. Special Bonus Points: haha, female status. Does that even help these days? My PI, who is also the president of the institute I currently work at, is a big name and well connected at a number of schools I am applying to. I am also a co-author of a filed patent. Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: My LoRs will be glowing, and 1 of them will come from my PI (might hold considerable weight). I also believe my SoP is particularly well written. Applying to Where: This list is WAY too long; can anyone help me toss a couple out?!
UC Berkeley - MCB
The Scripps Research Institute
UCSF- TETRAD
MIT - Biology
Stanford - Biology
UCSD - Biology; CMG track
Caltech - Biology
Columbia - Biology
Yale - BBS
Harvard - BBS
UCLA - MCDB
USC - MCB
University of Washington Seattle - MCB
University of Arizona - MCB
Thanks in advance and congrats to all who are already living the dream!