Juswondering

Sorry about that; I wasn't sure how much information I ought to include at the time. To be more specific, she is currently looking at Harvard, UMass, Boston University, UCSF, Yale, University of Chicago, Northwestern, and Michigan. She said she was interested in WashU/WUSTL, Rockefeller and Scripps, but said she wouldn't apply because it's not close to anywhere where I would be. I asked her about Duke, but she wasn't very interested in living in North Carolina. I am primarily considering Harvard, U Chicago/Northwestern, Michigan (Ann Arbor), University of Virginia, and Berkeley. New York (Columbia and NYU) is a possibility, although neither of us really like the city very much. Stanford is also a strong option, but my numbers aren't really quite there. I don't think I really have a chance of getting into Yale; she's a little more positive on that front about my chances. My SO actually doesn't know I'm posting about this. She's been feeling pretty discouraged lately about her GPA. I've been telling her not to worry about it and trying to cheer her up, but since I know very little about this, I wanted to know that I'm being reasonable about what I was saying and not being overly optimistic. Should I also provide more information about the PI she' working under or lab she's working at? I don't know if that is potentially incriminating information (it would be really easy to identify her based on that), but if it's necessary, I can provide it as well. Thank you!

Hi all, I am not a future PhD applicant, but my SO is. I am planning on applying to law school this fall, and my current numbers are strong; I am expecting to get into one of the schools ranked somewhere between 3-14. My SO, however, doesn't have as strong numbers, not for lack of trying, but because of a challenging biology program at the school we attended for undergrad, as well as some family issues she had to deal with over those four years. Our plan is to attend school in the same location, which is why her chances for getting into a strong PhD program is worrying us a little bit, and stressing her out. Here are her stats: Female, Latin-American, US Citizen Undergrad: Ivy-League 3.0 UGPA; I believe somewhat higher than that for Major GPA (if that involves excluding Organic Chemistry and Neuroscience). Also, she defended her Honors thesis, and received honors on her diploma, despite honors generally requiring at least a 3.5; an exception was made for her based on the strong recommendation of her advisor and the PI she worked under at the time. Would this affect anything? GRE - has not taken yet; currently studying. She said she will work to make sure these numbers are strong for the programs to which she will be applying. Research experience - spent a year conducting research in Undergrad under a well-known PI in his field (now retired); now currently 1 year into a 2 year work period at a very prestigious virology research lab in Massachusetts, working under a highly known PI in the field. Publications: None yet, but a paper she is working on is currently drafted and in the final revisions stage, which will be submitted to Nature. According to the PI and other researchers, the quality and sheer quantity of the data presented and analyzed makes it highly likely that it will be accepted. If it is published, she would be second author. LORs - She would receive one from her former retired PI, her current PI, and her academic advisor from her Undergrad, who was also a professor of hers. These letters are expected to be extremely strong. All three have expressed strong enthusiasm for assisting her; her current PI also is very influential, and has formerly served on the admissions committee for a top 5 ranked PhD program. All of this is really foreign for me; for law school, the GPA and LSAT reign supreme, and everything else (LORs, work experience) is basically just a formality. I've heard, though, that for PhD programs letters of recommendation are crucial, and that research experience can make a lot of difference. I guess what I'm asking is, would extremely strong LORs, along with good work experience be able to overcome a low, border-line GPA? Are schools like Harvard or Stanford still possibly on the table? Are there schools that have a cutoff higher than that 3.0 magic number people tend to cite? Our biggest worry is that we won't be able to find a program close enough to a corresponding law school, meaning that we would have to pursue something long distance for multiple years. At the same time, I don't want to have her apply to a program she would hate, or not apply to a program that she would love (like WUSTL), just for purposes of proximity. It would just make her miserable. I appreciate you taking the time to read this, and thanks for the help!